St. Paul priorities

Over the past few days media, both national and local, have been featuring that St. Paul, Minnesota, elected a city council made up all of women under 40.

Congratulations to these people for running successful election campaigns.

In the Jan. 10 Pioneer Press much coverage was given to the new city council members. The city council member who will become the council president made some statements on her priorities that I would like to expand on.

New Council President Jalali reiterated she will support rent control and protection for renters, investment in public housing, climate change work and a cease fire in Gaza.

As a lifelong resident of St Paul I would like to suggest all council members while running St Paul include in their priorities some items that I find as TOP priorities to make St Paul an attractive city to in which to live and do business.

PUBLIC SAFETY: Many urban cities are dealing with high violent crime rates. St. Paul is no exception with murders occurring at the rate of one every 10 days.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS: In recent years St. Paul public schools have been seeing decreased enrollment, approximately a decrease of 5,000 students since 2018. The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments and Minnesota Test of Academic Skills showed St. Paul Public School students have a proficiency in math of 25.6% and in reading of 33.9%.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Attracting new businesses to St. Paul and keeping current businesses in place is a must. Taxes in St. Paul are a deterrent to residents and business. High property taxes compared to surrounding counties, highest sales tax for a city in Minnesota and ninth highest sales tax in the country do not draw new residents.

Running our city is no easy task but if we want St. Paul to thrive we need tax-paying families and businesses that have confidence that St. Paul is safe, has effective public schools and is economically growing. Without these priorities being supported St Paul cannot thrive.

How do you think St Paul is currently doing in these three areas?

Tom Troskey, St. Paul

Somebody’s hand

David French’s column on “connecting” (“A terrible phone call and what came next,” Jan. 9) brought to mind the lyrics of the song sung by Diana Ross, “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand).”

The way I see it, that’s why we are here. Not to be fixated on “screens” and taking in all the lunacy, but rather to interact, up close and personal. In my opinion it’s humans and their experiences and stories that make life interesting.

Kids can be a reminder. Waiting in a long line at the supermarket recently, a young boy, about age 8, shyly smiled at me and then proceeded to show me the little car he was holding. I asked him if it had been a Christmas gift. And so the story and details began . His enthusiasm and happiness in being able to share his story set the tone for my day. Upbeat!

Ursula  Krawczyk, St. Paul

Any year doesn’t tell the story. Look at the trend.

I agree with many of Mr. Soucheray’s comments, but … regarding “Are we headed for another ‘Year Without Winter’?” (Dec. 31):

In the long 4.5-billion-year history of our Earth, there have been many natural processes that have caused changes in the Earth’s climate. Mr. Soucheray is correct, volcanic eruptions are just one of many possible examples. (“… The Yellowstone caldera blowing up would result in a climate crisis, but that wouldn’t be man-made now, would it? …”)

I also agree with Mr. Soucheray that the simple act of driving minivans has not caused the recent record December 2023 warmth and brown Christmas: (“… And when you look out your window, you’re not seeing the result of too many minivans. …”)

Unfortunately, in the last 200 years since global industrialization began, the Earth’s average temperature (climate) has increased to a level that most likely has never been experienced in the last 100,000 years or more by humans.

The weather in a single warm winter season at one spot on the Earth, like the unusual 1877-78 season, does not represent a climate measurement as implied by Mr. Soucheray. Nor does my random selection of a brief period three years prior, when the Minneapolis-St. Paul winter of 1874-75 saw temperatures remain continuously below 31F for 80 straight days, from Dec. 19, 1874, and lasting through March 8 of the following year.

But, looking at the trend of the average temperature for the entire year for the last 200 years here may give us all a hint of what is happening with our Minnesota climate. It was colder in the 1800s than in the 2000s. An undisputed fact. More specifically, the average temperature for the entire year in 1877 was almost 47F and in 1878 it was almost 49F.  In the last 25 years at MSP airport the annual average temperature has exceeded 47F in 15 different years and in five of those 15 it has exceeded 49F.

Lastly, I agree once more with Mr. Soucheray. The chance of the world ending anytime soon is slim to nil. But the potential risk of major changes to the world as we humans in civilized society have known it for the last 6,000 years is real.

I find Mr. Soucheray’s articles entertaining and well written … but, misguided and dangerous. I encourage this newspaper to dedicate more time and resources to describing what 1000s of scientists have identified in extensive research regarding the history of climate change on our Earth and the potential risks to our society as we know it. A detailed book review of the 2023 publication, “Our Fragile Moment — How Lessons from Earth’s Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis” by Michael Mann would be a good start.

Tom Fahey, Bloomington

A better use for that huge surplus

Seeing the recent news regarding another homeless encampment in Minneapolis made me think that the huge Minnesota $17+ billion surplus may have been better spent on a large mental health and drug center. All the homeless who are experiencing these issues and are unable to move forward with their lives could then be sent to this facility for recovery. Minnesota closed many of these facilities in the past and it’s obvious there is a tremendous need.

