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Letters to the Editor

Trump putting Trump family first

To the editor: As a 24-year-old Naval petty officer serving as a DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) courier in the Pentagon, I was often required to be into brief contact with some of the individuals in appointed positions from the private sector. In dealing with an individual on a casual basis on one occasion shortly before my discharge, I recall a conversation in which this person, David Packard, the deputy secretary of defense, was bemoaning the fact that he would have to forfeit some very sizable ($100,000 or more) gains in the stock market from the preceding day due to a conflict ...

Trump will never give up the throne

To the editor: I never thought I would agree with anything conservative syndicated columnist Cal Thomas wrote, but then I never thought an egomaniac would be elected president of the United States. Thomas has called Trump a narcissist among other things, particularly now that Trump has had the audacity to finagle getting the JF Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts renamed after him, henceforth, the Trump Kennedy Center. Instead of naming buildings, possibly football stadiums and Mount Rushmore, after himself, bombing Nigeria and Venezuelan fishing boats, engaging in a direct ...

Making a difference

To the editor: This season reminds us of the power of community and compassion. Yet, with today’s economic challenges, more of our neighbors are struggling than ever before. Local programs are stretched to their limits trying to meet these growing needs. I grew up in Lake Benton and have called Marshall home since 1997. I know firsthand the strength of this community—and I also know the challenges many families face. Whether your gift is large or small, every donation matters. Every dollar brings hope and help to someone who needs it. When you give to United Way of Southwest ...

This is only year one, what’s next?

To the editor: We are on the verge of 20 million people losing their health care. My personal health care premium will increase 215%. It sounds like a lot, that is more than triple my premium this year, for the same policy. What is Michelle Fischbach doing about Minnesotans losing health care? I have sent her a dozen emails on her contact site. She has not sent one single answer. In fact, she has voted against any extension of health care subsidies. She did approve of $40 billion being sent to bail out Argentina. At the same time only allotting $12 billion to American farmers, none ...

Whose beans are getting crushed?

To the editor: In 2024 China imported about 26.81 million metric tons of soybeans from the US. So far, just before the October China — USA meeting, China purchased 5.93 metric million tons with a promise of 12 million metric tons. This is less than half of 2024. China has been quietly adjusting imports away from the U.S. to decrease dependence on the U.S. for a number of years. With the government shutdown some numbers are not up to date and even adjusted to reflect political interests. Using non-government sources like the American Soybean Association the numbers should be ...

Challenging the ‘single story’ of Somali immigrants

To the editor: When President Trump labeled Somali immigrants “garbage,” he weaponized presidential power to diminish an entire community. As novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warned in her TED Talk “The Danger of a Single Story,” power lies not only in the ability to tell another person’s story, but to make it the definitive story of that person. Yes, some Somali Americans in Minnesota have been implicated in financial fraud. That fact should be reported, but it should never become the sole lens through which we view an entire community— thousands of Somali families ...