Rochester Post-Bulletin: Letters

The new edition of the Rochester Post-Bulletin includes a bevy of letter to the editor; as usual, they run heavily in support of Tim Walz.

Robert Hyatt of Rochester writes Walz gives thoughtful answers:

The other day I happened to tune in on Tim Walz being interviewed on a Twin Cities TV station. I was impressed by the pointed, searching questions and his knowledgeable, articulate responses.

I wondered when they would be interviewing Gil Gutknecht, but it turned out he had declined to be interviewed. I wondered why. One possible answer came a couple of days later when I saw part of a Gutknecht campaign ad on TV. It was totally negative. Nothing that I saw was about his record and goals but all was anti-Walz. And much of what I heard was questionable.

So perhaps this is why this contest is closer than the experts projected. Walz is dealing with important issues that concern the electorate, while Gutknecht seems to avoid them in favor of trashing his opponent.

Could it be that people are getting fed up with that approach to politics and government?

Kenneth Wermager of Adams recommends that citizens Vote for who will serve us well:

They will work for the right causes. This in regard to the coming election. We have several candidates in the Rochester and Austin area who served as Democrats for the last term and were very effective in doing things for the southern part of the state and were very good at keeping us informed, and they deserve to be re-elected.

Now we have Gil Gutknecht and Tim Walz. We know Gutknecht voted with President Bush more than 90 percent of the time. This should be easy to judge.  . . .

Rochester's R.G. Van Dellen takes issue with some endorsements of Gutknecht in Iraq war diverts health-care funds:

AMPAC and MEDPAC, the political arms of the American and Minnesota Medical Associations sent to physicians a large postcard urging support of Gil Gutknecht because he will work for medical liability reform and oppose cuts in Medicare.

To quote: "An honest day's work should be rewarded with an honest day's pay."

This endorsement is shortsighted. Although I support addressing the medical liability problem and oppose cuts in Medicare, I cannot support Gutknecht.

One reason for the proposed cuts in Medicare is that our money is going to the Iraq war, which Gutknecht supports. Our military budget is now over $400 billion a year, not including the cost of the Iraq war, which is now well over $300 billion dollars.

Our patients should come first appears on the front of the card. No mention is made of the uninsured. The money spent on the Iraq war could supply a lot of health care for the uninsured.

No mention is made either of the public health crisis in Iraq because of the war: refugees, uncountable wounded, limited hospital access and supplies, areas with destroyed infrastructure resulting in no clean water, inadequate sewage disposal and limited electricity. The infrastructure destruction was deliberate, yet Gutknecht supports this war.

The Iraq war is bankrupting us, financially and morally. AMPAC and MEDPAC support of Gutknecht is not in patients' or physicians' best interest.

The leaders will follow us Orin Doty tells readers:

The coming election may prove to be the most important turning point in the history of our nation. Perhaps "we the people" will have the opportunity to take back our country from the "chicken hawks" and Big Oil who are leading us in the wrong direction with their politics based on fear and corruption.

For George W. Bush it could convince him that his weapons of mass deception have been a complete failure. When "we the people" lead, the leaders are sure to follow!

Thomas Mulvey points to an issues closer to home in Gutknecht beholden to DM&E:

There is no greater threat to Rochester's quality of life, nor a local issue as critical this election season, as the DM&E Project.

Tim Walz strongly opposes this project for the same reasons that many of us do: DM&E's dismal safety record, the 100 percent financing of the project, the underhanded way in which the loan program was snuck into the 2005 Transportation Bill, etc.

And where is "our" congressman? He's joined "our" Sen. Coleman, quietly sitting this one out at the direction of South Dakota Sen. John Thune, author of the amendment that enables this project, and former DM&E-backed congressman, turned full-time DM&E lobbyist, turned DM&E senator.

Thune, recipient of thousands from DM&E in lobbying compensation and campaign contributions and who stands to become chairman of the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee next year, has muted dissent on this subject from his Republican colleagues, because he holds the keys to the Coleman re-election machine.

This is the kind of special interest-directed power play Washington, through the acquiescence of people like Gutknecht, has come to epitomize. "Our" own congressman, charged with protecting our community, has chosen not to lead on this issue but to follow partisan and special interests.

When Rochester is split in two by coal trains, will Gutknecht tell us, "Nothing could be done?

For Gutknecht? One letter by Eric Knudson, Veteran endorses Gutknecht, appears.  We thank Corporal Knudson for his service in the Marine Corps in Iraq.

Comments

[ollie Ox]

Peter--
I have deleted your comment because this is NOT a bulletin board for reprinting material posted at other people's blogs

If you wish a link to a post at Left in the Heartland, please email it to me and I will post a link.

This is the policy of BSP.

OO