Netlets for Saturday, Feb. 16

Brian McClung chose interesting words to describe the Republican agenda in our Legislature. The governor's spokesman said "job one is to protect Minnesota taxpayers" ("A new session, a familiar divide," Feb. 12).

I wonder if that is to protect us from dying when a bridge collapses or from dying on poorly maintained and overcrowded roads, or from losing our cabins because property taxes have skyrocketed, or from dying from a preventable disease or facing bankruptcy because health insurance is unavailable, or from being unable to attend college because tuitions are outpacing students ability to pay, or from sitting for hours in traffic because road construction has fallen so far behind the need, or from leaving future generations to pay for our folly.

Is he protecting all Minnesotans or just the Republican base? I believe the governor he is speaking for is the governor of all of Minnesota, not just his base. Somewhere in their agenda someone might want to look at he common good of all Minnesotans and act accordingly.

TOM CASTAGNERI, MINNEAPOLIS

Demond Reed, left in harm's way Demond Reed, a beautiful, innocent child has died a horrific death. We ask ourselves why and the only answer that comes is that the "criminal justice system" had to be satisfied. The system's need to make Demond's father serve a few pointless days in jail superseded Demond's right to safety and ultimately life.

This is not just a failure of the child protection system, although it is that too. This is an ultimate demonstration of the bankruptcy of our "criminal justice system." A system that coldbloodedly puts disproportionate numbers of people of color into our increasingly overcrowded prisons without regard to the consequences to the families and communities of those incarcerated.

I think all of those responsible for Demond's death should be hauled before the bar of justice. This includes the judge, the prosecutor and the social services people who so callously left Demond in harm's way.

Minnesota's caucuses: chaotic and discriminatory ... I returned to Minnesota after 20 years of voting in Chicago's primaries. As I made my way to the caucus last week with my partner from D.C. and my 3 year old, I was proud to show them a system of neighbors coming together as citizens. What I found was an archaic system that discriminates against single moms, against workers who will lose their jobs if they aren't at work between 7 and 9 p.m. on a Tuesday night, and against a multitude of others who could have voted at other times throughout the day.

When we arrived at our polling place, there was a 45-minute wait in the snow and cold, just to get into the building and then there was more waiting before we managed, quite haphazardly, to spot a stack of ballots from which we could place one or 100 votes for our presidential candidate -- no one was keeping track.

Then we were told that there was no way to have any say in the senatorial primary unless we became a delegate and attended yet another meeting scheduled at yet another inconvenient time.

Until Super Tuesday 2008, I would have never celebrated Chicago-style democracy, but now I feel that my voice was heard in Chicago primaries more than it will ever be heard in Minnesota. I would have expected more from the land of Paul Wellstone.

SUZANNE FARRELL, ST PAUL

For instance, if 40 percent of the attendees at the caucus are supporting Candidate A, then 40 percent of the delegates should support Candidate A at the district convention. In our system, we do not ask our delegates to reveal who they support, and even if we do, there is nothing to bind them to support the candidate who as our representative. There is nothing democratic about a system that forces us to put our trust in complete strangers who have not even given us any indication of who they will support in our stead.

BROOKE MAGID HART, MINNEAPOLIS

Name that taxpayer-bought ballpark Our (yes, "our") new Twins stadium needs a name.

As most are aware, coliseums throughout the nation are no longer being given stately names intended to stand the test of time. Instead, the titles are sold to whomever "contributes" the most money -- and that can even cause the stadiums to be renamed several times over just a decade or so.

I've got an idea that just might solve both of these problems.

Once past the small detail of convincing the Pohlads of the value of this public relations grand slam (as opposed to cashing a Best Buy or 3M corporate check), the only real problem remaining would be getting a good seat ... at "Hennepin Field."