Readers Write (Aug. 14): Newsweek cover, GLBT neutrality, the economy

The latest Newsweek cover featuring Bachmann and the headline "Queen of Rage" reminds me of the late Leona Helmsley, the New York billionaire dubbed the "Queen of Mean" ("Magazine cover pulls a dirty trick," Aug. 9). Like Leona, Bachmann seems to believe that only the "little people" pay taxes.

HARLAN VERKE, MENDOTA HEIGHTS

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I fail to see what all the flap is about regarding the photo. Yes, her eyes are wide open, sparkling and intense. They accurately reflect the energy she brings to her positions.

Her smile is beautiful. Her chin is up, which reflects the "keep your chin up" energy she exudes. I'm not a supporter of Bachmann, but I see the photo as positive and an accurate depiction of her. Why do we turn good things into a negative?

ELLEN SWANSON, EDINA

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If her supporters think it makes her look "unbalanced" or "like a loon" then perhaps they are finally seeing what we Minnesotans have known for years. Welcome to the real world.

MICHAEL MUMMAH, BROOKLYN PARK

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After looking at the photo, I can't help thinking that Bachmann looks like the latest version of Betty Crocker. The thing is, I have more faith in Betty.

ALICE ABLEMAN, ROSEVILLE

All the reasonable sounding rhetoric in the world coming from the district superintendent's office cannot change the fact that students in the district are harassed -- some to the point of suicide ("At Anoka-Hennepin, all students count," Aug. 11).

Clearly, the current policy doesn't do the critical job of keeping students safe. This alone should be sufficient motivation for the superintendent and the board to take strong and effective measures, including discussion in the classroom of gender identity, personal boundaries and respect for peers.

The superintendent's role is to be a strong leader willing to take on entrenched fear that drives violence.

GEORGE HUTCHINSON, MINNEAPOLIS

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It's the district's policy to provide equal educational opportunity for all students and not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, disability, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation or age.

The district prohibits the harassment of any individual for any of those categories, so based on this policy, it would make sense to me that:

1. If a student came to a trusted teacher to talk about harassment related to race, the teacher could say, "It's OK to be Vietnamese, Caucasian, Hispanic, Somalian, etc. All are equal here, and I will support you."

2. If a student came to a trusted teacher to talk about harrassment related to religion, the teacher could say, "It's OK to be Baptist, atheist, Muslum, Buddhist, etc. All are equal here, and I will support you."

3. If a student came to a trusted teacher to talk about harassment related to sexual orientation, the teacher could say, "It's OK to be gay, bisexual, heterosexual, transgender, etc. All are equal here, and I will support you."

Teachers need the school board to clarify this.

SUZANNE QUINN-MCDONALD, ST. PAUL

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How lucky are we Americans? The value of my 401(k) dropped significantly over the last week. Why? Because our Congress -- i.e., Republicans -- wouldn't raise the debt ceiling.

Was this new spending? No. This was to pay for programs already authorized by Congress. The Republican "leadership" took out its credit cards and made its purchases, but didn't want to pay when the bills came.

PAUL N. SCOTT, BLOOMINGTON

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Standard & Poor's partly attributed its downgrading of the U.S. credit rating to the brinkmanship and political haggling in Congress over raising the debt ceiling. The Tea Party bears the brunt of blame for this crisis.

Republican House Speaker John Boehner prepared a more timely proposal to raise the debt ceiling and reduce the budget that President Obama was willing to sign. Boehner, however, couldn't reign in the Tea Party fanatics, who refused to compromise.

The whole global stock market is now reeling because of the S&P rating and because Congress could not raise the debt ceiling in a timely manner.

Slash the bloated military budget, eliminate subsidies to the wildly profitable oil companies, reinstate the estate taxes, eliminate mortgage tax deductions on second homes, and increase taxes on those making more than $250,000.

This will not be possible unless voters call the irresponsible Tea Party legislators and complain. Then when their term expires, vote them out of office.