Readers Write: Fraud, the economy, snowplows

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

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Regarding columnist Jennifer Brooks’ Jan 1. opinion piece, “Right-wing influencers are latest to search for scandal“: The debate over who “reveals” fraud in Minnesota and what their motives may be is a distraction from the more important question: How did the state lose control, and who was responsible for that failure?

This level of fraud does not require right-wing influencers or viral videos to uncover it. It requires basic governance to prevent it.

Nearly every week brings new revelations of fraud, fraud that could have been prevented through routine site visits, verification and ongoing oversight. The real failure occurred long before any camera showed up or social media attention forced the issue. Even local news outlets with the resources to investigate these programs missed opportunities to uncover problems earlier.

Arguing over whether a YouTuber is a journalist, a propagandist or a provocateur misses the point. When discussion centers on spectacle rather than oversight, it functions as deflection. Readers should not confuse noise for accountability.

The issue is not who points out the fraud.

Jim Barrett, Minneapolis

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Fraud and waste have existed since the beginning of time, as has outrage. I’m a retired schoolteacher and once caught a student hoarding about 10 bananas from the cafeteria, with no intention of eating them. I was suitably appalled — by the waste, and by the entirely undeserved admiration this earned him.

Then I noticed I was focused on one banana thief while the 800 other students were fed, healthier and ready to learn. This is even more so than when I first started teaching, back when fresh fruit and vegetables were a novelty (thank you, Michelle Obama and Gov. Tim Walz).

We’ve made progress on many things. Outrage, less so.

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Rep. Tom Emmer, once a supporter of Somalis, many of whom live in his district, ended the year by jumping on the Trump administration/MAGA bandwagon calling for the deportation of those Somalis involved in fraudulent activities.

Although carrying political appeal, the proposition may not be legal, as Emmer should know, since he was a good lawyer before his election to Congress and rise to third from the top in the Republican hierarchy in the House.

But if the deport-fraudsters proposition has merit, it ought to be applied to the white people convicted or implicated in the recent swath of fraud cases here in Minnesota. Moreover, it should be extended to more than a dozen high-rolling con men and couple of women whom President Donald Trump has pardoned or commuted after conviction for massive crimes inveigling hundreds of millions of dollars from government bodies, a Native American tribe and hundreds of private sector investors.

But that’s unlikely since nearly all of those who have received unwarranted presidential lenity have been large financial donors, political supporters or family members of donors and backers of the president and his party.

Incidentally, the GOP leadership in the House, clinging to a slender majority, refused to expel Santos before he resigned, despite his admitted despicable behavior. The Republicans who declined to eject Santos included Emmer before his newfound oust-the-fraudsters philosophy.

Marshall H. Tanick, Minneapolis

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Walz and former President Joe Biden are good men of character. They have demonstrated a belief in human and civil rights and have led with compassion. They are worthy of admiration and gratitude.

When the governor recently announced his intention to run for another term, I unfortunately got the same pit in my stomach as I did when Biden announced in April of 2023. Governor, with all due respect, you cannot win.

Rather than wasting time fighting over the politics of this issue, I believe your time would be better spent working to effect as much accountability and positive change as possible during the remainder of your term.

Step aside now and allow others the runway to run an effective campaign.

There is no reason for you to become the star of Jake Tapper’s next book.

You are a talented man with a lot to offer. It’s time to decide what’s next.

Stewart Hanson, Excelsior

The jump headline said, “Politically charged influencers find fertile ground” (“Viral video sparks intense response,” front page, Jan. 1). To me, the Strib’s New Year’s Day article referred to both YouTuber Nick Shirley and Andy Brehm, the conservative contributing columnist. Brehm had written a piece published the day before (“We should all be demanding answers to the questions raised by this 23-year-old YouTuber,” Strib Voices, Dec. 31). He emphasized one of Shirley’s video targets, the Quality Learning Center. Someone, perhaps with limited exposure to English or simply making a not-uncommon signage error, posted “learing” over the center’s door. That error does not constitute fraud, but Brehm couldn’t resist highlighting it. He added, “During its first licensing review in 2022, the center racked up more than 25 violations and continued to be flagged for numerous violations over the years apparently without funding consequences.” The usage of “racked up” and “apparently” are loaded and look prejudicial. The New Year’s article noted that according to a state department, the Quality Learning Center did indeed have “lapses” that included “failure to keep hazardous items away from children and inadequate recordkeeping. None were related to fraud.” None. The article continued by adding, “the head of the department said regulators had conducted unannounced visits at all of the sites in the video this year and found no evidence of fraud.”

Brehm, you’re a lawyer, and I’m not. Still, I rest my case about the need for fairness from all of us.

Jim Bartos, Maple Grove

The Jan. 1 front-page story “Middle earners feeling the pinch” misses the extent of the affordability crisis that our nation faces. By focusing on the quarter of the middle class — about 15% of the region’s households — that are “feeling the pinch” it ignores the 20% of households below the middle class that are far less able to afford their basic needs. Taken together, about 35% of Twin Cities households are unable to afford what the report refers to as the essentials of housing, food, transportation, child care and health care. As one of the many Minnesotans who volunteer at a church food pantry, I can see the reality of this need, to which too many of our elected leaders turn a blind eye.

I fear that over a third of our country will remain unable to afford the basic necessities of life as long as the Trump administration and Republican Congress continue to try to cut back on SNAP and affordable care programs, while Democrats lack the courage to address needs that extend far beyond middle-class affordability.

We watched the snowplows clear the two-lane highway near our home. Three plows, positioned to the side and slightly behind one another, pushed snow from the center of the road (first plow), to the right lane (second plow), then into the ditch (third plow) as they passed. It was impressively efficient, and also really cool to watch — a stately parade, choreographed for miles.

Thanks, snowplow drivers! You keep us safe, and inspired.