The following excerpts are from Star Tribune Opinion articles ranked by highest online readership this year. To read them in their entirety, use the embedded links.
1. "Ilhan Omar's credibility takes another hit," by the Star Tribune Editorial Board.
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar is back in the news again, and not in a good way. The former state representative who won a seat in Congress last fall continues to be dogged by past missteps, this time eight violations of Minnesota campaign-finance law that will cost her nearly $3,500 in reimbursements and civil penalties.
2. "The risk-reversal diet," by Paul John Scott, a writer in Rochester.
Unless we are willing to rethink our beliefs about food and sickness, Minnesota is headed for an accelerated worsening of health, with bills that will grow, grow and grow, crowding all other needs from our lives.
3. "Trump's new rules for SNAP benefits are cruel," by Rebecca de Souza, associate professor in the Department of Communication, and Adam Pine, an associate professor in the Department of Geography and Philosophy at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
President Donald Trump's revised "Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds" policy is designed to increase food insecurity among the most vulnerable members of our society.
4. "We are asking the wrong questions about domestic violence," by Pamela Hill Nettleton, Ph.D., who studies gender in media and teaches media studies and communication at the University of St. Thomas.
When it comes to domestic violence, we ask the wrong question: "Why does she stay?" We ought to ask: "Why does he hit?"
5. "Minnesota is poised to break toward Trump — and greatness," by Jennifer Carnahan, chairwoman of the Republican Party of Minnesota.
Lost in the media frenzy over the 2016 upsets in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania was just how close we came to pulling off an upset here in Minnesota.
6. "Pediatric gender care clinics: We may look back and ask 'what were we thinking?' " by Katherine Kersten, a senior policy fellow at the Center of the American Experiment.
What's happening in England — where, as here, the number of young people presenting with gender confusion is skyrocketing — suggests that current treatment of pediatric gender-identity problems ignores underlying causes and entails risks that are not being discussed.
7. "The Twin Cities don't speak for the entire state of Minnesota," by Ari Kaufman, who lives in St. Cloud.
"All are welcome here" is a fashionable cliché in the Twin Cities. But does that include tolerating diverse political views? It's unclear whether everyone realizes "612 values" don't often connect in other parts of the Gopher State.
