Readers Write: Pete Stauber, SNAP, Medicare Advantage, violent extremism, Kristi Noem visit

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I was glad to see Rep. Pete Stauber, a Republican representing Minnesota’s Eighth District, highlight the Niron Magnetics facility that has begun construction in Sartell, Minn. (“Minnesota’s next manufacturing revolution is here,” Strib Voices, Oct. 27). This plant will produce giant magnets from Minnesota iron ore and nitrogen while creating good paying jobs for Minnesotans.

Programs that helped support Niron Magnetics were the Minnesota Forward Fund, which did not have the support of Minnesota state Republicans, and a program that former President Joe Biden supported, the Inflation Reduction Act, which Stauber did not vote for. When we go to the voting booth in November 2026, please vote for the candidate who actually votes for federal and state funding to give companies like Niron Magnetics an opportunity to succeed.

Mike Menzel, Edina

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As a former miner and a constituent of Rep. Stauber, I would like to present a correction of his Oct. 27 commentary, “Minnesota’s next manufacturing revolution is here.” While promoting a magnet facility in Sartell, he claims that “The iron comes from mines that employ tens of thousands of Americans.” According to the Minnesota Department of Revenue 2025 Mining Tax Guide (available online), Minnesota’s mining industry has just under 4,000 direct employees. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, mining is less than 1% of Minnesota’s economy. As we work together to create a healthy economic future for Minnesota, we should acknowledge that hard rock mining is little more than a welfare program for northern Minnesota.

The writer is a retired miner.

I work as an AmeriCorps-funded College Access coach in a Minneapolis suburb through College Possible, and many of our students receive public assistance from programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). I help high school kids from low-income backgrounds to determine their goals, explore the best career path and figure out how a higher education degree, whether it be from a trade or technical, two-year or four-year school, can help them get there. The amount of money that a student’s family makes is the determiner for their eligibility in the College Possible program. As an organization based in Minnesota, we work with students living in small cities like Isanti or Worthington as well as students who live in the heart of Minneapolis.

Eligibility for government programs such as food stamps is something that many of these students have in common. They come from working families who rely on payments at the beginning of the month to put food on the table. These kids need energy and fuel to achieve their dreams of becoming a plumber, an engineer, a filmmaker or of serving their communities as a nurse or doctor and much more. This month, seniors are writing essays about everything from their experiences losing a parent at a young age to niche passions and how they shape them as a person. They are excited for their future. Our kids have the potential to grow into incredible adults who can make a valued impact if we give them the tools. This is their American dream.

By allowing political differences to force a government shutdown, our leaders and those who voted for them are hurting our kids. They are denying them one of the most essential needs of a human being: food. One value we should be able to agree on, regardless of who we vote for, is that families should be able to provide food for their children. As someone who works in a public school with students from all backgrounds, I urge our leaders to end the shutdown and help our students have the fuel they need to grow and learn effectively. In addition, I ask the state of Minnesota to do everything in its power to be effective and creative in coming up with solutions to our crisis.

Ellie Heegaard Findell, Minneapolis

That’s why I’m deeply concerned about any effort that could undermine Medicare Advantage — a program that has become a lifeline for more than 600,000 Minnesotans and more than 34 million Americans across the country.

Medicare Advantage not only offers health coverage and peace of mind for our seniors and individuals with disabilities, but it also contributes to the economic stability of our state. Particularly in a state like Minnesota, where our aging population is only growing, we need to ensure the programs that work for them remain operational and fully funded. Currently, about 18% of our state’s population is over 65, but this figure is only expected to increase. That’s why it’s even more pivotal we protect senior programs like Medicare Advantage.

We’re also living in an unpredictable time where prices seem only to be increasing. Affordable health care programs like Medicare Advantage offer seniors and people with disabilities more choices, greater flexibility, and, in many cases, lower out-of-pocket costs. No Minnesotan should ever have to worry about an unexpected health issue upending their bank account. With accessible health care and predictable costs, we can ensure this never happens.

Now is the time to lean in and protect Medicare Advantage — not weaken it. As lawmakers consider changes to health care funding and policy, I urge them to keep in mind the millions of Americans, including so many right here in Minnesota, who count on this program for their health, stability and independence. They must continue to fight for Medicare Advantage and the hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans it serves.

Let’s all work together to ensure our programs remain strong and sustainable for the people who need it most.

The writer is a state senator.

The article by former U.S. attorney for Minnesota Andrew M. Luger in the Minnesota Star Tribune on Oct. 19, “There’s a dangerous new wave of violent extremism in Minnesota,” is a wake-up call for educators, parents, law enforcement and public health authorities.

It is being spawned via the internet and attracting what law enforcement and nongovernment analysts call Nihilistic Violent Extremists (NVEs) to graphic online sites of sextortion, animal torture and killing, and mass shootings. Their compulsive engagement could lead to acts of violence or self-harm.

What critical experiences during childhood and adolescence contribute to NVE and inability to empathize, find meaning, purpose, compassion? In these dystopian times it is a challenge to identify causative factors. Monitoring and sanitizing the internet of violent and hateful postings and platforms is hardly feasible now that energy-consuming and climate-change accelerating AI is unleashing deepfake images and videos globally. This is also being utilized politically and could well lead to a global mental health crisis of hate and violence.

Michael W. Fox, Golden Valley