Letters to the editor for Saturday, Feb. 2

I never read anything positive about the war. It is always casualties, and the money, and this is a waste of time. While every casualty is horrific and tragic, I also think that amazing things are happening over there.

I am a flight attendant and have taken some of the service men and women over and they are proud and they are making a difference. However, they are also scared and miss their families terribly.

One man recently had a panic attack on the way over. He needs our support. He needs to know that we are aware of the huge sacrifices he is making for us. He needs to hear us tell a story we have heard of the wonderful things he is doing.

I feel this treatment is a lot like Vietnam. We don't call them baby killers, but we tell them what a colossal waste of time and money this war is. We need to let these men and women know we are proud of their wonderful accomplishments. We need to help them make the transition back home by telling them we saw or read about a school or a family or a town they helped.

Could we please stop worrying about politics for one minute and start telling some stories of hope and love and miracles in the making? God bless our troops.

PEGGY BRASK, MENDOTA HEIGHTS

I applaud the Star Tribune for highlighting Matt McKinney's Jan. 30 story about animals suffering as a result of home foreclosures. I want to tell people about an unusual horse rescue that is an oasis of joy and hope.

It's easy to feel overwhelmed these days by news of animal hardships due to the worsening economy. If you'd like a boost of spirit, please visit Refuge Farms or our website at www.refugefarms.org.

BARBARA J. TUTTLE, MINNEAPOLIS

We won't know if the trade of Johan Santana to the New York Mets for four top prospects is a good or bad deal for a few years. So to all the critics lambasting Twins GM Bill Smith: Just hold your horses. The deals negotiated with the Yankees and the Red Sox are pure speculation, rendering any comparison to the Mets trade meaningless.

As an avid Twins fan, I have watched Santana closely over the years. What I observed in 2007 (compared to years past) was a fastball with lower velocity, a slider with less movement and a change-up, which is his bread and butter pitch, that hitters were catching onto. Baseball pundits claiming that Santana is the best pitcher on the planet are basing this assessment on the 2006 and prior seasons.

STEVEN DWYER, MINNEAPOLIS

TIM LINDQUIST, MAPLE GROVE

Of the two economic tools on the Jan. 26 Opinion Exchange page, only one presented real evidence of its effect. Jason Lewis used the old worn-out technique of cherry-picking evidence to justify tax cuts as an economic stimulus.

He gladly proclaimed the economic boost after the Reagan and Bush II tax cuts but conveniently ignores the largest economic boost in recent history after the Reagan, Bush I, and Clinton tax increases. This period also yielded substantial productivity increases, reduced government spending and reduced debt. He fails to note the impact of massive deficit spending after the Reagan and Bush II tax cuts which provided a temporary economic boost but ended with a severe recession after the first and possibly now on the second case. In the case of Bush II tax cuts, he also does not take into account the massive stimulus provided by the Fed holding short-term interest rates at 1 percent for a year plus Asians buying up our mortgage debt that kept long-term interest rates exceedingly low.

These factors undoubtedly produced a far greater boost to our economy than the tax cuts but contributed to the housing asset bubble that has now burst with drastic results. At home, Minnesota economic growth was far above the national average when we had high taxes but now with lower taxes and decaying infrastructure our growth has slipped below the national average. And then we want more tax cuts!

DENNIS ANDERSEN, MINNETONKA

One can travel in Europe crossing borders several times in a day, and show no documentation whatsoever. They have homeland security issues, but they also know that potential terrorists aren't going to enter their country at a controlled checkpoint unless their paperwork is in order.