Readers Write (Oct. 13): Vikings stadium, protests, economy

I moved near the Metrodome last spring and enjoy the many benefits of living downtown, including being within walking distance to work and enjoying a clean city. On Sunday, I headed out for a run toward the river on a beautiful afternoon, apparently just as the Vikings game had ended.

Fans began flooding the streets, and I passed parking lots with highly dedicated tailgaters still going strong, their spirits perhaps lifted by the first win of the season. I was gone for more than an hour, and as I made my way back, what I found was very disheartening: paper plates, plastic cups, bottles, cans and other trash littering the streets, sidewalks and parking lots.

As I navigated this obstacle course, all I could think of is how great it would be if the Vikings stadium and the fans moved far away from me. I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District, which is charged with the task of cleaning up after such careless and disrespectful people.

JILL BOESEL, MINNEAPOLIS

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The Vikings stadium is a continuing source of contention, and thus we need to think outside of the box. My proposal will both keep the team and cost the Minnesota taxpayers no money:

Build the stadium in Wisconsin, on the other side of the proposed Stillwater bridge and at Wisconsin taxpayers' expense.

PAUL ALPER, ST. PAUL

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Consider the average American:

• She lives in the suburbs, drives to and from work, and in turn fills the pockets of the big oil companies.

• She shops at big-box groceries, and in turn fills the pockets of the corporate food giants.

• She gets fat and sick from excessive sitting and bad eating, and in turn fills the pockets of the health care giants and big pharmaceutical companies.

• Her wages have remained the same while her debt load has increased, and in turn she fills the pockets of the Wall Street bankers.

In addition to "occupying Wall Street," if we significantly decrease our consumption of the above corporate products to which we are far too beholden, we 99 percent can affect the power hold of the 1 percent.

There may be jobs lost in the process, but this is a sure way to force a major restructuring of the currently unsustainable American way of life.

SARAH GALLAGHER STREITZ, MINNEAPOLIS

As a taxpayer and as an employee of a high-tech company, I found that an Oct. 12 letter from an unemployed college graduate demonstrated one of the problematic entitlement "I'm owed" attitudes of the protesters. Success and its financial rewards need to be earned through hard work.

Even in this economy, there are opportunities with the right type of education. There are shortages of skilled technical resources in nearly every geography.

A significant portion of today's students are opting for the easier liberal arts and business degrees; hence, there is an oversupply of this resource. Meanwhile, engineering schools have had to reach out to foreign applicants to fill their openings.

JIM STEWART, ROCHESTER

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At Legal Aid, a nonprofit, our clients -- those with low incomes, seniors, and people with disabilities -- are experiencing an expanding "justice gap," with greater need for civil legal services and reduced funding to provide these services. In 2010, Legal Aid closed more than 11,200 cases. Nearly 30 percent of those cases involved preventing homelessness and ensuring that rental housing is safe and habitable.

For every legal services attorney in Minnesota, there are 4,453 eligible clients, and there has been a 20.6 percent increase in low-income Minnesotans eligible for civil legal services since 2008. Yet, from 2008 to 2010, funding for civil legal services in Minnesota from all sources is down 16 percent.

Legal Aid has responded to these cuts with salary freezes, furloughs, reduced benefits and reductions in staff. As a result, it is relying on the generosity of the local private sector and individuals to address the disparity in access to legal representation.

North Minneapolis tornado victims facing eviction, seniors caught in consumer scams and people with disabilities denied services that keep them in the community should not be left to solve complex legal problems on their own.

CATHY HAUKEDAHL, MINNEAPOLIS