Columns

OK, newspaper folks. It's time to pick ourselves off the ground and fight back. There is plenty of time left on the clock, and our fans - more than 100 million loyal readers - are pulling for us to win. So here's how we rally.

First and foremost, we have to ignore those self-proclaimed pundits and cynics who believe that newspapers are dead. They are dead wrong.

Sure, newspaper companies face serious challenges. But we also have serious opportunities to re-engineer ourselves as quality content creators for local print and online audiences that advertisers still desire.

While many are focused on fighting the government takeover of the health care system, a lesser-known bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week that paved the way for a government takeover of the student loan industry.

Recent polls have shown that Americans feel the government is trying to do too many things that should be left to businesses and individuals.

Do you remember the Jolly Green Giant? What about a card catalog? Have you ever "shaken down" a thermometer? Remember when we had to watch the evening news to find out what had happened in the world?

I do. And I have.

But not so for most of this year's college freshmen.

Each August for the past decade, Wisconsin's Beloit College has released what it has termed a "Mindset List." The list is the creation of Beloit's Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride and Emeritus Public Affairs Director Ron Nief.

As a matter of full disclosure, let me first say that I’m not a big fan of traveling. Sitting in a car for more than a couple of hours makes my back ache severely, killing the potential for any fun that I might have at my destination.

With that said, I just came back to work after spending a week laying on the beach, shopping, dining out, going to the movies and generally spending more money than I should have. And I did it all right here in Taylor County.