Readers Write: Education, child care and early childhood, guns

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

•••

I have to respond to the letter writer who penned “Watch who you’re calling partisan” on Oct. 12 about the politicization of school board races. I’m not sure what radical left policies he is objecting to, but I am quite certain that my 6-year-old granddaughter is not being indoctrinated by teachers intent on upending the social order. She is learning to read, do math, see what happens when you plant a seed, recognize the Big Dipper and treat her classmates with respect and kindness. I hope, as she grows older, that she will learn about our constitutional form of government, our truly great accomplishments as a people and the darker parts of our history that we must understand while we strive to do better.

I find it telling that the letter writer did not include history and social studies in the things we need to “get back to.” My careers as a teacher and social worker were surely informed by the knowledge that some of my ancestors were racist and that they exploited others in order to enhance their financial well-being. Do I wallow in guilt about this history? No. Am I responsible for their actions? No. Does it stop me from loving some of my elders, even though I profoundly disagree with some of their beliefs? No, but that should not stop me from striving to do better in my personal and civic life.

If looking at our nation’s history with clear and open eyes is seen as “radical left,” then I fear for our beloved country. I object to indoctrination from the right or left when I think about my grandchildren’s education. That said, I do want them to study history and come to understand what we as a people have done well and where we have come up short. Our future depends on them.

Stephen Maxwell, St. Paul

The Star Tribune published an article entitled “Rural areas are biggest losers in state’s child care shortage” (Oct. 12). I read this terrifying story about child care/early learning disappearing in rural Minnesota. Quality child care and early learning are disappearing throughout all of Minnesota.

As we look to the future, things for young children are getting worse. The current administration is cutting Medicaid (health care), Head Start (quality early learning for low-income children) and state grants that help fund for operating early learning programs.

After spending 50 years in this field, I can tell you that funding for quality education and for staff is drying up. Teacher training for students wishing to enter college in these fields is also being cut.

Just think what America could do if quality child care were available to moms and dads who had to work and could feel that their young children were safe and learning. Many of the nations with which we compete with provide quality child care and early childhood education. China, Japan, England, etc., are just a few examples.

You can make a difference. Talk to your legislators, your county executives, your school boards, businesses and each other. The road is clear. If the current administration has its way we will not Make America Great Again.

James M. Caccamo, St. Paul

Hunting season is now in full swing, and we appreciate the responsible hunters who abide by the multitude of strict regulations with regard to hunting zones, hunting seasons, types of firearms and the type and quantity of ammunition allowed. Hunters understand the science and the common sense of these rules to sustain wildlife populations. Science tells us that firearms are the leading cause of death in children in the United States. Common sense tells us that automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines are not necessary for legal activities. Why is it that extensive regulations for firearms in hunting are quietly and respectfully accepted, yet as soon as we speak of regulating weapons of war that are specifically designed to kill and maim humans as efficiently as possible there is wailing and gnashing of teeth about the Second Amendment and the “slippery slope” of gun restrictions? Is the population of whitetail deer in Minnesota really that much more important than our population of school-age children?

Jean Lewis, Rochester

•••

An Oct. 5 letter to Readers Write asserts a “weapon of war” is precisely the type of weapon contemplated by the Second Amendment when the Constitution was ratified.

In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller that private citizens have the right under the Second Amendment to possess an ordinary weapon and use it for lawful, historically established situations such as self-defense in a home, even when there is no relationship to a local militia. There are significant parts of the court’s decision relevant to the issue of whether a “weapon of war” is within the protection of the Second Amendment. The court said:

Rolf Sonnesyn, Edina

The writer is an attorney.

•••

My daughter is a pediatric intensive care nurse at a local hospital. Recently she was caring for a trauma patient. I asked why the trauma patient was at her hospital, as they normally don’t receive Level 1 trauma cases. She stated the reason was because the local trauma hospital was at capacity with shooting victims from the Annunciation shooting. Think about that, legislators.

Mary Witzmann, Eagan

I read with interest the two submissions from the two pastors on different paths of decision regarding signing the letter to Gov. Tim Walz demanding the passage of a ban on assault weapons. One signed and one did not (“Why, as leader of a faith community, I did not sign this gun petition,” Strib Voices, Oct. 9, and “Faithful reflection led me to sign,“ Readers Write, Oct. 10). Both used their Christian faith as their guide. I’m in a small study group at my Catholic parish on how to prevent gun violence. This issue has so many sides and so much pain. I would like to invite these pastors to come together, pray, converse and listen for a third way to move forward together. Could you please then write another letter to the editor in say, six months, and let us know your thoughts? Thank you!