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Editorial

Not too late to spend money locally

The Mining Journal Editorial Board typically uses this space on several occasions during the holiday season to remind local shoppers to strongly consider local businesses when plgying the role of Santa Claus. That's because for a lot of retailers, the holiday buying season represents a significant portion of their annual sales. And this is much more than simply profits into someone’s pocket. The Associated Press reports the holidays can account for more than half their annual sales. Holiday retail sales are expected to increase between 3% and 4%, according to trade group the National ...

Use caution when going out on early ice cover

Those eager to take advantage of winter’s snow need to keep safety at the forefront of their preparations, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources advises. Be extra careful on all waterbodies and remember that no ice is safe ice, that state’s DNR warns in a news release. Stay alert to the rapidly changing ice conditions commonly found in the early parts of winter. “Early in the season especially, ice conditions are unpredictable and can change quickly on Wisconsin’s rivers and lakes,” said Lt. Jacob Holsclaw, DNR Off-Highway Vehicle administrator. “The ice covers ...

Trump’s relationship with Europe is more abusive than allied

Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz have become adept at scrambling to deal with the latest bad news from Washington. Their meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Downing Street on Dec. 8 was so hastily arranged that Mr. Macron needed to be back in Paris by late afternoon to meet Croatia’s prime minister, while Mr. Merz was due on television for an end-of-year Q&A with the German public. But diplomatic improvisation alone cannot fully answer Donald Trump’s structural threat to European security. The U.S. president and his emissaries are trying to bully Mr. ...

Congressman’s health care ‘solution’ not really much of one

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., thinks he has a new idea: no taxes on health care. He has proposed making all out-of-pocket health care expenses tax deductible, saying that would “help people immediately.” But would it? Right now, there are already significant tax breaks on health care. The largest is the exemption of employer-sponsored health insurance from income taxes. That exemption didn’t arise because the government wanted to help people pay for health care. It was an accident. During World War II, wages were capped by the government, but health benefits were not. Many ...

First deadline looms for health insurance marketplace coverage

The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services is reminding residents that the deadline to purchase Health Insurance Marketplace coverage that would start Jan. 1 is only a few days away on Monday. While Michiganders can enroll until Jan. 15, coverage for plans selected after Dec. 15 will not take effect until Feb. 1, the MDIFS warned. “To ensure that you and your family begin the New Year with high-quality, comprehensive health insurance, enroll in a Marketplace health plan by Dec. 15,” DIFS Director Anita Fox said in a news release. “Even if you are satisfied with ...

Supreme Court is failing its most important job

In early November, a conservative Supreme Court justice showed a clear-eyed understanding of the threat that President Trump poses to the constitutional order. During an oral argument in a case involving tariffs that Mr. Trump unilaterally imposed by claiming emergency powers, Justice Neil Gorsuch suggested that the move could weaken Congress in an enduring way. “What president’s ever going to give that power back?” he asked. Justice Gorsuch’s realism in a case involving a signature policy of Mr. Trump’s second term raises the so far elusive prospect that the court may ...