Readers Write: Transportation funding, government workers, spirituality

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

•••

The front-page article in the March 2 Minnesota Star Tribune “State isn’t sure what to make of road rules” exemplifies the goals of the Trump administration: punishment and social engineering. Transportation funding for infrastructure under this administration is now tied to increasing marriage and birthrates. How are marriage rates a metric to inform infrastructure needs? Shouldn’t transportation funding be based upon infrastructure needs: decaying bridges, degraded roadways and increased use, especially by industries and agriculture? Shouldn’t transportation funding have the safety and efficiency of all forms of transportation top of mind?

I live in Winona, Minn., which the article noted as having a lower marriage and birthrate per capita due to the universities located here. I can assure you, Winona has ever-growing transportation needs. We are a hub for trains that carry grain from farmers’ elevators to markets nationwide, as well as passengers on domestic rail lines. Farmers from across the state use our roads to get their truckloads of grain to our river port each fall, which from our port is barged down the Mississippi to New Orleans and worldwide. We are home to several manufacturing and distribution companies (have you heard of Fastenal?) all of whom rely on structurally sound roads and bridges to support their commerce.

I implore my state legislators, Rep. Aaron Repinski and Sen. Jeremy Miller, to pressure our U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad to start advocating for the transportation needs of Winona, and all of his district, instead of going along with a social engineering metric with no relation to transportation needs.

Marie Holmquist, Winona, Minn.

•••

Last Sunday’s article, “State isn’t sure what to make of road rules,” which outlined the Trump administration’s plan to give priority transportation funding to communities with higher than average birth and marriage rates, gave me a jolt. This would seem to encourage having children for the sake of funding rather than addressing the needs of those already here. While I support maintaining bridges and roads, I fail to see how high birth and marriage rates are connected to an already existing responsibility of the government. All states and communities paying taxes, regardless of population or marriage numbers, deserve the same services. And what marriage status has to do with road maintenance is beyond me.

This link to births and marriages starts to bring eerie reminders of the Lebensborn program in 1930s Germany when “racially valuable” women were encouraged to have children to benefit the state. In other news, I see that Elon Musk is doing his part by having a 14th child.

Janet Grieder, Maple Grove

A letter in last Sunday’s paper outlined how the former CEO of a 450-person company kept tabs on company performance (“He’s onto something,” March 2). He met weekly with his 12 senior managers to hear about their teams’ accomplishments from the last week and plans for the next week.

Great accountability process.

This former CEO lost me, though, with his suggestion that Musk is onto something by asking 2 million-plus federal employees to send weekly accomplishments to one email box. If Musk is onto something, why weren’t the CEO’s weekly meetings with all 450 employees? Could the CEO meaningfully evaluate the weekly accomplishments of 450 employees? Of course not. Hence his delegation of this important job to knowledgeable managers.

Now apply the same logic to 2 million federal employees across thousands of offices. Are 2 million weekly emails to one email address far outside of supervisory chains an effective performance monitoring system? Of course not. Meaningful, right-sized, right-placed supervision is already in place for all federal employees and includes formal processes to document accomplishments and hold employees accountable.

The CEO’s and public’s harsh judgment of federal employees and blind support of Musk’s “policy” du jour, without critical thinking or curiosity? Astonishing — but unfortunately not surprising anymore.

Melinda Erickson, Roseville

•••

A former CEO suggested in last Sunday’s letters to the editor that Musk was onto something. He says the way to get organizational efficiency is to have employees be accountable for what they’ve done and what they are going to do. No arguing there. The fundamental difference between how this CEO ran his company and the DOGE approach is who employees are accountable to. He describes meeting with his own managers who understand the nature of the work in a collaborative style. Each can see the ways different teams' work complement each other and make reasonable adjustments. This is fundamentally different from someone outside the organization with no structural power in that organization making demands without any understanding of the nature of the work or reason to be involved.

Kudos to all the brave federal employees and managers who refuse to be complicit. You inspired your unions to support you. In turn, departments and even Trump-appointed Cabinet members urged their workers not to comply. The organization Waging Nonviolence tells us, “This is how noncompliance works. It’s a chain reaction of smaller to bigger dominos — the smaller ones knock down the bigger ones and on and on until the bigger dominos fall.” This is the power of nonparticipation. The media dwells on repeating the narratives of what Trump and Musk did. Repeating narratives of the powerful claim that they have the right to do what they’re doing magnifies their power. Star Tribune, are you also telling stories of effective resistance? Magnifying that narrative also magnifies its power.

Annika Fjelstad, Minneapolis

•••

In a time when disparaging government workers is en vogue among certain political leaders, I’d like to thank Minnesota State Demographer Susan Brower for lending her expertise to two different articles in last Sunday’s Star Tribune. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated public servant in this state who is committed to providing useful information to benefit all Minnesotans.

Nick Hansen, Lakeville

I often read Laura Yuen’s very insightful columns. As she writes in her March 2 piece, according to a recent survey, while 86% of those surveyed believe in a soul or spirit, 29% claim no religious affiliation (“Are you religious? or maybe spiritual?”).

Lisa Miller’s book, “The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life,” demonstrated the connection between spirituality and well-being. So the 86% is encouraging in that according to Miller, those with a spiritual side often have better mental health. However, what those who practice spirituality without a connection to a house of worship are missing is the connection to a community and the fellowship provided.

Yes, one can develop a community of like-minded people without a house of worship, but it is rare for someone to go through all stages of life without enduring hardships or losses of some kind. Having a spiritual community provides the solid support one often needs to get through hard times, as well as the good times. Whether you’re Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian or of another faith, having a spiritual community to engage with is something that those without should consider exploring.

After the pandemic, so many people have been dealing with isolation and loneliness. Finding a spiritual community that welcomes you can be a life-changing experience. You may even find a cohort of individuals who inspire you in ways you couldn’t even imagine. When seeking a spiritual community, just be open-minded, as the first place might not be a good fit — sometimes it takes two, three or more tries. But finding the right spiritual community is well worth the time spent.

Terri Fishel, St. Paul