President Donald Trump is no longer running against Joe Biden. He is running against the election. He is attacking the sanctity of our elections by promoting false mistrust without evidence to thwart the will of the people in our most sacred duty to select our own leaders. It's a desperate, purposeful attempt to hold power in a contest he is losing, and if he cannot win by these means, he appears willing to take down our civil society with him.
Election fraud is a ruse, created and sustained by one political party. That party has now lost control of the monster they created, and the future of our republic is threatened.
The people's confidence in the thousands of individuals and entities who do their civic duty to conduct a free and fair process must be firmly assured. It's time for Congress to take an unequivocal stand in support of election integrity — to confirm what every study has established — that the past record and future potential for voter fraud is infinitesimally small. A joint resolution, passed by the Senate and the House, may be our last hope to restore confidence and save our republic from descending into an unthinkable abyss.
David Pederson, Minnetrista
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Trump makes "law and order" a central campaign issue, but he has promoted unlawfulness and disorder throughout his career and presidency. He violates and undermines fair law enforcement when it suits his interests. He allegedly violated the law by discriminating against minorities in renting apartments, scamming students who enrolled in Trump University and using funds of the Trump Foundation for his own benefit. He attacks judges who rule against his interests, targets political opponents for prosecution, intervenes in prosecutions of his allies, fires FBI directors and attorneys general who won't defend him or investigate his opponents, and he and his family members repeatedly violate the Hatch Act and misuse their offices to promote their personal business interests.
Far from defending public order, he has repeatedly attempted to divide the country on racial lines. He has heightened violence and disorder by sending unwanted federal forces to attack demonstrators. He encourages disruptive demonstrations against actions taken to limit the coronavirus. He attacks peaceful demonstrators while defending armed white nationalists who seek to promote conflict and have killed demonstrators, even charging them to "stand by" to attack.
Trump is not for law and order; he is the candidate of lawlessness, chaos and disorder. He uses the slogan to divide.
If you want to promote law and order, support Joe Biden, who will bring Americans together and enforce laws fairly, while supporting prosecution of those who cause violence and rioting.
Paul Hesterman, Roseville
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Let's look at the facts! Before the coronavirus attack on the U.S., our economic policies were tremendously successful. The rank-and-file employee wages in the U.S. in 2019 were rising. Over a 6.8% gain since Trump took office. This disproves the rumor that only the rich were benefiting from this boom, along with many other segments of our government that were showing great improvements.
