Readers Write (Oct. 29): Dairy Queen data breach, Eighth District race, political experience, the values vote, farm and food issues, Northfield's qualities

I'm a rural Minnesota widow providing for teenage sons. My job entails numerous evening meetings with local governments. We don't often have family dinners, so I occasionally treat my sons to an evening snack we can share together. Twice in August I stopped at a local Dairy Queen.

Recently I noticed a $500 pending transaction on my debit card ("395 Dairy Queen stores hacked," Oct. 10). I contacted my bank, which confirmed numerous fraudulent transaction attempts. My debit card was immediately canceled. I was instructed to (leave work and) appear in person to file a report. I am at least temporarily out $500, and I am without a debit card for two weeks. All because I patronized a DQ.

Thinking Dairy Queen would proactively respond to its problem, I dutifully logged on its corporate site to access information. I was instructed to take time to request my free annual credit report from an alternate online source. I phoned DQ corporate and was instructed to monitor my identity and, if I detected any incident of identity theft or fraud, report the incident to law enforcement, the Federal Trade Commission and the state attorney general.

Up to this point I have used "I" or "my" more than 20 times. I am left to ponder how this incident became my problem after I patronized a DQ. Whether your favorite is pumpkin pie or cookie dough, be aware that any blizzard comes with a vanilla freeze-out if something goes wrong at the register.

I suppose that most Minnesotans would agree with the Star Tribune that inheriting a fortune should not disqualify a person from holding public office ("Mills is a fresh voice in Eighth District," editorial, Oct. 28). But neither should it qualify that person — especially a first-timer, and at the federal level. Stewart Mills has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Northwood University (his bio does not specify the Michigan, Texas or Florida campus). His adult work history seems to be primarily in HR at the family company. There is nothing either on his website or in the newspaper connoting that he has experience in or has studied public policy. While he has been active in some community booster activities, it may have been more appropriate for him to run for state representative.

• • •

Our Eighth District needs more than a "fresh voice." We continue to need Rick Nolan as our congressman. Rick has firsthand knowledge on starting and running a business. He is an energetic, informed, dedicated congressman who challenges the government to provide rules and regulations that protect our lifestyle and assist those who frequently must sacrifice basic needs because of low-paying jobs, poor health, etc.

All residents of the district need economic security. Nolan has been providing us steps in that direction.

• • •

The Star Tribune Editorial Board seems to have a scatterbrained philosophy when it comes to endorsements. It endorses totally contradictory philosophies of candidates across all races who will cancel each other out and result in the gridlock that paralyzed our political system so many times in the recent past. If the board is conservative, say so. If it is liberal, admit it. But these opportunistic endorsements across the political spectrum indicate that it is more interested in sucking up to the power elite than anything else.

The Oct. 27 letter endorsing Randy Gilbert for state auditor left out one important fact in discussing his opponent's experience. Somehow it escaped the letter writer that Rebecca Otto has been state auditor for eight years and was nationally recognized in August for her tremendous work. I would consider administering the office she is seeking for almost a decade as being more experienced. Besides, Republicans really shouldn't bring up political experience when they are running people like Stewart Mills and Mike McFadden.

• • •

Two years ago, we lost the vote on two vital issues: The marriage amendment and voter ID. There is another big issue lurking and, it seems to me, will be coming up in the near future. That is legalization of marijuana. It is already legal in Minnesota for medical use, and that has been a first step to further open the door to "recreational" marijuana. From information out of Colorado, it has been socially disastrous and legally chaotic.

We failed to protect the future of our children and grandchildren two years ago. Don't let it happen again. Get out and vote for the conservative candidates who will support your values. It really is important.

The CEO of Land O'Lakes and the president of the Minnesota Pork Producers Association were given space on the Opinion Exchange page ("Our forgotten topics: food and farming," Oct. 27) to bring forward "critical farm and food issues that should be discussed." They immediately informed us about four issues we should consider as settled and not up for any discussion:

• Farming practices large or small, traditional or organic.

• Animal care standards.

• Environmental impacts from farming practices.

Just what farm and food issues are left to be discussed? Well, none was mentioned. But they gave us a Web resource with information on "how to vote." Disappointing.

Thanks for the front-page article (Oct. 28) on Northfield as the best place to retire in the United States. As a Carleton alum married to a St. Olaf professor, I want to bring your attention to another magazine that lauded Northfield. This year U.S. News & World Report said that, for undergraduate teaching excellence, Carleton is No. 1 and St. Olaf is No. 2. That's also good news for retirees, because a lot of retired profs go on to teach at Northfield's stellar Elder Collegium.