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Reforms for police, not punishments

Reforming law enforcement agencies where the stain of bigotry remains a threat to the public is important. We have no doubt the vast majority of men and women in the profession agree with that. But hamstringing them is not the answer. It not only discriminates against good cops, it also has dangerous to the public. Yet some public officials remain committed to “defunding” law enforcement simply to placate a few unthinking constituents. An example of the phenomenon is playing out in Minneapolis. There, after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a few police officers, there ...

GOP lawmakers silent on election claims

In a sign of just how far President Donald Trump can wield his influence by threat, Minnesota’s GOP members of Congress have been silent on his baseless claims, bullying behavior and rampant retaliation in regard to his election loss. Minnesotans should be scared and worried that these duly elected representatives see fit to answer to a political pariah before answering to those who voted for them and who they purportedly represent. The Star Tribune has contacted the representatives more than once since the election and the members of Congress have ignored multiple requests to ...

Odd time to cut Minneapolis police budget

Normally, we who live in New Ulm would have little to no interest in how the Minneapolis city government sets up its budget. But these are not normal times. The nation is watching what the Minneapolis City Council is doing with its proposal to cut $8 million from the city’s police budget and move it to other services and areas they think will do better the things they think police don’t do well. This all harks back to May, when a now ex-Minneapolis police officer knelt on the neck of George Floyd for nearly eight minutes. Floyd lost consciousness and died in those eight minutes ...

A vaccine for Christmas?

Gov. Tim Walz is cautiously optimistic that the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine could be coming around Christmas time. The state is expected to receive — if information from the federal government remains firm — some 46,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine as early as next week, and 136,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine two weeks after that. That’s 183,000 doses. Obviously, that’s hardly enough to immunize 5 million or so Minnesotans, but the state can start immunizing the health care workers and long-term care residents who are at the top of the federal guidelines for ...

Continue suspension of Medicare sequester

Many U.S. hospitals are under siege because of COVID-19. Both in personnel and other resources, they need all the help they can get. Earlier this year, when most people thought the epidemic would peak by this fall, Congress acted wisely by including in the CARES Act a provision suspending part of a 2011 law. That statute reduces Medicare payments to hospitals by 2%, through something called the Medicare “sequester.” Whether that ever was wise is questionable. It certainly makes no sense now — but the CARES Act suspension expires on Dec. 31. U.S. Reps. David McKinley, R-W.Va., ...

Virus aid deserves bipartisan support

A second round of federal COVID-19 relief money, more than $900 billion, may be on its way to Americans soon. Thank a group of U.S. senators and representatives who have grown sick of the partisan bickering that has delayed a new relief bill for months. They are unlike many politicians, both Democrat and Republican, who seem to have forgotten that the people want results, not rhetoric. Fiery, emotional appeals to “the base” may work during election campaigns, but they divide rather than uniting. For months, tens of millions of Americans have been engaged in a futile wait for ...