Readers write (June 11): Pawlenty's politics, state budget battle, political scandals, noisy bars, bending history

Is former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty unaware of the Postal Reform Act signed into law in 1970 by President Richard Nixon? It authorized the U.S. Postal Service to phase out general public subsidies, which it did in 1983. It has not used any taxpayer money since.

JIM CASSELL, ANNANDALE, MINN.

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Pawlenty is fortunate in having Leith Anderson as his religious mentor. Neither will the association hurt him in his quest for the presidency. What Pawlenty should do is try and talk Anderson into a leave of absence from his megachurch and leadership of the National Association of Evangelicals to become his campaign manager. Anderson has many friends in high places and is a master administrator. With Anderson at the helm, Pawlenty could very well be in the Oval Office in 2013.

JAMES D. LYNN, EDINA

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Thank you for your editorial regarding Anderson and Pawlenty. As a member of Wooddale Church for some years, I can testify to Anderson's interest in and commitment to the nurturing effects of evangelical theology on people all over the world. Your accurate assessment of his point of view was great. It shouldn't be a mystery why he would support Pawlenty for an office that has implications for people all over the world.

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Brian Rusche argued in his commentary that the Legislature shouldn't focus on a $34 billion spending limit as part of the budget negotiations process ("Legislators, there is no magic number," June 7).

This is nonsense, though it may sound appealing to fund whatever it takes for the "common good" without having to make hard choices. Rusche would return us to the same undisciplined budgeting approach that contributed to Minnesota's ballooning problems.

After accounting for cost of living and other exceptional factors, such as the need for greater public assistance during recessions, we should adjust the previous period spending proportionally.

What has been missing in the current debate is an informed reference point, rather than a budget wish list. Any government or business that hasn't been fiscally disciplined needs a spending limit to force it to prioritize.

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Tired of what's going on (or not going on) at the State Capitol? Then look in the mirror. Did you vote? You score a point. Are you happy with your choice?

If not, next time consider writing another candidate's name on your ballot. It could be the name of the party-nominated candidate who was defeated in the primary. I bet the defeat was caused by people who didn't give a dime or time to the party.

You didn't vote? Thanks a lot! You are responsible for our minority government. Many winners claim that the voters support their positions, even when they only received 50.1 percent of the votes cast.

With a Minnesota turnout of 55.9 percent, that means that candidates who had 60 percent of the vote actually received the votes of only a third of the eligible voters. That is not an overwhelming mandate. So next time, show up and vote. No more minority government!

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Recently, the newspaper's third page contained three individual articles about three separate cases of someone in a position of power acting inappropriately. Two of the three are United States congressmen.

At what point did our elected officials forget that they are expected to adhere to the same moral standards as the rest of us? If anything, they should hold themselves to higher standards. It is imperative that we expect better of our elected officials.

HENRY ZURN, EDEN PRAIRIE

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ROB WALLACE, BLOOMINGTON

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The headline on a June 10 commentary by Jack Schneider says that "History bends in the hands of ideologues," meaning conservatives like Sarah Palin. But why should I believe anything a college historian tells me when more than 90 percent of them are far-left liberals and have their own agendas when it comes to history?

I can read the same history books that Schneider does, but it doesn't mean I believe everything I read. The only way we can really know what took place is to own a time machine. Does Schneider have one?

Any event that happened in history always has a bias. After a battle or other historical event, even those who were involved will look at the situation differently than others who shared the experience. So whom do you want to believe?

And speaking of history, our president once said we had 57 states, and that his uncle freed a concentration camp in Poland after World War II, when it was actually freed by Soviet troops. But naturally, our intelligent professors and the news media conveniently glossed over this.

Conservative politicians are not the only ones trying to manipulate history, there is a lot of that going around in the halls of ivy, too.