Readers Write: U.S. Postal Service mail preview, rural air service, 'Tale of two Girards,' consumer protections on condos, University of Minnesota budget, immigrants in the restaurant industry

Perhaps it is the sign of the frenetic extreme stress in our society that some just can't wait for their daily mail arrival ("New way to get a peek at your mail," May 6). Sample testing since 2014 indicates that of those that opt for this "free service," 70 percent check daily and 90 percent check four days a week. Legitimate needs may include attempting to prevent mail theft, addressing urgent correspondence, or simply monitoring while away from home for days.

The U.S. Postal Service has been a traditional money loser, subject to government (taxpayer) intervention, and we all pay for those postal rate increases. The cost of providing this service surely adds to USPS expenses. This entire e-mail process will be subject to hacking, perhaps by criminals searching for your valuable mail, and exposing all of our mail.

While this service provides value to some, common sense dictates that it should be offered for a cost to the individuals who need it. Hold the line on mailing costs for the rest of us!

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It may sound like a convenience, but it seems to be more of an invasion of privacy. I don't want the USPS or anyone else to be able to get and keep a record of the mail I receive.

The May 6 editorial "Maintain air service in rural Minnesota" states that Joe Hedrick, the Thief River Falls Regional Airport director, says Digi-Key probably would not expand in Thief River Falls if travelers "had to drive in a car for five hours every time they had to take a business flight."

Well, the Grand Forks International Airport is just 57 miles away, for a driving time of one hour and 10 minutes. Why would anyone drive for five hours, when for just more than an hour they could be at Grand Forks, or in just more than two hours they could be at the Fargo airport, having driven 128 miles. Mr. Hedrick must think he must drive to the Twin Cities to get a flight, when he could just drive west or southwest. We don't have air service in Morris, and we must drive 100 miles to Fargo or 165 miles to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, so why don't we have air service?

In a May 5 counterpoint ("Pondering the pictures painted by 'A Tale of Two Girards' "), Jake Werner blithely claims that "all who are challenged to pay for heat have access to heating assistance." As someone who works for a nonprofit serving low-income people, I can attest otherwise. The agency that provides Energy Assistance in Ramsey County used up its federal funding for 2016-17 one week after April 15, the date when utilities get to shut off heat.

The writer says that with school breakfast and lunch, there's "no reason" for a child to go hungry. Unless it's Saturday. Or spring break. Or there's no one else to stay home with the 2-year-old. Or it's too cold to wait at the bus stop in an unlined hoodie and tennis shoes without socks. Or the alarm didn't go off because the electricity is disconnected.

Werner blames children for not taking advantage of after-school programs. Which are great if you have a way to get there on a weekly basis. And if they don't charge random $30 fees. And if you don't get evicted three weeks into the class. And aren't the only one available to watch the 2-year-old.

In addition to my profession, I have mentored kids from places like North Girard for 25 years. I've seen kids stuff their feet into secondhand shoes a size and a half too small, for months on end. Kids who don't have toothbrushes at home, or Band-Aids, or scissors to open a clamshell package from Target. A 10-year-old who wished he could be locked overnight in an all-you-can-eat buffet — until he realized they didn't actually keep restocking it all night.

Yes, Mr. Werner, the "dismal picture" is accurate. And from the perspective of North Girard, all those "resources" you mention are a lot less "readily available" than those on South Girard might like to believe.

What explodes that myth is one simple fact: All of the tens of thousands of condominium units built during the last 34 years in Minnesota were built with these same statutory warranties in place. Oversupply from the pre-2007 real estate boom, coupled with the lack of market demand, has deterred condominium construction — not these consumer protections. This myth is being used by well-funded lobbyists of builders and developers to convince your legislators to water down condominium owners' rights. Call your legislator and demand that he or she resist.

The article also falsely states that only condominiums have a 10-year period during which builders remain responsible for their work. This statute, Minnesota Statute 541.051, applies to all construction, whether residential or commercial.

Finally, the article displays a bias too often seen: only quote developers; do not seek opposing opinions from affected homeowners. The real fear developers have is that, through strength in numbers, homeowner associations can afford to buy adequate legal help to assert their needed statutory protections when their homes have been badly built. In short, the article is a disservice to its readers, and a blemish on the Star Tribune's reputation.

It is discouraging that the Star Tribune allows publication of letters to the editor such as that of May 8 containing misleading information about the University of Minnesota. The letter cites fiscal data about the university with absolutely no context. In fact, the figure used for "Leadership and Oversight" is 8.6 percent of the university's annual budget and represents total salaries for all employees with any managerial role, from small departments to central administration, and does not solely represent salaries of executive leaders, as implied by the letter writer. To provide context, the University of Minnesota is a five-campus system with more than 26,000 full- and part-time employees serving nearly 63,000 students; its budget is naturally large and complex, like that of many large businesses and municipalities.

I urge the Star Tribune to print letters from all viewpoints, but require that data be presented responsibly in order that readers can best understand the many important issues of the day.