In my career as a middle-school student, my school day has been chopped down from seven periods to six. One period may not seem like a lot, but it forced me to choose whether to take Spanish or shop and art.
With the taxpayer dollars that might be spent on a new stadium for the Vikings, we could be paying back schools the money owed them. By doing so, we'd be investing in the future of America, instead of in a football team.
The new $400 million pledge from the White Earth Nation could solve this problem ("Tribe offers $400 million for state share of stadium," April 6). It proposes to cover Minnesota's $400 million contribution to the new stadium, along with an additional $12 million annually in racetrack purses, if it is allowed to build a casino in the metropolitan area.
As far as I'm concerned, this is the only proposal in which both sides win. I also find it appalling that so many politicians can oppose this, since it is the only way out of this no-new-taxes mess.
JEFFREY MERRILL, WHITE BEAR LAKE
The writer is an eighth-grader at Mahtomedi Middle School.
