Readers Write: Health care for undocumented immigrants, immigration reality TV, Chief Brian O’Hara

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

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It is encouraging that our governor is challenging the progressive wing of the party to reach a budget agreement that benefits the most Minnesotans. (“To dismay of the left, Walz leans to center,” May 18). Gov. Tim Walz dared to compromise and jointly secure a more balanced and practical budget “focused on ‘the end goal of fiscal responsibility.’” It recognizes that tax revenues are finite and cannot be wished into existence (let’s set aside the notion of levying still more taxes on a weary public whose incomes are definitely finite).

Progressive Dems lost the Oval Office because the party hung its hat on narrow and divisive issues that affect few people and alienate the rest. That is not to say those issues and people are unimportant, but that they aren’t core to the vast majority of the electorate’s daily lives and needs.

We simply can’t do it all or to the degree both parties’ fringes desire.

Daniel Patton, Minneapolis

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The deal cut in St. Paul to eliminate MinnesotaCare eligibility for undocumented adults demonstrates a deplorable lack of imagination by our elected leaders. In addition to reinforcing tired and harmful stereotypes about migrants, it fails the most basic tests of decency toward our neighbors — and make no mistake, immigrants are our neighbors.

As a Christian pastor, I come to my belief that health care is a human right for all people regardless of citizenship because of Christ’s teachings: specifically, his call in Matthew 25 to both care for the sick and welcome the stranger. That is what the expanded MinnesotaCare access has done. To take that access away so quickly after it was given is unjust and wrong. And yet, I am not surprised; the knee-jerk Republican insistence that taxes are bad and their continual refusal to raise taxes on the wealthiest citizens have conspired to create this cruel reality.

I know that not everyone approaches this issue through a lens of faith. So let’s have some real talk. Just as in every other state, Minnesota business owners continue to hire undocumented workers because they are available and cheap. Because enforcement has never ended and will never end this dynamic, that leaves us with one undeniable reality: How do we care for these workers? The DFL’s choice to extend MinnesotaCare to them in 2023 was one way. Taking it away now is callous, and Minnesota can and should do better.

Chris McArdle, Anoka

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So President Donald Trump and the Trump administration has become a pariah; according to a vast majority of letter writers and, for that matter, a vast majority of Star Tribune articles.

But wait a minute. Have we not been told for years now, by everyone who should know what they’re talking about, and I’ll even include Democratic and Republican politicians in this group, that this nation and its economy will soon be swept into the economic abyss if bloated government spending isn’t reined in? Have we not been warned that trillions of dollars of deficit cannot be sustained, and our economy will crash? If that happens, this will become a man-made hell and we won’t have time to attack Trump; we’ll be too busy attacking each other.

So now, when the administration is making some sort of attempt to reduce profligate government spending, for better or for ill as one sees it, critics are coming from everywhere with torches and pitchforks to spike and skewer the administration for it. And now Gov. Tim Walz is getting the same treatment and for the same reason.

This is hypocrisy multiplied by ignorance to the power of 10.

Earl Faulkner Sr., Edina

There may be something more tasteless, shameful and cruel than asking immigrants to compete for citizenship against one another for the entertainment of the viewing public, but at the moment, I can’t think what it may be (“Reality TV show for immigrants to compete for U.S. citizenship?” May 17). We must assume, of course, that these would be immigrants of color given that President Donald Trump has shown he welcomes white immigrants with open arms, no questions asked (“49 white South Africans arrive in U.S. as refugees,” May 13). Regardless of whether the show would actually be made, considering it seriously betrays once more the grotesque racism of this administration. Is this really who you are, MAGA supporters? Do you think this would be a good idea?

Stephen Lehman, St. Paul

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At first I thought this article was something reprinted from The Onion but then saw that it came from the Washington Post. I read on further and decided that it must still be a big joke because the writer-producer had produced “Duck Dynasty.”

But apparently he also has received “positive feedback” from the “federal agency.” I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise. I wonder what costumes the Homeland Security secretary will get to wear if they manage to pull this off. How totally tacky, tasteless and cruel, to say the least!

Diane Scarince, Sartell, Minn.

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The idea of learning about American history through an immigration reality TV show is interesting. However, if it truly represents the majority of America’s immigration history, it should include “immunity” from challenges based solely on race, nationality and religion. In fact, some races and nationalities should be barred from the competition completely while others should be forced to compete even though they have no desire to leave their home countries. Lastly, all “contestants” should have to compete in challenges without knowing the rules, so winning is pure chance, not a reflection of effort or skill.

Extra points if you do all this while enriching the community with new cuisine, music, art, ideas and increased economic development!

Mary Voigt, St. Paul

I see with the article “Minneapolis police chief says city’s ‘bourgeois liberal mentality’ distorts facts” (StarTribune.com, May 18) that the Star Tribune ran a whole article based on a few words said by one person in one place at one time. This follows the Park Board Member Becka Thompson “melanin” article and the article about Council Member Jason Chavez being accused of acting like a girl.

One has to ask what is gained by a whole article on a few words said by one person, perhaps misquoted, perhaps said in the heat of the moment, perhaps misunderstood, when there is so much news that should be reported on? Is this even really news? Or character smears or sensationalism? People need reporting on public policy and that should be based on more than a few words.

Because when the Star Tribune does a whole article based on a few words, words that are usually detrimental to the person who said them, it acts like social media. Social media gets attention by taking a few words and then smearing a person with them until that is all that people know about that person. The Star Tribune should not be acting like social media but instead acting like a news source.

Carol Becker, Minneapolis

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There’s but a small handful of police chiefs in the country who are qualified with the kind of experience Chief Brian O’Hara has. He took this job knowing it would be very hard. But clearly now he knows what he’s actually up against.

If an exceptional professional like O’Hara is so frustrated as to just blurt out the truth, albeit with a questionable choice of words to a publication like the New York Post, to me that says Minneapolis, as a city, is definitely continuing to do it wrong.

Jessica Swartz, Minneapolis