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President Joe Biden is planning to emphasize in a prime-time speech on Thursday night that we are in a battle for America's "soul."

I have a problem with this kind of rhetoric.

I was talking with a cousin about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and how he delayed President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nomination for eight months but rushed through President Donald Trump's choice six weeks after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. I asked if he thought this was hypocritical. He said, "Absolutely, but we're fighting for America's soul."

The problem is, anything can be justified when you are fighting for a soul. Let's keep our discussions more grounded, and save the heavenly stuff for church.

Harry Kelley, St. Louis Park

ABORTION

Watch for the volte-face

As we draw nearer to fall elections, many Republicans are softening previously held anti-abortion stances to ones that may be more palatable to moderate voters. This includes Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen, whose stance formerly allowed only for abortion to preserve the life of the mother but no support in cases of incest or rape. He has recently flipped to include the latter two instances. This mirrors statements from Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh in their Senate confirmation hearings. There, all testified that previous court decisions like Roe v. Wade should not be relitigated on the basis of precedent or the legal doctrine of stare decisis (Latin for "to stand by things decided"). Yet all ruled to overturn Roe.

Voters must look to long-held opinions of candidates who are running, not last-minute deceits leveraged to get their vote that may be summarily discarded once elected.

Patricia Arneson, Wayzata

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I am getting very tired of all the smear television ads against Jensen and his opinions on abortion. He will be getting my vote regardless. Of all the problems facing this country today, abortion is at the very bottom of the list of what concerns me.

My vote will not be swayed by negative ads toward one candidate or another. Instead of wasting all that money on TV ads, why not donate it to all the causes you seem to care so deeply about?

Barry Peterson, Prior Lake

STUDENT LOANS

Who benefits?

Many are troubled by the free gift of a student loan forgiven. I understand the reactions: Students agreed to pay the loan, so why should it be forgiven? Making a six-figure income should allow for paying a $10,000 debt. We should direct the benefit to those who are in public service (teachers, nurses, etc.). And other rational arguments.

But let's put it in perspective: Who really benefits from student loan programs?

Lenders. The government-sponsored student loan program opened a new source of revenue for banks and other lenders to put more money out at higher interest rates. Student loans charge high rates when the federal government could have borrowed the money on the market at about 1%. The government guaranteed the loans, thus there is no risk to the lenders. Why did their rates have to be so high?
Colleges and universities. More money for students means more money for the educators, including professors who don't teach and administrators who earn seven-figure salaries. Could the student loan programs be limited to colleges and universities that are more efficient in their spending and thus charge less for tuition? Many of these schools have billion-dollar endowments. Did these institutions need financial assistance?

The students are mere conduits for the money going to others. If our government is going to support these lenders and educators, shouldn't we also help the students?

Bernie H. Beaver, Edina

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The economic history of higher education in the U.S. is resulting in colleges pricing themselves out of the market. For decades the federal government and higher ed have been complicit in providing loan programs that made it possible for college costs to increase in an uncontrolled upward spiral far in excess of the consumer price index. What has been a gravy train for higher ed has become a disaster for graduates saddled with huge debt, and it discourages potential students and their families. Greedy colleges have been their own worst enemy.

Grant Skip North, Edina

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Over the past several days I've been reading and listening to the passionate pro/con reactions to Biden's student debt relief action. I'm inclined to align myself with the pro side as it seems most of the relief will go to fellow citizens who are teachers, nurses, social workers, store managers, etc. Education is good, and our society needs these people in the valued roles they play. Why not give them a small financial break?

In response to those making the logical argument of "I didn't get a break/what about me?" I'm inclined to think that one of the Christian Ten Commandments states something about not coveting your neighbor's goods. We should not be jealous or envious of good fortune that falls to someone else.

Both sides of this debate should now move forward and ask, "How do we change the broken systems that brought us to this point?"

Why is the U.S. government charging interest on these loans at all? How about five to 10 years "same as cash" financing with a discount for early repayment?
Why are these loans often excluded from bankruptcy filings?
What can be done to lower the cost of college tuition? (We baby boomers did not have anywhere near this expense.)
Why do the colleges that propose/allow borrowing not inform their students of the effect that high borrowing for low-paying jobs will have on their lives? This seems to be Finance 101.
What are colleges with huge endowments doing to provide scholarships to offset the high costs/borrowing temptations? Are the teachers unions using their funds to provide scholarships to their future workforce?

Let's move the debate and discussion down the road toward real solutions to the real problem — education, which is of value to our society, very expensive and hard to reasonably obtain for many of our fellow citizens.

Tom McDonough, Eagan

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The plan to forgive student loans will not teach any life lesson. The students knew what they were getting into when they signed the loan papers.

A better plan would be to forgive loans for students entering the fields of work that currently need employees: nursing, teaching and other professions.

Most college graduates have or had loans and paid them off. That is what a mature person does. If you can't pay, don't buy. It's called life.

Nancy Johnson, New Richmond, Wis.

MINNESOTA HISTORY

Two recommendations

After a visit to the beautiful Hoċokata Ti museum in Shakopee, I was struck by how little I knew about the history of the people who lived here before my ancestors arrived. I was deeply saddened about not just the tragic story of the Dakota people and the theft of their land and way of life, but the fact that much of this was unknown to me, and perhaps many who now inhabit this land. Though there is no way to undo this dark history, there is a bill currently before Congress, the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act, that I feel could help to acknowledge and begin to heal some of the trauma of the past. Please join me in calling on our members of Congress to support this bill and ensure its swift passage. Thank you!

Micki Rasmussen, Bloomington