Readers Write: Gov. Tim Walz, ‘Master Gardener’ title, baling hay

Opinion editor’s note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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Terrific news that our governor might be the next vice president of the United States! After watching Minneapolis burn for days without taking action, overseeing the loss of nearly half-billion dollars of taxpayer money to preventable fraud and achieving the near-impossible double-play of spending a multibillion-dollar surplus and at the same time raising taxes, ascending to a largely ceremonial job with no real responsibilities would appear to be the safest place for him.

Charles Spevacek, Minnetrista

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There are many good reasons why Gov. Tim Walz was a good choice, but the best one to me is that Vice President Kamala Harris was able to come to that choice without making it seem as if it would be a politically advantaged one. It is a smart and courageous choice. Very refreshing.

Lynn Bollman, Minneapolis

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I wanted to point out a typo in the Star Tribune’s “Essential Minnesota” e-newsletter.

The subject of the email was “It’s Walz.” It should have read, “It’s Walz!” Or maybe, “It’s Walz!!!!”

Ward Sutton, Fort Collins, Colo.

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Kamala Harris, one of the most far-left, liberal politicians in America, has chosen another radical as a running mate: Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota. During the rioting, burning and looting in Minnesota in the summer of 2020, Walz did absolutely nothing to protect the citizens of Minnesota against these insurrectionists criminals. And his running mate, Harris, actually supported and encouraged the rioters. Most Minnesotans, and Americans, would not support these two radicals if they were running for the job of dog catchers. These two open-border, weak-on-crime candidates do not have the courage or the intelligence to govern in any capacity.

Tom R. Kovach, Nevis, Minn.

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Donald Trump’s pick of JD Vance for vice president doubles down on the GOP’s embrace of disparagement, deceit, regressive policy and retribution. Harris’ choice of Walz recommits the Democrats to bringing integrity to public service, promoting progress, defending democracy and fighting for our fundamental rights. Since the MAGA movement has no issue with Trump’s right-wing vitriol, I feel Harris and Walz should counter that vibe by being joyful in their campaign. Americans are sick of the Trump sneer and seem ready for Harris’ delightful laugh.

Susan Barrett, Mora, Minn.

I have been a Master Gardener in Minnesota for over 20 years, devoting over 2,500 hours to serving the public in horticultural matters. Ramsey County commissioners object to the use of the title “Master Gardener” to designate those of us who completed a University of Minnesota Extension education program and internship and pledged at least 25 hours a year to serving the public, citing the master/slave connotation of the term (”U garden program under scrutiny for its name,” Aug. 6). This has been under consideration at the U for a number of years, and a resolution is hard to find.

Where do we stop? The term “Master Gardener” in this context infers that the person has committed time and effort to master the subject, much like a master’s degree in higher education, or a master plumber, electrician or welder in the skilled trades.

Are we to remove the word from out language entirely, and if so, with what do we replace it?

Here are some synonyms: expert, adept, maestro, genius, authority, ace, prodigy, scholar, geek, guru. Which one conveys the same meaning?

Under the old definition of the activities of a Master Gardener, we could possibly have used “educator,” but now we have people who devote all their time to growing things, and none to meeting the public. And it would conflict with the Extension service employee titles.

You can see the dilemma, so I challenge the Ramsey County Board and others who would like to see a change with finding an appropriate title — and going on to require the term to be erased in education and all professions as well. If it is offensive in one role, is it not offensive in all of them?

Sue Sherek, Fridley

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In the latest example of political correctness gone wild, a Star Tribune front-page article on Tuesday highlights members of the Ramsey County Board who threaten to sever ties with the U Extension service due to its Master Gardener program. Apparently, now the word “master” is offensive because it once described the owner/slave relationship. Words are not offensive, although the way people use them may sometimes be so. Seriously, does the Ramsey County Board have nothing better to do? If members really need to feel victimized, perhaps they might want to work on the name of their county. Alexander Ramsey advocated the extermination of certain Native communities, if not all Indians.

Politically correct practitioners revel in judging historical figures by today’s standards, so why not leave the gardeners alone and go after a dead guy who cannot defend himself? Or, better yet, do the actual hard work of providing quality county government services to the people of Ramsey and stop the virtue signaling.

Tom Salkowski, Buffalo

Karen Tolkkinen’s column about baling hay (“Small square hay bales thing of the past, but they’re my happy place,” July 31) brings back many memories. It also misses key realities of life on small family farms as they once existed. Tolkkinen’s hay baling is recreational; ask anybody who’s baled hay as part of their livelihood if “the physical work ... leaves no time for worry or indecision” and you’ll get a grumpy laugh, or the grump without the laugh. Yes, there’s a rhythm, a music of muscle memory in catching both bristly strands of twine behind the first knuckle of every finger on each hand and slinging bale after bale onto the wagon. But there’s always time for worry or indecision in farm work, especially on small farms where the margins — of time, economics, weather, safety — were always precariously thin. If clouds are coming and the hay looks and feels dry enough to bale, there’s the lingering question, “Can we get it baled before it rains?” You know rain will ruin the hay, render it useless as feed for dairy cattle, and you know, too, that wet hay, compressed into bales, can spontaneously combust and burn a barn down.

Fire is a big worry, but it’s not the worst that can go wrong. A whirring power takeoff shaft can beat you to death if it catches a pant leg, or you can be grievously injured if, when dead tired or unlucky, you slip and fall onto or into any one of the many moving parts of any piece of farm machinery. Yes, as Tolkkinen writes, “you know your job” — but you know enough about it to know there’s always something to be watchful for or worry about, even when things are going well.

I wish, too, that Tolkkinen had devoted more of her column to the cultural aspect of the loss of those “inefficient” farms. It’s much more than a different business model — it’s the loss of a way of life. Those small farms made small towns hum; there were banks and hardware stores and feed mills and restaurants and vibrant schools, and there were even jobs, almost everything you needed to get by. It was rural America in real life rather than Rockwellian images. Those small farms that fed small towns were real places with real people and all their strengths and weaknesses, and now those places are gone, sad husks of what they once were, and more people should take note of that as they marvel at those big round bales towering like ships on a vast green sea.

Steve Schild, Falcon Heights