I am wondering why the Minneapolis school board has chosen Ed Graff as new superintendent of the Minneapolis Public Schools. He arrives here from the Anchorage, Alaska, School District, which had chosen not to renew his contract because, as reported by the Anchorage Dispatch News, the district requires " 'very aggressive goals,' and in order to achieve those goals, as well as face financial and political challenges, it must find a new leader." I also wonder how Graff will address the varied challenges of yet another district that requires very aggressive goals.
Judy Gelina, Bloomington
HILLARY CLINTON
The e-mail point has been made. Aren't there bigger questions?
OK, so Hillary Clinton should not have used her personal e-mail account for work. That is already established. What does the continuing investigation accomplish? Is it a matter of national security to keep finding more instances of her error? And, of those people who want to continue the investigation and rake her over the coals for this indiscretion, how many have never used a personal e-mail account for a work e-mail, or a work e-mail account for a personal e-mail? Would it not be a better use of time, now, to put resources toward improving the security of federal communications?
Andrea E. Johnson, Lake Elmo
• • •
Hillary Clinton has stated she will appoint Bill Clinton to run the economy if she is elected. Let's test that premise: How has Bill prepared himself during the 16 years since he was president?
He has given a lot of speeches to Wall Street firms and has earned millions. He has arranged deals with a strange array of donors, some questionable as to character, who have committed multiple millions to his Clinton Foundation. My bet is that these firms and donors believe that Bill owes them and that Bill, too, realizes this.
That is it — no other major accomplishment. It is also apparent to me that his speech, health and stamina have diminished. So, what experience has Bill had in 16 years to equip him to lead a technology-based economy in a world where new challenges arise each day? Well, we must admit that he has had some education in the use of e-mail.
There are hundreds of people who are better equipped to run our economy than Bill is. So, what does this say about the quality of Hillary's decisionmaking?
Bill Halling, Edina
THE 2016 LEGISLATURE
Line-item veto on all last-minute laws — maybe that would help?
The last-minute craziness at the Minnesota Legislature that passes for making laws — the trading favors rather than finding workable compromises, the voting on spreadsheets rather than reading bills — does not serve us well and reflects poorly on presumably well-meaning representatives. I propose a couple of simple fixes that change the incentives for all involved. First, give the governor line-item veto authority on any bill that is passed in the last 30 days of a legislative session, not just on appropriations bills. Second, give the governor an extra 60 days to read a bill in its entirety before he/she decides whether or not to veto.