Readers Write (Sept. 16): Income inequality, ballot lawsuit, Colin Powell, Washburn High, Wells Fargo

The front page of the Sept. 15 Star Tribune caught my attention completely. The fact that minorities are missing out on an income surge did not take me by surprise in the least. I read with a high level of interest to find out "why" and "what" is being done.

Unfortunately, I didn't see a why or a decent account of what is being done. Sure, the state is spending $35 million to do and accomplish who knows what? What is the measure of success for spending this $35 million, Mr. Governor? How can $35 million of our money change this disparity? Nothing in the story told me that. The only reference — albeit an indirect reference — to the "why" was the great part about 22-year-old Jazmine Hawkins NOT waiting for another handout but taking her life into her own hands — getting an education that will allow her to actively move up the ladder.

Good for her. THAT was the story.

How on earth a story like this can be written without addressing the 900-pound elephant in the corner called education is beyond me. This was an education disparity long before it was an income disparity.

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The article says that white household incomes increased but not minority household incomes. The accompanying graph shows that both white and Asian household incomes increased by 2 percent. The article also failed to mention that Asian household incomes are higher than those of whites. That seems to be worth mentioning. It is also worth noting that the article is comparing household incomes, not individual incomes. One reason for differences in household incomes is different numbers of adults in the household. About 50 percent of black households have only one adult, compared with 17 percent of white households and 8 percent of Asian households.

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The Sept. 14 editorial accusing the DFL of being picky, picky in suing to keep Donald Trump and Mike Pence off the ballot in Minnesota misses a useful point. For years, the Republican Party has been claiming to embody the business virtues of competence, discipline and probity. Yet this is the same party that not long ago went bankrupt, later rammed through a money bill with a $100 million typo and now couldn't follow the rules that political parties of all kinds have been following for years. If the party hadn't shot itself in the foot, the state Supreme Court would not have to have given it a Band-Aid.

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Some criticism has been leveled at the DFL Party for acting to keep the Trump/Pence ticket off the ballot. Although the criticism is purportedly well-intended, some good came out of the action. Since many, if not most, people would find that the applicable statute seems clear and unambiguous on its face, the decision indicated that it is neither. This is a good example of a statute that should be repealed. If the statute has no effect, it is merely verbiage cluttering a huge set of statutes set out in many volumes. To start getting rid of sections like this would be a good first step in streamlining the laws of Minnesota.

As a veteran, I find it disturbing that Colin Powell is being given a free pass by the media with respect to the disdain he showed to both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in his hacked e-mails ("Powell calls Trump 'disgrace' in e-mail," Sept. 15).

Let us not forget that it was Powell who appeared on that famous video lying to the American people about the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. It was Powell's influence that sealed the deal on one of the most unnecessary, reckless and costly wars in American history. It was a war that led to the deaths of several thousand American soldiers and many thousands of civilians.

Minneapolis Washburn High School has received a bit of negative publicity lately ("Brawl was unnerving reminder of the value of sportsmanship," Sept. 7). I wasn't at the Sept. 2 football game at which the brawl occurred, but I was at Washburn on Thursday morning. I was there to address all 1,900 students in two 950-student auditorium assemblies on topics including bullying, the teen brain, and the importance of "grit" and hard work for success. From the moment I arrived, I was warmly greeted by students and staff alike. I couldn't have enjoyed my visit more. The auditorium was packed with attentive, polite and engaged students. Who would have thought that a 55-minute speech by an elderly psychologist would get a warm round of applause? My compliments to the administration, staff and students.

As a parent and grandparent of students in the Minneapolis Public Schools, I am proud and appreciative.

Wells Fargo is being painted with a broad brush as a bank that is unfair to customers. But I'm wondering how widespread the problem of creating unwanted accounts extends. I've had my account at Wells Fargo for more than 50 years and have not experienced any bank personnel providing anything other than courteous, friendly, fair and professional treatment.

It would be helpful to know if the recent accusations of creating unwanted and unauthorized accounts suggest something that has occurred in all of the company's banks, or just in certain parts of the country.

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