Letters to the editor for Tuesday, Sept. 23

Norm Coleman, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or the RNC Senatorial Committee. Hard to tell who can put out the worst garbage in their ads. When you realize that they are all joined at the hip, it becomes a whole lot clearer.

GREGORY JOHNSON, MINNEAPOLIS

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Conservatives may have backed away from using the word "privatize" to describe their scheme to divert Social Security revenue into the stock market, but the meaning of the term has not become blurred for everyone else, as your reporter states in his rather slanted assessment (Sept. 19) of a recent Al Franken campaign ad.

To privatize is to remove assets or control from the public sector and put them into the hands of the private sector. There is no debating that Coleman has supported privatizing some Social Security revenue, nor is there any question that Franken is against it.

Whether the ultimate payout of revenue to beneficiaries is in the form of survivor benefits or monthly payments is irrelevant. The money all originates from the same source (our paychecks) and there is nothing remotely misleading about Franken's point: Social Security benefits are too important to our families to risk them through privatization.

MARK JOHANSON, ST. PAUL

The Americans with Disabilities Act applies to transportation modes. Access for wheelchairs must be made for the demographic stated in the commentary. Elevators and level-floor boarding are not currently built into design models.

The local Fire Department is in charge of enforcing the egress laws that are on the books. From carnival rides to mass transit, the rules are the same. Immediate egress must be provided for all passengers in the event of a fire. On elevated rail, this would generally involve a catwalk designed to hold wheelchairs.

By conforming to these regulations, the PRT will be larger, and merging rail lines would be limited, due to the catwalks.

TIM NELSON, GOLDEN VALLEY

Rod Grams' and James Carter's Sept. 13 piece "Follow the money" is a great example of how anyone can take a slice of reality and apply skewed statistics to arrive at a false result that favors their position.

On average, the war costs $350 million and two lives a day. Keeping the Bush tax cuts for the rich will cost us $1.4 trillion over the next 10 years ($380 million a day). It was irresponsible and dishonest for the writers to discuss the candidates' "fiscal responsibility" without discussing their positions on the two issues that have by far and away the largest impact on fiscal policy.

SHANLEE SPEETER, MINNETONKA

The Sept. 12 editorial "An ultimatum for St. Paul's baddest" had good suggestions for working with repeat offenders but neglected to mention some important issues -- specifically the need to address the "expungement and rehabilitation" system and bureaucracy that exist in Minnesota.

The Legal Action Center rates Minnesota at the bottom among the 50 states on both of these issues. This is in large part due to the "spin" and excessive influence created by many groups: BCA, county attorneys and advocacy organizations. Furthermore, your paper has also aided in the distortions that ex-offenders need to be held down for years after a conviction. This reduces options for many ex-cons and is a major contributor to recidivism.

JOSEPH O'BRIEN, HOUSTON

We must develop a national strategy for development, similar to the National Security Strategy. And to have a true impact on alleviating poverty, U.S. foreign assistance programs, currently spread across more than 20 government agencies, should all be brought under one roof in a new Cabinet-level department.

Recent news reports and polling tell us that the American people, while most anxious about the U.S. economy, are also extremely concerned with how we as a country are viewed by other countries around the world. Our work to alleviate global poverty influences world opinion. The next election is a pivotal moment in America's relationship with the world. Our next president will be viewed not only as America's leader, but as a world leader.

SAMUEL A. WORTHINGTON,

WASHINGTON, D.C.;