Readers Write: Healthy soil, 2024 elections and sheltering homeless people

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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Thanks to the Star Tribune Editorial Board for featuring the multiple benefits of promoting healthier soil (”A defense against flooding: Healthy soil,” July 19), including greater resilience to flooding. I wanted to make sure readers were aware that voter-approved funds are helping this effort. In 2008, voters approved the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the state constitution. The Legacy Amendment lasts for 25 years and dedicates an additional 3/8 percent in sales taxes to clean water, habitat, parks and trails, and arts and cultural heritage. One-third of those dollars go to the Clean Water Fund (CWF) and the Clean Water Council makes CWF recommendations to the Legislature.

While not the only funding source, the CWF improves water quality from agriculture, often under the title of soil health. Efforts include technical assistance, grants, easements and low-interest loans to landowners. In addition to regulations like requirements for a vegetated buffer along public waters, these dollars move landowners to make improvements more quickly than regulation alone. An alphabet soup of federal, state and local partner agencies administers the work. While we would all like this work to move faster, Minnesota is the envy of other states working on these issues because of the generosity of our voters in 2008. Minnesotans are pitching in every day to advance soil health in Minnesota by supporting efforts such as the Legacy Amendment. Cleaner water and increased soil health is a legacy that should make all Minnesotans proud.

Brad Gausman, Hermantown, Minn.

The writer is a member of the Minnesota Clean Water Council representing statewide hunting organizations and executive director of the Minnesota Conservation Federation.

I have not paid much attention lately to Kamala Harris as vice president for I have been so focused on Democratic President Joe Biden and also former Republican President Donald Trump. Both have made me deeply discouraged about their leadership, our future and my fear Trump could win.

Suddenly, everything has changed and my hope is back now that Biden has stepped aside. I am incredibly thrilled with what I have witnessed so far with Harris. She has renewed my spirit regarding the possibility of a positive future for all of us. She exudes joy and optimism that I have not seen in a leader for a long time. She is energetic, articulate, brilliant and an inspiring speaker. I had hoped that Hillary Clinton would be our first woman president, but my admiration now is even greater for Harris.

I will do all I can to support her. Her timing is perfect. We need her leadership at this time in our history and in our lives.

Gloria M. Aronson, Bloomington

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A letter writer was in such a rush to hype a conservative talking point that he didn’t get his facts right (”Commit to the high road,” July 24). His letter attempted “what about-ism” in an effort to distract voters from Republicans’ intent to abolish democracy. The point he tried to make was that, since President Joe Biden won the overwhelming majority of votes in the primaries, Biden must become the Democrats’ nominee. Anything else, in his view, would be undemocratic. Of course, his view does not allow for the possibility that Biden could withdraw, leaving the Democratic Party to choose a different nominee. Moreover, the letter writer does not seem to understand that presidential primaries are like presidential elections; in truly republican fashion, the voters choose others who will make the final decision. In presidential elections, those people are called the Electoral College. In primaries, they are called delegates. And the delegates are smart enough to know that, if the front-runner withdraws from the race, they can and must choose a different nominee. The real point of that letter was to deceive voters; people should recognize that. And the letter writer should know that the Democratic Party can choose its nominee without his input or name-calling.

David Rosene, Brooklyn Park

A Star Tribune headline on July 23: “Delta scrubs hundreds of flights for 5th straight day...”. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian sent an e-mail to passengers on the same day: “I want to apologize to every one of you who have been impacted...” He went on to say, “Canceling a flight is always a last resort, and something we don’t take lightly.”

Who’s advising this guy? He “wants to apologize?” No, Ed. You need to Apologize. Sincerely. Then pull out all stops to serve your customers.

Oh, canceling a flight is “... something we don’t take lightly”? Again, who came up with that sophomoric, bland, meaningless, insincere puff stuff. Roll up your sleeves, go to the airport and help pass out coffee and doughnuts while you personally tell people you will work to fix things and ensure that it won’t happen again. Small-town businesses display their appreciation for their neighbors and friends.

Try it, Ed.

James Thoreen, Glenwood, Minn.

I’m writing in response to the July 19 article “Uptown businesses organize against proposed medical respite homeless shelter.”

In my 39 years, I’ve seen this same exact scenario play out in two places I’ve lived; Salt Lake City and now here in Minneapolis. The complaint is always the same, “We don’t mind homeless people, we just don’t want them in our neighborhood.” The medical respite homeless shelter is a place for people who are receiving medical treatment. People who are trying to recover from whatever illness they are facing.

The arguments made for why the shelter shouldn’t exist in Uptown are the same reasons given when the same style of shelter was planned for the Sugarhouse neighborhood in Salt Lake City. Everyone seems to think their backyard isn’t the place for people to recover, but can’t offer a solution for where such a place should exist.

I had a business on the same block as a homeless shelter in Salt Lake City. Yes, the occasional person would wander into my business and with quick redirection (we weren’t open to the public everyday) they were on their way to where they needed to be. I never once thought “these people should be somewhere else,” because part of being a good neighbor is recognizing we’re all trying to make it to tomorrow.

I hope the business owners understand they are far closer to being a person who needs a bed in that shelter than they realize.

CJ Jensen, Minneapolis

I wonder how many people stop and think about our process of electing the president, commander in chief, and “leader of the free world.” A favorite word of one of my philosophy professors comes to mind: Capricious!

I’m often reminded of something I observed when I worked in industry. I interacted with five general managers of five distinct businesses. They reported to an executive who prided himself on managing rationally by the numbers. Four of the five businesses were consistently profitable, one was not. Ironically, the general manager of the unprofitable business was promoted ahead of the others and compensated better than the others. I boldly pointed that out to the GM of the unprofitable business and asked him why he received such favorable treatment when his business was losing money. He said simply and without hesitation or embarrassment, “I make great presentations.”

The moral of the story, as every good comedian knows, is that communication, perception, and timing are everything!

David Kaiser, Apple Valley