Now that Kyle Rittenhouse has been resoundingly acquitted for his claimed self-defense shootings with a semi-automatic rifle during the unrest in Kenosha, Wis., last summer, it won't be long before he becomes a celebrated icon for extremist white supremacists like several other vigilantes before him and probably afterward, too.

He'll undoubtedly pop up on right-wing cable television and probably be used as a prop at political rallies, too. A book contract and TV movie might be in the offing as well.

It may be that crime doesn't pay, but acting as a self-appointed avenger in the name of law and order can be lucrative.

Marshall H. Tanick, Minneapolis

The fact that Minnesota's Republican congressional representatives refused to condemn Rep. Gosar's tweet showing him killing his colleague, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is appalling ("GOP stands by Gosar in House rebuke," front page, Nov. 18).

Set that image next to the invitation I and others received this week from Lutheran Social Service to help Afghan refugee families get settled in Minnesota over the coming weeks.

Two images: 1) our political leaders approving violence against their own colleague in the House of Representatives, and 2) Minnesotans caring for people who have been driven from their homes. (Can you imagine the pain of that for yourself?)

Right after Rep. Gosar was censured by the House, he retweeted his violent image. Anyone who does not stand up to condemn such action does not have the spine or sensitivity to serve the people of Minnesota.

Say their names: Reps. Jim Hagedorn, Tom Emmer, Michelle Fischbach and Pete Stauber. Vote them out.

Melinda Quivik, St. Paul

Above the print version of the editorial "Closing schools is painful, necessary" (Nov. 19), it says "2020 Pulitzer Prize finalist for editorial writing."

Finalists for a Pulitzer Prize should be better at checking facts. Including LEAP High School in an editorial that claims budget constraints prevent smaller schools from "provid[ing] the same range of classes and programming as larger schools" and having "specialist teachers in areas like art, music, and science" is misleading.

LEAP's staff is trained and experienced in working with English language learners who have experienced trauma. Staff members understand mental health's impact on learning and adjusting to life in a new country.

Put those Pulitzer-level journalistic skills to work and look into how closing St. Paul's only school for all-day English instruction and support would weaken St. Paul Public Schools. A closer look would shed light on how declining birthrates is flimsy justification for closing a school for immigrants, especially after four years of hostile immigration policy and a global pandemic that kept immigrants from entering the U.S. Question why the Envision SPPS plan disproportionately affects traditionally and systemically underserved students and families.

"District officials say that if they do nothing, St. Paul will have twice as many low-enrollment schools by 2024," states the editorial. I agree, doing nothing would be shortsighted. But the Envision SPPS plan should be rejected and replaced with an equitable, inclusive plan to meet the challenge of declining enrollment.

Paul Gore, St. Paul

The writer has been a teacher at LEAP High School since 1999.

This is an open letter to the SPPS school board from concerned families at Paul and Sheila Wellstone Elementary School:

The proposal Envision SPPS states the desire to provide access to a well-rounded education for all students and to address declining enrollment. As part of this plan, the district would close six elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. The district has made clear that moving to larger schools will ensure students have access to the many things that make school a truly great learning opportunity, from music to science to art. These larger schools will also better utilize school buildings' available space. Given how difficult these decisions are, the district asserts we must rely on data. But their own data doesn't support closing our school.

By the district's own data, Wellstone is a "sustainable" school. At over 550 students, our enrollment remains high, and our building is "well-utilized." Wellstone is in the "ideal" size range stated by the plan and currently provides what the district deems a "well-rounded education." Our students have classes taught by specialists in science, dance, physical education, world cultures and art. Our school has a full-time nurse, school counselors and a social worker.

And yet the proposal remains to close Wellstone, with no clear plan for our science-focused BioSmart students (half of our school community), and our Spanish immersion students (the other half of our school community) are expected to bus across the city to join another immersion program on the West Side.

Closing our school is indefensible under the district's own stated criteria, and doing so would destroy a vibrant and thriving school community in the heart of St. Paul's North End. For Wellstone families, it is asking us to take on all the sacrifice and trauma of closing a school with none of the purported benefit of improved opportunities for our students. We urge the directors of the Board of Education of St. Paul Public Schools to vote "no" on the Envision SPPS proposal.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis recently produced studies that proved increasing the minimum wage has a detrimental effect on the number of restaurant jobs in Minneapolis and St. Paul ("Higher wages, fewer restaurant jobs," Nov. 12).

A counterpoint ("Unfavorable minimum wage study is flawed," Nov. 19) sought to discredit the study. The authors used progressive think tanks (Economic Policy Institute) and an unsourced "growing base of research across the country shows that minimum wage increases have minimum effect on jobs" to support their conclusions. They went so far as to describe a progressive economist as the "world's leading expert" on minimum wages.

The Fed study was based on sound data. It isn't progressive or conservative. It let the data drive the conclusion.

Minimum wage jobs will soon disappear, driven by labor costs and cheap technology. Driving up minimum wages will only accelerate this.

Burgers are now being flipped by robots — efficient, cheap and that don't call in sick. We now see the beginnings of robots serving food. Soon you will be able to walk into convenience stores, grocery stores and fast food restaurants and pick up a meal by flashing your credit card. There will be no one in the store to check you out.

Jim Piga, Mendota Heights