Progress on packaging is happening
A recent Letter to the Editor here criticized the Minnesota packaging law as expensive foolishness. I can say from recent experience that Amazon has shifted their packing materials to recyclables. For the last month I found no plastic, foam or bubble wrap, and even the cardboard is thinner, so it can be done if they can do it.
Joe Danko, North St. Paul
What about American kids, Mr. Musk?
It does not surprise me that there will be much debating over immigration in the coming year. Elon Musk, who spent a quarter-billion dollars to get inside the White House, doesn’t want to spend money training American kids who do not want to go to college, but desperately need training into good-paying careers. He’d rather import non-American citizens; supposedly they are smarter and more valuable than our kids. Are the farmers and meat packers also paying attention? Musk doesn’t care if you come up short with field workers and line workers; jobs that most American kids do not want. The new president won’t make everyone happy, but he could go a long way in putting money into training the young people who are already here, underemployed or unemployed, so they can support themselves and help fuel our growing economy.
Nancy Lanthier Carroll, Roseville
Descending into anarchy?
The article “Poll finds many also blame insurers for slaying” (Dec. 28) is worse than disturbing. Mr. Thompson was a human being. He had a family who loved him as a husband and father. In the United States (and any civilization), he was entitled to the life his Creator had endowed upon him.
Or have we descended into the hellhole of anarchy? Why is this any different than the man Otzi who was found, apparently murdered about 5,300 years ago, his body wedged in the crevasse of a glacier with an arrow in his back? Is this where we have descended to?
Would any of those who expressed support for the accused shooter really want to live in a country where someone could be excused for murdering someone just because they thought they were justified in doing so? Because, if one can do it, so can another — and everyone is a potential target.
All excuses are irrelevant.
Art Thell, West St. Paul
America is a land of opportunity
According to the Smithsonian Institute, we present-day humans originated from apelike ancestors somewhere in Africa and then evolved over a period of approximately 6 million years. Humanity migrated in stages to continents worldwide. We all are immigrants or were descended from immigrant ancestors. In the present era, I understand the complications and challenges of managing our borders. However, present-day social enmity toward immigrants is a misguided, out-of-balance, self-inflicted wound.
Economists and business entrepreneurs caution us that we continually need the talents and abilities of immigrants to bolster our economy. Moreover, the recent emergence of a political initiative for mass deportations of immigrants is an embarrassment to anyone of good faith in mankind. Open hearts, cooperation, care and creative thinking are distinguishing characteristics of our country. America is a land of opportunity and a model to the entire world. Let’s keep it that way.
Gerry Del Fiacco, Eagan
‘Inhumane’
One word that comes to mind while reading the article on the relocation of the former Lowry tenants is “inhumane.” City officials did not follow through on their original promises to help residents relocate. And, even more absurd, giving them three days notice to find another place to live. I challenge them to try and find decent housing on the limited incomes that most of these residents have. When the young woman in the article expressed that she would rather live on the street than live in a shelter, where she would be split up from her family, is heartbreaking .Our government, on every level, is failing the citizens they are elected to serve, every day, in every way. And speaking of bumblers, I do not even want to think about the chaos the new administration in Washington, D.C., will create.
Ursula Krawczyk, St. Paul
Stop speeders and red-light runners
It is now 2025 and St. Paul needs to use camera technology to enforce speeding and stop light violations. You can not walk or drive in the city without seeing someone running a red light or speeding.
Going east on Kellogg Avenue is a downgrade that naturally leads to speeding. Has anyone ever seen speed enforcement on Kellogg between Excel Energy Center and the Union Depot? Running red lights and speeding is consistent on Shepard Road. Again, has anyone seen traffic enforcement units working on Shepard Road along the city corridor?
Insert the streets you frequent and I’m sure you can say the same thing. How many stoplight violations were issued by the St Paul Police Department in 2024 that weren’t a result of an accident? The police department does the best they can with the resources they have, but it’s just not enough. Cameras are on duty 24/7. Cameras don’t care what kind of vehicle you drive, they just care if you are speeding or running a red light.
