‘Let’s not make it harder to learn’

Gov. Tim Walz’s proposed elimination of nonpublic pupil aid to fund transportation, textbooks, nurses and counselors is rife with irony (“Private schools face cuts under Gov. Walz’s proposed budget,” April 17).

The governor posted the following on Facebook last month:

“Gutting the Department of Education will impact everything from internet access to school buses.” But his proposed budget wouldn’t?

Cutting transportation funding would also hurt public school districts, which would still have to pay to bus their students but without additional funding they get for transporting nonpublic students.

If students could no longer afford to attend the nonpublic school of their choice because of the absence of transportation, their transfer to public schools would overwhelm public school districts financially. Where is the extra money to fund these students going to come from? Not from the current budget, as proposed.

Good public policy should not be ironic; it should be well-reasoned and, in this case, serve all Minnesotans. After all, didn’t Gov. Walz originally run on the “One Minnesota” theme?

In that same Facebook post, the governor stated: “Let’s not make it harder to learn.”

At least on that line all of Minnesota can agree.

— Terese Shimshock, principal, St. Peter Claver Catholic School, St. Paul

This self-inflicted ‘trash crisis’

The current “trash crisis” in St. Paul is entirely self-inflicted, which makes the recent game playing between Mayor Carter, city departments and the City Council even more frustrating. (“St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s veto ups ante over trash with city council,” April 15).

For those who have not been following the issue closely, the new trash contract requires the vendor to establish a facility within the city limits. While that requirement may be a good idea, the implications of situating a new facility within city limits do not seem to have been thoroughly evaluated.

For instance, the fundamental step of assessing the necessary zoning for such a facility was overlooked, resulting in the current lack of appropriate zoning regulations. The newly selected vendor, unfamiliar with Minnesota’s operational landscape, was left to navigate the complexities of identifying a suitable location without adequate guidance. In fact, at a community meeting last December a city staff person proudly proclaimed that the last available lot in the Pierce Butler Route industrial area had been purchased by the City of Saint Paul to expand its trash operations so could not be available for purchase by FCC. Big win for the Public Works department, big loss for the rest of us.

The City Council members should not be let off the hook here, either. A big transition such as a new city garbage facility should have gained the attention of every City Council member in order to make certain that this new facility did not disadvantage any St. Paul neighborhood. It appears that none of our elected officials were paying attention to the best interests of their constituents.

Unfortunately, Mayor Carter’s veto of the City Council’s decision exemplifies a concerning trend where the priorities of development appear to be favored over the preferences of community members. Recent issues — such as the proposed amendments to the rent control ordinance (“St. Paul City Council gets an earful on rent control, tenant protections,” April 9) resistance to bike lane construction on Summit Avenue, and the FCC Truck facility — highlight how residents are expressing clear visions for their communities, which seem to be going unheeded.

As a former president of the Fort Road Federation, I found it disconcerting to witness how easily the dedicated efforts and meticulous planning of community members, alongside the labor invested by city staff over the course of decades, were disregarded by those responsible for the transition to the FCC contract. Moreover, the significant financial investment of tens of millions of taxpayer dollars in the Schmidt Brewery complex will not realize its full potential if the FCC garbage truck facility is developed at 560 Randolph as proposed.

This “crisis” can easily be averted by Mayor Carter choosing a different path, possibly even releasing FCC from their contractual obligation to have a site within the city limits. I am a strong advocate for the centralization of garbage services under a single vendor. However, if the execution of this plan requires degradation of quality of life, home values and the long-term vision for any neighborhood, then it cannot be deemed a responsible course of action. Residents should not be forced to suffer the consequences of this poorly executed plan.

— Marit Brock, St. Paul

Is this the highest and best use of tax dollars?

I recently came across information related to the spending of Municipal State-Aid Street (MSAS) funds by the City of St. Paul that maybe the other 150 cities that participate in MSAS might be interested in. The documentation from the MSAS website states that the aid formula is based 50% on population and 50% on construction NEEDS (emphasis added).

This year (2025) the City of St. Paul plans to spend $2.545 million MSAS dollars on extending the Capital City Bikeway, along Kellogg Boulevard, from Saint Peter Street (by City Hall) to West Seventh Street. This section runs for 0.4 miles and ends at the Xcel Center. The bikeway will be built up to the intersection of what was called Seven Corners. With the extremely high volume of pedestrian and vehicle traffic, especially during events at the Xcel Center, it is hard to imagine that a new, separated bikeway qualifies as a NEED. It will also, as it has done in front of the InterContinental Riverfront Hotel, create a barrier for disabled people attempting to unload along Kellogg to access the Xcel Center.

In 2027, the City of St. Paul also plans to spend another $4.879 million MSAS dollars to further extend the Capital City Bikeway, along Kellogg, from West Seventh Street to John Ireland Boulevard. This section runs 1.2 miles, after crossing the busy intersection mentioned above, proceeds up Kellogg past a freeway exit and entrance, and ends near the Cathedral. Andy Singer, former co-chair of St. Paul Bike Coalition, stated in an article published on the Streets.mn website on June 13, 2023, that this section of Kellogg is the “steepest street out of downtown and even seasoned cyclists will avoid going up it.” I, again, am challenged to see the NEED when even experienced cyclists avoid this route. Where is the data to show the expected use of these bike segments to justify the investment?

