Readers Write: Trump sworn in, Citizens United, government work

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

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The folks bemoaning the election of our 47th President Donald Trump are missing the point most U.S. citizens were making last November at the polls. We thought it was time for common sense in government. We set about dumping the hyper-divisiveness, venality and staggering incompetence of the Biden-Harris legacy of failures. The list is long, and it grows. According to the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the U.S. House Committee on the Budget:

U.S. government is a tough business. Too bad we had to suffer through four years of failure and mismanagement.

Bill Bond, Elk River, Minn.

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Just finished reading another several anti-Trump letters in the Jan. 18 edition. Here is an idea that will help all your readers: Just start a daily “Trump is bad because ...” column. Place all the anti-Trump letters in this column. This will greatly please all your DFL readers and save me time as I can decide to read them — or not.

Terry Larkin, Deephaven

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Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s decision to speak at the inauguration was absolutely disgusting. On Jan. 6, 2021, Trump orchestrated an attempted coup and his followers attacked the Capitol, beat police officers, shouted that they wanted to kill the vice president and speaker of the House and smeared feces around the seat of our government. This decision is not about duty; it is a choice driven by a craven politician’s need for attention. There are such things as right and wrong, honor and character. They say that in difficult times, you learn who posses such traits, courage and dignity.

Sen. Klobuchar has chosen to seek the limelight and pretend that a man who embraces Nazism and has disdain for democracy is worthy of a speech in the very place his supporters desecrated. She has proved one thing to this voter; Klobuchar is unworthy of the position she holds and undeserving of support for any future political office.

Kelly Dahl, Linden Grove Township, Minn.

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Now that MAGA voters have placed their faith in Trump, let’s see if he brings the relief he promised. Or will he seek to distract us from those promises by declaring other controversial goals? Will grocery and gasoline prices significantly decline? Will homes become more affordable? Will he adopt humane border measures better than what was proposed by the legislation that he killed? Will public health care be improved? Will he replace Obamacare with a better plan? He has frequently stated that he has a better health care plan — will our health care options be improved by his better plan? Will those who are economically disadvantaged find that their lives have been improved? Will medium- and low-income earners experience significant improvement in their tax burdens? Will our national debt be reduced? Will our international alliances be strong? Will our prior reliance on the rule of law and on court enforcement continue to be justified? Will the free press be threatened? Will he replace “fake news” with his own news? What improvements will Trump bring to our daily lives, to knowing truth and to our international security? Will our federal law enforcement agencies continue to be enabled to investigate crime and danger without political interference?

Trump promised a lot, even on Day One. Let’s see what he provides.

Thomas Wexler, Edina

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One down, 1,460 to go.

Sean Foley, Richfield

Today is the 15th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision that removed limits on political campaign spending by corporations, special interests and wealthy elites. Election spending has skyrocketed ever since and reached a record $20 billion in 2024.

Article 1, Section 4 of the Constitution grants state legislatures and Congress the power to make election laws and regulations. In Citizens United, SCOTUS ignored that power and invented the fiction that campaign spending is political speech and protected by the First Amendment. In a fairy tale, Humpty Dumpty tells Alice that “When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.” For the court, campaign cash is “speech” if SCOTUS says so, a decision that nullified the laws of 24 states that limited such spending.

American Promise (americanpromise.net) has proposed a constitutional amendment, the For Our Freedom Amendment, which would return the power over campaign finance to Congress and state legislatures where it belongs. Seventy-seven percent of Americans support limiting campaign spending. If you agree, please join American Promise in its efforts to pass this amendment by asking your congressional and state legislators to support it.

Mark Davison, Maple Grove

Thank you for printing the commentary “Notes from the Deep State” by William Burleson (Strib Voices, Jan. 18). I was a state employee for 30-plus years, and Mr. Burleson’s commentary struck a chord with me. The huge majority of people I worked with were smart, dedicated, overworked and underpaid. It was gratifying to read someone acknowledging our service.

Peter Sandberg, Minneapolis

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Bless your heart, William Burleson! Bless your heart for sharing your “Notes from the Deep State.” Your style and message are reminders of the critical role that humor — teamed up with terrific writing chops — can play in addressing critical issues and calling to the fore those “pesky things like reality, facts and truth.” Not to mention the therapeutic power of laughter. Please keep weighing in!

Beth Rademacher, Minneapolis