Readers Write: World Children’s Day, 2024 election, drugstores

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

•••

I appreciated John Rash’s story about the harms to children in the war in the Middle East. I share Rash’s hope that we see a cease-fire and hostage release as soon as this Wednesday, World Children’s Day. This Wednesday might also bring a U.S. Senate vote on Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Joint Resolutions of Disapproval. These six resolutions challenge the legality of U.S. provision of certain weapons to the Israel Defense Forces. The resolutions do not include defensive weapons, such as the Iron Dome and David’s Sling. They focus narrowly on weapons that, even if well targeted, cause great harm in urban warfare. A broad faith-based coalition supports these resolutions, while recognizing that they are unlikely to pass the Senate or get a vote in the House. I know that U.S. Sens. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar are very concerned about the war, and they hope for a cease-fire and hostage release. I hope that they will see if they can vote for any of the Senate resolutions. The votes give senators a chance to say, “Enough!”

James Haefemeyer, Minneapolis

I found Angela Denker’s Nov. 16 take on the recent election (“Trump’s re-election and who we really are,” Strib Voices) to be surprisingly dark, and I am sharing a story to illustrate my point. Fifteen years ago, my wife and I had a conversation at a hotel in Mozambique with a plumber from South Africa. He was amazed at the United States and reminded us of just how great Americans are at getting things done. His take: “You Americans put a man on the moon; you’re the only ones to ever do it. You built the Empire State building in a year.” Referencing Angela’s take on the election and “who we really are,” I agree on many of her points and think we can all use that to look at a brighter future. The voters who elected Donald Trump represent a sizable group of people, but they don’t represent who we are as a nation — the values of Trump voters are but part of this great assemblage of values and ideas that is the United States. We will continue to argue and fight as we move forward, but I think the plumber from South Africa was right: We’ll continue to do amazing things. That’s who we really are.

Alan Briesemeister, Delano, Minn.

•••

President Joe Biden’s words, “This is not who we are” are strongly challenged by Angela Denker in her article.

Her point: This is indeed who we are. Her article has the ring of crystal clear truth to me and I hope to other overwhelmed Democrats. We haven’t been listening with discerning ears. We have been lulled into thinking we’re better than this. On the other hand, most of us are aware that things are not going well for so many of us, but did we pay attention to that reality and truth?

We have been listening to out-of-touch and false voices. Denker says Trump knew us better than our party leaders did. The author, a Lutheran pastor, suggests prayer, hugging your loved ones and working together with your neighbors.

The lesson I’m getting from this is we need to pay attention and listen to new insightful voices always seeking the truth instead of comforting falsehoods. I also say look for her columns.

Elizabeth “Bette” Stacy, Minneapolis

The recent editorial “The drugstore you know is dying,” (Other Views, Nov. 18) correctly highlights the increasing “pharmacy deserts” phenomenon unfolding across Minnesota. Without the needed policy environment to build pharmacies on site, community health center patients rely on these disappearing drugstores for access to life-saving drugs in both rural and urban communities served by Minnesota’s 17 centers.

Beyond the challenges of drugstore chains’ pharmacies, this is a lesson in simple economics — namely our health care system’s underinvestment into primary care services. In the last year we have seen both Walgreens and Amazon abandon their ambitious multibillion-dollar investments to enter the primary care market.

Why is this? The U.S. health care system invests 5-7 cents in primary care for every dollar spent in our $4.5 trillion system. When compared to other countries that spend 12-15 cents per dollar, it is no surprise that our outcomes — such as maternal mortality — lag significantly behind the world. Policy changes and investment in primary care would allow health centers a path to address the concerns outlined in the editorial.

Instead, our lack of primary care investment creates an “unsustainable” spending trajectory in our health care system, especially in programs like Medicaid. An underinvestment in primary care results in entirely avoidable spending for emergency room visits, preventable hospitalizations and the expensive treatment, not prevention, of chronic diseases.

Large, multi-billion-dollar corporations have found out that primary care services do not pay off for their bottom lines. Policymakers should look to community health centers to continue our 60-year history of robust, lifesaving — and dollar-saving — primary care services that have demonstrated their ability to meet community needs.

Jonathan Watson, Minneapolis

The writer is CEO of the Minnesota Association of Community Health Centers

One of my old friends, a staunch Republican, used to say that politics is a circus … complete with clowns, contortionists, wild animals and aerial artists. “Sit back and enjoy the show,” he’d chuckle. My friend is now deceased, but I suspect that he would not be chuckling today. The circus has changed.

Yes, it will still have clowns, contortionists, wild animals and aerial artists in abundance, but, under the whip of the new ringmaster, they’re anything but entertaining. They’re downright dangerous.

“Sit back and enjoy the show?” No way. I want a refund.

Alan Bray, St. Peter, Minn.

•••

I read with interest the article in Monday’s paper ”Trump boosters expect big returns on their investment.” I note some of those boosters listed are a venture capital billionaire, a billionaire founder of an oil and gas giant, cryptocurrency investors, the CEO of a private prison giant and a hedge fund billionaire. All of them openly talk about how they plan to profit from the president-elect’s proposed policies. Since there were millions of other supporters of the president-elect, I reread the article looking for the names or titles of some of those people — perhaps a factory worker, a small-business owner, a farmer, an agricultural or meat packing worker, a caregiver at a nursing home. None were to be found. I really shouldn’t be surprised; once the election is over and the win secured, interest in workers in those various jobs appears to be quickly forgotten. I surely hope those supporters don’t feel they were pursued and courted with praise, or simply being told what they’ve always wanted to hear, just to win an election.

Ron Bender, Richfield

•••

Seeing the people that Trump has picked for important positions explains why he has had so many bankrupt businesses.

Joseph A. Gallian, Duluth