Republicans and DFLers have this week to finish their suggestions for how to draw new Minnesota's new Congressional and legislative maps. They'll turn them in to a court-appointed panel that's expected to finish the redistricting process in a couple of months.

Many observers speculate a five-judge panel will release the new legislative and congressional district maps next week. The court panel is now responsible for the maps because the GOP-controlled legislature and DFL Gov. Mark Dayton failed to agree on the new maps. Redistricting is required every 10 years to keep nearly the same number of people in each district.

Some residents are telling a panel that it makes no sense to lump both cities in the same legislative district. The population of the St. Cloud area and the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities have grown much faster than most of other parts of the state in the past decade, which means political districts in the area must be redrawn.

When Minnesota's political parties were unable to agree on new political boundaries, they went to court ... and now the bills are coming due. Democrats, Republicans, and citizens who joined the lawsuit are seeking reimbursement of $628,000 in legal costs. A panel appointed by the state Supreme Court eventually handled the redistricting.

The Associated Press reports the court panel assigned with redrawing the state's political boundaries won't rule until late February -- a point where the Republican Congresswoman should know if its time to abandon her presidential campaign if her placement in the polls don't improve.

No surprise to anyone, Democrats like legislation/regulation particularly related to income re-distribution while Republicans chastise all for too much government regulation as they put statutory and, worse, Constitutional constraints on personal matters like Gay marriage, and, eventually, sex acts. But the hypocrisy does not stop there.

The five-judge redistricting panel appointed by the Minnesota Supreme Court released an outline Thursday. All parties must have their proposed maps to the court next month. The court will then have a hearing on the plans in January.

A group of bipartisan lawmakers say they oppose any plan to expand gambling to raise revenue for a Vikings stadium. Meanwhile, Dayton says tapping Legacy funds might be an "option," and the city of Minneapolis shared some details about its own proposals for a stadium.