Letters to the editor for Thursday, Jan. 8

POLITICS OF THE RECOUNT

'Lost ballots' leaned left -- how fishy is that?

A Jan. 7 letter writer suggests that other readers should have "evidence" before offering an opinion on Minnesota's U.S. Senate race results. Of course, there is no possible way the average voter could contribute any evidence to the process.

My opinion is that it's very suspicious that of all the "lost-and-found" ballots of the past several weeks, about 70 to 80 percent of them had votes for Al Franken, which is far deviant from the percentages in the original vote on Nov. 4. Maybe they didn't look hard enough for "lost" ballots that leaned the other way?

MAURICE MICKELSON, NEW HOPE

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As the U.S. Congress starts work on trying to repair the damage done to the economy by Norm Coleman and his party, his selfish egotism deprives Minnesota its full complement of representation in the decisionmaking process.

Norm is playing at obstruction even as the U.S. economy falls off a cliff. Shame on you, Mr. Coleman. Be a man, for once in your life; concede and get out of the way.

ALAN MATHIOWETZ, EDINA

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Let me paraphrase a couple of notable Republicans regarding close elections. Antonin Scalia, Jim Baker, Karl Rove and Dick Cheney to Democrats after Florida's 2000 vote: You lost. Get over it!

JEFF GERBINO, BURNSVILLE

CAUTION, LAWMAKERS

A few million taxpayers are also your employers

As I listened to Minnesota Public Radio's opening day coverage at the State Capitol Tuesday, I heard several legislators refer to "stakeholders" and the strategies needed to maintain their budgets or fund their new spending wish lists. I hope someone up there sticks up for the taxpayers who don't have lobbyists and unions to protect our budgets! Aren't we "stakeholders" as well?

CRAIG VANDERAH, PRIOR LAKE

HAIL TO THE HEIGHTS

Where all the grads are above average

Congrats to Nick Schenk, who wrote the screenplay for the new Clint Eastwood movie, "Gran Torino." I hope he wins an Oscar. But I take offense with his words that when you graduate from Columbia Heights High School, "you get a hard hat and a lunchbox instead of a diploma." Baloney.

Schenk is just another successful Heights grad, starting with Earl Bakken (founder of Medtronic) and including Pat Proft (screenwriter of the "Police Academy" and "Scary Movie" series). Heck, I know three Heights graduates who have written books, including my brother Vince. Myself, I graduated from college in New York City, became mayor of this fine town for a while, and have never worn a hard hat.

Not that there is anything wrong with wearing a hard hat to work. Those workers are the backbone of America, and kids in Heights have strong backs after a lifetime of being pitied for coming from a poor, inner-ring burb, usually from folks who think that McMansions are classy. Right now America needs more Heights graduates, who will stand and deliver on restoring middle-class prosperity and values.

Must be the lofty air up here that makes us so successful, or maybe the water. After all, Minneapolis does have a water purification plant here that drains south.

JULIENNE WYCKOFF, COLUMBIA HEIGHTS

VIKINGS TICKETS

Gift to the community would go a long way

How disappointing to see Vikings players like Jared Allen and Adrian Peterson "begging" Minnesotans to buy tickets to the playoff game. Vikings players and coaches are some of the best-paid individuals in our state. Three thousand tickets at an average price of $100 is $300,000. Sixty players and coaches could buy them at an average of $5,000 apiece. Is that too much to ask of players who average far more than $1 million a season in pay? The tickets could have been distributed to Boys' and Girls' Clubs, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Courage Center and others.

As the Vikings continue to ask Minnesotans for several hundred million for a new stadium, perhaps a small gesture on the part of players and coaches would be appropriate.

DOUGLAS H. SCOTT, NORTHFIELD, MINN.