The circus act
My eyes were rolling to the back of my head as I struggled reading through the April 9 article detailing the issues of St. Paul’s rent-control ordinance. What a mess the voters of this city created by passing this ordinance back in 2021. This issue is further complicated now by these same voters having elected an incompetent mayor and city council, who are trying to figure out a way to attract investment while at the same time handcuffing landlords. What large developer or small businessperson would want to try to navigate through all the potential legal hurdles facing them as investors or landlords?
There are over a dozen newly proposed tenant protections noted in the article that are being sponsored by several city council members, as the mayor tries to scale back the rent control fiasco that he helped create. If you read the newly proposed tenant protections, the summary is a landlord must be able to stand on one leg while dancing a jig, juggling knives and reciting the alphabet backward. If they can accomplish the above, maybe, just maybe, they won’t get sued.
This circus act will continue to have a long run in downtown St. Paul until voters come to their senses and elect representatives with business sense and not community activists.
Kevin J. Kelly, St. Paul
What and who can we trust?
I read the recent article on the Stillwater teacher situation (“Four Stillwater teachers suspended for cheating on training program”). As a former high school teacher and adjunct professor what strikes me is the potential lack of ethics and integrity. Why that matters? In our new world of AI, it matters greatly.
What and who can we trust? According to your article the union is characterizing this as miscommunication about the test being open-book and collaborative. I did a search and the test is neither open-book nor collaborative. The union saying that it is, that’s just disingenuous at best and casts a dark cloud over the profession.
But in the new world of AI teachers have to know and teach the right moral and ethical standards. There’s a bigger story here about our society and where we are headed. Or perhaps, maybe we have arrived.
Burgess Harrison, St. Paul
‘Boys will be boys’
I read with interest “Tariffs expose rift in Trump’s inner circle of advisors” (Pioneer Press April 9 edition). This story covers the rancorous recent exchanges between Trump’s lead lieutenant Elon Musk and his top trade advisor Peter Navarro. (It may be remembered that Navarro is a devout Trump loyalist who went to jail rather than testify before the January 6 Committee.) Musk posted on X that Navarro is a “moron” who is “dumber than a sack of bricks.” He later referred to Navarro with a disgusting and childish slur, “Peter Retarrdo.”
As the story relates, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt downplayed the exchange, saying “Boys will be boys…” This is the first instance in which I have agreed with Leavitt; this country is indeed being run by children.
Peter Langworthy, St. Paul
Malfunction
Tariffs are put on hold. But tariffs don’t even begin to address the mess Trump and his administration have made for the American people. What about the people laid off? What about the people deported illegally? What about the United States’ relations with the rest of the world? What about what has been done to the disenfranchised? What about food prices? What about the harm done to businesses, farmers and everyday workers? What about the grants to colleges, schools, universities, researchers and others? And on and on …
So great, my 401K looked better than it did yesterday. There are too many people hurting to feel good about that. Just removing tariffs is nothing compared to all the damage that has been done by an uncaring malfunctioning administration.
Judy Horn, Lake Elmo
A cruel hoax
Donald Trump handed Joe Biden an economy that was predicted to lead to a recession in Biden’s term. A recession never came to fruition and the economy grew by virtually all measures save inflation. The Wall Street Journal and The Economist touted the health of the Biden economy, saying the winner of the 2024 election would be inheriting a healthy economy, one that was the envy of the world. The Wall Street Journal went further, judging Kamala Harris’ economic plan for the next four years to be far superior to Trump’s proposal.
What we have seen so far from Donald Trump is reminiscent of the first term where he left office adding to our national debt by trillions of dollars. His promise to correct inflation and end the Ukrainian-Russian War have not come to fruition, but he has rattled the tariff sword to where he has tanked Wall Street investments to the tune of a $6 trillion dollar loss. His DOGE cuts have caused additional pain to American’s lives in the name of efficiency. He is unlikely to find the kind of money he is looking for needed to pay for his tax plan that is designed, at its heart, to benefit the wealthiest individuals and companies in America. What kind of cruel, self-inflicted, economic hoax has he unleashed?
Pete Boelter, North Branch
Representing the people, not the president
A letter writer rightly criticizes the Trump Administration’s refusal to return a man mistakenly deported to an El Salvador prison. However, the writer goes on to say this: “Attorney General Pam Bondi cannot be faulted in suspending (Department of Justice attorney) Reuveni” for admitting in court that the deportation was a mistake. “Short of breaking the law and possibly being unethical, attorneys have an obligation to support their clients …”.
The problem is, Donald Trump is not the client of the Department of Justice. The American people are the clients of the DOJ. Trump would like you to believe that the DOJ works for him, but it doesn’t. Under our Constitution, the sovereign is the people, not the president. The Congress represents the sovereign, i.e. the people, in the laws it enacts. The president, and agencies within the executive branch including the DOJ, are tasked with executing those laws, and the courts are charged with interpreting those laws, all in the name of the people.
This distinguishes the USA as a self-governing nation, as opposed to Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Hungary and Turkey.
Matt Gilson, St. Paul
Dog owners fall short
When you drive your dog to a nature trail or the river and take them for a walk, bring a clean bio-degradable doggie waste bag with you. Pick it up after use and dispose of it properly, please. Too many are left behind, I find myself picking up too many of them..
My dog and I would appreciate it. Thanks!
Sue Schultz, Stillwater
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