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North metro letters

December 17, 2008 at 6:35AM

Poverty not a choice

Katherine Kersten's Dec. 8 column ("Young author's 'Nickel and Dimed' rebuttal revisits life in the low-wage lane") paints poverty as a personal choice issue rather than something that happens. She makes trivial the life of those wondering how to feed and shelter themselves and their families.

The column pointed to Derrick the high-school dropout who did not blow his money on "beer, cigarettes and lottery tickets." It is so very smug to believe that poverty is caused by a state of mind or independent purchasing choices.

Adam Shepard experienced a bright, warm and cozy time of life masquerading as a poor person. I assure you poverty is neither warm nor cozy.

Kersten, you owe us a column that paints a true picture of poverty, not stories about some young, wealthy white kid who went into his experience with no barriers. Kersten, I say to you, the "good ship lollypop" has landed, get off and help or at the least stop spreading untruths about poverty's cause and effect.

RENAE BOWMAN

MAYOR, CITY OF CRYSTAL

New kind of bailout

The U.S. government is busily "bailing out" corporate America to the tune of $700 billion. Meanwhile, we have a total of about 350 million people in this country. Just for a moment, let's let go of our pre-conceived idea that everyone who is poor or struggling "deserves it" and think out of the box. If we are going to provide welfare anyway to "keep the economy going," let's put it where it will do the most good and cost the least - just give every single citizen $1 million. The checks can be made to be cashable only when proven to satisfy whatever personal debts are owed by said citizen...

Every single poor person will be boosted up immeasurably and most if not all the middle class will have immediate financial burdens lifted, enabling all to resume healthy spending patterns and help our economy immediately recover strength. Do you see how this plan will immediately eliminate the "need" to artificially prop up mismanaged companies just to "save jobs," and will save a bulk of the remainder of the bailout funds to begin the process of taking the burden of health care off U.S. citizens and businesses?

LISA SWENSON

BROOKLYN PARK

Detroit's troubles

I hear that management is responsible for the car companies' troubles. They seem to be able to make money in Europe, Asia, and Latin America and lose it all in their United States operations. Is that management's fault or maybe the business environment in the USA?

VINCE BEACOM

CHAMPLIN

Rein in big business

In this time of financial turmoil, we are bombarded with the fact that many companies are just "too big to fail." If the company were to go bust, it would create a disproportionate shock to the economy. We were told that if AIG were to fail it would create a worldwide financial meltdown. We are also told that we need to give money to CitiGroup, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, the Big 3 automakers as well as many other private companies or else we face gloom and doom. I contend that if a company is too big to fail, it is too big to exist. Regulators and anti-trust experts need to look at major companies to see what can be done to prevent these companies from holding the economy hostage. For example, breaking GM up into separate companies such as Chevy, Cadillac and Buick may be an option. Large failing banks that get an infusiion of taxpayer money should not be allowed to take over other banks and get larger, thus making the problem even worse.

DAN SOLARZ

BROOKLYN CENTER

Slashing services

As local governments must certify tax levies in the next few weeks, they face the prospect of unallotment and the loss of their Local Government Aid funds with no recourse under state law. This bait-and-switch will result in real harm to the citizens of the state as we watch local services slashed and public safety compromised.

RICHARD ROSIVACH

SPRING LAKE PARK

Connect the dots

The front-page article on Dec. 9 ("Minnesota without moose? It could happen") told of climate change killing our prized moose. The letter of the day in the editorial section described needing more train cars and routes. Many other letters to the editor commented on the bailout of the Big Three automakers. If we connect the dots, we will see that it is best to use government resources to improve our mass-transit system to reverse climate change.

There should be less emphasis on making more cars. Besides, more cars won't fit on our already congested highways anyway. Let's have the car manufacturers add building trains and buses to their product lines.

PETER BERGLUND

SHOREVIEW