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I read with interest the article in Friday’s Star Tribune about Jill Biden’s efforts to bring new life to the White House tours and, with it, recalled memories of the trips my family has made to Washington over the years (”First Lady Jill Biden upgrades White House’s public tours,” Oct. 25).
If you’ve never been to Washington, D.C., I encourage you to plan a trip there next year — regardless of the outcome of the upcoming presidential election! In my view, it’s incumbent upon every American to make at least one trip there in their lifetime. As part of your trip, schedule a Capitol tour and hear some of the history of that building, visit some of the Smithsonian museums, walk the National Mall, read the words of Abraham Lincoln on the walls of the Lincoln Memorial, stand in reverent silence in front of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, look with quiet contemplation at the monuments and memorials to World War I, World War II and Korean veterans, to Martin Luther King Jr., to Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, and generally immerse yourself in the ongoing history of this country. Reserve a House or Senate chamber tour and, assuming those bodies are in session, sit for a bit and watch our elected representatives on the floor of the chamber.
By immersing yourself firsthand into the history of our country and the workings of our government, you will strip away the filter of television and the media and, I hope, come away with a newfound appreciation of our shared story and of our representative form of government.
David Fernelius, Crystal
CAMPAIGN STRATEGY
Dems are mum on the obvious answer
Democrats have been unwilling to confront the inflation issue head on, leaving Republicans to exclusively blame the Biden administration. A dramatic example was the recent CNN town hall: Vice President Harris was asked if she blamed inflation on Donald Trump or Joe Biden. Rather than state the obvious third choice, the pandemic, which resulted in supply chain disruption coupled with pent-up consumer demand, Harris touted her proposal to pass a federal anti-price gouging law — 37 states currently have such laws. She could have pointed out that while post-pandemic inflation in most G-20 countries peaked at about 8% to 10% (9.1% in the U.S. in June 2022) the Biden administration lowered inflation — 2.4% in September, according to the U.S. Labor Department — while, so far, managing to fend off a widely predicted recession. I cringe every time I see candidate Harris and other elected Democrats inexplicably fail to cite the pandemic and its aftermath as a major driver of inflation, which may cost them dearly on Nov. 5.
Mike Tronnes, Minneapolis