Readers Write (March 24): Sen. Senjem, Sen. Michel, studying abroad, gun laws

With all due respect, state Senate Majority Leader David Senjem's commentary on the current legislative session is disingenuous ("Republicans invite DFL to stay on task, work for Minnesotans," March 23).

He asks Democrats to "resist bringing forward distractions." That's laughable. It's Republicans who have been distracting with their insistence on constitutional amendments and divisive politics.

Senjem advocates for policies that would be disastrous for our state, including cutting revenue to the budget (while enriching the 1 percent with tax breaks), draining state reserves that we're just beginning to replenish and denying people the right to vote to "solve" nonexistent problems at the polls.

Republicans are clearly more interested in promoting their ideology than in serving the people.

DAVID GREENE, MINNEAPOLIS

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State Sen. Geoff Michel, R-Edina, said that an ethics complaint against him is "about politics and payback and has nothing to do with ethics" ("DFLers file ethics charge," March 20). But is there truly a division between ethics and politics?

As a person who has taught communication for a number of years, I worked to get my students to understand the significance of ethics. Being ethical means you don't keep things under wraps if they might be harmful to your position.

It also means that you don't cut down others with false or misleading statements. It means that you conduct yourself with honesty and integrity. If our legislators need help with this, perhaps they should enroll in an ethics course.

LARRY SCHNOOR, MANKATO

The writer is a professor emeritus at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

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What good for the state will result? Does the public care? Here is what the filing will do: drive the wedge between Republicans and Democrats deeper to ensure even less chance of cooperation to pass legislation to further the state's business.

Our state needs people in elective bodies to see the big picture and rise above petty politics. For those in the public who decry the inability of the Legislature to be productive, these two senators provided a vivid reason why not.

BARRY LAZARUS, MINNEAPOLIS

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Richard Vedder has written an inflammatory condemnation of study abroad with little evidence to support his views ("Studying aboard -- education or financial racket," www.startribune.com/opinion, March 13).

Given the globalized nature of most professions, we in higher education do our students an important service by teaching them about international perspectives and by immersing them in other cultures and languages.

As with many academic programs, it's undoubtedly true that some study-abroad programs are more rigorous than others.

All of us in higher education work hard to increase academic standards across the curriculum. But to condemn all study-abroad programs in an assortment of unsubstantiated accusations does nothing to clarify problems or work toward what can be improved.

If a study-abroad program is not academically rigorous, I would begin by examining the standards set by the professor teaching the program and the university sponsoring it. If programs at Ohio University are not in that category, perhaps Vedder should implement existing standards rather than condemn the entire enterprise.

CATHERINE C. SPAETH, ST. PAUL

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It's amazing how cavalier we have become with guns. The Florida shooting of unarmed Trayvon Martin went virtually uninvestigated until there was public outcry ("Is 'Stand Your Ground' justified in teen's death?" March 21).

A young girl is shot in Washington County, and the deputy states that it did not appear that the shooters did anything wrong ("Stray bullet hits girl: 'I thought it was a rock'," March 21).

Really?

The first rule of gun safety on the NRA website states: "... be aware of the area beyond your target. This means observing your prospective area of fire before you shoot. Never fire in a direction in which there are people or any other potential for mishap. Think first. Shoot second."

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The vigilante who chased, shot and killed the Florida teenager, despite being told by an emergency dispatcher not to do so, hasn't been charged with a crime.

That scenario could also have played out in Minnesota had our state's chief executive not listened to the unanimous voice of law enforcement organizations and vetoed a similar law earlier this month.

Instead of caving into the NRA mouthpieces in the Legislature, Gov. Mark Dayton wisely rejected the misguided bill.

JAY HUMSEY, WOODBURY

The fact is, Dayton ignored the bipartisan support for the bill and the wishes of a lot of law-abiding citizens in our state. He also ignored the facts that are not presented everyday by the media -- that law-abiding citizens don't shoot one another in the streets.

What law-abiding citizens want are the rights to bear arms and protect ourselves that are given to us in the Second Amendment and are taken away by criminals, the courts and leaders like Dayton.

I am certain that the sponsors and supporters of the Minnesota bill did not intend it for the promotion of violence. I expect that they meant to give citizens better protection of the law and to promote firearm education, awareness, training, and good and lawful decisionmaking in the defense of themselves and their families.