Readers Write: The MAHA movement, hepatitis B, family preservation, clearing snow, elderly wisdom

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

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Regarding the story about “The Minnesota mom who ignited RFK’s vaccine concerns and today’s MAHA movement” (StarTribune.com, Dec. 13): As a concerned citizen, I strongly object to the reporter’s hero treatment of this mom, whose personal tragedy, because she reached out to an ignorant politician with a famous name and no medical background, is now leading to thousands more personal and avoidable tragedies. The reporter never bothers to ask her how she feels about, for example, the rising measles outbreak in South Carolina, where Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy is remaining silent. Previously he has mentioned treating measles with cod liver oil, not a known remedy. Even the headline is problematic: A more accurate one would have been “The Minnesota mom who ignited RFK’s ignorant war on public health.” I hope your reporters and editors will do better in the future. That the mom, Sarah Bridges, can still call Kennedy her “friend” unfortunately speaks to her own profound ignorance.

Laura Mosedale, Miami Beach, Fla.

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I have zero sympathy for the public health establishment that ignored this person’s legitimate concerns.

It’s just like DNA establishing the actual innocence of a wrongfully convicted innocent citizen.

Karl Olson, St. Louis Park

All hail the Minnesota Department of Health’s courageous and correct stand to defy the recent promulgation by the fake experts and charlatans at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) rescinding the recommendation for universal newborn hepatitis B vaccine. MDH’s decision to ignore the committee’s cockamamie new recommendation and instead continue the proven sound existing one for our state is based on scientific evidence and not on the conspiracy-theory brain rot that has infected Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and his appointees to the immunization practice committee in Atlanta. It’s hard to believe that the vaccine, which essentially eliminated childhood hepatitis B infections, is being thrown out because of unsubstantiated false claims by ignorant anti-vaccine zealots.

As someone who survived polio in 1948 and has long lived with serious, permanent leg damage, I am disturbed to the point of mad rage about what Kennedy’s underqualified appointees to ACIP have done to the CDC’s reputation and consequent support for the entire enterprise of protecting children through vaccines. Believe me, I have the earned credentials as a public health physician to say that. In my mind, the advisory committee members’ delusional, strongly held personal fantasy opinions based on fabricated and twisted data have resulted in a recommendation that is tantamount to mass child abuse. As a direct consequence of the committee demonizing and withholding essentially harmless, miraculous childhood vaccines like the one for hepatitis B, innocent children — not the self-serving ideologues on the committee — will pay the price by being maimed (as I was before the vaccine existed), disabled or killed because of their malignant, wacky and pointless decisions.

Let’s hope that many more well-meaning and courageous people in charge of protecting children’s health like the public health officials at MDH take an adamant stand against the ignorance, greed and evil represented by the appointed leadership and advisers at CDC these days. Down with the death-dealing lies of those now in control of our national vaccine health policy! The sooner we get rid of those lying pseudo-experts, the better. We must fight for the productive, happy and healthy future for all of us that effective vaccines ensure.

Glory to the power of the people’s science!

The writer is a retired public health medical director (Ramsey County) and past president at the Minnesota Academy of Medicine.

Regarding the Dec. 14 article about the Minnesota African American Family Preservation and Child Welfare Disproportionality Act (“Effort to preserve families uncertain”), the article would have been more helpful if it were to explain what “active efforts” vs. “reasonable efforts” are to preserve nonwhite families under the law. Instead, the article leaves the impression that, to reduce the disparity between races of what constitutes a safe environment for a child, MAAFPA simply reduces the standard. The article does not explain who exactly the law reduces the standard for (presumably just to nonwhite parents, since the judge found the law to be unconstitutional).

Terry L. Classen, Lake Elmo

The Minneapolis City Council has allocated $595,000 for a pilot program to plow busy sidewalks in the city (“Mpls. city budget fully funds police, raises taxes in ’26,” Dec. 12). This budget priority stood out for me, crying out for a more considered approach, especially since it is a “pilot” program. My major concern is that some, if not all, of these funds should be distributed to local groups, neighborhood organizations and/or block clubs to achieve this goal of clearing sidewalks. We can learn from this pilot project if we don’t simply throw city money and resources at the problem. If these funds were distributed to local groups, we could achieve the goal of clear sidewalks at the same time as we build local capacity to handle issues like this. Plus, local groups and organizations could pay teens and other unemployed individuals to do the work, providing needed jobs and income, creating relationships among neighbors and their neighborhood organizations and block clubs and affirming that the city shouldn’t just step in when more local organizations and groups can do what needs to be done. More than a half-million dollars in taxpayer funds would strengthen our neighborhoods’ core capacities while also accomplishing this priority identified by the City Council.

I urge my City Council member, Robin Wonsley in Ward 2, along with the other council members who voted for this priority, to take this opportunity not only to clear sidewalks of snow but also to build local capacity that will last long after current council members are gone.

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I just read that the Minneapolis City Council will allocate $595,000 for a pilot program to plow the city’s busiest sidewalks (which are?).

Here’s a thought: Use that money to pay a crew to come after the street plows have gone by to shovel out our previously nicely shoveled walkways. That would help out a lot more people, I think.

Norma Zachow, Minneapolis

It seems the Minnesota Star Tribune has a columnist for everything, from rural to urban, menopause to marijuana, and Gen Z to ... wait, where is the senior voice? With about 20% of Minnesotans over age 65, where’s their representation? And the occasional business column about finances doesn’t cut it.

If the Star Tribune had a granny (or maybe grandpa) columnist, she would set everyone straight: We really aren’t all that important ... life is hard ... do what you can to make it easier for everyone ... practice compassion ... lead with love ... and buying something won’t make it all better.