Olson Memorial Highway, Dude!

In the Sunday OpEx (huh?) page of the Strib, Jay Kiedrowski writes: The superior quality of life that we enjoy and treasure in Minnesota is the product of nearly 150 years of liberal Republican and moderate Democratic governors' fiscal leadership. It’s funny how he dances around saying something naughty and refuses to say “liberal Democrat.” Apparently every governor of the past 150 years has been a centrist. Even funnier is his exclusion of the Farmer-Labor party governors of the thirties: Floyd B. Olson, Hjalmar Petersen, and Elmer A. Benson. (A virtual Murderers Row of Norse names.) Floyd B. Olson guided Minnesota through the dark times of the Great Depression and is remembered for “his unyielding support of people in need.”

My favorite quote of Olson's is this: “If the so-called Depression deepens, I strongly recommend to you, Mr. President, the government take over and operate the key industries of this country … If necessary to relive public suffering the government should not hesitate to conscript wealth.” And Olson did not claim to be a liberal, he declared himself a radical. He was also the most popular governor this state ever had. Move that to the center.