Letters to the editor for Tuesday, Feb. 17

James Lileks had a good column on Feb. 15 about what Presidents' Day really means. Not much, he concluded. I, however, think the fact that the Post Office is closed should be instructive.

We have just experienced one of what will be several more federal Monday holidays this year. It will be the first since we heard of the U.S. Postal Service's proposal to not deliver mail on Tuesdays. Imagine if that law were already in effect. We would not get mail, as usual, on Sunday, or on Monday Presidents' Day, or on Tuesday. That's three days in a row without any mail delivery.

If it's necessary to cut out a day, why not choose Monday, a day we're almost used to, rather than go to another weekday that will mess up a lot of schedules?

It seems to me the powers that be often forget that "service" is one of the words in their name, which might be more popular with the public if in fact it gave us better service.

STELLA RILEY BENDER, OSAKIS, MINN.

I read the lengthy Feb. 15 front-page article about the 86-year-old lady whose finances were decimated ("2 years and $672,808 gone). It implicated PFI, a conservator/fiduciary business.

Our developmentally disabled son who resides in a western suburb would have been on the street or under a bridge were it not for the staff at PFI. He has been a client since the mid-1990s. PFI helped him through many changes. It always acted in his best interests, and not once did we feel he was not being cared about or cared for. His health took a downward turn 17 months ago, and it went way beyond the normal boundaries to make sure that he got the best medical treatment. From our nearly 20-year association, I truly cannot see any of its staff abusing any client in any fashion: financially, morally, legally.

•••

Regarding the article on Peggy Greer and her family's problems with the justice system when she was unable to make decisions for herself: It's not always like that.

We buried my 84-year-old cousin last Friday after he'd been in a nursing home for several years. An only child, never married, most of his few surviving cousins are themselves 80 or older. When it became apparent he could not care for himself, we agreed that the Hennepin County District Court should appoint a guardian and conservator.

We were fortunate in the court's choice of a woman who handled his affairs in an efficient and compassionate manner. She informed and consulted me, as his next-of-kin, all the way through the necessity of an estate sale and the selling of his house, and made advance arrangements for his burial. She has our heartfelt thanks.

NORMA GAFFRON, NEW BRIGHTON

Well then, Good Buddy, let's jis git dem convoys of tankers pointed up I-35 -- from Texas to Pine Bend, St. Paul Park -- and maybe even all points east and west boasting refineries. Ah, yes, if it were only that simple, then we could once again bask in the nirvana of $1.49-a-gallon pump prices we enjoyed so briefly during those halcyon days between last Christmas and New Year's. Meanwhile, our so-called "good friends" north of the border and overseas would be left holding the short ends of the nozzle. Result: victory for a free-market economy that is only a mirage.

JIM H. UNDEN, BROOKLYN PARK

I am appalled and heartsick at the Animal Humane Society's sudden decision to put all the "rescued" cats to death (Star Tribune, Feb. 16).

Upper-respiratory infections, ringworm and many other conditions in cats are treatable -- not fatal, infectious "diseases."

Why did the society refuse the offers of help from Animal Ark, a no-kill shelter, and others? Surely many of these cats could have been saved, with some treatment and TLC.

KAY HONG, ST. PAUL

Highly skilled people are being laid off and unable to find a new job because jobs are being outsourced. Companies believe it is cheaper to send jobs overseas instead of providing jobs within their own communities. U.S. companies are building infrastructures and providing jobs for foreign workers at the expense of U.S. workers. Foreign workers do not contribute to the U.S. economy.

When people are laid off, they no longer contribute to state and federal tax bases, so budgets for schools, roads, governments, etc., are slashed. Local economies suffer because people no longer use day care, get haircuts, eat out, shop. Charities suffer because donors become charity cases. Lack of individual spending causes more unemployment -- a vicious cycle!

One way to retain jobs in the United States is to make it economically unattractive to export jobs. Assessing a job relocation tax on firms that outsource jobs. This tax will help pay for unemployment benefits and create jobs. Companies that export jobs should not be eligible for economic stimulus money.

JUDY JOHNSON, MAPLE GROVE