Government-shutdown time is upon us. In our nation's capital, our elected officials soon will be making the proverbial sausage, mostly behind closed doors, wheeling and dealing to keep the lights on and trying to look good for voters. Can Republicans, with the help of some Democrats, come to a long-term deal to keep our country operating? The game could get tricky, but I hope Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is paying attention to his base. The senator's first utterance following a reporter's question about what he wants to leverage in a potential deal was "stronger border security." He then said something about protection for DACA kids. The order of items was odd. Perhaps he was engaging in a kind of beltway poli-speak, but surely he must know if one penny of taxpayer money finds its way toward a wall on the Mexican border, his base is as good as gone.

The fact is that building President Donald Trump's border wall is, at best, counterproductive to reducing the number of undocumented people in this country. More Mexican immigrants have returned to Mexico from the U.S. than have migrated here since the end of the Great Recession, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. The flow of Mexican immigrants between the two countries is at its smallest since the 1990s. Further, President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico repeatedly has told his American counterpart "no pagaremos."

And we're not paying for it, either.

Stephen Monson, Golden Valley
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Another misconduct case — and more murky leadership

Once again, Mark Coyle has proved himself to be nothing more than a second-rate bureaucrat and nothing close to the leader we were promised when he was hired to be the athletic director at the University of Minnesota. Star Gophers center Reggie Lynch has been accused of sexual misconduct and has been suspended through 2020 by the university's Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action office (front page, Jan. 5). The details of the accusation remain private, as they should be. However, Lynch has elected to appeal to the Student Sexual Misconduct Subcommittee (SSMS), which is his right. Per university policy, the suspension is to be held in abeyance until the outcome of the SSMS investigation of Lynch's appeal and their subsequent ruling. We can debate the validity or absurdity of the university's sexual-misconduct process another day.

So, with his appeal to the SSMS, Lynch's suspension is on hold, per university policy. Right? Not so fast. Coyle, in all his mediocrity, has done what he seems to usually do under any duress: discard any semblance of leadership. He has decided to prevent Lynch from competing while his suspension is on hold. Still enrolled? Yes. Still on the team? Yes. Coyle has given us the illusion of a leader taking an appropriate action without actually doing so. He has passed the buck, hoping that he will not be vilified for his lack of spine.

Lynch's suspension is in abeyance, per policy and procedure. So Coyle, make a decision. Take a stand. All in with Lynch — classes, practices and games — until the SSMS rules. You thereby are enforcing university policy to the letter, protecting the student-athlete's rights (and probably angering many in doing so, especially in light of events these past few months around the country). Or all out. Dismiss Lynch from the team, take the moral high ground on your approach and gear up for the inevitable flood of lawsuits. But be a leader, Mark. Take a stand and deal with what comes your way and stop hiding behind your desk. That was why you were hired.

Richard Rivett, Chaska
'FIRE AND FURY'

What or whom to believe? Maybe nothing or nobody.

The furor over the recently released Trump "tell-all" by Michael Wolff brings to mind the words of the legendary editor Ben Bradlee. In his autobiography "A Good Life: Newspapering and Other Adventures," Bradlee, executive editor of the Washington Post from 1968 to 1991, said he "found it easier to cope with Washington by assuming that no one ever told the complete truth in Washington." Even more cautionary is Bradlee's caveat regarding the words "according to sources," which Bradlee felt "should be banned," because when these words are used, as they are in Wolff's book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," readers think the author is not being completely truthful, and in doing so the readers "are more often right than wrong." Wise words to keep in mind when judging the accuracy and truthfulness of the Wolff book.

Ronald Haskvitz, St. Louis Park

• • •

President Donald Trump says the Wolff book is a pack of lies. But DJT is a liar. So which liar do we believe?

Pat Proft, Medina
LIFE TIME FITNESS

No news of the world? What in the world?!

Well, isn't that special! Life Time Fitness, where I have been a member pretty much since the start, has decided that the news is too upsetting to be included in a "healthy lifestyle" ("Life Time Fitness tunes out news channels for workouts," Jan. 5). I truly never thought that my fitness club would be joining the nanny state.

I plan my workout times around the morning network news programs. A few thoughts:

Does Life Time think that ignorance of the news is more consistent with a "healthy lifestyle"? I most certainly do not. Did it occur to Life Time that one can only listen to the news by opting in? If indeed it has received complaints from highly sensitive members, couldn't they simply be advised to opt out? Is the next step that our options will be "Sesame Street" and cartoons? The "Nature Channel"? Certainly not the History Channel! It might include wars!

Here's the kicker. The article says members with smartphones can still tap Life Time's Wi-Fi and pull up all-news stations. Will that include the video portion on the TV screens? If not, the outcome for me is the same. And if the video will still be there, what has really changed?

Let me throw out a modest suggestion. Why wouldn't Life Time's corporate office, instead of reacting to what I doubt was a landslide of complaints, do a member survey to ascertain where the membership stands on this? If this is not resolved in a sensible manner, I will be looking at an alternative fitness club. Oh, and Life Time owes me a radio!

John F. Hetterick, Plymouth
WINTER GOODWILL

I held up others at the car wash, and everyone was nice

A word of thanks as we start a new year. My car alternator failed recently while I was in a car wash in Hopkins/Minnetonka. Embarrassing, since I was impeding the progress of others, but I appreciate many acts of kindness:

1) The manager of the station tried to help me with my car, never once showing angst over lost sales.

2) The gentleman who helped me with the eventual cable jump refused any payment or a meal (from myself and the manager) and simply gave a friendly smile and wave.

3) The patient car washers — I know I held up a few of you, but what I witnessed was a Plan B as cars merged into one lane for a period of time.

Things can happen, to others or to me, and I always try to take that to heart.

Carl Peterson, Hopkins