Readers Write: Tech leadership, Walz and Trump legacies, traffic safety, Rob Reiner, pro football injuries

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

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Time magazine named the tech bros developing AI as its “Person of the Year.” One of the issue’s covers portrays them on a steel beam above a city, recreating the iconic 1932 photo of ironworkers eating lunch while sitting on a beam of the under-construction Rockefeller Center in New York. That photo was emblematic of an America that could rise to new heights, both literally and figuratively.

I submit that the men actually building Rockefeller Center were far better for America than the tech bros are. The ironworkers built something tangible, beautiful and useful, that is to this day is a vital part of New York. My beef with AI is that it may eventually help cure cancer, free people from mundane tasks and help solve environmental issues, but it will result in the loss of millions of jobs, deplete Treasury reserves (“unemployed” means less tax revenue), increase environmental pressures, raise our electricity rates and facilitate deceptive practices, such as deepfakes, ransomware and countless scams. In these respects, the tech bros and their industries are a wrecking ball to society, while the 20th-century ironworkers were helping to build a better America.

Peter Hall, Edina

It is too simplistic to assume that when things go wrong in an organization, the executive is the one who screwed up. It is a misunderstanding of what responsibility means. The governor’s responsibility, as he cannot be expected to micromanage the whole state, is to fix systems that failed, and if people weren’t doing their job, to fire them.

It is also too simplistic to believe that what went wrong in Minnesota must have been one or more state employees’ fault. In this case, the problem was that the system failed, and it failed because of the pandemic, not because of a state worker’s fault.

Paul Rozycki, Minneapolis

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I’m a lifelong independent voter who has voted twice for Tim Walz, but I won’t be doing so next year. Walz has led us through some trying times, sometimes with distinction, but it is time for him to let somebody else from the Democratic Party run for governor. There are four reasons I say this.

1) Eight years is a long time to be in such a public position as being governor. The new ideas that he brought in eight years ago are either implemented (for better or worse) or aren’t going to be implemented (for better or worse). It is time for somebody else with new ideas to step forward.

2) Walz’s run for the vice president position has drawn the attention of the formidable national Republican sludge machine, which will predictably start throwing massive amounts of money and sludge at Walz. Yes, this can be countered, but why subject Minnesota voters to the sludge thrown by both national parties?

4) I want to vote for the best possible candidate next year, and the political fallout from future fraud discoveries is likely to warp the race so badly that I won’t have that option.

Paul O’Connor, St. Louis Park

When many of us were in high school our English teachers had us read a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley titled “Ozymandias.” It was about the remains of a monument to an ancient king. Little has lasted but carved into a fragment of stone was the admonition: “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings. Look on my works ye mighty and despair!” Nothing else remains, only those few words in an endless sea of sand.

Today a would-be American king is trying to create tributes to sate his own ego. His attempt at permanence will have even less success. On Jan. 21, 2029, a crew of men with hammers will strike his name from the Kennedy Center. A committee will determine the best future use for the monstrosity that replaced what was once the east wing of the White House. The Oval Office will be stripped of all its faux golden elegance. The plaques he erected to embarrass his predecessors will be replaced with true and complimentary descriptions. His own plaque will note that he was the only twice-impeached felon to ever occupy the White House. The Smithsonian will begin to undo the damage he did to our collective history. In time, Trump’s only lasting contribution to America’s culture will be the collective determination that he and his ilk are never again allowed to govern this great and good land.

Timothy McLean, Blaine

Something so simple as reporting a damaged, vandalized or fallen street sign can save a life. So, why are issues like this so often overlooked? Yes, it is true that in due course maintenance workers will come and replace damaged street signs, but who are we as Minnesotans if we don’t look out for each other? Reporting damaged street signs is such a simple way for any citizen to prevent a car accident by making sure the signs are visible and recognizable to anyone approaching. All you need to do is call 311 and report the intersection where the sign is, or fill out the online form on the Minneapolis government website with your email address.

No joke. It takes less than two minutes. But, if two minutes of your precious time seems far too much to waste, think how envious you would be of just two minutes of time if you were on the side of the road, clutching for one last breath, watching the red and blue emergency lights flit in and out of focus.

Sloane Blomquist, Minneapolis

Of all the tributes to Rob Reiner, I have heard nothing of his impact on infants and young children. He was an advocate for the needs of early childhood, producing resources through the “I Am Your Child Foundation.” He emphasized the importance of the first three years of life and brought the awareness of that to parents and caregivers. He will be remembered with love for all his devotion to that age group.

Phyllis Porter, Eden Prairie

As any NFL fan knows, there have been a lot of injuries this year. It seems like way more than usual this season, although I’m honestly not sure if that’s accurate. In any case, something obviously has to be done.

I don’t think equipment can get much safer, and there seem to be a lot of rules already in place to help avoid injuries as much as possible. So here’s my idea. Expand the roster from 53 players to 80. Have four preseason games and 18 regular season games.

Now here’s where it gets interesting: No player would be allowed to play in two consecutive games. That includes the quarterback. One of the big advantages for teams currently is when they have a bye week where they are able to rest their players then play against a team that has had to play the week before. My idea would give each player basically a bye week every other week.

It certainly would add a new element to the games, both in terms of fans watching and also betting on them. Juggling players would turn into a real chess match, where coaches would have to plan well in advance which players would play in which games.

I really think my idea would reduce injuries — hopefully significantly. Obviously players would still get hurt from time to time — it’s a rough sport involving big, strong and very fast men — but more chances to rest between games could only help such players recover from their injuries and perhaps even extend their careers.