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Letters to the Editor

The illusion of political change

To the editor: In 2000, my father, then 95 years old, supported Ralph Nader for President. I learned this when we were visiting at Christmas. A few months earlier, I had shared information about the Constitution Party person that was running for president. I asked him why he chose Nader and his simple reply to me was irrefutable. He said he remembered every election since Woodrow Wilson; that the Republicans and Democrats have had control of the White House and/or the Congress, his entire life and that the political outcome doesn’t seem to change. His conclusion was that either the ...

Living with our choices

To the editor: Today I think positively of what will be. Some say the system is wrong. Some blame the government for their ills. One word comes to mind: responsibility. Responsibility, in itself has little to do with systems or governments. You guessed it. It has to do with the person. People make choices. Whatever our choices one thing is certain: we must live with our choices. Out of all this comes experience. Out of that comes knowledge. Knowing something out there is greater than you is the first step to wisdom. What will be is greater than what is. In the end its not what you ...

Erica Schwartz delivering in the Legislature

To the editor: In one of the most remarkable moments of this session, Rep. Schwartz secured unanimous passage of her bill, House File 2169, on a 134-0 vote. In a closely divided House, that kind of bipartisan support is almost unheard of-especially for a freshman legislator. But the reason is quite simple: the bill does exactly what good policy should do, it protects people. House File 2169 closes a dangerous loophole in Minnesota law by ensuring that individuals who commit unintentional murder while under a protective order are held fully accountable, no matter where that order was ...

A tale of two school boards

To the editor: In the March 31 edition of the Minnesota Star Tribune, there was an article that the Bemidji school board voted to keep an elementary school open for at least another year despite facing a deficit of $3.5 million. What I found interesting is that hundreds of parents and educators gathered and addressed the school board when they were scheduled to take the final vote on the future of the elementary school. On March 2, the board voted unanimously to close the school. But four weeks later, the board voted to keep it open, for now. Did the $3.5 million deficit go away? The ...

‘No Kings Rallies’ hard to ignore

To the editor: The past weekend was an opportunity to pause and take stock of our current administration’s complete lack of understanding of how things work. Even after repeated lessons from the not so recent past, and the evidence placed squarely in front of them. The third “No Kings Rallies” held across the country were hard to ignore, even by the blind MAGA followers who could do little more than indulge in their favorite pastime of denial and name calling. I noticed that a few preferred to call them “unamerican” . Meanwhile, (Trump) retreated to his golf course and has ...

Why turn away fully funded opportunity for students?

To the editor: We are writing to express our deep disappointment in the district’s recent decision to refuse reinstating the gymnastics program, even after the gymnastics program offered to cover the full cost of the program. When a program steps forward with a solution that removes the financial burden from the district, it deserves thoughtful consideration rather than an immediate dismissal. School athletics are not just extracurricular activities; they provide students with discipline, teamwork, confidence, and a sense of belonging. For many athletes, gymnastics is not simply a ...