Readers Write: Star Tribune Minnesota Poll, Super Bowl preparations, immigration debate

The series of articles on the latest Star Tribune Minnesota Poll (Jan. 14-18; tinyurl.com/stmnpoll) has been very telling about the divides in the state politically, geographically, by gender and education.

It would be valuable to also find out how and where the poll participants get their news. It seems those sources might have a large impact on the participants' perceptions about the president, the tax law, sexual harassment, etc.

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I found the recent poll results about sexual harassment surprising, and not because of the high percentage of women who say they have been sexually harassed ("63 percent of women harassed," Jan. 17). It is a problem in today's workplace, and no percentage of sexual harassment is acceptable.

However, what was interesting was that of those women who were asked if they were sexually harassed, the biggest percentage discrepancy was not between age groups, education, income, or rural vs. urban residence, but between political affiliation.

I would have expected that women can agree for the most part on what defines sexual harassment. I am not making a stand for or against any political party, but perhaps when personal issues become more political than personal, the truth gets distorted.

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Readers would have been greatly served by stating the pollster's definition of "sexual harassment." In discussions with friends about the recent spate of allegations, I find that many of us define sexual harassment differently. Without clarification of the subject being polled, the results are unclear and not helpful as we work to eradicate harassment of any kind.

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In the Jan. 16 article on U.S. Sen. Al Franken's resignation ("Most believe Franken's accusers/But nearly half of voters say senator shouldn't have stepped down"), the questions I believe the poll should have asked voters are:

• Do you think the accusations of sexual harassment made toward Franken should have continued to be examined by the Senate Ethics Committee prior to a decision being made on his guilt, innocence or resignation?

• Do you think Franken should have resigned before the accusations are proven to be true, false or inconclusive?

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What was the purpose of the poll questions about Russia ("Voters split on Russia inquiry," Jan. 15)? Was it simply to undermine our democracy and the rule of law?

The first two questions are totally irrelevant. ("Do you think people connected to Donald Trump's presidential campaign did or did not engage in improper coordination with Russian agents who tried to interfere in the U.S. election?" and "To date, do you think special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion with Russia during the 2016 election has been fair and impartial, or do you think it has been unfair and biased against President Trump?") In a democracy, we don't poll people to determine someone's guilt or innocence or ask if the prosecutor is fair or impartial. We have an appeal process to protect wrongly convicted people.

The third question — "How concerned are you about Russian interference in U.S. elections?" — was the only relevant one. The Star Tribune's conclusions (and headline) on the data were puzzling and rather shocking. It chose not to focus on the scary undermining of our democratic principles; instead, partisanship was a theme. Why? The headline could have been "Minnesotans think Russia hacking OK" or "Intelligence agencies' findings not believed.' By focusing only on partisanship, the Star Tribune is normalizing behavior that is undermining our democracy.

Forty-three percent of surveyed individuals seem so politically biased that they can't admit the significant benefits of the new GOP tax changes ("Voters split on GOP tax changes," Jan. 18). The tired generalization "just more for the wealthy, they always get more benefits than we do" is certainly not helpful to realization of the actual facts. The majority of us will pay lower taxes at lower tax rates. Workers are seeing raises, extra $1,000 bonuses and escalating minimum wages. There are more jobs than workers willing to work them, as corporations expand opportunities with full training for high-paying jobs. The investment markets are on an upward tear that improves retirement accounts for all of us. The economy is expanding, and the infrastructure of our country will modernize to safe standards.

Sure, those who don't pay taxes won't see tax cuts, but they will have more opportunities to work and contribute to society. Those truly unable to work will continue to realize welfare benefits that will only improve in a strong-growing, stable economy. They should appreciate that the wealthy continue to support them. Know the facts — everyone benefits!

Editor's note: More reader letters reacting to recent Star Tribune Minnesota Poll results, particularly about the performance of President Donald Trump, will be published on Sunday.

I am reading a lot of letters and hearing lots of talk about frustrations with downtown traffic congestion caused by Super Bowl preparations.

For part of my career, I lived in south Minneapolis and worked in downtown St. Paul. Although up to that point I was a regular bus commuter, I decided I could not take the bus to work because it would involve a transfer. While my car was in the shop, I had no choice but to bus to work and found it was not at all a problem. After getting my car back, I stuck with commuting to work by bus.

In all the recent discussion about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act and the young people involved, as well as the children of those immigrants who are being deported, there is one consequence that has not been well-covered. Children whose families have been torn apart and lives disrupted will often turn to violence to handle the negative emotions resulting from the above events. Thus, are we creating homegrown terrorists? I think this needs to be studied and acted upon by our leaders.