Mail bag

I am a new subscriber. Thank you for all the awareness you bring to issues hidden in the general news. But what can I do as a citizen to fight back? Please give suggestions on how we can make a difference on issues.

-Diane Forbes

Thank you SO MUCH for offering conservative voices and opinions. It is so hard to find conservative news and information, so this is just the most refreshing. I cannot tell you how nice it is to read information that is not complete nonsense. (It shouldn’t be so hard to find!)

-Amanda Hammond, Anoka

Thank you for your latest issue of the Thinking Minnesota newsletter. I am reading it religiously during my morning and afternoon breaks at work. I find it hard to pull myself away and return to work.

Diane Robinson, Hutchinson

Police billboards

Do you know that you are hurting businesses in Uptown? I am a small business owner, and you have now made an enemy out of me. I will stop at nothing to discredit your organization, what little credit you actually have. What if there was a shooting in New Brighton, which there was, would you post a billboard there? Likely not. If there was a shooting in Plymouth, would you post a billboard there as well? You are what makes America stink these days!

-Joseph Walz, Minneapolis

I am a resident of the Twin Cities who is independent politically. Lately I have seen your billboards that say, “Support the Police.” I certainly defend your organization’s right to express its ideas and take part in public debates. That said, I felt troubled by your billboards that say, “Support the Police.” I think your message is far too simplistic. Police have been and are supported immensely by the legal and political system in our state and country. I would have a much easier time hearing your part of the “American Experiment.” My understanding of the American experiment is that it calls for a check on power and asserts justice and fair play for those who are not historically the beneficiaries of political and legal power.

-Angus McGillis, Minneapolis

Heather Mac Donald

You are making a huge positive difference. I signed up to listen live to Heather Mac Donald, but I lost my internet connection. I expected that the event would have been recorded, but when I saw on Power Line that YouTube removed the presentation I was outraged (except now I’m numb from the torrent of outrageous events). Anyway, I was able to view Heather’s presentation after it was restored. Simply powerful. As your billboards are defaced and your message if you were to also take a stand against abusive police officers. Just as a teacher or doctor who acts out of line should face consequences, so should police officers who abuse their power. I don’t see how supporting all police officers—even those who do wrong—is YouTube videos taken down, I think Center of the American Experiment will be attracting more attention from a wider audience, and your important influence will be growing.

-George Wegner, Minneapolis

Greater Minnesota

I was sent a copy of the summer 2020 issue of Thinking Minnesota and read it cover to cover. I was most impressed to see the work that Center of the American Experiment has been doing here in Minnesota. Let us know a bit more about what you are looking for regarding a Greater Minnesota Advisory Board.

-Sadredin (Dean) Moosavi, Mankato

Thinking Minnesota Poll

It was good to see that the majority of people are still supporting police officers and the idea of law and order. I would like to see public opinions about the leadership of the governor and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul and how likely the public is to re-elect these “leaders” in the future.

-Wayne Cassibo

Fair housing?

I read every issue of Thinking Minnesota from cover to cover and enjoy it immensely. Keep up the good work! I just watched an interview of Stanley Kurtz by Mark Levin. It really helped to explain what is happening with Edina schools and housing.

Stanley Kurtz wrote a book entitled, Spreading the Wealth that explains the “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing” (AFFH) rule formulated by the Obama administration. This rule effectively gives the federal government control over local governments, particularly suburbs like Edina. Many decisions made by local officials in Edina do not seem to be made with the best interests of residents in mind. Perhaps it is the heavy hand of the federal government weighing in on these decisions?

-Tom Leverentz, Edina

Densification

As a young conservative, I found Katherine Kersten’s column “Densification” in last quarter’s issue to be inconsistent with conservative principles. Kersten laments that residents “can no longer choose to live in a single-family neighborhood” after the fall of single-family zoning. But what is conservative about restrictive policies dictating what style of housing landowners may or may not build on their property? She also asserts that “planners are making driving as…inconvenient as possible.” In truth, increased throughput (measured in people, not cars) and economic activity have resulted from virtually every effort ever made to replace parking and traffic with bike lanes and transit. The truth is that our car-centric cities should be regarded as a failed experiment in government policy, to use a phrase Thinking Minnesota readers should appreciate. Cities evolved naturally to be dense and walkable. Only in the 1950s and 1960s, partially as a result of lobbying by automobile companies, did governments spend vast sums of money (far more than has ever been spent on public transit) to raze neighborhoods and build highways through cities.

-Calvin Kotrba, Eagan