Letters to the editor for Saturday, Jan. 26

I see that Congress has finally come together and has reacted quickly to delivering an "economic stimulus package" in the form of $800 checks to individuals with instructions to spend, and quickly! In addition, Congress has determined to cut back on government spending, all in an effort to reduce the impact of recession.

It's interesting that "tax cuts" (rebate checks-stimulus package) and cuts in government spending make sense in an emergency. Why then do we forever hear that we need to raise taxes to solve our financial problems? Allowing Americans to spend more of the money they earn in the way they choose seems to make more cents.

RICK DISCHINGER, MINNEAPOLIS

Made in where? Thank goodness Congress and the president could agree so quickly to borrow $1,200 from overseas investors and hand it to my wife and me so we can buy something imported from China. Our economy is saved.

MIKE SUPINA, EAGAN

Make it sustainable I suppose you can't expect much from politicians in an election year. I haven't heard many economists say the proposed stimulus package would do much good for the overall health of our economy. But our leaders want to make us feel good about them -- to show that they "care." Setting priorities in our lives, limiting our excesses and being accountable to future generations are such passé notions.

For the most part our lifestyles are unsustainable from an environmental perspective, but our political and business leaders urge us only to spend more. More than our financial and natural resources allow. We probably need and deserve a recession.

AUDREY KINGSTROM, EDINA

Hamas is causing a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. This terrorist group, elected by the Palestinian people, holds more than 1.5 million Palestinians hostage in an attempt to rally the Arab and Muslim masses against Israel. As Israel attempted to stop daily rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel through a blockade, Hamas officials cynically used the opportunity to launch a propaganda campaign.

Hamas ordered owners of bakeries to keep their businesses closed to prevent people from buying bread, and Hamas mercilessly shut down power plants that had enough fuel to run. Hamas officials held news conferences in the dark, lit only by candles, even though it was broad daylight! I hope the world community realizes that Hamas is doing a contemptuous disservice to innocent people in Gaza.

ROBERT J. GOLDISH, DULUTH

There was a time when we all expected Hillary Rodham Clinton to waltz into the Democratic convention with 100 percent of the delegates, case closed. It seemed that Democrats were ready to support her, the party's presumptive nominee. But, thankfully, along came a breath of fresh air named Barack Obama who is so threatening to the Clinton machine and the politics of reclaiming lost glory, that Bill is making up stories while turning purple at the thought of not becoming first hubby.

STEVE DAHL, MINNETONKA

Regarding "Ignore evil at your peril" (Opinion Exchange, Jan. 25): Would someone please tell Clifford May to just go into his bomb shelter where he and his paranoia can stop bothering the rest of us?

To keep trying to compare Osama bin Laden, et al., with Adolf Hitler is absolutely ridiculous. Hitler was the leader of an entire country with a huge, modern (for its time) military. Bin Laden is the alleged leader (he's been hiding in the mountains for years) of an organization that has no navy, has no air force, has no army, and is 7,000 miles and a huge ocean away from us. Could this country be attacked again like it was on 9/11? Of course. You take all the precautions you can to prevent it. But to continue to imply that this country is in mortal danger is nothing more than fear-mongering. We're sick of it.

Our saddest memory of this war is of a mother in San Diego who had just lost a son in Iraq. She still insisted the war was justified because she did not want to have to wear a burqa. A burqa? In San Diego? This is what the Clifford Mays of the world have wrought! It's well past the time to remind ourselves that "The Mouse That Roared" was a piece of fiction.

TOM OBERT, ALEXANDRIA, MINN.

My partner, Brian, and I left the comforts of our Powderhorn Park home of eight years in south Minneapolis in search of a growing family and a larger yard. In north Minneapolis, we discovered a diverse community of warm, loving and caring people that we just couldn't resist.

The homes are lovely. Some need some TLC, you can find larger yards, and we now know more neighbors in just three years than all the time we lived in south Minneapolis, where we were lucky to get a "hello" out of next-door neighbors.

In deciding to move, we examined CODEFOR crime statistics by neighborhood. This was eye opening: We learned that our new area not only was comparable in certain crimes but lower in other more violent crimes.

A decade or so ago, Powderhorn Park and south Minneapolis had a similar shaky reputation and now look at them! They'res prosperous and a great place to live.

So if anyone wants in on the ground floor of an exciting, affordable (for now) place to own a home and join a true community, come to north Minneapolis!