Readers Write (March 29): Condoleezza Rice; college sports at Northwestern, Gustavus; Cargill outsourcing; tax climate

Does anybody else see the irony in a member of a group called Students for a Democratic Society instigating an effort to deny Condoleezza Rice her right to free speech because he favors "liberal and radical" causes ("Activists urge U to revoke Condoleezza Rice invitation," March 28). Aren't our colleges and public universities supposed to teach our children how to think, not what to think? And how are they to do that when speech they don't agree with is denied?

The National Labor Relations Board gave the green light this week for Northwestern University football players to unionize, and a March 27 commentary ("The state of black players is the true March Madness") raised concern over the graduation gap between white and black basketball players. Has society lost its way in regard to college athletics? The vast majority of student-athletes do not go on to the professional ranks. It is true that the NCAA and colleges do rake in an obscene amount of money from a few athletics, football and basketball being the primary drivers.

The questions that need addressing ought to be: Why are colleges like Dayton, Duke, Harvard, Kansas, Villanova and Xavier capable of graduating all basketball players, while others fail to crack 50 percent? What other factors are contributing to the achievement gap, specifically with basketball players? When do we start holding student-athletes accountable for poor performance in the classroom?

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I understand where the Northwestern football players are coming from with their request to unionize. However, there could be a significant downside to becoming "employees" of the university. As such, their scholarships could be considered income and taxed accordingly. I'm sure Northwestern's tuition is somewhat north of $30,000 per year, with board and room at least $4,000 per year. Taxes would have to be withheld from this amount, and at year's end, the athlete would need to file a tax return and pay the tax. If this becomes reality, would academic scholarships also become taxable income? Where does this all play out?

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I am not a Nordic skier. I simply am not made of the mettle it takes to be one. I spent my college years alongside members of the Gustavus Adolphus Nordic ski team, and while I questioned their sanity often, I never questioned what an amazing group of student-athletes they were. These individuals trained year-round, multiple hours each day, in any conditions Minnesota could throw at them. They did it quietly, frequently on their own, knowing that they would never compete in front of packed stadiums.

These students have the highest grade-point averages of any sport, and the financial burden to the institution is a trivial part of its overall balance sheet. This totalitarian decision, made without student representation, is indicative of institutional dissolution of checks and balances.

Please make your voice heard, and help me help these incredible people realize their athletic dreams.

Cargill is shipping 900 U.S. jobs to India ("Cargill to outsource its tech services," March 27). How is this possible? The United States grants work visas to tech workers from India, under the pretense that there is a shortage of U.S. tech workers. This takes jobs from qualified Americans, but worse, it allows the foreign workers to learn these same jobs that eventually will go home to India with the worker.

I wonder how much a company with Cargill's revenues needs the few millions saved with outsourcing. Cargill doesn't even have to satisfy shareholders. I can only attribute its actions to greed.

The March 27 Readers Write page once again carried a dire warning letter about the tax burden our state places on its citizens and how Minnesota ranks 47th in terms of state business tax climate. We've been hearing that for at least 50 years — the length of my cognizance of the matter. Year after year, decade after decade, the mantra continues. Even the famous Time magazine cover story of Aug. 13, 1973, trumpeting Minnesota as a "state that works," cautioned about our high tax rates. Nevertheless, as noted in Minnesota 2020 on Oct. 13, 2013, "During the thirty years that followed the 1973 Time article … the state's job, GDP and per capita personal income growth all outpaced the national average." There's a good reason for this.

The new high school costs me an additional $3.50 per day in property taxes. I can't think of a better use of that money.