Readers Write for Saturday, Oct. 24

ST. PAUL SCHOOL BOARD

Why does the Strib call for more of the same?

The Star Tribune calls the upcoming St. Paul school board elections a "critical juncture for the St. Paul schools," yet it continues to endorse the same people who have been holding those offices with the same old explanations (editorial, Oct. 23).

As long as the paper and the public keep endorsing and electing the same old political "insiders" like they have in the past, our schools are unlikely to improve.

CHERIE RIESENBERG, ST. PAUL

INSTANT-RUNOFF VOTING

It will open the process to possible foul play

I think the ranked-choice voting system in Minneapolis will make elections more vulnerable to manipulation and haphazard results. Candidates who really didn't receive enough solid, democratic votes may get into office.

JOHN BISPALA, MINNEAPOLIS

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In some ways the debate over the instant-runoff voting ballot question debate reminds me of the 2006 smoking ban in St. Paul. Like the ban, it will benefit us in ways we don't fully realize now. We'll look back and can't believe it was resisted.

I'm voting yes on Nov. 3 to change our voting method because IRV ensures that a majority of the voters marking ballots on Election Day gave the nod to our elected official.

Still, there's good news for the IRV opponents and holdouts once IRV is adopted. Ranking the candidates is not mandatory. They can simply fill in the oval of the one candidate they support.

DAN DUDDINGSTON, ST. PAUL

EXECUTIVE PAY CAPS

We run the risk of losing talented people

Punishing people for having high-profile and high-responsibility jobs with caps on pay will only have them leaving their positions. Only a sense of civic responsibility will keep them around for now, but that won't last long.

Instead of working intensely to lift their companies and the entire U.S. economy, they might choose, for example, to spend the rest of their life sailing in the South Seas.

When we lose these people, we all lose. Interfering with their compensation is cutting off your nose to spite your face.

WINSTON MATTSSON-BOZE, RAMSEY

IMAMS SETTLE LAWSUIT

Their thoughtless acts caused the problem

To the six imams who this week settled their lawsuit after being removed from a U.S. Airways flight in 2006 for acting suspiciously with acts that mimicked previous hijackings that were witnessed by many passengers and flight attendants: Yes, you have a right to claim victory for civil rights (Star Tribune, Oct. 21).

But is that what this was really about? Or was it about six people acting irresponsibly during a period of high alerts and terroristic concerns and then acting indignant when questioned about their behavior?

ART HEIKKILA JR., CRYSTAL

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Not the best way to treat anxiety disorders

Marijuana may serve a useful purpose for those suffering from intractable illnesses, recovering from chemotherapy or coping with chronic pain that does not respond well to other treatments.

However, as a psychologist, I was alarmed to see the Oct. 20 photo of the young man inhaling marijuana to treat his anxiety disorder. Anxiety is the most common and most treatable mental health concern. There are empirically validated psychotherapies and medications available to treat even the most severe anxiety disorders.

In our compassion to provide medical marijuana to those who lack better options, let us not provide an unnecessary crutch that actually impedes recovery from highly treatable illnesses.

GARY J. FREITAS, WACONIA

CHENEY RIPS OBAMA

Just who is he calling a chicken?

It is truly an irony when former Vice President Dick Cheney has the nerve to be critical of President Obama claiming that "Obama is afraid to act" regarding sending more troops to Afghanistan. This coming from the man who dodged Vietnam five times?

PETER WOOLLEN, MINNEAPOLIS

Pope recruits anglicans

He wants a church that looks more like him

With the Vatican's recent agreement with the Anglican Church to accept disaffected Anglicans (Star Tribune, Oct. 20), the Roman Catholic Church no longer seems "catholic," or universal.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, before he became Pope Benedict XVI, called for a smaller, more faithful church. We now see what he really meant, wanting a smaller, more intolerant church.

Jesus, who ate with tax collectors and prostitutes, must be wondering why his message of accepting the outcasts of his day is being ignored by a church founded on his life, death and resurrection.

MONIQUE GAMACHE VENNE, BURNSVILLE