Readers Write: Prison labor, the Pentagon, trans athletes, Minneapolis election, Hopkins school board

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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Derrick Dukes says that low-paid prison labor is slavery (“Minnesota’s prison labor amounts to modern-day slavery,” Strib Voices, Oct. 17). He is wrong.

There is a difference between a slave and a prisoner. A prisoner is in prison because he broke the law. He caused his own loss of freedom.

Dukes complains about the low rate of pay but fails to mention that it costs the taxpayers an average of $34,000 per year to keep a person in prison. The prisoners have imposed that cost on society by their lawless behavior. It is only fair that they work to partially offset the burden they have placed on us.

Prisoners are not forced to work. By choosing to work, they get more freedom. Slaves don’t have that choice.

He accuses the state of enslaving him for 32 years but fails to mention the reason he lost his freedom for such a long time is that he murdered someone. He was not a slave; he was a prisoner.

I wish to commend the Pentagon press corps for refusing to cave to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent scare tactics (“Journalists exit Pentagon as officials restrict their work,” Oct. 16). Rather than pledging to report only that information that is rubber-stamped by Hegseth, almost all major news outlets handed in their Pentagon access badges and vowed to report the truth about Defense Department activity, even if such revelations might be embarrassing or controversial. These journalists recognized that the First Amendment’s guarantee of a free press was directly threatened by Hegseth’s pronouncement — and they stood their ground. Kudos to them!

One afterthought: Hegseth claimed that his actions were designed in part to prevent leaks of top-secret information. How ironic coming from a man who twice shared details of military operations with unauthorized individuals on his Signal messaging app. Perhaps Hegseth’s Pentagon credentials should be revoked until he publicly promises to honor confidentiality guidelines.

Alan Bray, St. Peter, Minn.

The Minnesota State High School League sets weight classes for Minnesota high school boy’s wrestling teams. The most a wrestler can weigh for the heavyweight division or the last weight class offered is 285 pounds. No student that weighs more than 285 pounds can participate in MSHSL-sponsored wrestling. The reason the MSHSL gives for not allowing students over 285 pounds to participate is for safety, injury prevention and to provide fair competition.

So, the MSHSL does not have a problem protecting biological male athletes, but they choose not to protect our biological female athletes from injuries or take safety concerns or fair competition into account by allowing biological males to participate in biological female sports. If the MSHSL needs to provide rules to protect biological males against other biological males, how can the MSHSL, governor, attorney general and state legislators not want to protect our biological females against biological males?

The writer is a 37-year head volleyball coach at Wadena-Deer Creek.

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Many thanks to Ellie Krug for her personal testimony and clear presentation of naturally occurring gender diversity (“Minnesota is right, the federal government is wrong on trans participation in sports,” Strib Voices, Oct. 16). As she pointed out, young people bring a wide range of natural athletic abilities to any team and competition, and being transgender should be accepted as one of many variations. She might also have pointed out that some young people enter competition with significant advantages from personal coaching and selective team training — advantages beyond the resources of many families. Our young athletes are not competing on a level playing field, but they can all benefit from the physical exercise, teamwork, fellowship and leadership that make school-based sports a valuable part of educational experience. That is why Minnesota is right to ensure inclusion for transgender athletes in our schools. It’s a matter of human dignity and civic respect.

Frank Schweigert, St. Paul

Dear Minneapolis City Council, mayor and candidates for office: World leaders don’t care about your official proclamations or proposed boycotts or divestments, and they shouldn’t be used as wedge issues (“Fateh acknowledges reality; Frey denies it,” Readers Write, Oct. 16). Though well-intentioned, taking up such matters in official city capacities is just self-promotion/self-importance.

You can use personal time and personal resources to join with constituents to protest, boycott or divest.

Daniel Patton, Minneapolis

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The Star Tribune omitted a key fact in its superb article on ranked-choice voting (“How does ranked-choice voting work?” StarTribune.com, Oct. 16). You do not have to rank; you can vote for only one person if there is only one person you support. In fact, adding unwanted choices in the second or third columns could result in an unwanted outcome.

I am a longtime supporter of RCV. I think it is a much needed replacement for costly, low-participation primaries.

Kudos to Prospect Park residents for their leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in their neighborhood (“How one Minneapolis neighborhood reduced its carbon emissions by 1,600 metric tons," StarTribune.com, Oct. 16). They understand that local action is needed now more than ever. Last week, the Minneapolis City Council Climate and Infrastructure Committee heard the latest progress on the city’s Climate Legacy Initiative. While it did include some impressive and much-needed accomplishments, the city is still not on track to meet our climate equity goals, in part due to running out of funds for clean-energy home upgrades eight months into the year.

The City Council has introduced an ordinance to increase the funds, which will not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also save households an estimated $525 per year, a huge gain in energy affordability for a tiny investment. This investment is focused first in the Green Zones on the north and south sides of the city, so residents there will benefit from the savings more quickly. Minneapolis residents, please contact Mayor Jacob Frey and your council member to urge them to approve this funding increase.

Arlene Mathison, Minneapolis

For the Hopkins School District’s future, it is vital to choose candidates dedicated to collaboration and student well-being: Sara Wilhelm Garbers, Tim Molepske and Rachel Hartland. They prioritize critical thinking, mental health support and inclusive practices so every student feels valued.

Hopkins High School has taken significant steps to enhance the safety and security of its students and staff. The school has hired a former Marine and Secret Service officer as an emergency management and school safety coordinator. According to Hopkins Assistant Superintendent Nik Lightfoot, “His ability to lead with precision and empathy will strengthen our district’s culture of safety while supporting our commitment to equity and inclusion.”

The primary responsibilities of the school board are to set policy, hire the superintendent and set the budget. They are not tasked with directly setting or approving curriculum, as this is the role of educational professionals hired for their expertise.

Wilhelm Garbers, Molepske and Hartland also support a “yes” vote, as we do, on both the referendum and levy ballots. Please vote for these candidates!