-Marxhausen: Well, I haven’t seen “The Blind Side” quite yet. I have heard many good things about it and it sounds like a very heartfelt story. My personal favorites are “Hoosiers” and probably the movie I have seen most is “Remember the Titans.” There are a lot of movies that I also would consider greats including “Rocky,” “Rudy,” “Bull Durham,” “Any Given Sunday” and “Caddyshack.” There are a lot of movies out there that are worth a watch. It all depends what I feel like watching on a given evening.

-Larson: I had forgotten how many great sports movies there have been but Luther and Logan refreshed my memory. Hockey is a great setting for a sports film and the U.S. 1980 Olympic gold medal team and its stunning victory over the Russians at Lake Placid provided the inspiration for two great movies. “Miracle on Ice,” was a made-for-TV movie in 1981 starring Karl Malden as coach Herb Brooks. More recently, “Miracle” in 2004, starring Kurt Russell as Brooks, was a little glitzier. Both were great. And, speaking of hockey, how about “Slap Shot?” It provided great characters and plenty of laughs.

My top two are “Rudy” and “Brian’s Song.”

“Rudy” has probably been viewed by high school and college athletes looking for inspiration more than any other film. The main character, who wants a spot on the football roster at Notre Dame for at least one game, battles many setbacks on his way to achieving his goal.

“Brian’s Song” was made in 1970 and is regarded by some movie critics as the best made-for-TV movie ever made. It starred James Caan as Brian Piccolo and Billy Dee Williams as Gayle Sayers, teammates and running backs on the Chicago Bears who competed on the field but became friends off the field. A bonus is that several of Sayers’ amazing runs are spliced into the film.

So, why are sports films so wonderful? Because the best ones are based on real people and teams.

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•Question:  The Minnesota Vikings have lost running back Chester Taylor (Chicago Bears) and offensive lineman Artis Hicks (Washington Redskins) to free agency. How big are these losses?

Dorr: Artis Hicks, a part-time starter, will be missed but is probably easier to replace than Taylor, as good a back-up running back as there is in the NFL. I listened to talk radio in Chicago last weekend and Bear fans there are ecstatic. Unless the Vikings can find someone else, or Adrian Peterson becomes the third-down back Taylor was, the loss of Taylor will be a big one. He was one of the important pieces of the puzzle. Maybe Peterson will step it up and become a better receiver, a skill he improved on last year. Now, about pass blocking …

-Marxhausen: Chester Taylor was a solid running back behind Adrian Peterson. He could run for a few yards, block when needed and catch the ball out on the flat on third down. He was a great asset, but he wasn’t fit for the Viking system. He deserved more face time with the ball and it is hard to get that behind the top running back in the league. The loss is big, but Taylor can be replaced. If the Vikings find another back similar to Taylor’s they will be okay. Losing an offensive lineman is always tough. Losing Matt Birk to the Baltimore Ravens was tough on the Vikings and forced linemen to adjust to a new person next to them. Artis Hicks was familiar with the offense and had his bright moments. The right side of the offensive line has never been comparable to the left side’s talent. The spot can be filled, but it has to be someone who can bond with the offensive line because plays start with the big guys up front.

-Larson:  As of Monday, the Vikings aren’t as good of a team as they were when their season ended. Taylor gave Minnesota a boost nearly every time he entered a game. He fought for yardage on runs and picked up yardage after making receptions. Will his loss influence Brett Favre’s decision on playing another season?

The loss of Hicks isn’t as major. But, the Vikings may not have anyone as good in Hicks’ back-up role on their roster.
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“It’s really horrendous day when I think twice within an hour I’ve agreed with Rep. Buesgens,” said Kahn.

“Something really bad is happening when that’s happening,” she said.

“It’s not even him coming over to my viewpoint; it’s me going over to his,” she said, laughing.

Committee Chairman Gene Pelowski Jr., DFL-Winona, acknowledged Kahn’s concerns.

“And your shameless attempts to get to be Rep. (Tom) Emmer’s lieutenant governor are noted,” quipped Pelowski.

Emmer, R-Delano, is a Republican candidate for governor.

“It has been my privilege to serve as Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court for the past two years,” Magnuson said in a letter to Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

“I have found the position to be both challenging and rewarding. However, for reasons personal to me and my family, I have decided to step down and return to private practice,” he said.

Three Republican Legislators voted against a Jobs Creation bill last week.

The measure passed by a vote of 217-201 on a strict party line vote, as far as Minnesota is concerned.

