Seasons rule

The U.S. Senate’s ill-named Sunshine Protection Act is a third attempt at permanent Daylight Saving Time (DST). Haven’t fiascos, like in 1974, shown it’s misguided? DST delays morning sunlight, vital for our circadian rhythm, sleep and health. In Minnesota, winter sunrises would lag past 8 a.m. for over 100 days, some nearing 9 a.m. in the Twin Cities.

Misaligning clocks with nature doesn’t “save daylight” — it robs our biology by delaying that essential first light. No laws can change winter’s dark, cold, short days or summer’s bright, warm, long ones — seasons rule. DST is wrongly credited for summer’s late sunsets — a misconception risking public health. Standard time preserves our cherished later summer sunsets naturally. Stop this harmful policy. We need permanent standard time, not DST.

— Chase Kassel, St. Paul

Thousands depend on these programs

Gov Walz and the DFL are attempting to cut $109 million in aid from private schools throughout the state. This aid pays for textbooks, standardized tests, health services, guidance counselors and other education materials. Charter schools stand to lose $40 million which would result in eliminating teachers who work with students on IEPs, mental health support and speech therapy.

Thousands of children depend on these programs. Has the DFL even developed a plan to address their needs?

Obviously we need to address the budget crisis. So why are we spending $87 million then to subsidize free meals to the children of multimillionaires? That’s what should be cut.

— Jim Piga, Mendota Heights

‘First they came’, updated

“First they came” is a constructed poem based on a speech by Pastor Martin Niemoller (1892-1984) to the Confessing Church (1946). In this speech Niemoller recognizes the complicity of German intellectuals and clergy with the Nazi regime. Niemoller was a Nazi supporter when Hitler came to power in 1932-33. In 1934 he joined with other clergymen like Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer to form the Confessing Church, a Protestant group opposed to the Nazis, but he still did not defend the Jews. He is an example of a Nazi supporter who gradually became disillusioned when the cruelty he had supported against others came too close to him. In this speech to his church he confesses that he did not defend others when it could actually have made a difference. Eventually he himself was incarcerated by the Nazis.

Here’s my version, for 2025:

First they came for lawyers who defended the law and the Constitution, and I did not speak out because I was not a lawyer.

Then they came for those who helped the government function, and I did not speak out because I was not a government worker.

Then they came for the media, and I did not speak out because I was not a writer or reporter.

Then they came for immigrants, and I did not speak out because I was not an immigrant.

Then they came for students who defended the weak and helpless, and I did not speak out because I was not a student.

Then they came for me, and it was too late.

— Phyllis Ballata, St. Paul

Just another tax

What am I missing here? (“Tax on social media platforms is proposed.”) Let’s see, a tax proposed because our legislators are thinking of us poor, privacy-robbed Minnesotans, a tax that goes right to the heart of those mean social media companies. So out with their Daffy Duck quarter staff.

Ho! Ha ha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! Thrust! TAX! Take that, social media companies!

Social media, the little good it does, and there is a little, but the harms oh my. Because they are a privacy destructive force in this century where your data and mine down to the minutest detail is sold and re-sold to anyone who’ll buy, including government. Think of all the good this new tax will do to help alleviate that intrusive, downright creepy collection of our personal data.

What’s missing, of course, is YOU. AND. I. This isn’t meant to help us at all. It’s just another tax to help cover the expense of our bloated state government without concern of the people.

— Julia Bell, St. Paul

See the pattern?

If you lose an election, claim the election was stolen. Convince your cult that only Republicans can win elections, and that if a Democrat wins they cheated.

If you are accused of a crime, claim the nation’s justice system is corrupt and out to get you. Convince your cult that only Democrats commit crimes.

If a judge (even those appointed by yourself or other Republican presidents) rules that your Executive Order has violated the Constitution, remove this judge and all others who don’t uphold your views.

If Congress abdicates its powers, proclaim tariffs to create a stock market collapse and tell your billionaire friends when to “buy low” so they can make more billions while the rest of your citizens lose most of their retirement savings.

If a university allows free speech protests that oppose your point of view, take all federal funding from that school and convince your cult that all legal foreign students who participated in the legal protests must be sent to foreign concentration camps or deported.

See the pattern?

Crush free speech and dissent, transform “diversity” and “compassion” into negatives, bully and blackmail anyone who doesn’t bow down to you, terminate all programs designed to help the most needy, manipulate the economy to enrich your friends, fire and destroy the lives of hard-working citizens — just because you can, and imprison all real and perceived threats to your power.

This is how things work in Russia, China, North Korea, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran — and now, the United States of America.

Nice company we are keeping.

— George Kimball, White Bear Lake

And the debt continues to rise

Our country is $36 trillion in debt. Our president says we can’t continue on this course and on that we agree. We’re told we need “short term pain” to change this course. I would be totally willing to do that if it seemed any of this was actually being done to pay off this debt.

But it is clear this pain will only be to benefit the wealthy. Instead of a $4 trillion payment on the debt, the wealthy are getting a tax break. Instead of actual trade reform, the wealthy get insider trading tips and market manipulation to make millions.

And the debt continues to rise, just as it did during Donald Trump’s last term. We are being made fools of by a corrupt administration making money for itself, the country be damned.

— Gloria Zaiger, St. Paul

Stand by DEI

The fight against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in schools by the Trump administration is morally wrong and confusing. The letter sent to states and school districts on April 3 is the latest effort by the zdministration to enforce compliance to their orders by way of threatening federal funding. The letter seemingly describes DEI programs as those that “advantage one’s race over another.” In reality, DEI allows groups who have been marginalized or historically discriminated against the chance to have equitable access. DEI is not about one group having an advantage, but rather ensuring equity and belonging for all. Despite the lack of a clear definition of what DEI is in the letter from the administration, or what constitutes “illegal DEI practices,” the consequences are specific and clear. This is the same formula this administration has been following since the start of the presidential term; create a new Executive Order that is purposefully unclear in order to create chaos, fear, and hopefully, compliance.

I am thankful for Willie Jett, the commissioner of Minnesota Department of Education, and for Minnesota’s continued commitment to DEI practices in education. An inclusive classroom, one that supports difficult conversations about diversity and biases, and ensures access for all students improves academic outcomes for all students. DEI programming in schools also contributes to an increase in critical thinking among students and an investment in community mutual aid (Kite & Clark, 2022). In other words, DEI benefits everyone. Isn’t that the overall goal of education; to support students in reaching their academic goals so they are prepared to be productive members of society? My hope as a parent is that my child can learn and grow in an environment that supports, encourages, celebrates, and includes all people. My hope as a Minnesotan is that we can continue to stand by DEI practices in schools and not waver in our stance should added pressure come.

— Meghan Jackson, West St. Paul