letters

By now most of us have read that plastic, that incredibly useful product that all of us use every day, is fast becoming public enemy No. 1. We have been using plastics for decades and as a result, plastic is everywhere: in our fish, in our food, in our oceans, in our waste water treatment...

How does a nation slip into a dictatorship? Do what Trump is doing by firing people right and left? This alone creates chaos in our government. His erratic behavior is dangerous. President Trump is driving our country into the ground and Putin is most likely very happy to see this....

The imposition of Chinese tariffs on American pork products is a wake-up call for all industrial hog producers. Encouraged by large multinational corporations that they must "feed the world," these contract farmers fell for the corporate line and thus became dependent upon the export...

Now I understand... For years I have been struggling to find the source of the modern Republican's governing philosophies and ideologies that seem so contrary to those of our founding fathers. I have often referred to the Reagan years, 37 years ago, with his "trickle down" economic...

At a recent public forum in Mahnomen, State Rep. Steve Green blamed the high school shootings in Parkland, Florida — which killed 17 students and staff — on a lack of process to identify likely shooters.

Last month the CEO of Mid-Minnesota Federal Credit Union submitted a letter to the editor, in which he stated the benefits of some legislation that is moving through Congress. The Economic Growth, Regulatory Reform and Consumer Protection Act is a very good bill that would ease some...

U.S. Rep. Steve King of Iowa has reintroduced legislation, which, if passed, could effectively block states from setting basic standards for the production or manufacture of agricultural products within their borders, including how animals are raised. The proposed legislation would...

In the wake of the recent school shooting in Florida, the National Rifle Association, the president, and the conservatives in Congress are advancing a plan to arm several teachers in every school. The rhetoric is being met enthusiastically by many people. Some educators have even...

Time to take the Second Amendment literally and seriously. The text of the amendment reads: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." That is, the right to bear arms is based...

Minnesotans work hard and pay their taxes. In return, they expect and deserve high-quality, efficient services from their state government. They should get nothing less. That is why Minnesota IT Services, under new leadership, is strongly committed to fixing the problems with our...

We constantly see tragedies that unfold in places like Parkland, Florida, and nothing seems to change with gun control. Well, this time, the kids of the school are demanding change and law enforcement. Perhaps it's time for "Student Councils" across the state demand that their legislators...

More than 26 percent of Minnesota high school students use tobacco products—26 percent! That's one in every four students. That finding and others in the new Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey results should be a wake-up call to everyone who cares about our kids. I've served as...

At the Detroit Lakes School Board meeting on Monday, one item on the agenda was the new teachers contract for the 2017-2019 school years. The vote was 4-1 in favor and the only "no" vote was cast by School Board Member Jane Foltz. I would like to first say, "thank you" to those board...

As expected, or should have been expected, much of the national media attention during Super Bowl Week focused on our local weather. More perplexing though is how some of our leaders have described it. For example, Zygmunt Wilf, owner of the Minnesota Vikings and major benefactor...

President Donald Trump is too much I and not enough us! It seem that Republicans (as far as President Trump is concerned) equate themselves as the only decent Bible-believing Christians (citizens that follow Christian teachings). We all have our own beliefs of what is morally acceptable...