Readers write for Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010

To my Republican friends:

Polls have shown that many of you have pledged your support to Tom Horner in this year's gubernatorial election. I believe it is a mistake.

There's no question that Tom is a talented guy. Nevertheless, recent polls show that he simply cannot win a statewide race; that is a statistical fact. A vote for Horner will be a vote for Mark Dayton.

Dayton is a good man and a serious, well-intentioned candidate. But his plans to increase taxes in Minnesota threaten to stall an economy desperately in need of a kick-start and will fail to solve our long-term budget woes.

Don't take my word for it. Just look at states such as California and Michigan. When faced with budget shortfalls a couple of years ago, they raised taxes. Now their state budgets are again awash in red ink, while their residents experience double-digit unemployment. By contrast, our neighbor South Dakota has some of the lowest tax rates in the land. And while that state's unemployment rate remains just above 4 percent, of the 48 states with a budget deficit, South Dakota's gap is the second-smallest.

Many of you may not agree with Republican candidate Tom Emmer on every single issue. Neither do I. But Horner supporters should compare the number of policy differences they have with Emmer with those they have with Dayton.

Emmer believes it's wrong to raise taxes at a time when too many Minnesotans are out of work. He is absolutely right.

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As a small-business owner, I read David Frauenshuh's column endorsing Tom Emmer with interest ("Why I'm voting for Tom Emmer," Oct. 24). He and I have different ideas about what creates a good business climate in the state of Minnesota.

Frauenshuh states that the "achievers" and business owners will leave the state if taxes go up, though he reassures us that he personally is not going anywhere. Neither am I. When I look at the services, education and infrastructure that help small businesses grow in Minnesota, compared with other states where I've lived and worked, I'm happy to support that infrastructure.

Minnesota consistently draws people who choose to live here despite the harsh climate and so-called "high taxes" because we also want to live in a high-services state: a state where I can find well-educated workers to help my business, a state where I can send my children to quality public schools from kindergarten through college, and a state that invests in the next generation of research and creativity that will continue to make Minnesota a business leader in the 21st century.

MICHAEL MCaneney, Minneapolis

Gov. Tim Pawlenty recently said that if Mark Dayton were elected governor, it would "wash away" the progress Pawlenty has made in his eight years as governor. If cuts to essential services like fire, police, nursing home care, etc., are considered progress, I would vote for Dayton for the very purpose of "washing away" this progress.

JERRY T. JOHNSON, BLOOMINGTON

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Shortly after Margaret Anderson Kelliher lost the gubernatorial primary, it became clear to me that Tom Horner would be my choice for governor. Apparently I'm not the only one who has made that decision. Horner is moderate, honest, intelligent and passionate about Minnesota. My only political decision between now and Election Day is what to wear to the "Rally to Restore Sanity" in D.C.: a "Horner for Governor" T-shirt or a rally shirt. Stand near the center with me and invite your friends and family to vote for sanity.

EILEEN SUPPLE, EDINA

LEE FRIEDMAN, GOLDEN VALLEY

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If you had omitted the artwork from Doug Wallace's review of John Le Carre's recent novel and closed the spacing of the paragraph to the left of it, you would have had room for Kersten's book review there, instead of the putting it in the Opinion Exchange section, which should be reserved for original thought.

CLIFF ERICKSON, MINNETONKA • • •

Katherine Kersten defrocks the Obama façade with "Obama has been hiding his real agenda."

The Obamessiah has no clothes!

GENE DELAUNE, NEW BRIGHTON

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Your editors have the prescience to place Nick Coleman's column on the left side of one of your Opinion Exchange pages and Katherine Kersten's column on the right side of the same page. How about a column down the middle?

JOHN DAY, ROBBINSDALE

Perhaps at some future date we will see an article about brides who believe a wedding is the beginning of a marriage, not a prelude to an all-about-me moment.