Voting in favor were Tim Walz, District 1; Betty McCollum, District 4; Keith Ellison, District 5; Collin Peterson, District 7 and James Oberstar, District 8.

Voting against were: John Kline, District 2; Erik Paulsen, District 3 and Michele Bachmann, District 6.

At a time when jobs are needed, it’s a mystery why these Republicans would vote against this bill.

Once again, party loyalty reigns.

According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the bill would temporarily exempt businesses from having to pay the 6.2 percent employer’s share of Social Security withholding taxes on workers hired this year.  Employers would receive a $1,000 tax credit for each hire that stays on the job for one year.

It’s estimated 300,000 would be put back to work at a cost of $13 billion.

The bill also subsidizes state and local bond issues for public works projects, authorizes businesses to depreciate up to $250,000 in capital investments in a single year and provides 19.5 billion from the highway trust fund designed to trigger $60 billion worth of highway and transit construction.

That vote should be a no-brainer for congress people who keep saying their priority is creating jobs.

Senjem picked Seifert over Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, in making his endorsement.

“I think we have two great candidates on our side,” said Senjem.

“(But) I think he (Seifert) has the right style and the right temperament,” said Senjem.

Senjem credited Seifert with being calm, his demeanor cordial.

One criticism of Emmer — and Emmer has commented on this — is that he comes across as angry.

Emmer has insisted he isn’t angry, and that it’s unfair to judge him as such because of the way he looks.

Seifert expressed happiness over the Senjem endorsement.

Senjem holds sway in his area, Seifert explained, and Olmsted County with its 57 Republican delegates is an important county.

Wright County — Emmer’s home county — has 59 Republican delegates, Seifert said.

Seifert said the race between Emmer and he was competitive, and that he didn’t know who was in the lead at the moment.

The delegates are fluid, Seifert explained.

“Every March, I turn into a dog sled ‘groupie’, religiously following the race on-line,” said Anderson.

“Thank goodness for Blackberry’s,” she said on a campaign site.

Republican Anderson is running against DFL State Auditor Rebecca Otto to win back her old job.

A number of testifiers offered sometimes graphic testimony in criticism of sex education programs in their school districts, and argued the responsible family life and sexuality education legislation devalued successful abstinence-based sex education.

But Faust, citing statistics concerning teenage girls and pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases cited by bill opponents, said the statistics reflected a problem the legislation was attempting to fix.

Faust spoke about how his son, who has taken absolutely no interest in his father’s political career — door knocked only about an hour — volunteered to come to the Capitol on behalf of the bill and testify.

His son believes sex education programs prevent abortions, recounted Faust.

The bill passed the committee.

The Apple Valley Republican was proposing that for people who come to the polls to vote without proof of residence, they be given a provisional ballot — be allowed to vote — but also required to come back with valid proof of residency.

In the meantime, their ballot would be held but not counted until residency was established.

“This is the kind of balance we need,” said Gerlach.

But one criticism of the bill was that it placed an additional burden on voters who had been voting legally by requiring them to come back and prove residency or having their vote not counted.

The bill failed on a 4-8 vote in the Committee on State and Local Government Operations and Oversight.

The League of Women Voters did not support the bill.

A commentary in the March 8 issue of Newsweek Magazine speaks  volumes.

Evan Thomas writes that Washington is working just fine. It’s us that’s broken.”

He says our leaders are paralyzed at the very thought of asking us to make long-term sacrifices for long-term rewards.”

How true.  Both parties are looking at getting re-elected rather than voting for what’s best for the country.

A lawmaker could not suggest that taxes be raised or the opposition will kill him at the polls.

Thomas says the last presidential candidate who called for taxing the middle class was Walter Mondale in 1984, defeated in all states but two.

During this debate on health care, Republicans are succeeding in making the public believe that passage will increase their health care costs.  What do they think is happening to their health insurance premiums now?  They are going up.  One firm in California raised the premium 49 percent.

So why the paralysis?

I believe it’s because those who are satisfied are silent.  They don’t write their congress persons and tell them to do what’s right and they will be elected.

In Minnesota, politicians were amazed when the public voted for an increase in the sales tax to fund the outdoors and the arts.

I believe when the public has all of the facts, it usually makes a common sense conclusion.

In his article, Thomas argues for those in power to step up as leaders and break this partisan gridlock.

So far, legislators in Washington are not willing to give up anything without getting anything, such as earmarks.

Partisanship, argues Thomas, has never been worse, saying that governing requires meaningful compromise.

Until we the people let our House and Senate persons know that we’ll back them when they make the right decisions, they will continue to look at the polls rather than what’s best for the country.