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UNIONS AND DAY CARE

What, pray tell, is the governor thinking?

Is Gov. Mark Dayton trying to give in-home day care providers the chance to unionize, or is he trying to help independent small-business operators circumvent antitrust law and create an anticompetitive, price-fixing monopoly ("Dayton calls for vote to unionize child-care workers," Nov. 15)?

Frankly, it's the same thing. The way our labor laws work, most unions are price-fixing monopolies, pure and simple. Dayton should be pushing to take away the monopoly protections that unions currently enjoy and force unions to compete locally.

What Dayton clearly doesn't understand is that the most powerful protection workers have is not the government, not a union, but the freedom to go into business for themselves and be their own boss.

KELLY BAILEY, WYOMING, MINN.

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STUDENT 'BULLYING'

Why not be more specific about it?

It sounds like 10 students in Coon Rapids slandered online and assaulted each other in the hallway ("Facebook feud erupts at school," Nov. 18).

If an adult engaged in this behavior, we'd call it slander, assault, harassment, battery, abuse or even a conspiracy. Stop hiding children's destructive behavior behind ambiguous and soft terms like "bullying."

Calling behavior what it is, especially at the high school level, is important to helping children see how others view their behavior.

MICHAEL FOX, BROOKLYN PARK

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The Coon Rapids debacle over the bullying that began in school manifested itself on a social-networking site online.

It astounds me to see the true extent of cyberbullying in the young generation today. It's ironic and disheartening to know that such social-networking sites, which were created to bring people together, are being used to tear people apart.

As a high-school student, bullying resonates for me as one of the most horrible things that can happen to children and young adults.

I'm also reminded that not all students are like that. Many are volunteers who do good things in their communities. They give me hope for our generation.

Rather than some landmark legislation on this issue, I urge everyone to lead by example. I know from experience that we have the power and capability to lead the way to a kinder, bully-free society.

RAFFY MARISTELA, EDEN PRAIRIE

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KOCH ON STADIUM

She seems intent on running out the clock

State Sen. Amy Koch's Nov. 18 commentary on the Vikings stadium ("A little more conversation, a little less premature action") seems to make some sense, until you get to the final paragraph.

By citing "game day" or "Sunday" in three straight sentences, her analogy only lends support to Gov. Mark Dayton's point about needing a target date.

Without it, a more apt sports analogy would be: Koch and her legislative teammates are engaging in a simple game of "catch," passing a political football back and forth while standing firmly in place.

JEFF FALKINGHAM, EDEN PRAIRIE

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Koch tends toward disingenuous when she pitches an anchor over the side of the Vikings stadium issue boat. "My goal," she writes, "is working with our caucus ... to identify a plan that has broad, bipartisan support and the backing of the public."

Sen. Koch, the "plan" exists, if in raw form:

1) The Vikings prefer the Arden Hills site.

2) Ramsey County has purchased the site.

3) A financing plan is in place; the Vikings are in for about a third, and polls show the public favors a form of gambling to finance a portion.

4) Public "informational hearings" are scheduled.

5) Delays increase the cost.

Support the governor's call for a special session!

JERRY ROGERS, MINNEAPOLIS

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PROPERTY TAXES

He's hurting and says lawmakers don't care

I would like to take this time to thank the Minnesota Legislature and Gov. Mark Dayton on the fine job they did balancing the state budget last summer and stiffing property owners.

Instead of doing what they were sent to St. Paul to do, they demonstrated their inept budgeting skills on property owners and then declared the state's budget woes solved. Property taxes on my farm rose 16.8 percent. Taxes on my neighbor's farm rose 24.7 percent.

BRUCE GRANGER, WEST CONCORD, MINN.

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JUNK FOOD

You can eat pizza and be healthy, too

I'm a single parent of children who are grown and married with their own children. My kids learned at an early age that there had to be a happy medium between eating junk and eating healthfully.

They're passing that knowledge on to their children.

If more parents took the time to do this with their kids, we wouldn't be having discussions about how much control over school lunches by the government there should be and if pizza is a "vegetable" or a food that should be banned from school lunch offerings.

My kids are not obese in any way, and they ate pizza and other unhealthy foods for school lunch. Better teaching and development of healthier life habits is the key, not more regulation by the government.

BARB CARLSON, SHOREVIEW

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JASON LEWIS

He needs to cast what he objects to fairly

There's much discussion about freedom, particularly by conservatives such as Jason Lewis ("Do you want equality or freedom?" Nov. 13).

Discussion also resonates around equality because of the growing gap between the rich and the poor in this country. A wise philosopher has said that a balance of freedom and equality results in justice. Is it not justice that we are seeking?

BEVERLY TOPPIN, COON RAPIDS

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Lewis isn't a serious commentator, and he needs to stop the shrill nonsense. He adds nothing to the conversation. When people on the left suggest the amazingly rich pay taxes at a higher rate than they do now, it hardly signals a drive to make everyone exactly equal economically.

If taxes were to climb back up to a more progressive level, it's not as if there will be no rich and everyone will lose the freedom to pursue and attain riches.

PAUL ROZYCKI, MINNEAPOLIS