Readers Write: School sports memories, Uber and Lyft drivers, aphasia, puppy mills

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

I appreciated Matthew Fritz’s commentary on the high school hockey tournament, recounting his experience and acknowledging his parents’ sacrifices during his playing days (“For a brief moment in a player’s life, it’s everything,” Opinion Exchange, March 9). As a parent, let me offer further perspective. I coached grade school basketball for both my son and daughter through eighth grade. Countless hours in the gym, arranging practice schedules, getting to games. My wife and I put in miles driving our daughter to and from basketball traveling team practices and spent many weekends at gyms and hotels around the state for tournaments. While our daughter was in high school, it was two games a week, often driving through blizzards. Yes, it was a lot of time (and expense), but I also got to share with our kids the highs and lows of competition, got to know their teammates and enjoyed spending time with all of the other parents. My wife and I also sat in Target Center as our daughter’s high school team won a state basketball championship.

Like Fritz, our kids have moved on and so have I, but I occasionally pull out the DVDs and relive those times. For this parent, the journey was not one of sacrifice, but of gratitude and lasting joy. Thanks, kids, for hauling me along.

Doug Norris, Brooklyn Park

On March 7, the City Council of Minneapolis approved a plan to guarantee Uber and Lyft drivers a minimum wage (”Frey, City Council heading for a showdown over veto,” March 9). But when did it happen that independent contractors, which these Uber and Lyft drivers are classified as, get any guarantee of minimum pay, let alone a guarantee to have their expenses paid for or to make a profit? There is no guarantee for a business to make a profit - which these Uber and Lyft drivers technically are, a business - and although you could break down their salary to an hourly wage, that is not how they are paid. They are paid per stop/trip. Expenses associated with that stop are borne by the independent contractor and not Uber or Lyft. I have known over-the-road independent contract drivers who take a load merely for fuel money to get them back home. No profit, no expenses paid.

But why did the City Council stop with Uber and Lyft drivers? Don’t drivers for DoorDash or drivers working for courier companies who are paid per stop deserve the same guarantees, or how about the over-the-road trucker whose pay is based on miles? What about drivers who get paid per package such as holiday drivers for floral companies, or all the other independent contractors whose pay is not based per hour? Perhaps it would be easier if Minneapolis enacted a plan where all workers are paid per hour and not by their work classification.

Duane Butorac, Eagan

Regarding the pay hike issue surrounding Uber and Lyft, my main issue right now is calling them rideshare companies. Yes, I know, look up the definition of “rideshare” and that is what they are. But really, there is no sharing going on. It doesn’t save people money or help the environment like mass transit or carpooling. It is a business transaction, kind of like what they used to call a taxi. You know, make a call and someone comes and picks you up and brings you where you want to go for a charge. Now it is just on an app.

I propose the Star Tribune hold a naming contest for what these companies should be called, kind of like the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s “Name a Snowplow” contest. Minnesota can be the state to come up with a new name for these types of business transactions. And it can’t include the word “share.” That would literally make me crazy!

Oh, and while I am at it, the overuse of the word “literally” drives me nuts. Uff da.

Christopher Bradshaw, Columbus

Regarding the commentary by Jacob Goodwin, “Let us not lose the common meaning of words” (Opinion Exchange, March 8), aphasia is used in a twisted way to support conservative thoughts. I had a stroke nearly 20 years ago and have aphasia. My brain continues to heal after all this time with therapy, reading and talking helping the brain circuits to heal. Reading the opinion piece written by a neurology resident, I was interested to hear what he would be saying about aphasia. Instead, in the middle of the piece he wrote about how words can be used differently to communicate reality. Examples were suicide, abortion and gender, all conservative hot topics. Aphasia is a serious disorder and should not be used to promote cultural bias.

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Goodwin is guilty of the language use he criticizes. He refers to an embryo or fetus as an “unborn child.” He’s a doctor; he know what an embryo is. His message is political, not linguistic.

Barb Farrell, Minnetonka

Kudos Star Tribune for the front-page story “Amish at heart of puppy mill debate” (March 11). We rescued one of these dogs six years ago, and many points in your story sadly ring true.

Our latest rescue golden retriever, Skye, was surrendered to a rescue organization in 2018. We suspect she was relinquished as her puppy output had fallen with age, and the worth of “livestock” is based on how much money they bring in. Thank goodness she was rescued instead of being destroyed, because Skye is a wonderful member of our family.

Though Skye was very shy and anxious when we first met her, she had wonderful foster care, and we saw the beautiful spark in her. We knew she was the one for us and were right. She learned how to be a dog from her canine sister, another shy golden rescue who had blossomed. Our dog-friendly neighborhood has always treated her with quiet affection. We problem-solve seemingly minor issues like finding the right bowl for her meals; sides too deep were daunting for her, so a shallow Dansk bowl has been hers for years. (We wonder if food at the breeding operation had just been chucked on the barn floor.)

If Skye’s age estimate was correct, I’m happy to report that this spring she has been retired for as long as she was in Amish captivity. We hope her years of freedom continue to add up.