Readers Write: Minnesota delegates, Vance in Munich, Starbucks DEI

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

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One of the worst things coming out of Washington these days, a salting of the wounds Donald Trump has inflicted on the Constitution’s separation of powers, is the cowardly silence of those doing Trump’s bidding. Here’s a sample from two days’ papers:

From a story about the wholesale firing of federal employees by the ridiculously named Department of Government Efficiency: “Members of DOGE ... did not respond to questions or multiple requests for comment. DOGE has maintained a veil of secrecy, refusing to disclose the names of staff, what positions they hold or how much they are being paid” (“DOGE records show who will be fired next,” front page, Feb. 16).

In a story about DOGE wanting access to information about individual taxpayers, “Treasury and IRS representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment” (“Musk’s DOGE seeks IRS taxpayer data,” Feb. 17).

And maybe worst of all, in a story asking members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation what they think of the Trump administration so far, Republican Reps. Brad Finstad and Michelle Fischbach “did not respond to multiple requests for comment” (“Minn. lawmakers share opinions on president’s opening weeks,” front page, Feb. 17). They are die-hard Trump supporters, and by refusing to discuss his administration’s destruction of federal agencies, Finstad and Fischbach show complete contempt for the people they claim to represent. If Trump’s policies are legitimate and justifiable, why won’t Finstad and Fischbach defend them?

Steve Schild, Falcon Heights

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The Feb. 17 article demonstrated that the Minnesota Star Tribune is for the whole state. It succinctly captured our senators' and representatives' thoughts about current life in Washington, D.C. Please continue to offer this composite of our Minnesota congressional body. We need to know they are keeping our interests in mind when we read the Minnesota Star Tribune, not just by receiving their individual updates via email.

Elaine Gaston, Minneapolis

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On Feb. 17, the Strib published an article summarizing our congressional delegates' thoughts on the opening days of the Trump presidency.

The Minnesota delegation of Democrats: Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith as well as Reps. Betty McCollum, Angie Craig, Ilhan Omar and Kelly Morrison all provided sound, fact-based, data-provided responses concerning the presidency. Two Republicans (Reps. Finstad and Fischbach) did not respond, despite multiple requests by the paper for comment.

Republican Reps. Emmer and Pete Stauber could only state that Trump is doing what he promised, which is not exactly the truth. Trump said he’d be a dictator for one day. But, as others have pointed out, dictators rule for longer than a day.

Their interests are not in their constituents; as Emmer said, “My job is to make sure that whatever we get on the floor gets passed.” And here I thought his job was to represent the people who elected him.

Be smart, people in their districts: Vote out these representatives whose agenda is simply to pass “whatever we get on the floor.” Vote in those who care about you.

Cliff Ancier, New Hope

I am not aware of what the initials JD stand for in Vice President Vance’s name; however, after his address to European leaders at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, I believe those initials should stand for “just delusional.” Not only did his words stupefy those in attendance, but also those who call the U.S. home (“Vance scolds Europe, leaving U.S. allies shocked,” front page, Feb. 15).

At the meeting where European dignitaries gathered to learn about Trump’s plan for ending the war in Ukraine, those in attendance were scolded by Vance over their policies of free speech and migration issues. In addition, Vance chastised European leaders for their refusal to work with right-wing extremist groups.

Although Vance did not name any group in particular, it was clear he was speaking about groups such as AfD (Alternative for Germany), which opposes immigration into Germany, opposes mainstream party policies and has group members who have voiced antisemitic and racist comments. Are these really the type of political groups that Vance thinks Europe should accept as legitimate, working partners?

At Friday’s conference, Vance made multiple references to “the enemy within,” which was meant to draw attention to problems he sees within Europe, such as freedom of speech and welcoming migration policies. After reviewing the speech that he delivered, I believe “the enemy within” lies in JD Vance.

Sylvia Fine, Minneapolis

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Someone recently wrote that if you wonder what you would have done had you lived in Germany during the early 1930s, it’s what you are doing right now. I thought that might be a bit of an overreaction. However, after reading about Vance’s statements last week at the Munich Security Conference chastising Germany for not embracing the extremist AfD party that has trivialized Nazi atrocities like the concentration camp Dachau, I no longer think the writer’s statement is too alarmist — it is a warning to us all.

Debbie Stofer, Edina

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Vance goes to Europe and rails against mass migrations while Trump continues to tout his plan to move almost 2 million people out of Gaza into neighboring countries without vetting or agreement by those countries. Do they not understand the dissonance between these two positions?

Beverly Everson, Minneapolis

I see that Andrew Bailey, Missouri’s Republican attorney general, is suing Starbucks because they are hiring too many women and people of color to work in their coffee shops, and not enough white men (“Missouri AG sues Starbucks, accuses it of discrimination through DEI policies,” Feb. 17). Per the article, only about 28% of U.S. Starbucks workers are men, and apparently the crusading AG does not find this equitable. After all, men make up almost half of the U.S. population, right? So clearly there must be discrimination going on!

As reported last year in CEO magazine, “Only eight percent of CEO positions in the S&P 500 are held by women, and yet they represent more than 50 percent of the United States’ population.” Forbes reported, “Women represented 58.4% of the US workforce as of September 2022 but only held 35% of senior leadership positions.” CEOWORLD magazine reported, “Black CEOs make up just 1.6 percent of all Fortune 500 CEOs, which is significantly lower than Black America’s 13% labor force participation rate.”

Given how deeply he cares about equity, I’m sure Missouri’s AG will be filing a lawsuit against these white male-dominated companies next. Right, Andy?

Anne Hamre, Roseville

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An article in Monday’s paper reports that Missouri’s attorney general is suing Starbucks over its DEI policies, claiming that Missouri consumers are now forced to “pay higher prices and wait longer for goods and services.” Citing statistics showing that Starbucks workers are more female and less white than they were five years ago, he continues by claiming that “non-merit considerations will skew the hiring pool towards people who are less qualified to perform their work.” You can’t make it any plainer that he believes white men are inherently more qualified than women and people of color. I weep at the extent of misogyny and racism that is still alive and well in our country.

Cyndy Crist, St. Paul