Readers Write: Cuts to public broadcasting, Israel-Hamas war, fraud, students paying athletes

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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Congress has finally done what Newt Gingrich and other Republicans have been trying to do since 1994: eliminate federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (“Minnesota public media agonize over funding cuts,” July 18). In justifying the cuts, Bill Walsh, director of communications for the Center of the American Experiment, stated, “What’s the purpose of public funding when anyone with an internet account can create a YouTube channel or do a podcast?” And therein lies the problem. Yes, anyone can become a blogger or social media influencer, but how many of them would you trust to report actual news that’s backed up by objective journalistic inquiry? Many are clearly aiming to appeal to their audience’s fears and distrust of their fellow citizens. They can’t be bothered with fact-checking. They can peddle conspiracy theories and face no consequences for their actions.

According to the Associated Press, more than 3,200 newspapers have closed in the U.S. since 2005, leaving many communities without a trusted source of local news. Minnesota is fortunate to have robust public radio and television networks that reach virtually every corner of the state. Their services simply cannot be duplicated by bloggers and YouTubers. But their very existence is now in jeopardy, since smaller stations typically rely on federal funding for a substantial portion of their operating budgets.

Congress has spoken. Now is the time for Minnesotans to answer the call by increasing our support for our local public TV and radio stations.

Peter Myers, St. Paul

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I guess I can go to Fox News now. Thanks. What the heck Fox News knows about my neighborhood, community, city and state, not to mention our weather, our problems and the fact that racism exists, sexism exists, actual history is important and that LGBTQ people are actually human beings, is a moot point now.

Liz Streiff, Minneapolis

So Israel bombs a Catholic church in Gaza and kills three, including an elderly woman and the church janitor (“Israeli strike hits church in Gaza, killing 3 and wounding 10,” July 18). Three more civilian deaths added to 60,000 Israel has killed, the vast majority innocent civilians, including 17,000 children. One more holy site damaged, added to hundreds of churches or mosques Israel has already bombed since the start of the war. But this church bombing and these three deaths, perhaps because they were at the church the late Pope Francis called almost every day, has aroused the attention of and condemnation by the United States. Israel, reflexively as it has on those rare occasions when its killing of Palestinians has drawn American notice and condemnation, has called the shelling a “stray ammunition” and said it is investigating and “makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites.” Smart move, since the U.S. supplies 80% of the arms Israel uses in its genocide.

Stanley Woolner, St. Paul

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My question is simple: What are you smiling about? What victory are you celebrating? Certainly not the one in Gaza, where Israel has killed 60,000 Palestinians, half of whom were women and children, and leveled one of the most densely populated territories in the world. After the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, which killed 1,200 Jews, Israel’s brutal, genocidal response has squandered its moral high ground. Worldwide support for Israel is at record lows. Newsweek reported on June 12 that American support for Israel has reached an “all-time low.” Minnesotans, too, have said to Israel, “Enough is enough.”

Yet there is Klobuchar in the photo, smiling, as the killing continues. She could take the higher path and work to end the war in Gaza. But she is a well-known “dependable vote” for Israel, always ready to vote for more arms and always happy to take AIPAC money for her campaign.

I’ve always voted for you, Senator, but now will do so very reluctantly. Because when it comes to Israel, the ground is shifting under your feet. Can you feel it?

Will Weaver, Bemidji, Minn.

“Minnesota has a fraud problem.” So says acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson (“Feds say state benefit defrauded,” July 17). Just like the Feeding Our Future scandal, inadequate program design opens the door to abuse or fraud.

“When the state launched the program it estimated it would cost about $2.6 million annually. But by 2024 the program had paid out more than $104 million in claims ... .” Again, only a local, state or federal government would establish a program without monthly, quarterly and annual performance metrics that indicate something is amiss. Exceeding a cost metric by 40 times can only be done with other people’s money (taxes), because a household or business would go bankrupt long before reaching that mark.

Program design is key to preventing abuse or detecting it before it gets out of control. “Trust but verify” is good advice. It sounds like the Legislature — which designs the programs — has finally gotten this message and is moving down the right path. Keep at it!

Daniel Patton, Minneapolis

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Regarding, “Feds say state benefit defrauded,” I’m afraid this latest scandal is the nail in the coffin for Gov. Tim Walz’s aspirations for a third term or running for president of the United States in 2028. Medicaid fraud involving Feeding Our Future, autism programs last year in Minneapolis and St. Cloud, and now the discovery of the defrauding of the state’s Housing Stabilization Services program is excessive, to say the least! Seriously, what’s next? Taxpayers are indeed being ripped off!

Sharon E. Carlson, Andover

The University of Minnesota must be adding a new department so students can major in “Huh?” OK, the tuition increase of 6.5% for in-state undergraduates and 7.5% increase for out-of-state undergraduates is a lot but maybe understandable. But an additional fee of $100 per semester to help the athletic department pay athletes who play on Gopher teams? The same athletes who can earn big money for sponsorships and royalties for use of their names and pictures? The same athletes who play sports in college so they can go on to make enormous money playing on professional teams?

A student who is in college to learn and maybe start a career, who is struggling to pay off student loans and will work at least one or two jobs while supporting a family, is going to help pay that athlete?

I went to the U and majored in English and German. I should have majored in “Huh?”