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Many Minnesotans cited inflation as their highest priority this election. Many of us parents are struggling to pay for rising child care, housing and food prices. And children can sense their parents’ stress in ways not good for their mental or physical well-being.
The best thing Congress can do for children right now is expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC). In 2021, Congress expanded the CTC, and we saw the largest drop in child poverty ever recorded. Our existing CTC is structured a bit like a reverse sliding scale — middle-income and wealthy families get a handout, while low-income families get less. Wouldn’t it make more sense to focus our efforts on giving struggling families the resources to get out of poverty? Studies reveal when families with low income receive refundable tax credits like the CTC and the Earned Income Tax Credit, babies are born at healthier weights, their reading and math scores improve, and children earn higher wages as adults.
When our children are well fed and well taken care of, our community benefits with returns that last well beyond one presidency. Another tax cut for the rich is not what Minnesotans want. Expand the CTC instead.
Katy Czaia, St. Louis Park
BOUNDARY WATERS
Protect this sacred space
As someone who spent time in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness as a child, canoeing with my family to visit petroglyphs, and later returned in high school for the challenge of winter camping, I know firsthand how addictive the freedom of fresh air, clean water and full immersion in nature can be. That’s why, every summer, I’ve made it a point to return, year after year, to continue experiencing all that the Boundary Waters offers — whether it’s the serenity of nature, the simple joy of escaping for a weekend or the thrill of paddling beside the state bird.
It’s difficult for me to understand why anyone would want to put a price tag on such an irreplaceable and sacred place. In a recent article by Chloe Johnson about mining in the BWCA (“Trump win boosts chances for proposed mines,” Nov. 8), I couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of vicarious empathy. As a finance student with a minor in sustainability, I find myself both frustrated and angered by the actions of policymakers trying to reduce protections for this precious land.