News & Articles

Two-faced politicians

I’ve been watching the debates and listening to what each candidate has to say and it’s amazing how certain candidates don’t answer the question they were asked but just go on the attack blaming their opponent or the president. Also some say one thing one time and another thing another time or one thing in person and another thing in the debates. I’m not going to say which ones because we know and they know who they are. All I’m going to say is do your homework about each one and not go according to the attack ads and be sure to vote.

Cecilia Hill
Duluth, Minnesota

Lying is a form of cowardice

On Sept. 27, I received an e-mail from the Minnesota DFL Party which stated: “Yesterday, a secret email was sent by the Minnesota Republican Party to all GOP candidates and campaigns across the state with tips on how to downplay the issue of abortion.” In the email, they claim that the MN GOP position is that abortion rights are not on the ballot this year. That is a lie. It then went on to state what their actual position on abortion was, as outlined in the official Minnesota Republican Party Platform.

I have been waiting to see if any Republican candidates will admit to receiving that e-mail, and have seen nothing yet. As was recently noted in the Reader, few Republicans up for office have clearly stated their position on abortion, or the larger problem of trying to control other people’s choices. We want to trust our legislators to give us the truth, without having to force it out of them. This seems like the perfect situation to set a great example of what it means to be honest

To me, any legislator who has to lie to their constituents in order to control how they respond, is a coward, and not to be trusted. If one knows their self-image and reputation will be damaged or compromised, and they still tell the whole, unvarnished truth, that person can then be said to be real and transparent. Perhaps I missed someone, but I don’t see any current GOP members acting that way.

Is this the best we can expect from a “win at any cost” mentality exhibited by people who, under their superficial “good intentions,” are afraid they’ll never have enough money, power, or status in life?  The answer seems readily apparent to me.
Gary Burt
Marble, Minnesota

Mother Nature calling

We had a canvasser at our door the other day.  It was Mother Nature.  She asked me to make the planet my top voting priority on Nov. 8. 
I asked her what she meant by that. She said that climate change has already taken a toll on Creation, and that if we want to avoid unacceptably worse impacts down the road, we need to elect members of Congress, state legislators, and governors who are fully committed to addressing the crisis.
I asked her about the Inflation Reduction Act. She said it was a great step in the right direction; that if fully implemented, it could reduce U.S. carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030; but that emissions need to be reduced 50 percent by then to get to the essential goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. 

I pointed out that that goal could not be reached globally without the cooperation of other countries, especially China. She agreed, but said that the only hope for such cooperation was U.S leadership.
 I also pointed out that there are a number of important issues that voters need to consider. She again agreed, but said that ultimately, no issue is as important as the viability of our planet, for us and all current and future inhabitants; and that there is simply no time left – not even two years – for foot-dragging or going backwards.

So I’m going to make the well-being of our planet my top priority in this election. Whether Mother Nature has shown up at your place yet, I hope you’ll do the same. I’m sure she’d greatly appreciate it.
Bill Bussey
Bayfield, Wisconsin 

Jensen’s instincts stink

So a major regional news outlet thinks we shouldn’t “trust the instincts” of Tim Walz, suggesting we take our chances with the instincts of Republican Scott Jensen for governor.
Jensen’s instincts didn’t keep him from making a laughing-stock of himself by proclaiming that students in schools are demanding litter boxes because they self-identify as cats or “Furries.” 
Since surfacing last year, this nonsensical assertion has been made repeatedly by politicians. And responsible news outlets have repeatedly debunked it. 
For a good sidesplitter, see: “Hicks: Holy cats! Some folks will believe anything, and that’s dangerous,” Myrtle Beach, Oct. 5, South Carolina Post and Currier. 
When caught with his pants down, Jensen declined to comment. 
We can laugh at his naïveté, but Jensen paired his crazy-town tidy cat account with another unsupported allegation, one actually dishonest and harmful – that children in public schools are being asked to choose their gender.
“We’ve lost our minds,” said Jensen.
I agree. We’ve lost our minds if we vote for a radical right-wing extremist like Jensen. Trust his instincts? For Jensen: education – slash the budget; abortion – flip flop from total ban to not in the governor’s wheelhouse; medical decision making – use Google; opioid crisis – a top pillpusher in 2013; election integrity – refused to state whether the 2020 election was legitimate.

You can easily use Google to find out Jensen’s history as a hard-right conservative who will transform Minnesota state government. And vote like your way of life depends on it.
Leah Rogne
Gheen, Minnesota

Abortion IS on the ballot

In a recent debate between the candidates for Minnesota Senate District 3, Republican Andrea Zupancich repeatedly misrepresented her own position on abortion rights, which are under threat in America after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in June. She repeatedly sidestepped the issue as not a top concern and wanted to focus on “issues that matter.”

Restriction of access to contraception and regular reproductive care IS on the ballot and it definitely matters to a great majority in her own district.
Throughout the primary, the Zupancich campaign distributed literature that styled her as a “Trump Republican” who was “100% pro-life.” This was probably supposed to make her seem more conservative than her opponent; something that is important for success these days in Republican primaries. Apparently, it worked, as she won her party’s nomination handily.

Now in the thick of the general election, when it’s the more moderate, middle of the road voters who ultimately decide who goes to St. Paul, she doesn’t want to talk about her and her party’s ideas for the future of reproductive rights in Minnesota. Human rights for ALL - IS on the ballot.
I don’t know Ms. Zupancich and I have nothing personally against her, but the constituents she seeks to represent deserve to know her position on this vital issue. She is anti-choice, and given the opportunity, she and her party would not hesitate to restrict abortion access in Minnesota. They could also vote to put a referendum on the ballot to change the state constitution and more. I do not want a legislator that thinks they have the right to take away our fundamental personal rights.

You don’t have to take my word for it. The whole debate can be viewed on WDSE’s website or YouTube page. You can also read her stance on her campaign website.
We need a state Senator who is going to defend constitutional rights at the capitol, not one who is going to chip away at them.
Peggy Donahue
Fredenberg Township, Duluth

Make way for The Trumpettes!

Just a quick passing thought which may have some merit.
All these Trump loyalists could start a band. Thy could call themselves the “Trumpettes.” They would play instruments that even they could master – cymbals, tambourines and triangles.
They would march in parades and bring up the rear right behind the clown units. They would play popular tunes like “America the Bootyful,” “Stairway to Eleven O’Clock” and “Born to be a Child.”
They would sport multi-directional Trump haircuts and wear thousand-dollar Brooks Brothers suits. They would continue to chant “The election was stolen! The election was stolen!”
Finally, they would carry brooms and dustpans to clean the streets where the Democrats marched ahead of them,
In their spare time, the “Trumpettes” could practice on a new instruments – the kazoo!
Ken Bracken,
Minneapolis, Minnesota