Readers Write (May 15): Vikings stadium, Wall Street, marriage equality, dandelions

Updated: May 14, 2012 - 9:33 PM

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VIKINGS STADIUM

Will city politicians seal their demise?

Great headline on Sunday-- "Stadium's 'fun part' begins now."

The fun will begin next year when members of the DFL majority on the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor R.T. Rybak are thrown out of office.

By voting for the stadium deal, they will accede to the violation of the city's charter amendment mandating referendums when more than $10 million is spent from city coffers for a sports arena.

The most vulnerable council members are from districts in south Minneapolis where the state senators and legislators voted against the bill. The council should at least demand another $50 million from the Vikings. That could pay the debt for the last city fiasco: subsidizing the private development of Block E.

PHIL WILLKIE, MINNEAPOLIS

* * *

Allocation of funds

From JP Morgan Chase to the Postal Service

Wall Street is again asking: How did this happen ("New $2B loss rekindles fears" date)? People will leave JP Morgan Chase with multimillion-dollar packages, and most of us will wonder why they are being rewarded for incompetence.

Those on the left will shout that there's need for more regulation. Those on the right have said that regulations have forced banks to make riskier investments. It's surely quite a balancing act to get things right. Perhaps our financial institutions should act more like the tortoise than the hare.

MIKE MCDONALD, ST. PAUL

• • •

This is a simple plea for balanced choices in news coverage. The $2 billion loss at JP Morgan is egregious, as chief executive Jamie Dimon has admitted; it has received front-page coverage in the Star Tribune since Friday.

For balance, compare this to the ongoing annual losses at the U.S. Postal Service: $25 million per day, or $9 billion each year. And our legislators did not have the courage to accept recommendations to close post offices.

To have perspective on issues, we need perspective in how issues are discussed in the press. Consider covering topics like the post-office decisions on Page One -- with perhaps four times as much space as the bank losses -- accurately to reflect the size of each problem.

JOHN R. PRIEST, MINNEAPOLIS

• • •

If, as one letter writer suggests, we let the private sector deliver our mail, you can count on low-paid labor with no pension plan and highly compensated executives. And (write this one down) we will pay more for services.

JIM BARBEAU, CHAMPLIN

* * *

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

On discrimination and practicality

The president of the United States took a stand on the issue of gay marriage that seeks to promote equality for all in our society. We would like to address the prevailing thought that the African-American community is somehow antigay and opposed to the president's stance.

We would hope that those in our community would not use the same discriminatory, religious or baseless moral arguments that were used to justify slavery, Jim Crow and racial segregation against people of color against those in the gay community.

African-Americans know more than any group in the history of civilization what discrimination and hatred can do. Discrimination is discrimination, no matter how you describe it, and we would encourage all members of the great state of Minnesota to stop discrimination in all forms against all people.

BOOKER T. HODGES; PRESIDENT, MINNEAPOLIS NAACP

• • •

The solution to the same-sex marriage dilemma is to make the formation of a family unit purely a matter of civil contract. Any couple ought to be able to form a family corporation, as equal partners, with all the rights and responsibilities currently included in a marriage contract, including the various tax advantages and Social Security rights.

Marriage should be something that religions can offer as a sacrament to those who wish to "sanctify" their civil contract. Religions can have whatever rules they like governing whether they will sanctify a particular relationship.

In this country, people are free to find a religion that accommodates their beliefs. The religious ceremony should have no legal standing and church personnel no ability to grant civil family unit contracts.

All legal issues should be addressed in the civil contract. Government has a strong interest in promoting stable family units no matter the gender composition. Stable relationships promote the general welfare; economic stability; productivity; health; child well-being, and lawful behavior.

Religious affiliation and the rules religions impose on their congregations are matters of individual conscience, and the government can and should have no say, provided that no laws are violated and no public funds are used.

ROBERT VEITCH, MINNEAPOLIS

* * *

Dandelions

Good yards make good neighbors

I enjoyed the reading of Ray Bradbury's book "Dandelion Wine" years ago, but it did not inspire any love for this ugly weed ("This is not a dandelion whine," May 11) As I look at the fluffy, floating seeds, I am reminded of how airborne diseases are disseminated.

I find no leisure or satisfaction in watching my neighbors struggle to dig out weeds that my laziness and lack of care could have produced. I'm with the 99 percent who enjoy the beauty of a well-kept lawn and garden and appreciate my neighbors' efforts. It doesn't have to be perfect -- the process is its own reward.

EUGENE GOMES, MINNEAPOLIS

• • •

If you use lawn chemicals, please, dear neighbors: 1) apply them on calm, windless days, and 2) apply them close to the ground to minimize the risk that they'll become airborne. Some of us have chemical sensitivities and/or garden organically and would appreciate your sensitivity to our needs. You are probably unaware that even on days with little wind we can smell the chemicals a block away. Thanks.

JEAN GREENWOOD, MINNEAPOLIS

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The Opinion section is produced by the Editorial Department to foster discussion about key issues. The Editorial Board represents the institutional voice of the Star Tribune and operates independently of the newsroom.
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