Emmer seems to have forgotten basic civics

I would like to remind U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minnesota, of some basic civics lessons that he seems to have forgotten recently.

The First Amendment of the Bills of Rights guarantees all Americans the right to protest and publicly assemble in peace. I feel it is my civic duty to speak up and stand up when the constitution of the U.S. is being violated daily. We are seeing consolidation of power under a president who overtly admires other authoritarian regimes. We object!

The founding fathers specifically created a mechanism of government that included checks and balances of power. Protesting the systematic destruction of those long-established checks and balances is to me an expression of my deep loyalty to the Constitution, not to one very partisan president who increasingly governs only for the benefit of his supporters.

I am an American who deeply loves my country and plans to join the No Kings Rally as a profound expression of that love. Rep. Emmer’s ill-founded statements on 10/10 put me and my neighbors in harm’s way based on lies.

Katherine F Guthrie, Eagan

New laws won’t matter if we don’t put the bad guys away

On page two of the Oct. 15 issue it is reported that Jaleel Jackson Bey was sentenced to six years for shooting three people. In Minnesota this means that he will serve only four years behind bars, if that, and then be on probation for two years. On the next page there is an article advising that Mayors Carter and Frey are wanting to implement some local city laws regarding guns. The laws that they would like to put on the books are good. But come on, when people can go on a shooting rampage and get such a laughable sentence new laws will not help. Yes, enact the laws but put the bad guys in jail when they break them.

Tom Bates, St. Paul

How convenient

So, with two exceptions, the Republicans in the Senate have condoned President Trump’s administration murdering innocent people (innocent until proven guilty right?). When boats are destroyed at sea the alleged evidence is also destroyed, how convenient.

James Ashworth, St. Paul

More love and mercy, more unity

It is sad to see the polarization that continues to divide us as Americans.

A top place I see this is with my fellow Christians. For Christians, the main commandments are to love God and to love our neighbor. Jesus even defines who our neighbor is: the one who needs help, who is in a bad situation, is suffering, who is an alien in the land. People who need compassion, mercy and love shown to them.

There are many people who were suffering greatly in their home counties and have immigrated to the U.S. and are now being deported, many Christians are in support of this. From my discussions with people and from news sources, it is clear that many Christians believe that only bad criminals are being deported.  They are not aware that many of the people being deported are fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters who strive every day to be good “citizens” and contribute to their neighborhood. They have jobs and pay their taxes. However, they may have had a traffic violation or missed some paperwork, sometimes 20 or 30 years ago. Homeland Security uses this to deport them.

As Christians, we are called to not only help immigrants who are scared, suffering and struggling, but also to walk with them and above all to love them. In some of the letters I see in this paper, as well as from some members of Congress and other conservatives, I do not see any compassion for the immigrant. I see a lot about the law and protecting our own money and jobs. That attitude is not a Christian attitude.

It saddens me to see how many Christians have embraced very non-Christian attitudes and stands. I understand why as I once had many of the same stands on these issues. God had mercy on me and opened my eyes to see how love is so much greater than the law and His mercy surpasses my form of justice. I encourage all Christians to consider what is happening in their lives and around them and measure it using love and mercy, not law and justice. Understand people and the full situation, not just a few talking points. If you know the people, you can have mercy, if you treat them as objects or “the other,” then mercy goes away, and our own justice replaces mercy.

With love and mercy, we can bring more unity to the United States.

Jim Rice, Roseville

‘Smart’ meters

Can anyone tell me why I have to pay $15 per month for my privacy rights to be respected by Xcel Energy?

For months Xcel contractors have been trying to install a “smart” meter at my home because I would not call and say the exact words “I accept additional charges for the non-communicating meter.” Even when I told them “I understand there will be additional charges on my bill” it was not enough.

This betrays the fact that Xcel knows they have no legal right to the more particular data the “smart” meters track without my consent — which they force by threatening to disconnect my power.

Here’s a more important question: Why do we stand for this state sponsored monopoly?

Why do we stand for this state-sanctioned bullying?

Chiara Dowell, Scandia

The point of administration citations for St. Paul

I believe people have the right to have a good job that pays a living wage and to safe, stable housing. I’ve lived in many parts of St. Paul over the last 18 years. I’ve been a renter most of my adult life, and lived in places in St. Paul I loved, and others I couldn’t wait to leave. At those apartments, there was trash in the hallways, residents having parties at all hours of the night, and water coming through leaking windows, which led to a mold infestation. I always wondered why no one at the city did anything to make these corporate-owned dwellings more liveable. I now know that the city couldn’t easily make these landlords do anything, because the Saint Paul City Charter did not authorize the City to charge financial penalties to landlords violating city rules: in other words, to use Administrative Citations.