It is beyond time the St. Paul Police Department and our elected officials get over whatever qualms they have about cameras and decide they want to use established technology to make our city safer. People driving in St Paul are just not going to stop running red lights or speeding on their own accord. It will continue to get worse until the city does something about it.
Ryan Radunzel, St. Paul
Tax these things to pay for health care
The closing of the Dakota Child and Family Clinic is just another sign of apathy and indifference upon the most needy people in the United States. Not everything has to be a profitable service.
The United States needs a universal healthcare system that covers everyone equally. To pay for it, we need to raise taxes on alcohol, tobacco and cannabis products. We need to start adding a tax on all salty and sugary junk foods such as candy bars, soda pop, baked goods (doughnuts, etc.).
Sweden has a tax-based health system that covers everyone, and is well respected globally. Maybe we can learn something from Sweden?
Donald A. Newell, Jr., Monticello
Pardon for Hunter was wrong. Pardon for Cheney would be right
Presidential pardons have been a topic of conversation recently, with President Biden issuing many just weeks before the end of his administration.
I usually struggle accepting the fact that one person (our current president) can pardon a person who has previously had their “day in court” and had been found guilty by a judge, or judge and jury, of whatever crime they’re accused of … and yet that one person (the president) can override that conviction. A classic example of that was President Biden’s pardon of his own son, Hunter, a pardon I personally believe was uncalled for.
Having said this, I read where President Biden is considering issuing a preemptive pardon for members of the January 6th commission, those people like Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney who answered the call to lead the investigation into what happened on that fateful day where former President Donald Trump incited a crowd of his supporters, called for them to head to the Capitol and disrupt the validation of the Electoral College votes, all of which happened, resulting in several deaths and hundreds of injuries to security employees. While this travesty was unfolding, Mr. Trump watched it on television, and refused to intervene or call for his supporters to go home.
The work of the January 6th Commission was both revealing and insightful, and clearly documented the awful truths of that day. Now soon-to-be President Trump is calling for members of that committee to be investigated and perhaps convicted for having the courage to serve as committee members.
If there has ever been an acceptable need or reason for a presidential pardon to be issued, this is it. President Biden, do the right thing and issue that pardon, and protect those individuals who had the courage and backbone to stand up to Donald Trump, unlike so many members of Congress, who while initially condemning his actions, quickly feared for their own political futures, and resumed their cowardly support of the man.
Mike Miller, Lakeland
He made a difference
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Jimmy Carter died on Sunday. I always felt a deep personal connection with him and even had the honor of meeting him at a White House event during his presidency. He was just three weeks older than my mother and was part of what we have come to call the Greatest Generation that defined much of the 20th Century.
His one-term presidency made him famous, but his post-presidency defined him. He built a legacy of making a positive change to benefit others. Teddy Roosevelt talked about the “bully pulpit” of the presidency – the ability to draw attention to issues because people pay attention when the president is speaking. Jimmy Carter developed what I call the “bully pulpit of the post-presidency”.
His personal legacy is unique among ex-presidents. His long life was not fueled by resentment, but by compassion. He lived his life as an extension of his theology – to do good – and was a model for those of us who wonder if we too can make a difference. Whether it was domestically by volunteering for Habitat for Humanity or internationally through his Carter Center he rolled up his sleeves and followed his calling; to generously use his time and talents right up until the very end. He never really retired; he just shifted his energy.
Jimmy Carter is one of my heroes. He personified the adage that we all do better when we’re all doing better. His good work seems to have been drowned out in recent years among the din of anger and outrage. In a world full of unconstructive noise, he saw constructive clarity in doing things for others. His humble and soft-spoken manner brought hope. Like most of his generation, he has now passed, but may his memory – his example – never die. Rest in peace, Mr. President. You made a difference.
Alan Tuchtenhagen, River Falls
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