My husband and I have been mildly amused by the recent Republican brouhaha over Mark Ritchie's alleged use of state e-mail addresses for campaign purposes.

My husband is a state employee and also has a state.mn.us e-mail account, and he regularly gets e-mails at his office from the Republican Party and various Republicans asking for support of President Bush and/or contributions. He has asked them to stop, but they keep coming.

Since we are Democrats and have never given a penny to any Republican candidate or cause, we are naturally irritated and demand an investigation! Or, my husband can just keep doing what he's been doing -- hit "delete."

DIANN BENSON, MAPLE PLAIN

Under-funding for the common good has to stop Thank you, John S. Adams. Your Dec. 8 column on budget planning should be required reading by the governor, the Legislature and the antithetically named Taxpayers League.

For too long now, since President Ronald Reagan nationally, and Govs. Jesse Ventura and Tim Pawlenty at the state level, our leaders have promoted tax cuts and "no new taxes" as the utopian ideal. Actually, the reverse is true.

Ironically, the people most likely to trumpet American exceptionalism are the very same people who do not want to fund America. At some point, for example, the absence of additional public funding for our colleges and universities will price our future doctors, engineers, et al., out of the market at a time when places like China and India are becoming increasingly competitive in these areas. And the idea at the state level that we must continually cut taxes for business-friendly purposes has always been wrong on its face. If it were true, all businesses long ago would have moved to the low-tax states. In actuality, it's the higher-tax states that attract business because it shows the electorate is willing to finance and maintain the infrastructure -- from education to transportation -- necessary for the operation of successful businesses.

If we continue to under-fund for the common good to the extent we have for the last 40 years, we can be sure that American (or Minnesota) exceptionalism will be relegated to the dustbin of history in the not too distant future.

TOM OBERT, ALEXANDRIA, MINN.

The cacophony toward Clinton How interesting that the Dec. 10 article about the hateful and offensive speech directed toward Hillary Rodham Clinton was placed on the last page of the Source section, above the compelling article on holiday baubles and the investigative report entitled "Ladies: How to zap static cling."

One does not need to be a supporter of Hillary Clinton to be alarmed by the vitriol directed toward her, and the relegation of that issue to the back pages of public discussion. Words have power, and the rising cacophony of aspersions cast toward the only female candidate should spur a thoughtful debate about the status and roles of women in the United States today. It is unfortunate that a serious topic was relegated to the part of your paper reserved for fluff pieces and the comics.

DALE STAHL, CHANHASSEN

Poor, unused turn signals I write to address the issue of poor drivers on the roads. I am not referring to the countless accidents that occur monthly, but rather the lack of signaling by the general public. I'd say that I spend at least seven hours of my week on the road and less than half of the drivers I encounter either do not use their turn signal properly or do not use it at all.

The act of using a turn signal is as easy as flicking a wrist. Personally, I use my pinky to do that obscenely simple action. The improper usage I mentioned above is regarding drivers turning on their signal after moving into the turn lane or for two seconds when changing lanes on Interstate 35 before they're even halfway over the line.

Either the general public is getting too lazy, is not properly educated or is not that bright to begin with. Turn signals are standard in all vehicles for a reason. Don't let them go to waste.

TIM ZIEGLER, NORTHFIELD, MINN.

The soul of St. Thomas University The protectors of the soul of St. Thomas University may think they are in the right place when it come to the "cultivation of a vital Catholic identity," but the stumbles in the areas of free speech, equal rights for gays and lesbians, a certain faux authority for representing the truth in law school education, and a confusing posture on hate orations bespeak an institution that must be more catholic (lowercase) and consistent in the way that word is first defined.

That first meaning of catholic is broad or liberal in scope, concerning all humankind, and St. Thomas has miles to go in this direction, not simply distancing itself from secularism. Some embrace of some aspects of secularism is in order. Eight chapels won't get the university there.

TERRY THOMPSON, MINNEAPOLIS; WRITER AND ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS