Readers write for Friday, March 25

A Star Tribune editorial ("A native son, a so-so record," March 23) stated that former Gov. Tim Pawlenty's "version of no-new taxes led to a galloping increase in local property taxes."

In the words of Ronald Reagan: "There you go again!" It's as though if something is repeated often enough it will become true.

What's missing from this logic is that cities, counties and school districts are the ones who were responsible for raising property taxes, not the governor. They could have cut spending instead, just as private industry has done to balance budgets.

ROBERT SULLENTROP, MINNEAPOLIS

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I appreciate Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's honesty. ("The reasons for my approach," March 21). He claims that public employees, who he says are draining state and local coffers because of their overly generous compensation, are not competitive with the private sector.

But just who are these private-sector workers?

He finally identifies them for us. They are hospitality workers.

He cites his brother the bartender, who has to pay $800 per month for his family's health care, as an example of what middle-class workers pay for benefits.

Hospitality workers, who make close to minimum wage and have few if any benefits, may be surprised to find they are now considered the standard for the middle class. One has to wonder what is next for Walker.

Repeal of the minimum wage?

Perhaps his brother would be better off if hospitality workers had a strong union with bargaining rights.

MARK JOHNSON, ST. LOUIS PARK

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Teddy Roosevelt must be spinning in his grave after being compared to the likes of Walker, and by a history teacher no less ("Why public unions are a fair target," March 24).

TR and other progressive Republicans knew that the Carnegies, Morgans and Rockefellers -- who, rather than creating wealth, concentrated its control in the hands of the very few -- posed a far greater threat to the American dream than any group of hardworking citizens, organized unions or other voluntary association.

Now, as then, the American people need watchdogs in and out of government to protect their interests against the corporate barons of a new Gilded Age.

RICHARD KASPARI, MINNEAPOLIS

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President Obama asked the Germans, British, Italians, French, Poles, Turks and the Arab League for permission to blow the heck out of Libya. Why did he feel it necessary to ask for the world's opinion but not bother to ask for ours?

MIKE TIERNEY, BURNSVILLE

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Let's hear it for conservation! We need a marketing and media campaign ("All energy choices are a roll of the dice, save one," March 24). Everyone can do it -- from those of modest means to our largest corporations.

For starters: Shut off the lights, unplug appliances, combine errands, take mass transit, drive slower. After the snow melts: Put up the clothesline, plan your garden, buy local, tune up your bike, purchase fans, reduce AC use, invest in clean energy. Can we challenge ourselves to use 10 percent less energy this year?

AUDREY KINGSTROM, EDINA

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The choice of language and the misinformation conveyed in "Road salt turning lakes into dead seas" (March 24) was unfortunate. Road salt is the critical element that permits residents in northern climates to enjoy the same safety, mobility and economic activity in winter as they do in summer. Research demonstrates that wherever best road-salting practices are employed, there is a reversal of negative environmental impacts, despite claims to the contrary made in the article.

For example, the article left the impression that the nonmixing of Brownie Lake is the result of road salt. But the meromictic characteristic of Brownie Lake has been known for almost a century, long before road salt came into use. It is a product of the lake's native morphology, as was highlighted in a 2005 Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board report.

MORTON SATIN, ALEXANDRIA, VA.

The writer is vice president for science and research at the Salt Institute.

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I was saddened to learn about Minnesota Department of Transportation backhoe operator Michael Struck, who died while battling flood waters.

Anyone who drives has to have thought, as I have, "How can they work so calmly just a few feet away from such fast, heavy traffic?" Well, they must and they do. And now this tragedy shows that many of the jobs MnDOT employees do behind the scenes are even more dangerous.

Let's take a minute to thank the MnDOT employees for doing jobs that many of us couldn't. And most important: When you see workers on roadways and bridges, slow down and move over as much as possible.

RON OVESON, BLOOMINGTON