So much safer to just criticize

As I open the Pioneer Press on a daily basis, there is one thing that I can be sure of, there will be a front page story detailing how budgetary cuts directed by President Trump and the DOGE team, led by Elon Musk, are causing hardships among Americans. There will also be similar stories sprinkled throughout the paper. I am hard pressed to find any articles detailing the consequences of inaction on the part of our budget deficits.

If our budget deficits continue at the current pace, in 20 years the U.S. government will default on its loans and there will be nothing that can be done about it. No more Social Security, no more Medicare, inflation will be rampant and at the very least a recession will ensue. The dollar will probably lose its status as the world’s primary reserve currency with all of those consequences.

Also, who now is going to loan the U.S. money needed to keep all of its obligations going? This should be a bipartisan issue, with both parties working to find a solution. Instead the Democratic Party offers nothing but criticism. Where are their solutions? What are they planning to cut? It’s so much safer to just criticize.

Please, Minnesota senators and members of Congress, what are your plans for cutting the deficit?

— Don Lohrey, Shoreview

‘I don’t know’

President Trump’s deferral when asked on “Meet The Press” recently whether he is obligated to abide by the Constitution is predictable, troubling and reflective of his failing memory or mendacity.

His answer to the question — “I don’t know” — underscores many of the actions his administration has taken, which have drawn the wrath of a number of judges, even including some he appointed to the bench.

The non-committal response also belies the oath he took when entering the presidency 3-1/2 months ago as well as in 2017, as prescribed in the Constitution that he would “to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

His ignorance of that provision indicates that his ability to carry out his oath is limited or he was not being truthful when he swore he would do so.

In any event, his behavior would disqualify him from membership in the right-wing Oath Keepers group that supports him.

— Marshall H. Tanick, Minneapolis

A missed Messi opportunity

I attended the Inter Miami vs. MNUFC match recently and was deeply disappointed by the treatment of fans in the supporters section — particularly children — who were told to remove or cover up their Lionel Messi jerseys. According to ushers, only MNUFC gear was allowed in that section. This policy, if it exists, is not only misguided but was inconsistently and unfairly applied.

First, Messi is the greatest soccer player of all time — a global ambassador for the sport. For many fans, especially kids, watching him play is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Asking them to hide their admiration for him is not only petty, it’s contrary to the spirit of the game.

Second, MNUFC is not a storied club with the legacy or stature to demand this kind of tribal loyalty from a quarter of its stadium. If the team wants a small contingent of hardcore supporters to follow certain rules, that’s one thing. But enforcing it on casual fans — who were fortunate enough to get tickets — is something else entirely.

Third, Messi’s presence brought the club unprecedented attention and revenue. By my estimate, this match generated 8—10 times the typical game-day revenue. Instead of embracing the moment, the team chose to alienate fans who helped make it special.

Finally, I’ve attended many MNUFC games, and I’ve never seen this policy enforced before. If the club truly believes in it, it should apply it consistently — not just when one of the greatest athletes of our time is in town.

This was a missed opportunity for the club to celebrate a unifying moment for soccer fans in Minnesota — not a time to police jerseys.

— Joe Trenzeluk, Wayzata

The cure? Midterm elections

People, what is happening to our elected representatives? I fear there is an unreported health crisis in the halls of Congress as well as our very own state Legislature. What could it be? Have lead paint chips been drifting down upon the balding pates of our nation’s and state senators and representatives, or perhaps mixing in with their modest cafeteria lunch soups? What could be causing this cranial malaise, this mind-numbing brain fog that seems to have become endemic to legislative halls?

I have only the symptoms of this condition to know of its existence. What other possible reason could there be for them to forget the tenets of “public health.” For instance, I read that our state leaders wish to leave a segment of Minnesota residents without the means to access reasonable health care. Allowing sickness and disease to develop and fester, threatening the public health. Or, as in our nation’s halls of state, they are debating how to cut Medicaid benefits to provide tax cuts to the already wealthy. Another threat to public health.

These can only be symptoms of some form of undiagnosed brain disorder that must be cured. I believe that can best be done by midterm elections.

— Bob Emery, Mendota Heights

Before either of us departs

I’m no fan of memorials. I’m not against them. I just wonder what good it does for the dearly departed. They needed to hear what’s said when they’re alive and wondering what it’s all been about. To me, they’re just another contest: “I know more good things to say about them than you do.” We make competition out of anything.

There is an exception, though: that these mourners create something worthwhile and lasting in their name — a donation to their favorite cause, an endowment, a scholarship — a way for the deceased to live forever, still alive after death.

So, Don, because I believe you don’t know you don’t know, I want to enlighten you about what you think you know about me. And tell you what your being part of my life means to me now. Before either of us departs, that is. This is my paean to you, a word I didn’t realize was in my ken until I began typing.

When I started in the writers group, your remarks led me to believe you’d been an English teacher. I liked what you said about my stories, ever encouraging, showing me subtle nuances I didn’t see in phrases. I’d watch you out of the corner of my eye, measuring your facial reactions when you silently read my story. An English teacher after all and unwitting mentor. You helped me get in touch with parts of myself that I had lost, to realign puzzle pieces that made no sense, that didn’t quite fit.

And you introduced me to the Bulletin Board in the Pioneer Press. I was able to make an item from my bucket list come true. I saw my name in print in a publication people paid for. Wouldn’t have happened without your encouragement. A major boost for me.

All the friends I grew up with who gave my life meaning and purpose are gone now. Connecting with you has renewed my sense of looking forward to another day with anticipation rather than antipathy,

I keep a message on my fridge, a reminder of what’s most important to being alive and well. It presented itself to me when I needed a helping hand with relationships gone awry: “Stay in touch with those people who make you feel good about yourself, and distance yourself from those who do not.”

I’m happy we’re in touch, Don.

— Milan Mockovak, who describes himself as “94 years of age (not old yet)” and an Episcopal Homes resident