Voters deserve context about Administrative Citations when they go to the ballot box this fall. Until this January, St. Paul was the only one of Minnesota’s 25 largest cities without the ability to use Administrative Citations to enforce city ordinances. Last December, the city’s Charter Commission approved an amendment to the city’s Charter to enable Administrative Citations; and in January, it was unanimously approved by the City Council and supported by the mayor. In spite of this, a small group of opponents collected enough signatures to force voters to weigh in on Administrative Citations through a ballot referendum, in a last-ditch effort to deny the city a common-sense tool for enforcing its own rules.

Currently, there are too many examples where St. Paul is left with two options to address an ordinance violation: inaction, or charging someone with a misdemeanor. Almost half of the residents in St. Paul are renters, and the majority of renters in our city are renters of color. To uplift our commitment to racial equity, we must enforce our local ordinances to protect all in our city across race, class and ward.  By giving the ordinances we pass together real teeth, we can create faster resolution to the health, safety, and wellbeing concerns of every worker, renter, and family. Let’s come together to hold corporate landlords and employers accountable so we all can live in safe housing and be paid on time.

Melissa Wenzel, St. Paul. The writer is co-chair of the civic group Sustain Saint Paul.

Related Articles

2 plead guilty to Medicaid fraud through St. Paul treatment center

At Twin Cities Jewish Film Festival, local and global voices bring Jewish stories to the screen

$1B Rosemount aerospace complex, University of St. Thomas semiconductor hub receive state funding

Gun owners group says it’ll sue if St. Paul moves forward with firearms ordinance

Yan Chen, landlord and biophysicist, running for St. Paul mayor

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The entire White House East Wing has been demolished as President Donald Trump moves forward with a ballroom construction, Associated Press photos on Thursday showed.

The East Wing, where first ladies created history, planned state dinners and promoted causes, is now history itself. The two-story structure of drawing rooms and offices, including workspace for first ladies and their staffs, has been turned into rubble, demolished as part of the Republican president’s plan to build what he said is now a $300 million ballroom nearly twice the size of the White House.

Trump said Wednesday that keeping the East Wing would have “hurt a very, very expensive, beautiful building” that he said presidents have wanted for years.

He said “me and some friends of mine” will pay for the ballroom at no cost to taxpayers.

Trump allowed the demolition to begin this week despite not yet having approval from the relevant government agencies with jurisdiction over construction on federal property.

Preservationists have also urged the Trump administration to halt the demolition until plans for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom can go through the required public review process.

Related Articles

A new car vs. health insurance? Average family job-based coverage hits $27K

Trump pardons Binance founder Changpeng Zhao

Trump allies, undeterred by setbacks in courts and Congress, push anew for citizenship proof to vote

Trump mulls asking Israel to free Palestinian leader Barghouti as US looks to Gaza’s post-Hamas rule

4 family members of Illinois governor candidate killed in Montana helicopter crash, campaign says

By MATT OTT, AP Business Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Oil prices spiked Thursday after the U.S. announced massive new sanctions on Russia’s oil industry in an attempt to get Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table and end Moscow’s brutal war on Ukraine.

U.S. benchmark crude jumped 5.8%, to $61.91 per barrel midday Thursday and analysts say if the situation remains static, U.S. consumers will soon be paying more at the pump.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, said while it was difficult to predict with certainty because of the number of moving parts, consumers will likely see a bump in prices as early as next week, if not sooner.

“We’ll probably start to see motorists be impacted by the sanctions at the pump in the next couple days and it might take five days for that to be fully passed along,” De Haan said, adding that the full impact also depends on whether the Russian or U.S. positions change.

“Russia will feel pressure to come to the table in light of of the new developments or President Trump may react when he sees oil prices rising to levels that become uncomfortable, so I don’t think this is going to be very long lasting,” De Haan said.

Oil prices have been relatively low for the past few years and last week the cost for barrel of U.S. benchmark crude fell below $57, its lowest level since early 2021. The price for a barrel of U.S. benchmark crude did rise near $79 a barrel early this year, just before President Donald Trump took office, a price not necessarily considered outrageously elevated by most analysts.

The broad, extended decline in oil prices pushed the average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. last week under $3 for the first time since December of last year, according to GasBuddy.

For much of 2025, inflation has been held mostly in check, partly due to cheaper prices at the pump. However, that could change quickly as higher energy costs have a downstream effect on prices for virtually all products and services across industries.

“The impact to a lot of Americans is that products derived from cruel gasoline, diesel and jet fuel are all likely to see price increases,” De Haan said.

The main reason oil and gas have stabilized at lower levels this year is that the group of countries that are part of the OPEC+ alliance of oil-exporting countries have continued to boost production. Earlier this month, OPEC+ leaders announced they would raise oil production by 137,000 barrels per day in November, the same amount announced for October. The group has been raising output slightly in a series of boosts all year after announcing cuts in 2023 and 2024.

