Netlets for Sunday, Sept. 21

Good ATV riders shouldn't put up with the 10 percent who aren't Your Sept. 14 front-page article "Renegade Riders" failed to mention a few things in your portrayal of all-terrain vehicle riders and their sport.

• ATV riding is a huge industry in Minnesota, like it or not. Millions of dollars are generated locally throughout the state every year for small-town economics, including hotels, restaurants, parts suppliers, dealers, etc. Yes, many communities actually advertise for and welcome ATV riders to their cities through their local business organizations.

• ATV riders must purchase licenses for their machines and this money is used to create and maintain trails, as well as many other projects.

• Many ATV riders belong to associations, such as the All-Terrain Vehicle Association of Minnesota (ATVAM) and the Minnesota 4-Wheel Drive Association (MN4WDA) where responsible riding is heavily promoted.

• Local ATV clubs throughout the state work hard to improve the image and safety of ATV riders. They also offer assistance for trail building, maintenance, cleanup and assistance to government agencies to improve the environment.

• ATVing is a sport and great family fun when it is done safely and within the rules. It gets youngsters off their phones, video games, and computers and out in the great outdoors.

Like car drivers, boat drivers, horseback riders, tree huggers, protesters and every other group of people, about 10 percent of ATV riders are idiots and should be banned for life. These small groups of ignorant and selfish riders make it extremely difficult for all of those who obey the rules and ride safely and responsibly. Enforcement is helpful, but it is costly and not always possible. Education of young riders and parental supervision are much more cost effective. For parents who have children who ride ATVs, please teach them to ride safely and stay on the trails under your direct supervision. For all you "good" ATV riders out there, don't put up with idiots. Talk to people who are breaking the rules and don't be afraid to turn them into law enforcement.

ROBERT BELL, HAM LAKE

A global positioning system for each ATV Regarding the ATV destruction of our protected land: Our technology-based GPS system is growing each day. I think all all-terrain vehicles should have a tracking system. We do it with cars so that if someone gets in a crash we can save them.

Let's track ATV activity. You stay where you are permitted great, go where you're not, fines and loss of road license. Tell someone they can't get to work they will think twice. It's really a no brainer. Let's step up personal responsibility in this state.

KAREN WALTERS, MINNETONKA

Add a tax to destructive vehicles After reading the article on ATV damage to the countryside, I turned on the TV and saw an ad showing jeep drivers doing exactly the same thing. The point is that the ads for ATVs and jeeps extol the illegal activity as something good.

RICK TAFT, WOODBURY

Are court magistrates accountable? I agree with Prof. Gordon E. Finley's Sept. 14 letter discussing "arbitrary judges" in child support cases, specifically as it relates to "imputed income" i.e. alleged underemployment. Since judges often assign the important task of deciding the actual amount of child support to court magistrates, I think the problem probably lies more with magistrates than with judges

A father with no post high school education or formal training, working full time for one of the largest and most respected businesses in the community should not arbitrarily be designated underemployed by a court magistrate. This is not an isolated example, or it would not have been addressed by Prof. Finley. Court magistrates should not be given the power to essentially dictate what kind of job person can have, and/or what kind of job change a person can make.

Compounding the problem is that court magistrates do not seem accountable to anyone but appellate courts, which are financially out of reach for most fathers. If not eliminated entirely, judicial power to "impute income" or classify a person as underemployed must be limited to only obviously egregious situations.

BOB JENTGES, NORTH MANKATO, MINN.

Sarah Palin's nomination is not a step forward for women. It is a slap in the face of people like Gloria Steinem and Hillary Rodham Clinton to put an inexperienced woman so close to the most powerful and dangerous position in the world just because she spouts religion, and let's face it, because sex sells. As an independent, intelligent woman I can tell you this: Sarah Palin does not represent most of the women I know.

BECCA STARR, MINNEAPOLIS

Lipstick or a muzzle? I have one question for the writer of "Many see themselves in McCain's VP candidate" (Sept. 14), who seems to admire Sarah Palin's self-description as a pit bull: Would you trust a pit bull with your children?

STEVE FORD, STACY, MINN.

Support for children after birth as well There is much to be said about the Gloria Stienem column published in your Sept. 7 Opinion Exchange section, as was evident by the responses online and the responses published in the Star Tribune. I, too, feel like I have much to say but would like to address one issue brought up by a Sept. 14 letter writer.

I'm confused: Without continuing to fight for this child throughout his/her life, how they can stand on the platform that they care so much about child welfare?