Netlets for Sunday, April 5

I am taking up the interests of Mr. Chickadee regarding the recent voting held to select license plate designs for the state of Minnesota ("Big Birds: Loon design gets most votes in license plate poll," March 24). Irregularities in the voting process have been reported to him as well as questions about absentee votes and votes misplaced, lost or destroyed.

If he does not get answers to these questions he may have to retain the nationally recognized firm of Dewey Cheatum & Howe to represent him in an investigation of the election practices of the Department of Natural Resources and the cooperation of the Department of Transportation in this travesty. Last place, how can that be? Maybe we should have a recount, better yet vote over again.

DOUGLAS BRUCE, BLOOMINGTON

Highway construction is tough, but poor drivers make it worse In the March 27 article "Lane pain, then a gain," Jim Foti discusses the latest work on Interstate 35W, which traffic engineers from the state Department of Transportation are explaining will all be worth it in the long run.

What MnDOT apparently does not realize is that the general public simply does not know how to drive. They can build 15 lanes in every direction and it won't change the fact that people compelled to be in front of everyone else will continue to clog our freeways.

Open spaces in any lanes are seized by these folks (most of us), who simply do not understand the big picture. If a person is driving 50 miles per hour, he should allow five car lengths of space ahead of him, 60 mph should be six lengths, and so on. These spaces, which require a certain amount of driver patience and consideration, would get everyone to his destination quicker and safer, allowing easier access on and off freeway ramps. Let us all save the state a lot of money and learn how to drive.

GREGORY NAYMAN, EDINA

A welcome reality check How refreshing to see that the March 26 Letter of the Day finally offered a reality check to Pat Reusse's blanket indictment of athletic programs at the University of Minnesota. His verdict on the current school year was " a stunning and bruising year of athletic mediocrity."

A comparable team-by-team analysis of Reusse's other points would be worthwhile but would take up too much space here. The most extreme case he makes for mediocrity is that the women's hockey team did not reach the NCAA finals. If that is to be taken as a benchmark there are an awful lot of mediocre teams out there.

How about winning a Big Ten title ? Not reason enough to escape mediocrity apparently for Reusse because he doesn't even mention Gopher Big Ten titles in women's soccer (a tie), women's indoor track, or men's indoor track for the 2008-2009 school year.

The saddest aspect of this lack of journalistic accountability is that some of the best high school athletes in Minnesota may take a one-sided sports column like this literally, printed as it was in a reputable newspaper, and seek what they perceive to be greener pastures elsewhere for their budding careers.

JOHN F. HICK, ST. PAUL

Torture isn't so tough to label In response to a March 29 letter: We may be governed by "laws that define torture" but some things require little definition. If the "session" requires the use of straps to prevent someone from any movement of their arms, legs, shoulders or head, it's torture.

J. TODD EMBURY, RAMSEY

Who are Obama's air traffic controllers? One of the things I remember about the beginning of the Reagan administration -- yes, I'm old enough to remember very well -- was the abrupt change in tone from the Carter administration.

Suddenly, the country's leadership seemed capable of saying "no."

One of the first important constituencies to find that out were the air traffic controllers. When they went out on strike in 1981, Reagan summarily fired them. The move was unpopular, but it very likely was the turning point in the fight against wage inflation, which was then spiraling out of control. (Of course, Reagan's first "no" was to negotiating with Iran over the release of U.S. hostages.)

The other turning point was Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker's decision to raise interest rates to over 14 percent (this was the monetary policy equivalent of "No"). Volcker made the move in the face of almost incredible political pressure, and the immediate result was the worst recession -- at least until now -- since The Great Depression.

However, within a year, inflation was vanquished, and the stage was set for two decades of unmatched prosperity (and yes, every expansion sows the seeds of its own demise).

The contrast between President Reagan then and President Obama now is striking.

So far, at least, no one seems to have been told "no." Not Detroit, not AIG creditors and certainly not Wall Street (assuming there's a difference between it and AIG creditors).

As Reagan demonstrated, it's a lot easier to say "yes" once you've credibly said "no," then to get tough once you're pegged as being weak. The best example of the latter problem would be . . . the Carter administration.

Of course, Reagan's other big "no" was to detente with the former Soviet Union.

ROSS KAPLAN, MINNEAPOLIS