PATRIOTISM
Take again our flag
Someway, displaying the U.S. flag has change into related to neo-Nazis, right-wing extremists, haters and the like.
We’re all Individuals and may all be capable to present pleasure in our nation by displaying the flag with out worry of retaliation by any affiliation.
No person will get to be “prouder” than anybody else. If we let anyone group declare possession of our flag, American democracy will probably be misplaced to autocracy.
So, put your American flag bumper sticker proper subsequent to your RBG sticker, and your Black Lives Matter sticker, and your LGBTQIA sticker!
America is about us, and we’re all fortunate to be right here.
Laura Wade, Minneapolis
WAR IN YEMEN
U.S. is complicit, so ‘regional proxy warfare’ would not reduce it
I’m disillusioned by references on this newspaper to the warfare in Yemen as “a regional proxy warfare.” That fails to account for the U.S. complicity on this warfare and the truth that 16 million individuals, together with 2.5 million youngsters, face hunger as a result of bombings and blockade.
In Yemen, they seek advice from the warfare because the “Saudi American” warfare. However for U.S. intelligence and upkeep assist, the Saudis couldn’t proceed their bombing raids. Lately the U.S. despatched $650 million price of arms to Saudi Arabia. I’m grateful that U.S. Sen. Tina Smith voted towards sending these arms, and I used to be saddened that Sen. Amy Klobuchar supported it (based mostly on what I view as a misinformed perception that the arms have been defensive in nature). The one method to finish U.S. complicity on this warfare and blockade is for Congress to behave. My hope is that this occurs quickly.
Julie Doherty, Minneapolis
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Many Yemenis really feel {that a} major celebration inflicting their distress is the U.S.-Saudi coalition. Joe Biden, whereas campaigning for president, promised to face as much as the Saudis and demand an finish to their bombing of Yemen. He has not carried out so. The U.S. has proclaimed it helps solely “defensive” weapons for the Saudis, but the bombing goes on, together with a current assault on a detention middle that many killed migrants, and the purposeful concentrating on of web services. U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio and Pramila Jayapal will quickly introduce a decision to cease our function on this tragedy, and I hope that Minnesota’s delegation will help it.
James Haefemeyer, Minneapolis
OIL AND GAS
Wall Road Journal’s ‘different’ view did not warrant a reprint
The Star Tribune must be embarrassed for printing the “Different Views” editorial by the Wall Road Journal on March 17 (“Oil and fuel: A query for Biden”). It was little greater than disinformation with a objective.
Ninety % of oil leases are on federal land. In 2021, President Joe Biden’s administration outpaced President Donald Trump’s of their respective first years in workplace in issuing drilling permits on public lands. A reality simply verified. There are greater than 9,000 permits issued proper now that aren’t getting used, on the alternative of the producers. Drilling takes time to ramp up after the demand drop in 2020, explaining a number of the delay. The U.S. produced greater than 11 million barrels per day in Biden’s first 12 months in workplace, surpassing Trump’s 9 million. Predictions for 2023 have the U.S. producing over 12 million barrels per day.
The leases are issued and the permits have been granted. About the one factor Biden can do to hurry manufacturing is to get a shovel and provide to assist dig. Does the Wall Road Journal count on him to?
Dallas Eggers, Prescott, Wis.
SOLAR ENERGY
The extra profit you may understand in dwelling worth
The individual advocating for the 2 payments limiting householders associations from blocking photo voltaic panels on roofs (“A home-owner’s proper to go photo voltaic,” Opinion Change, March 14) gave glorious causes for her stance, together with extra jobs and cleaner air. One other nice profit is that, in accordance with the home-listing website Zillow, properties with photo voltaic panels promote for roughly 4% larger on common than properties with out photo voltaic vitality — an added worth of about $9,200 in 2021.
With local weather change pummeling us and the worth of fossil fuels skyrocketing, I am unable to consider one good cause for HOAs to reject photo voltaic vitality. Maybe a legislative nudge will assist them see the sunshine.
Laurel Regan, Rochester
CENTERPOINT ENERGY
Clarify my fee hike, which would appear to exceed 3.9%
I needed to chortle when studying the March 15 Enterprise headline “CenterPoint prospects might even see 3.9% hike.” I dwell in a single household dwelling in Minneapolis, and my month-to-month CenterPoint funds invoice went from $76 on the finish of 2021 to $111 monthly in 2022 — a rise of 46%! Through the winter we preserve our thermostat set at 64 levels in the course of the day and at 60 levels in a single day. Our dwelling doesn’t have central air-conditioning. This has been our follow for over 30 years.
I tried to hitch the digital public listening to by way of WebEx on this matter, however there have been technical difficulties and I gave up after quarter-hour. The voices have been so garbled that I couldn’t perceive something that was being mentioned.
My query to CenterPoint and the Minnesota Public Utilities Fee is: How can a rise of 46% to my month-to-month funds invoice be justified with out an evidence?
Lois Parker, Minneapolis
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I encourage all readers to take an in depth take a look at the idea of “free fuel major footage” within the current article in regards to the CenterPoint fee case settlement. Free fuel major footage permits CenterPoint to impose additional prices on all ratepayers when a brand new person is linked to the fossil gasoline fuel distribution system. As an alternative of every new person bearing the prices of the brand new line, and as an alternative of the for-profit firm CenterPoint paying for the enlargement, the prices are socialized throughout all customers. Even with this subsidy, all-in prices for a brand new electrical family are sometimes lower than the prices of putting in and working gas-fired home equipment. And with electrical energy working our warmth pumps and stovetops, the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning and tragic explosions are a lot decreased.
Evan Mulholland, Minneapolis
TRANSIT AND ROADS
Personal property makes means for one however not the opposite
The Interstate 35W and Hwy. 100 initiatives took a number of properties and companies with little pushback from the cities of Minneapolis and St. Louis Park. That is what makes the Metropolitan Council’s settlement to a construct $400 million tunnel to avoid wasting a number of properties in the course of the Southwest light-rail undertaking so unfathomable.
Any congressional audit of the Southwest undertaking ought to ask why properties and companies may be taken for freeway expansions however not for transit initiatives.
Ronald Hobson, St. Louis Park
GOVERNOR’S RACE
Should not be your first rodeo
So, Cory Hepola is working for governor. Once I heard of the chance lately, I sincerely hoped it could not come to cross.
For starters, it looks as if Hepola is a serial job-hopper: first KARE-TV, then WCCO-AM — and now he needs to dabble in politics. Maybe he is looking for his area of interest, as many people do, however the way in which the world is we positively do not want an beginner within the governor’s residence. We have already survived the Jesse Ventura Third-Get together Experiment and we do not want Hepola discovering himself on our time.
On a associated be aware, the nation is dealing with many extra years of painful restoration after having one other media persona (aka beginner at governing) within the highest workplace within the land. Everyone knows how that went.
Hepola does say he voted for Gov. Tim Walz and partly praises him for his early dealing with of COVID-19. How beneficiant. When Walz held his each day information conferences, it was the one time in the course of the early pandemic that I felt that someone in cost had our backs. That was priceless to me, and I stay a robust supporter of Walz. Conversely, after seeing Hepola as a speaking head on KARE, I can’t think about him (cloaked in his now-signature purple) making an attempt to calm and inform a frightened public.
I don’t fault Hepola’s curiosity in testing the political waters, however there may be an excessive amount of at stake for him to wish to play governor. Let him reduce his enamel on one of many many native positions that may serve that objective.
Laurie Eckblad Anderson, Minneapolis