Readers write for April 6, 2010

CENTRAL CORRIDOR

U repeatedly requested Met Council mediation

Regarding the editorial ("U's halting effect on light rail," April 4): To set the record straight, the University of Minnesota has formally requested the Metropolitan Council to enter into mediation five times since October, and each time the Met Council has refused.

Now they have been ordered into mediation by the court. The Met Council is seeking a temporary easement from the U to construct roads and enlarge intersections on the university's East Bank Minneapolis campus.

This construction is close to university buildings with sensitive research lab equipment as well as right in the heart of the campus, where there are thousands of students each day. TCF Bank Stadium is twice as far from labs with sensitive research equipment, and the football stadium construction utilized construction methods to minimize vibration with continuous monitoring in place. If you've had the street in front of your home reconstructed, you know there is no such thing as "low impact" construction. The Met Council has refused to agree to any construction management plan at this point.

At risk are the millions of dollars that U faculty researchers bring into our state each year. There is no agreement in place to protect the essential work U research does for Minnesota. When there is, the U is committed to moving the Central Corridor light-rail line forward and protecting U research.

KATHLEEN O'BRIEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF SERVICES, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

teach for america

State should embrace education organization

We urge the Legislature to pass alternative teacher certification legislation that enables Teach for America to provide support for Minnesota's schools through excellent educators.

In the Twin Cities, Teach for America recruited more than 40 teachers for the 2011-2012 school year. These talented, driven individuals are an important resource to help us close the achievement gap that unfairly affects our low-income and minority students.

Teach for America has grown rapidly throughout the nation over 20 years and continues to expand to new communities. It recruits, trains and supports top college graduates who take high-need, hard-to-fill teaching positions. Research has proven that Teach for America teachers are effective and advance student achievement.

Minnesota needs to tap the highest-quality educators, particularly for our most challenging schools and classrooms. Teach for America has proven to be an extraordinary source of talented teachers.

With the second-largest achievement gap in the nation, we simply don't have time to waste.

We hope Minnesota legislators and community members will rally around solutions that boost the educational outcomes for our children. Passing alternative teacher certification legislation and supporting the work of Teach for America in our schools are two great ways to start.

GEORGE LATIMER, FORMER MAYOR OF ST. PAUL

don fraser, former mayor of Minneapolis

tom petters

Length of sentence is a question of values

If Tom Petters' lawyers think it is absurd for their client to be given more than four years of jail time for each $1 billion stolen ("Petters asks for four-year sentence," April 2), that means they think robbing a bank of $10,000 should warrant 10 minutes of jail time.

It's quite ironic that these attorneys have found a perfect way to define the word "absurd."

DAN SCHUELLER, BROOKLYN Center

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I have no connection whatsoever to Tom Petters. I feel sorry for all those whose money was lost through his fraud, but I am not one of them. What intrigues me about his case is the prison sentence of more than 300 years being proposed by prosecutors.

In Minnesota, you can rape a child but probably do less than 15 years in prison for ruining that child's life. You can murder someone and usually be out in fewer than 20.

Can anyone explain why our society has come to regard money crimes, crimes of greed, as worse than crimes of violence?

What does this mean about the value of lost investments vs. the value of lost lives?

CHRISTINE LEWIS, MINNEAPOLIS

taxpayer investments

Thanks from groups getting budget boosts

Thank you to Gov. Tim Pawlenty and all the state senators and state representatives and all the commissioners and staff who worked with our Building Jobs Coalition to pass the "jobs bill."

The men and women of the design and construction industry are truly appreciative of your efforts. Your bipartisan approach to this initiative is a great example of what can be accomplished when partisan politics are set aside for the good of our communities.

DAVE SEMERAD, CO-CHAIR OF BUILDING JOBS COALITION

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On behalf of Como Friends, a nonprofit organization that supports Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, I want to thank the Legislature, governor and the citizens of Minnesota for their continued support of Como. As the No. 1 arts and cultural destination in the state, Como takes pride in serving 2 million visitors annually, offering every visitor access to close-up experiences of wildlife and habitats from around the world in the only completely free urban zoo in the United States.

Como Friends greatly appreciates the Legislature's funding for the asset preservation and revitalization of Polar Bear Odyssey, and the Gorilla Forest, coming in 2013.

Vibrant communities offer the public rich experiences. Como Park Zoo and Conservatory is one of the reasons that Minnesota is a great place to live, raise a family and do business.