West metro letters

Great Ponzi Scheme

So what if the tech bubble, the housing bubble, the credit bubble -- in fact, the whole bubble bath -- are all part of The Great Ponzi Scheme in which most of us have been participants?

The scheme has been preached by pope W as the answer to 9/11: its churches range from strip malls to megamalls; its holiday is Black Friday; its saint is the man with the unlimited credit card (jolly Old Saint Nick); its religious festival is Christmas.

Consumerism is the ultimate Ponzi scheme. Now, as we watch its collapse trickle down over our empty IRAs and lost jobs, we are asked if we can spare a dime for the maker of the Hummer and Escalade.

We have leveraged our souls for a mess of pottage. I do not know where we go from here.

JON FAGERSON

MINNEAPOLIS

What's the point?

Times are tight. Politicians from the governor on down will be slicing education and health care. Basic family-friendly government services like libraries and parks will be diminished. Yet none of this needs to happen.

Our state spends millions on incarcerating nonviolent offenders. What is the point in keeping people who are not a threat to others behind bars -- especially when we can't afford to educate our kids?

We could admit the failure of the war on drugs and how it drains us of vital resources. We could spend our money on giving people good educations and health care, and let people who don't hurt anyone smoke pot in peace.

PAUL ROZYCKI

MINNEAPOLIS

Money talks

About that idea that we should finally level the playing field and open a casino that contributes to the tax base of the state:

One can only speculate that our dear politicians value the current large "donations" they receive from the tribal-run casinos more than the opinions of the overburdened taxpayers in the state.

Why else, when most people favor the idea, would they allow one of the biggest industries in the state to remain tax-free and unregulated for 20-plus years?

Sorry to say, but in the end money talks -- at the expense of the taxpayers.

LYNN JAKUBIK

RICHFIELD

Bigot gets platform

It was a serious and avoidable mistake to ask Rick Warren to speak at the Obama inauguration.

Because of his highly visible public role regarding California's Proposition 8 and because of other statements he has made, Warren now represents bigotry even more than he represents Christian faith.

By granting him such a prominent platform, Obama makes the statement that the Obama administration thinks his kind of bigotry is just another opinion and is just fine.

There are many others who would not be such an unnecessary slap at the GLBT constituency, and who could have by their presence made an even more powerful statement about inclusion.

JOHN MIHELIC

MINNEAPOLIS

Masica served well

On Dec. 16, Edina City Council member Linda Masica attended her last formal council meeting. She has served with distinction for the last eight years, representing Edina residents well.

She has been a great advocate for the people, always going out of her way to investigate the many issues brought before the council, especially when neighborhoods were a prime concern. She listened, she probed, she challenged, and she showed deference to the people's interests.

She personifies what the word "representative" means. She deserves our appreciation and heartfelt thanks.

EUGENE PERSHA

EDINA

Why salary hikes?

I just finished reading the article regarding the tough decisions the Hennepin County Board has to make as it prepares its budget -- such as cutting back programs for at-risk youths, cutting jobs and deciding what to eliminate in disparate services.

Perhaps they should have thought about these problems when they passed legislation to increase their own salaries!

JOAN JAFFEE

MINNETONKA

Democrats' Top Five

So the Yale Book of Quotations has come out with a list of the top quotes of the year (Star Tribune, Dec. 12). Quote of the year is Tina Fey's "I can see Russia from my house!" The real Sarah Palin makes the list for her answer to Katie Couric's newspaper question. John McCain is named twice, once for saying the economy was strong and once for saying U.S. troops might remain in Iraq for a hundred years. Phil Gramm, McCain's adviser, got mentioned for his "nation of whiners" line. And Jesse Jackson is cited for his expressed wish to cut off a sensitive part of Barack Obama's anatomy.

Gee, anybody see a pattern here?

I've got a few nominations that were apparently excluded because they were uttered by Democrats. Applying the same rigorous standards as the Yale Book of Quotations, here are my top five:

5. "There's no question Western Pennsylvania is a racist area." Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., Oct. 14.

4. "When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's what happened.' " Sen. Joe Biden, Sept. 22.

3. "Over the last 15 months, we've traveled to every corner of the United States. I've now been in 57 states? I think one left to go." Barack Obama, May 9.

2. "You got to be kind to the disabled." Rep. Charles Rangel, D-NY, Dept. 19, on Sarah Palin's popularity.

1. "This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal." Barack Obama, June 3, on the significance of his gaining the Democratic nomination for president.

SARAH BOLMARCICH

MINNEAPOLIS

Enough awards already

OK, OK, OK already with the awards shows. Doesn't it seem like we are overrun with awards shows?

Well, we are! Here's the list I've compiled this year:

1. People's Choice Awards

2. Critic's Choice Awards

3. Golden Globes Awards

4. Grammy Awards

5. Oscar Awards

6. Tony Awards

7. Edgar Awards

8. Obie Awards

9. Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards

10. Spirit Awards

11. Emmy Awards

12. Country Music Awards (CMA)

13. Black Entertainment Awards (BET)

14. Alma Awards (Hispanic Entertainment)

15. World Music Awards

16. Family Entertainment Awards

Stop! Eliminate at least half of them.

CURT ZUMWINKLE

MAPLE GROVE

Insulting the troops

How dare somebody say that the only hero in the Iraq war was the shoe-throwing Iraqi journalist (Readers Write, Dec. 15). That is a direct insult to all the military members who have served in the Middle East, regardless of whether they agreed with the war or not. Every one of those people is a hero.

The Star Tribune should be ashamed for printing such a hate-filled letter. Both the letter writer and the Star Tribune owe people in the military a great big mea culpa.

PAT FUCILE

EDEN PRAIRIE

Tanks and shoes

No matter one's political persuasion, it cannot be denied that the image of a young Iraqi man throwing his shoes at the president of the United States is as memorable and iconic as the image of the young Chinese man stopping a line of tanks in Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Both represented brave, individualistic acts; both, in their simplicity, captured the anger and frustration of an entire society.

GLENN MILLER

MINNEAPOLIS