Thankful, mindful, hopeful, realistic

Opinion editor’s note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Minnesota Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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Members of the Minnesota Star Tribune Editorial Board have long had a Thanksgiving tradition of pragmatic appreciation — that is, gratitude for the elegance that surrounds us, both natural and in human constructs, and mindfulness of the potential for their misuse or insufficiency. Here are our thoughts this year:

Be thankful for free and fair elections, and for the peaceful transfer of presidential power that has endured throughout our nation’s history. Be mindful that these traditions form the bedrock of our democracy and must not be taken for granted.

Be thankful for those serving our country, be they in the military, the Foreign Service or the bureaucracy. Be mindful that many service members and diplomats are dispatched overseas this Thanksgiving, and that many federal workers are worried over their futures — not for performance reasons, but for political ones.

Be thankful for America’s allies — especially the NATO nations that answered the collective-defense mechanism known as Article 5 the one and only time it was invoked, by the U.S. after 9/11. Be mindful that these bonds are being tested by often reckless rhetoric from some in this country.

Be thankful for a free and independent press. Be mindful that attempts to disempower it serve aspiring autocrats and those who have something to hide.

Be thankful for the freedom of speech, which allows you to express your opinions without government interference or retaliation. Be mindful that this right does not protect you from the criticism of your peers. Words are a powerful tool that should be used thoughtfully.

Be thankful this nation’s founders created a form of government that allows states to be laboratories of democracy. Be mindful of the inequalities this can create, and that the mobility to relocate to a setting one finds ideologically agreeable is a privilege, not easily undertaken by all.

Be thankful that Minnesota declined to rush to allow sports betting, an option given the states by a ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018. Be mindful that black-market gambling is rampant, with or without legal sanction.

Be thankful for Minnesota’s world-class health care providers. Be mindful that this vital workforce is stretched thin and that smart policies are needed to encourage more young people to enter these noble professions.

Be thankful for our state’s abundant and glorious natural resources — its waterways, prairies, forests and wilderness. Be mindful of the need to protect them for future generations of Minnesotans. Environmental stewardship is a fundamental responsibility of citizenship.

Be thankful for the cold. Be mindful that anthropogenic climate change is slowly warming our planet, and that this will continue in the absence of significant intervention from and cooperation among our world leaders.

Be thankful for the cooling off of inflation, which in recent months has come close to the Federal Reserve Board’s target. Be mindful that it would be improbable for prices to return broadly to their previous levels without other kinds of economic pain.

Be mindful that the Fed’s target has not quite been reached and that certain plans of the incoming presidential administration, especially tariffs, are seen as inflationary by most economists. Be thankful that the economy is ever-evolving and adapting to circumstances, as it did with the supply-chain disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Be thankful for the plethora of books available in our libraries and local bookstores. Be mindful that access to some of those books is being threatened across the country by attempted book bans.

Be thankful for the increased sensitivities in how we treat one another in society. Be mindful of the backlash against them — but also of the danger in banishing levity.