Netlets for Sunday, March 8

Senate lawsuit is hurting the country With unemployment skyrocketing and the economy in the tank, Republicans continued their obstructionist ways by blocking the stimulus bill in the Senate Thursday ... by one vote. It's time for the judges in the Coleman lawsuit to recognize that they are being used by the Republican National Committee to obstruct the will of the people of Minnesota, to the detriment of the entire nation.

Norm Coleman has accepted his loss and taken another job (predictably as a lobbyist) even as his former constituents are laid off because of the effects of his RNC-funded politically motivated lawsuit.

ROBERT ALBERTI, MINNEAPOLIS

Help in hard times is more than appropriate My wife and I are lifelong residents and are grateful for the many services that are available to the unemployed in Minnesota. Within two months of each other we lost our jobs so we naturally applied for unemployment insurance along with MinnesotaCare. We are surviving on the bare necessities, but still we consider ourselves fortunate to have a relatively low mortgage, no kids at home and we don't need much to keep us entertained.

What we don't understand are the people who always condemn these programs as being wasteful because they believe every person using them is nothing but a slacker who won't find a job. We find it ironic that those same righteous critics are also benefiting from these same programs due to our current economy.

Please bear in mind that at many times in our history nothing was done to help those in need and that's why over time it became necessary to extend the helping hand for the good of everyone. We're not at all opposed to paying taxes to help others who need it on a temporary basis and are working diligently to dig themselves out of their predicaments. We all have experienced hard times. Some last longer than others. Trying to stay on assistance indefinitely won't work anymore as there are time limits with pretty much all public assistance. If it weren't for the fact that a lot of people are so self-absorbed and have little or no faith in the strength of working together as a whole, it would be second nature to help others without question.

RICK DINGWALL, ANNANDALE; UNEMPLOYED TRUCKER

ARTHUR E. HIGINBOTHAM, MINNEAPOLIS

Shop locally, and save your neighborhood It seems each day brings word of another business door swinging shut. None was as disheartening as the possible closing of our local coffee shop.

The Black Sheep is one of the best coffee houses in the Twin Cities, putting the franchise joints to shame -- a bright spot in both our day and neighborhood. Pete is so good that he was named the sixth-best barista in the country a couple years ago. This is not a story of a bad business plan or overreaching. Pete has done everything right. This is a casualty of the credit crunch, a local bank selling a mortgage and leaving town, and the new bank not wanting to work with a small businessman. To further exacerbate the problem, everyone is pulling in the spending reins so tightly that the critical local priming of the pumps is beginning to fail.

The government can inject large amounts of money into the economy, but only neighbors can keep their local stores viable. For those of us who can afford it, we must continue to employ our housecleaners, gardeners and frequent the corner grocery stores. Failure to do so will compromise the quality of our neighborhoods for years to come and force cities to increase property taxes to make up for the lost business revenue. And please, if you have been in the habit of doing so, continue to enjoy that morning latte and scone!

ERIC WEINBERG, SOUTH ST PAUL

I've seen him on the national news programs, but not in the state taking care of business. Why isn't he traveling the state to get ideas, or working with the Legislature on compromises?

Minnesota's budget deficit is horrendous; we are talking about gigantic cuts. The governor should be in Minnesota instead of on TV.