Additionally, these two projects will each spend over $5 million of federal funds to complete these projects. When will the decision makers realize that these spending decisions are based on a totally flawed set of priorities? To support this type of spending, St. Paul has pursued a path of taxation that is unsustainable. Both people and businesses are leaving St. Paul, fleeing the highest local sales tax in the state and an ever-increasing property tax burden. St. Paul needs to focus on its true needs, which benefit the majority of its citizens. The question needs to be asked, for each proposed project, “Is this the highest and best use of tax dollars?”

— Gary R. Todd, St. Paul

Bridges, not walls

There was a time in the history of the United States when we built bridges to the world. Lady Liberty in New York’s harbor held up her flame with these words from Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus”: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” As a result of these bridges the United States became the strongest, wealthiest and most vibrant country in the world after World War II.

Today, President Trump is tearing those bridges down and building walls. Walls keep people and ideas out. President Trump sees a world of subjects and enemies. You are either for him or against him. We no longer have allies, only subjects and enemies. As a result, European countries are enemies unless they agree with what the president wants. Instead of a world of cooperation, he wants a world of capitulation. These walls will not make America stronger, only weaker.

For the world to have peace and prosperity, it needs bridges and cooperation. Think of how much better professional sports became when the best players in the world were free to play for whatever team wanted them. Think of how much better professional sports in this country became when the leagues allowed African American players. And those teams didn’t win unless the players worked together as a team. A team is not five, nine, or eleven individuals playing for themselves. A team understands that they must cooperate, play together as a team. President Trump does not understand teams of cooperation. He wants domination. It is all about him, and him alone.

Think of how much more peaceful and prosperous our world would be if countries built bridges of cooperation and not walls. Walls put us on our own and separate us from the wealth of the world. Cooperation allows all the nations of the world to enjoy the riches of the world. Walls make us poorer, more hostile, and weaker. Rather than trade barriers and protectionism, which — by the way — preceded both World War I and World War II, let’s build communities of cooperation. We’ve done it before, and it made the world safer, more prosperous, and more peaceful.

— Grant Abbott, St. Paul

Neither a leader nor a message

With neither a leader nor a message, Democrats have about a half dozen dreamers set to face J.D. Vance in 2028. Here is a likely lineup: Newsome, Booker, AOC, Whitmer, Buttigieg and our new local loser, Walz.

Forget personality, or lack of same, simply compare resumes and record of performance matching Vance against any of these pretenders.

These pages find no shortage of Trump bashing over a myriad of policies and Executive Orders. However, there is clearly one scenario that is far more disturbing. Just imagine where this country would be had Trump not won last November. Ouch!

— Jon Swenson, Eagan

Let’s start with behavior

Maria Toso’s vision for the future of downtown St. Paul is one only an optimist could believe in (“Downtown’s in bad shape. But we can make it really good,” April 17). I, too, advocate spaces where the community can gather to interact, share and create. Creators Space, which was just that, has closed. The City of St.Paul was not supportive in the owners’ attempts to keep it open. Politics. One step forward. Three steps back.

But what I also observe when downtown, as well as the area in which I live, is lack of respect. Respect for others walking in the area in addition to the defacing of property and littering the streets. Verbal and physical confrontations, streets littered with everything from cigarette butts to random articles of clothing and dog poop. Lots of dog poop.

My observation is that the downtown area has come full circle. It was a depressed area when my family immigrated here in 1952. After years of hard work and ambition on the part of many different immigrant groups, not only did St.Paul thrive, it prospered. Will it again? Behavior modification may be a good start.

— Ursula Krawczyk, St. Paul

It’s a regressive tax

Despite GOP rhetoric to the contrary, tariff as government “income” is a functional sales tax. Product costs with tariff additions are passed on to consumers. Sales taxes are regressive by nature, falling most on those at the low end of the income scale. Large corporations may decide to round up the increases to add a bit to their bottom line for their trouble.

— Joe Danko, North St. Paul

What are we thinking?

The prevailing tone of political commentary has become more and more inflammatory, especially since Donald Trump announced his intent to run again for president. He has endured daily vilification in the media, two assassination attempts (and others thwarted), he has been labeled a Nazi, a dictator, a threat to democracy, and there are calls from the left for more aggression against him, as there were similar calls for aggression against Supreme Court justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch when Roe was overturned. Some are even lauding the “morality” of violence, such as the murder of health care CEO Brian Thompson or the attacks on Tesla. What are we thinking; what have we become?

Consider deeply, thoughtfully, intellectually and philosophically, how much greater would be the threat to democracy if the answer to political disagreement became reduced to violence against those with whom you disagree. What could be more anti-democracy than that? And who would be next, as someone, perhaps several or many, certainly would be?

Yes, Trump’s policies are controversial and they may not work out as planned, but such steps are necessary since anyone with a brain can see that our country is in great peril of financial failure if the government does not vigorously address the debt and trade imbalance among other issues. It may take a few years, but Trump’s policies are far superior to the status quo. I understand that people lament the loss of bureaucratic jobs and possibly services from Washington under Trump, but those same people fail to realize that all jobs, all services and all benefits will be lost or hugely diminished if the USA becomes insolvent and as the entire world follows in financial collapse.

— Richard Powell, Owatonna