Readers Write (Nov. 1): Age discrimination, Ottawa shootings, Ebola response, DFL policy, cigarette tax increase, Minneapolis budget

In response to the article about U.S. Bank testing ways to fight bias against the long-term unemployed (" 'Why can't you find a job?' " Oct. 31), here is an e-mail I received from an older individual who typifies the hidden age discrimination in this country. He is an IT administrator.

John,

The brick wall I seem to run into is these questions. Or a variant thereof. Are you a veteran? Yes, I am. What branch? U.S. Navy. What era? Vietnam. Interview over. I had one [an interview] two weeks ago; the girl was so excited, I fit everything, literally everything they were looking for, even salary. Then she said, "You are a Vietnam vet? Oh." And you could see the response in her expression. (You're old; we're no longer interested.) It was amazing how her excitement died down to nothing. I am pretty sure it is age discrimination, but ha, try and prove it.

It is frustrating John. I am damn good at what I do. I am exceptional at dealing with issues and problem solving. I am great in dealing with "difficult" customers. I do not have the issues that younger employees have. I do not have to miss work for new babies, vacations, hung over due to the good times through the weekend, sick because I caught some creeping awful from my kid who attends the giant petri dish known as public school. I am more than willing to work long hours and be on call. My emotions are not controlled by the win-loss record of any professional sports team. I am loyal, honest and damn hardworking. I am 63, which obviously trumps all of the rest of it. I am also a bit frustrated.

Thanks for letting me vent.

The writer is an executive search consultant.

Last week, in the aftermath of the tragic attacks in Ottawa and Quebec, the Canadian Consulate General received an outpouring of support from Minnesotans expressing sorrow, solidarity and admiration for Canada.

Minnesota and Canada have a special relationship. As I have seen in my time here, we are joined by land and by water, by people and by culture, by history, by geography and by climate.

We are joined by our shared border, one that unites rather than divides us.

Together, we protect and defend our perimeter. Together, we ensure that the border remains open to legitimate trade and travel, and closed to terrorism and crime.

For 200 years, the United States and Canada have been inseparable partners, friends, neighbors and allies. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder in our response to threats both at home and around the globe, such as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

While last week was difficult, Canadians are resolute. We will not be intimidated. We remain vigilant against those at home or abroad who wish us harm. And we are grateful for our enduring friendship and alliance with the United States.

Everyone is talking about quarantine, but no one talks about compensation. If an individual has to curtail activities to benefit the public, the public should compensate the individual for his or her inconvenience and possible loss of income. Quarantine of contagious people benefits the rest of us, not the quarantined individual. We should pay for it.

On Oct. 22, a letter was published that noted the advantages to Minnesotans when Democrats are in charge. I would like to offer a different view. Here are some of the things I've witnessed:

1) Increased taxes on the middle class. (Two years ago, when Republicans were in charge of the House and Senate, we had a budget surplus. Now, Gov. Mark Dayton and DFLers have increased the spending by $2 billion).

2) Approval of $90 million in funding for a Senate office building in St. Paul. (Yes, Dayton signed off on it.)

3) Minnesota was one of the first states to climb aboard when Obama­care was introduced. It is known as MNsure, and this has been a debacle from the beginning, both with the website and with actual coverage. Many Minnesotans have seen their health care costs soar.

Let's consider a new direction and vote Republican this time around.

There was an inaccurate statement about last year's cigarette tax increase in a recent article about the governor's race ("Minnesota Poll: Dayton keeps his edge, but Johnson gains," Oct. 26).

The $1.60 cigarette tax increase implemented in 2013 is not being allocated to fund the Vikings stadium. A voter quoted in the story made that claim, and this should have been corrected, since it simply isn't true. The revenues from that increase weren't dedicated to any specific purpose.

It should also be noted that, regardless of what they're used for, cigarette tax increases are shown by research to decrease smoking by adults and kids. In Minnesota, the increase mentioned in the article is expected to help 37,000 current smokers quit and to prevent more than 47,000 kids from starting.

The writer is chief executive officer of ClearWay Minnesota, a nonprofit organization that works to reduce tobacco use.

Biking has never been, nor will it ever be, a predominant source of transportation in Minneapolis or, for that matter, the United States. Don't get me wrong — I am not against biking. But spending $750,000 on bike trails in lieu of hiring more police and fire personnel would be pretty ridiculous. Given the number of shooting injuries or deaths in and around the Minneapolis area, there definitely is a need for more police and fire staff. So kudos to the City Council members for trying to keep the mayor focused on "needs" rather than "wants."