Related Articles

What Americans think about the environmental impact of AI, according to a new poll

A new car vs. health insurance? Average family job-based coverage hits $27K

Average long-term US mortgage rate drops to 6.19%, lowest level in more than a year

Trump pardons Binance founder Changpeng Zhao

US home sales accelerated in September to their fastest pace since February as mortgage rates eased

Russia is the leading non-OPEC member in the 22-country alliance. The group’s next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 2.

The sanctions against Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil follows calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as bipartisan pressure on Trump to hit Russia with harder sanctions on its oil industry, the economic engine that has allowed Russia to continue to execute the grinding conflict even as it finds itself largely internationally isolated. The European Union on Thursday announced its own measures targeting Russian oil and gas.

The price for Brent crude, the international standard, rose $3.26 on Thursday to $65.85 per barrel.

By JOSH FUNK

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific delivered 7% growth in its third-quarter earnings Thursday as its CEO continues to make the case for the potential benefits of acquiring one of the railroad’s eastern rivals.

Related Articles

What Americans think about the environmental impact of AI, according to a new poll

A new car vs. health insurance? Average family job-based coverage hits $27K

Average long-term US mortgage rate drops to 6.19%, lowest level in more than a year

Trump pardons Binance founder Changpeng Zhao

US home sales accelerated in September to their fastest pace since February as mortgage rates eased

The Omaha, Nebraska-based railroad said it earned $1.79 billion, or $3.01 per share, in the quarter. That’s up from $1.67 billion, or $2.75 per share, a year ago. And without $41 million in merger costs the railroad would have made $3.08 per share but either number would have beat the Wall Street estimates of $2.97 per share.

Union Pacific wants to buy Norfolk Southern in a $85 billion deal that would create the first transcontinental railroad. That deal faces a lengthy review by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board before the companies would be able to merger Union Pacific’s vast network in the West with Norfolk Southern’s operation in the Eastern United States. Norfolk Southern will report its earnings Thursday afternoon.

Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena wrote a letter to employees reiterating that he thinks the merger is great for America because it would enable the railroad to deliver goods more quickly and help the companies that rely on its deliveries of raw materials and finished products.

He said other railroads that have come out against the merger like BNSF tend to look backward at the problems that followed past mergers in the 1990s while he is looking forward to finding the best way to compete against trucks and respond to advancements in technology. The merger has picked up support from the largest rail union and more than 400 shippers, but some other companies — particularly chemical producers — have said they think the deal will hurt competition and lead to higher rates.

“While Union Pacific has good opportunities to grow, the rail industry is going to be challenged by technology in the trucking and shipping industries,” Vena wrote. “Union Pacific continues to invest in technology, but if we truly want to compete and grow the business, we must have a network that is set up to provide seamless service at a cost-effective price, positioning manufacturers to win in the marketplace.”

Edward Jones analyst Jeff Windau said if autonomous trucking becomes common, then trucking will be an even stronger competitor for rail, and Union Pacific also has to compete with the Canadian railroads that have some advantages because their networks already run coast-to-coast in Canada and extend down into the United States.

FILE – A Norfolk Southern freight train rolls past the U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, in Clairton, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

“You can see where the environment increasingly becomes more competitive. And you need to continue to make improvements. And potentially at some point you’re constrained with your network in what you can do,” Windau said.

BNSF sent a letter to its customers last month urging them to express their concerns about the merger to the STB because that railroad, which is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, believes the combination would hurt competition in the industry. BNSF has said it believes railroads can better serve their customers by cooperating instead of undertaking costly and complicated mergers.

CPKC and Canadian National railroads have also come out in favor of more cooperative agreements instead of mergers, but President Donald Trump has said the deal sounds good to him.

Vena said he thinks the opposition from other railroads shows that they know this merger would give UP a competitive advantage that will force them to make changes, and he said the shippers that are raising concerns should wait to see the detailed application Union Pacific plans to submit in either late November or early December before declaring the deal is bad.

“If the other railroads thought we were being stupid about what we were doing and it was not going to provide a higher service at a lower cost for our shippers, then they wouldn’t be complaining, would they?” Vena said.

He compared the opposition to this merger to the backlash the United States faced in 1867 for agreeing to pay $7.2 million to acquire Alaska from Russia. “I don’t think anybody would claim that was a bad deal for America,” Vena said.

Union Pacific said it remains on track to deliver profits this year in line with its three-year goal for high-single digit to low double-digit growth.

This quarter the railroad was able to deliver 3% growth in revenue largely through higher rates even though the number of carloads it delivered was essentially flat.