For my deer friend Neil

It’s 8:45 am (CT). Do you know who your state representative is? Most people don’t — which is a pity, as while it can be tough to get a U.S. congresscritter’s attention unless you’re waving a stack of fifties under his or her nose, your state reps are usually far more accessible. They also are likely to be more knowledgeable, especially about the nuts and bolts of governance — they have to be; unless they’re Republicans and/or have corporate backing, most aren’t rich enough to afford turnkey staffs who do their thinking for them. (For the record: My state senator is Mary Jo McGuire and my state representative is John Lesch, who I follow on Twitter. They’re good eggs, both of them.)

Granted, a lot of them — particularly those on the Republican side — are wastes of space; Mike “Resign Now!” Parry, he of the emo outbursts and the Scarlett O’Hara budget-battle flounces, is a chief example. But a lot are like my friend Neil: People with a foot in each life, that of politics and that of the everyday world, and skilled at balancing the roles they play in each.

I don’t get to see Neil that often, so I cherish the times when we can sit down for a talk, as we did a few weeks ago. And there’s always a lot to talk about. Neil Haugerud, after a eventful life as a farmer, Marine, carpenter, and longtime deputy sheriff and sheriff of Fillmore County, Minnesota, decided to run for the state legislature. While there, he worked to reform Minnesota’s probate and estate laws. In fact, one could say he wrote the book on probate law.

In recent years Neil’s been involved in trying to end the War on Some Drugs, as he’s appalled by the corruption it’s engendered. To that end, he’s worked with LEAP, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, and his latest book — the novel Holiday Forever — revolves around a rest home whose humane operators strive to give the residents whatever they desire, particularly medicinal marijuana.

Now if I can only get him to resume posting at MyFDL…