Readers Write: Inauguration Day, Aerial Lift Bridge, political dysfunction

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

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I have spent the last 68 years teaching my son and daughter the Pledge of Allegiance, the golden rule, the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer. To respect their parents, elders, teachers, the handicapped, the homeless and the right of way. To be honest, truthful, helpful, considerate, to share and love one another. It didn’t all happen all at once, it took many years for them to understand it all. And to be a good loser.

Now, in one swift election my grandchildren and great grandchildren will be taught it is OK to lie, cheat, swear, steal, criticize the poor and the handicapped, be a bully and be unfaithful to their spouses. That it is OK to destroy the U.S. Capitol, attack police officers or anyone who doesn’t agree with them. I guess it was a waste of my time. God bless America!

Shirley G. Adler, Minneapolis

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With the second inauguration of Donald Trump only two days away, I am bewildered as how this could be happening. Are my values that much different from the 77 million Americans who voted for Trump? How could they justify voting for a twice-impeached convicted felon, a person found liable for sexual abuse who tried to undo the results of a fair 2020 election?

But since the recent election it has become clear to me why so many of them did vote for Trump. They saw the failing mental acuity of our current president. From the start of his presidency, his cognitive decline had to be obvious to the numerous Biden aides, Cabinet members, senators and House members. I have been extremely critical of Republicans for not holding Trump accountable and genuflecting while kissing his ring. But the Democrats are just as guilty as they supported an octogenarian who was not up to the task of being leader of the free world and thereby helping Trump win a second term.

I am represented in Congress by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Tina Smith and Congressman Dean Phillips. Only Congressman Phillips had the courage to speak up about President Joe Biden not being fit to serve a second term. He suggested others more qualified than him enter the race. When no one stepped up, he entered the race himself, no doubt very aware that he would not be the Democratic nominee. But not a nary word from my Sens. Klobuchar or Smith as they helped a failing and decrepit man cling to the most powerful job in the world. If they had exhibited the same courage and patriotism as Congressman Phillips, we might have a different president-elect. I attended a fundraiser for Sen. Klobuchar in 2006, supported her first campaign and voted for her and Sen. Smith in every election. But I hold them both as well as their congressional colleagues responsible for Trump being our next president!

Donald Haberman, Orono

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We begin the Gilded Age again on Jan. 20. The Gilded Age was 1870 to the early 1900s. It was remembered as a period of significant economic growth for the wealthy, widespread poverty, a growing disparity between the rich and poor, political scandal and exploitation of the working class. Gilded means “covered in gold” and the period saw the superficial appearance of prosperity hiding poor working conditions and inequality. This is when the Rockefellers, the Carnegies and the Vanderbilts made their many millions on the backs of the working class. Sound familiar?

Tom Intihar, Brooklyn Park

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Should any Democrat attend Trump’s inauguration, I’m no longer a Democrat. The presence of anyone at that event signaling the validity or stamp of approval to a person totally unfit for that office is beyond despicable.

Wayne Martin, Plymouth

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On Jan. 20, Trump will place his hand on a Bible and swear to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States. Given that he failed to defend the Constitution in his first term when the U.S. Capitol was attacked on Jan. 6, 2021, this act will make a mockery of the presidential oath. However, Chief Justice John Roberts and his Supreme Court have already made a mockery of the 14th Amendment, which clearly states that the act of participating in an insurrection or giving aid and comfort to an insurrectionist is a disqualification from ever holding federal office again. They concluded this somehow does not apply to Trump.

Finally, Trump’s laughably unqualified candidates for jobs within his incoming administration make it clear that he also wants to make a mockery of the “advise and consent” role the Senate has played for almost 250 years. However, history has a way of righting injustices, and I predict history will ultimately make it clear the real mockery is Trump himself and the cynical, unqualified and untrustworthy people he is inflicting on the American people.

Stephen Kriz, Maple Grove

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I especially appreciated the column from Sheletta Brundidge in the Jan. 17 paper (“Like Michelle Obama, I, too, will be skipping the inauguration,” Strib Voices). Being a white woman, I am in a minority who did not vote for the person being inaugurated as president of the U.S. Instead, I voted with great hope for a woman we were sure could do an excellent job. It is with gratitude that I thank Brundidge and all who will participate in a day of service honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 20. Amen and amen.

Sylvia Moore, Bloomington

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Well, the Hennepin County jail has a dog named Goose who finds drugs after hearing the command “Seek dope!” (“Meet Goose, the drug dog,” Jan. 12). I hope this worthy creature is not employed at the Trump inauguration. He could cause chaos.

James Dunn, Edina

Thank you Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith for securing funds to restore the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth (“Duluth’s historic Lift Bridge getting long-overdue face-lift,” Jan. 12). The funds, $11.2 million, were provided from the U.S. Department of Transportation under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s RAISE program. Unfortunately, Pete Stauber, Minnesota’s Eighth District representative, voted against the bill. Why was he not fighting for these much-needed funds instead of playing partisan politics? The Eighth District deserves a representative that will truly represent them, not Stauber.

Colette Moder, St. Paul

To the Jan. 15 letter writer who noted, “We’ve seen at the national level how Democrats react when they cannot have their way” — let’s review what has happened so far in Minnesota, when DFLers “didn’t get their way.” Did Melissa Hortman make an incendiary speech to inflame a Democratic mob? Did that mob then converge on the Minnesota Capitol to prevent Republicans from being seated in the Legislature? Did the mob violently attack Capitol police, wreck the building and invade legislators’ offices? Did legislators have to flee under police protection, fearful for their safety? Did anyone call for a legislator to be hanged? No. None of these things happened when Democrats didn’t have their way. These things did happen when Republicans didn’t get their way. If you support a party that normalizes political violence, please don’t point fingers at your more peaceful opponents. (And note that on Jan. 14 Republican Nancy Mace challenged a Democratic legislator to a fight during a hearing of the House Oversight Committee.)

Todd Ferwerda, Coon Rapids

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The editorial in Thursday’s paper (“MNLeg mess must not fester,” Jan. 16) isn’t credited to a particular op-ed page writer; it seems to be the position of the Minnesota Star Tribune Editorial Board as a whole. The content of the editorial is pure Minnesota pragmatism (plenty of blame to go around, grow up, play nicely, get to work, etc.) A newspaper takes a stand on an issue — hey, isn’t that the way it’s supposed to work?

Rich Brown, Minneapolis