Use energy for good

To the Eden Prairie kids who walked out, you clearly have too much free time on your hands to get into this kind of mischief ("Handful of students defies officials," Jan. 11). Instead, try sharing your abilities with service groups and charities who could use your passion and conviction. Use your apparent energy to make the world a better place. Kudos to the kids everywhere who show determined self-control in the face of peer pressure. It's more than hard, but keep on. It will pay off for you.

SONYA CALEF

NEW HOPE

Invest now for later

Education Week's "Quality Counts" report ranking Minnesota 39th out of the 50 states for teacher professional-development training standards bodes ill for Minnesota's future workers and employers ("State gets D+ for aid to teachers," Jan. 10). In today's economy, any industry that is intent on competing at the world-class level understands the need to invest in staff training to keep them current on industry trends and best practices, as well as broaden their skill sets. These companies look at the costs of training in terms of time and money as true investments in their ability to successfully compete now and in the future.

Our children are the workforce of tomorrow. There is a trickle-down effect when continuous improvement is not supported nor advocated for the people who are expected to prepare that workforce of tomorrow. If legislators and school administrators do not see the value of funding such training, perhaps that leadership will come from Education Minnesota -- the teachers themselves.

BETTY ZISKOVSKY

SHOREVIEW

Go after employers

With regards to illegal immigration, follow the money. If it is a crime to employ [illegal immigrants] and there are serious consequences for doing so, the problem should correct itself. These employers of illegal immigrants are talking away American jobs. Let's shift the blame ... to those that support the illegal immigrants, their employers. If a worker is undocumented, you assume risk when you employ them. Some of our products and services may increase in price, but the problem will be solved without a lot of government involvement and processing, thereby saving taxpayer dollars.

CHAD KUEHNE

COON RAPIDS HIGH STUDENT

Never a good time

[In response to Nick Coleman's Jan. 8 column "Election year is apparently a bad time to be an 'illegal'"]: You have shown the utmost class in taking the low road and using your (completely unironic, and unfunny) humor to bash Gov. Tim Pawlenty and his tactics for solving the illegal immigrant problem. The fact that cameras are present may indeed demonstrate a need for attention, but, cameras aside, these people are illegally living in our country and receiving our tax dollars. Do you know what we call people who break the law? CRIMINALS. There is only one way to use that word, regardless of what you would have us believe. So yes, Mr. Coleman, it should now and always be a bad time to be an illegal.

MATTHEW ELDEN

FOREST LAKE

Plastic landscape

Plastic beverage and water bottles are fouling our landscape. You see them discarded everywhere. Plastics have by far the worst record for recycling compared to other materials such as paper, metals and glass. The plastics industry has done very little to develop a recycling infrastructure. The U.S. is way behind the European Union, where they require manufacturers, retailers and others in the product chain to share the recycling burden.

There should be a deposit on all plastic beverage and water bottles purchased in Minnesota to encourage their recycling and clean up this eyesore along our roads, rivers and lakeshores.

ROD HANSON

LINO LAKES