— Cindy Joyce, Roseville

Support the Constitution? Tell us

After following several hearings and a number of news organizations, I have the following request: It would be helpful to the voters of Minnesota if every sitting Minnesota member of Congress, and every candidate for any congressional office, issued a statement of support for and adherence to the Constitution of the United States of America, and the rule of law.

Carl Brookins, Roseville

Infamy at the border

President Biden gets confused, which is not news to anyone. Lately, his confusion is between our democracy and his Democrat party. Yes, the boogeyman is a threat to his party. But not to our democracy or country. Hopefully a couple of his handlers could straighten him out on this. As threats go, the costs and impact of what he has done and failed to do at our southern border will be felt by generations. That one will live in infamy.

— T. J. Sexton, St. Paul

Paint and power struggles

In the article in the paper regarding the legal battle surrounding the new proposed ethnic studies standards, the reporter stated “The conservative Minnesota think tank Center of the American Experiment has described the ethnic studies requirement as a ‘sneaky new way to undermine trust in American institutions by painting society as power struggles between groups’.”

Anyone else get the irony?

— Julie Lipelt, Roseville

Recognizing folly

As a moderate Democrat, I was encouraged to read “Experts worry dropping SAT/ACT requirements was misguided” (Jan. 8).  Thanks to the Pioneer Press for running this excellent story, which originated with the New York Times.

One sentence in this piece stood out to me: “Standardized tests have become especially unpopular amongst political progressives, and university campuses are dominated by progressives.” The term “progressive” in political discourse has in recent years become a sanitized and broadly accepted term for “far/radical left.” I was encouraged to see a New York Times news story make the clear statement that academia is dominated by such extremists.

The story does a good job providing both sides of the debate, but the folly of completely doing away with standardized testing (as many undergraduate colleges/universities have done) is abundantly clear to any reasonable reader. The fact that a New York Times story provides ample evidence of negative consequences associated with social justice-inspired extremism is a small but hopeful sign that progressivism is losing its cachet and power in the “mainstream media.”

Peter Langworthy, St. Paul

It’s parenting

Finally some common sense regarding the SAT/ACT brouhaha over college prep/entrance testing. Of course, dropping testing was misguided. That parental early education is what builds incentive which makes possible a solid base of knowledge that is essential in expanding our skills and learning abilities later in life.

Attention and recognition of their importance on the side of the parents cannot be replaced by anyone. This is especially true to that portion of society that is being constantly divided out and told, in essence, that they are inferior. Cut the stereotyping. And quit making excuses for poor performance.

As my siblings and I were growing up, we were far from affluent, even though we were all white. And when we were younger, our mother helped with the farm chores even though she had to care for the five of us as well as do all of the domestic work without running water or electricity. And there were no prepared foods. They would have been unaffordable if there were and would have led to poverty.

The country school system didn’t have kindergarten, yet we were able to read upon entering first grade. I learned about maps, for example, at age 5 from the (1942) St. Cloud Daily Times when, upon asking Mom about them, she explained (while preparing supper) how maps worked as well as what the various symbols showed. Dad was also free with sharing information when discussing farm or business stuff or talking through a project we were working on.

Both of our parents were great teachers. Mom had graduated High School plus some college, but Dad had gone only to the 5th grade. As the eldest child, he was needed at home and, even in Europe, it was determined that 5th grade (per my grandmother) was that level which provided the basic tools necessary to function in society.

Those home experiences, combined with some creative teachers, instilled a hunger for information in me that continues today. That is inspiration at its finest. Creative teachers can help the learning process, but incentive, itself, comes from within the person aided by attentive parents. It becomes an integral part of the person and you own it.

And if we don’t remember the central theme of MLK’s “I’ve Got a Dream” speech, we demean him and we may as well take his holiday off the calendar.

Art Thell, West St. Paul

Engage, citizens

We expected some beyond strange, wrong-headed, even dangerous beliefs to die but left unchallenged they have taken hold. Millions stuck in beliefs based on falsehood upon known falsehood follow an ex-president intent on civil war, out to destroy the very idea of America. Once born in enlightenment, hope and freedoms the nation is beset by religious fundamentalists who already control more than a few states, gain power in Congress and look to impose their will without regard for anyone who does not share in their beliefs.

Most think the country is headed in the wrong direction and yet Christian politicians have been in charge for tens of decades. It wasn’t atheists, Marxists or woke ideology that led the entire country to a state of mass dissatisfaction, division and dysfunction. We’ll remain headed toward darker ages until we are willing to question the beliefs that did bring this mess. No beliefs including religious beliefs should be held above question especially when they creep into the public sector. If they hold meaning they will withstand challenge. Nothing will change as long as each of us clings to our own unexamined beliefs.

We’ve lost the America of hope and promise, lost the America of ideals we were raised to believe in. We can no longer rely on the Democratic or Republican parties or the Supreme Court for leadership, they brought on the current state. It will take an engaged citizenry to challenge the status quo and find a way out of this mess.

Within our reach in 2024 is the chance to reclaim the America envisioned by our Founders, an America united in common good for all. In the coming elections we can make a statement about what kind of country we’d like to be and find a new future.

— Thomas L. Lenczowski, Mendota Heights

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