Readers Write for Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010

Well, now that Norm Coleman has decided not to seek election as governor of Minnesota, that should leave the door wide open for Brett Favre.

DOUG BURNIKEL, BROOKLYN PARK

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Congratulations from a longtime Cowboys fan to all the Minnesota Vikings. Don't stop until you've won the Super Bowl. Wishing you all the best.

LOU HARRIS, DALLAS

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As a proud Minnesotan who has have been living in Australia for the past couple of years, the last time I remember Australian chatter about Minnesota was the tragic bridge collapse.

EMILY SUNWALL, BURLEIGH WATERS, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

Two thing are very apparent: The United Nations is incapable of a rapid response to a major disaster, and by waiting for the United Nations to take charge and distribute needed supplies, Haiti is rapidly becoming President Obama's Katrina.

JOHN HALEY, COON RAPIDS

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Perhaps someone can explain why one major credit-card company is charging a 3 percent "processing fee" for the donations made to Haiti with its credit cards. I find it absurd that sending these suffering people financial help should cost this much.

GREG VAN HEE, PERHAM, MINN.

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I watched an interview on television Monday in which the father of an American girl missing in the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake pleaded that President Obama needed to "send in the paratroopers. ... we need President Obama to get our families out of there."

My heart goes out to the entire country of Haiti, and to those families with loved ones missing in this terrible tragedy.

As I heard this father's plea, it occurred to me that it may be emblematic of the miracles we all expect our president to perform. This expectation may also be the reason that President Obama's ratings continue to go down.

I believe that President Obama is doing everything he can to tackle the tremendous problems that we are facing. Most of these problems are not of his making, and many of them are not under his control. Most of them took years or decades to develop, and are not going to be fixed in a short time. However, we just keep complaining that things aren't getting better fast enough to suit us.

Maybe instead of complaining that the president isn't doing enough, we need to imagine the tremendous burden he wakes up to every morning. Each of us should think about how we can help make the world a better place, and do something to make that happen, instead of blaming President Obama.

KAREN BUSKEY, SHOREVIEW

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane."

As we remember King's life, it is imperative to correct this injustice in health care. Recent articles have highlighted that because of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's unallotment, 35,000 of the state's poorest residents would lose health care from General Assistance Medical Care on March 1.

JOE FOSS, MOUNDS VIEW

It is especially sad to see the closing of the Home Valu stores and the resulting impact that it has had on the Boschwitz family.

Ever since Rudy Boschwitz moved to the Twin Cities and started Plywood Minnesota, he and his family have been at the forefront of philanthropy. Their donations have supported numerous organizations including theater, arts, music, special interest nonprofit groups, health and civic activities, religious organizations -- both Jewish and non-Jewish.

Whenever I asked Home Valu for home furnishing assistance for a needy family, the only questions asked were: Where and when?

Rudy's work and support for the state of Israel as well as the saving of the Ethiopian Jews while he served in the U.S. Senate and, after his departure, is unparalleled. Much gratitude is owed this family.

In keeping with President Obama's incremental approach to problem solving, I suggest that a first, small step to solving the problem of outrageous bonuses to Wall Street bankers is to pass a law forbidding corporate executives from making more than the businesses they run.