Opinion editor's note: Published in Star Tribune Opinion letter We hear from readers every day, both online and in print.Click to contribute here.
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In the Star Tribune's April 28 editorial, “Strengthening Firearms Storage Laws,” the editorial board once again criticized the bill's authors, while ignoring the opinions of knowledgeable opponents from the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus. We had a discussion. Instead, the board cited Sen. Warren Rimmer's commentary on cattle during a recent Senate hearing.
Peaceful Minnesotans oppose this bill because it significantly limits the use of firearms for self-defense in the home, which is at the heart of the Supreme Court's District of Columbia v. Heller decision. This is a judgment. We oppose this bill. Because this bill puts a burden on law-abiding, peaceful Minnesotans, putting them at risk of arrest even if there are no children in the home. The proposed bill also does not include any funding or educational components to ensure Minnesota's 2.5 million peaceful gun owners are educated about the new requirements.
Current Minnesota law, as defined in Minnesota Statute 609.666, refers to the examples cited by the Editorial Board in its opinion. Merely changing the law to make it more difficult for Minnesotans to use firearms for self-defense, like the proposed bill, would not have prevented these tragic incidents. Sho.
The Star Tribune claims it is seeking broader participation from diverse perspectives. We can start by fulfilling that promise and reaching out to all sides of the issue, not just the preferred perspective.
Our organization continues to oppose this bill.
Brian Strother, Roseville
The author is president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Council.
carpooling
Even the minimum wage doesn't apply
The city of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota fundamentally misunderstand the issue of whether Uber and Lyft drivers are paid minimum wage (“Texas capital confronts two ride-sharing giants” April 28) ). The simple answer is that Uber and Lyft drivers are not employees. They are small business owners, and like any other business, they are compensated for the services they provide. The minimum wage does not apply to them.
Both the city and the state have released complex and messy analyzes trying to figure out what a “fair” minimum wage should be. Each considers remuneration and attempts to estimate costs to arrive at a net amount that can be compared to the legal minimum wage. Of course, the conclusion is questionable, since costs vary widely depending on the choice of the business owner. And neither incorporates the biggest benefit of owning a business: tax deductions. The state estimates that full-time drivers drive 35,000 miles a year. That's a tax benefit of over $23,000 a year just using the standard deduction. Similarly, both studies ignore tips, which are meaningful when discussing wages but not when discussing business income.
Both the city and state need to retract existing studies and replace them with studies that start with the correct assumptions. Uber and Lyft drivers are small business owners, not employees. If you want to debate whether these businesses are being compensated fairly, that's fine. However, minimum wage laws do not apply.
Carol Becker, Minneapolis
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As someone who has seen governments over the past 50 years often make people's lives worse instead of better, I believe in government intrusion into the free enterprise system for Uber and Lyft drivers. All I can do is shake my head.
What government bureaucrats don't understand about this issue is that Uber and Lyft drivers are entrepreneurs. Some people do this job full-time, but many people do it as a side hustle. They decide which rides to offer and for how much, and many rides are interconnected with other rides.
Example: I called an Uber driver to take me from the airport to my home in the western suburbs. The driver had already driven someone to Owatonna, and from Owatonna he had taken another customer to the airport.
He happened to live a few blocks away from me and was just on his way home. So he turned down a client who wanted to go to St. Paul and accepted my job because it would cost him money to go home. It was his choice and he felt it paid off.
This is my message to government officials. Don't overtax our people, waste your tax dollars on unjust foreign countries, unjust projects, unjust social programs and other wasteful spending, and don't mess with the free enterprise system. . Governments do more to make things worse than to make them better. Let the entrepreneur set what kind of work he wants to do and at what price.
Kobe Pelt, Plymouth
24/7 business
If we get things right, they might come back.
I read with great interest a recent article in the Star Tribune about how few 24-hour restaurants and other establishments remain in Minneapolis (“Congressmembers Hungry for Past-Midnight Meals,” April) 30 days). While I definitely agree that this is unfortunate for a city of this size, I wanted to provide some insight into why businesses are reluctant to stay open all night. I did. Getting to the point, people in Minneapolis tend to act “after dark” in response to the one-two punch of the coronavirus pandemic and the George Floyd riots, but there are still areas for improvement. There are many. I worked unhealthy late shifts and was the brunt of people's drunkenness, drug use, and violent behavior, to the point where I felt like I paid the price.
If people want more restaurants and other places in Minneapolis to be open 24/7, they can get jobs at those places and witness all of this disgusting behavior firsthand. can. Until then, those who like to stay out late at night will have to learn how to cope on their own. Especially since we need a solution to this problem. do not have We need to hire more police officers. Instead, you should learn to respect each other's boundaries so you don't have to call the police. Until now.
Doug Saretzky, Minneapolis
music and physics
A musical instrument as tall as the room
I was grateful for the April 25th newspaper article titled “Music or Physics? Both in this class.''
The photo shows the seminary's chapel, with a pipe organ located behind the altar, far behind the trumpet player. What surprised me was that there was no mention of acoustics and interdisciplinary research. pipe organ.
One of the oldest musical instruments in Western civilization, the pipe organ is a prime example of STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). I would like to call this instrument the quintessential timeless and interdisciplinary example. I don't understand why it was ignored in this article, even though it's such a great combination of art and science. The Twin Cities Chapter of the American Society of Organists has been conducting Pipe Organ Discovery Days for children and youth based on the STEM curriculum for nearly 40 years. MPR's Michael Barone's Sunday morning show “Pipe Dreams'' reveals the wide range of sounds of this “King of Instruments.'' Organ builders often refer to the room in which a pipe organ is placed as the instrument's most important “stop” (sound).
Perhaps there will be another article about pipe organs to further reveal how alive this unique instrument is in our region. thank you.
Rev. Richard F. Coleman, Northfield, Minnesota
