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

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Regarding Scott Jensen's comments likening the COVID lockdown to Nazi Germany tactics and the letters from readers ("Jensen again compares COVID rules, Nazi Germany," Metro section, Aug. 25, and "Don't know much about history," Readers Write, Aug. 26): The emotions reflected in letters to the Star Tribune, both in support and in opposition of Jensen's comments, miss the point. The crux of the matter is that Jensen has displayed a woeful lack of understanding of the medical and public health challenges brought on by the COVID pandemic. A more balanced understanding can be found in the editorial lauding the fine work of Anthony Fauci ("Thank you, Dr. Fauci," Aug. 25), who didn't hide from his initial underestimating of the nature and severity of the problem. (The same can be said about Michael Osterholm, our local expert.)

Jensen has chosen to put civil liberties as a higher priority than a life-or-death emergency. From the perspective of grim statistics — over a million lives lost, life expectancy lowered nationally, school test scores affected, economic devastation, psychological devastation, etc. — Jensen's misplaced priorities are best compared to Emperor Nero fiddling while Rome was burning. This would be unacceptable if it was perpetrated by a lay person. That this misplaced priority comes from a physician is mind-boggling.

Richard Masur, Minneapolis

House Republicans have been so busy sanctimoniously attacking college loan forgiveness they seem to have forgotten how some of them personally benefited from loan forgiveness. As the White House recently tweeted: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene had $183,504 in Paycheck Protection Program loans forgiven; Rep. Matt Gaetz, $482,321; Rep. Mike Kelly, $987,237; Rep. Kevin Hern, over $1 million; Rep. Markwayne Mullin, $1.4 million; and Rep. Vern Buchanan — who tweeted, "As a blue-collar kid who worked his way through college, I know firsthand the sacrifices people make to receive an education" — $2.3 million.

It would seem that these elected congressional representatives are upset that average American citizens are benefiting from a program of loan forgiveness and not themselves.

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An Aug. 25 letter writer ("If you'd have known then what you know now ...") thinks those of us who paid our student loan debt are suckers. He echoes former President Donald Trump's similar declaration about Americans who served in the military. I am proud to have paid off my student loans, as I know most veterans are proud to have served. Calling us suckers says more about the name-callers than it does about those of us who did what needed to be done.

Peter Hill, Minnetonka

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There have been some strong, negative reactions to President Joe Biden's decision to forgive student loan debt, up to $10,000 for those who qualify and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients.

For some reason, these same people were fine with a bill that passed in 2017 that cut the top corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. It was projected to add $1.5 trillion to the deficit over 10 years. A normal, middle class American would not see a dime of these tax cuts. Wealthy business owners did.

Where was the outrage?

The National Taxpayers Union Foundation's estimate of costs per taxpayer for the student loan forgiveness plan found the total cost could be $329.1 billion over 10 years, or around 20% of the 2017 corporate tax cut.

The U.S. defense budget is estimated at $777 billion just in the fiscal year 2022. For some perspective, Biden's student loan forgiveness could cost taxpayers around 40% of a yearly defense budget, but spread out over 10 years.

How do we pay for all these corporate tax cuts and the defense budget? We never ask, "How are we going to pay for it?" when it comes to other government subsidies to agriculture or oil.

Another complaint is from people who paid off their student loans and were not able to take advantage of the recent benefits. The best explanation I have seen is: "If you have a problem with the student loan cancellation because you already paid off your loans, just pretend it's a tax cut for the rich that you also never got but mysteriously didn't complain about."

The idea that because you struggled everyone else should continue to struggle is a lazy argument.

Be happy for the people that will get some needed relief. The lack of empathy in America continues.

Travis Kriens, Mitchell, S.D.

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We have a whole new crop of college freshmen starting school within the next couple of weeks. What happens in four to six years when they graduate with student loan debt? Will we be talking about another student loan forgiveness/vote-buying scheme before the 2026 midterms or 2028 general elections?

Gene Niezgocki, St. Paul

The increase in electric cars will increase the call to mine copper in Minnesota. Perhaps it is time to mine our piggy banks.

Let's abolish the penny. It is a win-win. Use the copper in manufacturing and get rid of a nuisance coin.

Canada got rid of its penny in 2013 joining many other countries that have abolished their smallest coins. Some, like Hong Kong and New Zealand, have even eliminated their 5-cent coins.

Pennies made before 1982 are about 95% copper and worth more than their face value. However, it is illegal to melt them down.

New pennies aren't worth as much since they are mostly zinc, but they cost more than two cents to make. Plus, zinc is another metal that needs to be mined.

Of course, the zinc industry lobbies to keep the penny along with some people who insist we need the penny to honor President Abraham Lincoln. Sorry, it is time to get more practical use from these metals rather than weighing down our pocketbooks. Let's mine the penny jar.

Rochelle Eastman, Savage

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With over 50% of the United States in a severe drought, the government or private enterprise needs to spend money on research and development to better desalinate ocean water.

With the ice caps melting and ocean levels rising, it is time to start harvesting water from our abundant seas. That excess water is starting to swallow low-lying islands and starting to encroach on our coastal areas.

If we can harvest oil from the ocean depths, build million-dollar refineries and send oil around the world, we should be able to come up with a better plan to desalinate ocean water.

People are starving around the world because of climate change. They can't grow plants in a desert without water. People need clean water to drink, bathe and raise affordable crops.

People also need to conserve the water they have. No more 20-minute showers or three-hour lawn watering. Recycle that rain-shower plumbing apparatus.