Readers Write: Trump on the ballot, housing, film rideshare wages

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

•••

The writer of the letter “SCOTUS rules for the voters” (March 6) referenced the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Colorado presidential ballot access case when he said, “[L]et’s not go down the road to a patchwork of states deciding who is or isn’t going to be on the ballot.”

There already is a “patchwork.” The rules for which party and which independent candidates can get on a state’s ballot for president are different for every state. For example, the number of valid signatures an independent candidate has to submit depends on which state is involved.

Because of the Electoral College language in the Constitution, we have separate state elections for president. There always will be a patchwork as long as there is no single national election for president.

Ken Bearman, Minneapolis

•••

We may be free to elect him. But if we do, I fear freedom will only granted to those who play well with his narcissistic “reality.”

Peter Strommen, Prior Lake

•••

As you all may have heard, the Supreme Court ruled that individual states cannot disqualify a candidate using the 14th Amendment and that such action would require an act of Congress. As a concerned constituent, I urge you all to support any legislation or actions that would disqualify Trump on the grounds that he supported an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. This is not a Republican-vs.-Democrat issue but a democracy-vs.-fascism one. Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate must unite to take action against Trump. We have seen what four years under Trump is like and we for sure do not want that again; there is also the possibility there may not be a 2028 presidential election if he gets his way. Please stand on the right side of history and ensure Trump is never elected president again by keeping him off the ballot.

Dan Wicht, Fridley

Unfortunately, our city’s policies, backed by a powerful coalition of St. Paul landlords, have obstructed changes that would level the playing field and instead divide residents into those who are deserving and those who are not deserving of dignified housing, respect from their landlords and affordable rents. Living with dignity means not needing to rely on a friend’s spare bedroom or on charities or sharing rent with an abusive housemate in order to keep warm, dry and safe.

I am calling on my fellow St. Paulites to demand our city electeds pass policies that create more affordable rentals, roll back rent stabilization exemptions and pass the SAFE tenant-protection ordinance.

Edward Stuart, St. Paul

•••

Regarding state bills HF 4009 and SF 3964, I am shocked to see legislation with such broad, far-reaching implications go forward with little to no fanfare. The first I heard of it was buried in the Business section. It will outlaw all local housing zoning, in favor of a one-size-fits-all-Minnesota model. Having spent many years in dense metro housing with nonstop noise, crime, street racing and inadequate policing, I was very glad to escape to a place greener and quieter. Yes, there are too many unhoused people in our midst, but piling each other on top of one another is a poor, little-thought-out solution. Consider instead:

• Stopping building huge data centers that gobble up power, water and usable space and only have the purpose of monetizing everyone’s corporeal existence.

• Working on more affordable, desirable options for older citizens to move to, freeing up their too-large homes to new families. No one wants to leave their home if the next step is to something more expensive and of poorer quality.

• Looking down the road to the rapidly approaching AI revolution that is expected to do away with 20-30% of a workforce. Will housing become free then?

• Thinking about how communities will deal with a massive increase in population if their police, fire and emergency services are already strained to the breaking point.

Last, an unfortunate reminder to our legislators — the unhoused often do not vote; homeowners do.

Hollywood is the land of make-believe. Unfortunately, the Star Tribune Editorial Board is starstruck with the idea of making films in Minnesota — with considerable aid from taxpayers (”Action: Time is right for public film board,” editorial, March 2).

It’s a fantasy with a truly flawed script.

Montana saw $7 million to $12 million in spending per episode of “Yellowstone.” The TV series “Fargo” budgeted $3 million to $5 million in Alberta. Bully for them.

The clouds parted and jobs rained down. So did sizable sums of public money, doled out by state film boards. Minnesota doesn’t need a film board. It needs a reality check.

Minnesota has one of the most successful economies in the country, with a gross state product of over $440 billion annually. “Lights, camera, action” are not the words that led to that growth. It was investment in education to create a highly qualified workforce — the kind that attracts and retains a large number of Fortune 500 companies.

Just saying.

Art Rolnick, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Regarding “Veto-proof Minneapolis City Council approves rideshare driver pay hike; Frey vows veto anyway” (StarTribune.com, March 7): In my younger days, I enjoyed driving forklifts for a job. As I got older, I realized if wanted to afford a nicer place to live, have a family and be able to retire at a reasonable age I had to earn more money. I did not demand I should be paid double so I could keep the same job and responsibilities to afford the additional items I wanted. I decided I had to go back to school and work to move up the ladder. That ladder included more pay and more responsibilities.

I do not understand people who take a job knowing what the going pay is and do not want to do the work to improve their economic outlook by not adding more to their value or moving to another job or industry that will meet their budget needs for the life they wish to live. The market sets the rate, and it is up to you to get the tools to make yourself more valuable or move to a different market that fits your needs.