What a joke.

A new tougher state law now means people who steal gasoline from filling stations ("drive-offs") will have their licenses suspended for 30 days, according to this story at KARE-11's website.

But if you dare drive one mile per hour over 100 miles per hour, they'll take your license away for 6 months -- even if there are no other risk factors other than simply breaking the speed limit.

So, I can take my Ford F-250 with dual tanks and drive off with over $100 worth of gasoline and I might lose my license for 1 month. But if I find an empty, straight stretch of safe highway and push my BMW up over 100mph and get caught, I'm walking for 6 months.

No wonder people have so little respect for the law. When the punishment has no resemblance to the seriousness of the crime, how can anyone take the laws and the lawmakers seriously?

Clearly, we have a legislature full of idiots.

See also House Bill 140, section 106, lines 22 through 26.

A great letter to the editor of the Star Tribune in today's paper regarding the narrow-minded bullies pushing to give public park land and a city street to a private Catholic high school so that they can build a football stadium:

School should reach out

DeLaSalle High School doesn't seem to appreciate the history or unique qualities of its small island setting, and has made no effort to listen to or compromise with its neighbors on the stadium issue (Star Tribune, July 21).

Instead it counts on its well-connected alumni and backers to bully this proposal through. The school has created an atmosphere of division and animosity that will last for years.

Mary Lofgren, Minneapolis.

"Bully" is certainly the right word to use. They've hired a lawyer to represent them at public forums where ordinary citizens speak -- in addition to their principal, president, vice-president, trustees, students and parents who also show up. DeLaSalle continues to ignore the salient facts, and instead repeat endlessly a couple of nearly irrelevant facts and devisive comments -- "we were here first" (no they weren't), "we teach minorities and low-income students" (yeah, so what? So do the public schools), and "opponents are just Island residents" (there are only 200 residents on the Island but over 1200 people signed a petition opposing the land give away).

Frankly, the Catholic Archdiocese should reign in these unethical, scheming bastards because what they are doing is neither Christian nor good for the public or kids of Minneapolis as a whole.