Mail bag

The Golden Turkey’s growing legacy

Let me begin by saying that I am getting every liberal that I know signed up for your magazine. Your publication is fabulous! 

After I cast my vote for the “Golden Turkey Award” this morning, without telling my husband which one I voted for, I asked him to tell me who he would have voted for. We chose the same wasteful project (p. 14). Might be worth the four-hour trip just to see that “outhouse.” 

A suggestion might be to publish the names of the politicians who authored these spending bills or thought up these ingenious projects. I know, that seems harsh, but reality is eality. These liberal minds need a jolt of reality, in my humble opinion. 

-Arlene Markell

A vote for Walz

I’m suggesting Gov. Tim Walz be awarded a Golden Turkey for being TOTALLY INCOMPETENT. The reasons are too numerous to mention. 

–Jim Deutsch, Maple Grove

Woke wake-up call

I am a self-described recovering “wokester” who leans left, and a father of school-aged children, and over the past couple of years have been waking up to see the harm that racial equity causes in schools.

I do not have an outlet to share this information that wouldn’t unleash the mob. And I never would have imagined I would be sending your organization an email…but such is the times. The biggest concern is with the new “Due North” proposal by the governor. 

I have listened to countless teachers tell me that every day is like walking on eggshells. They change their behavior so they don’t appear racist, and students pick up on this and take advantage, while other teachers virtue signal their wokeness through lessons, speeches, meetings, professional development, etc. Meanwhile, the achievement gap and outcomes have gotten worse. Not to mention we’ve created a generation that is more anxious and depressed. But no one wants to talk about how our education system is causing these problems. We can’t even have the debate. 

—Name withheld by request

Re-education

Is the purpose of our public schools to teach our children or to “re-educate” the next generation?

They are suffering abuse at the hands of our tax-funded institutions while losing all sense of self-worth, heritage, national pride and family values

–Dean Bredlau, Cannon Falls

Flair for the dramatic

I always look forward to Katherine Kersten’s essays as they are filled with numerous examples of false logic and bias. I feel it’s useful to expose both as they appear in the article, “The Revolution in Minnesota Schools.”

Ms. Kersten lays out a historical timeline of what she describes as the “crusade for racial equity” in the “Why now?” section. She chooses the ad
hominem fallacy to attack the character of Patrisse Cullors in an attempt to delegitimize Critical Race Theory and the Black Lives Matter movement. Ms. Kersten is insinuating that nothing good can come from such a person or organization.

Following her attack, Ms. Kersten employs the black-or-white fallacy in the section titled, “Not education, but indoctrination.” The very title supposes that there are only two extremes when considering educational equity. The two examples she presents as evidence, one being a former elementary teacher who felt that racial equity training “resembled indoctrination into a cult,” display her confirmation bias.

It is clear that from the very beginning of this article, Ms. Kersten is looking to support her belief that what she terms “racial identity politics” is a clear and present danger to Minnesota children.

She says this is Marxism and cherry- picks a variety of historical events perpetrated from “some of the 20th century’s most loathsome dictators” such as her suggestion that racial equity will lead to the resurrection of Mao’s Red Guard — all to appeal to the emotions of her readers.

Ms. Kersten certainly has a flair for the dramatic. She might want to hire a literary agent to shop this article as a screenplay. But its logical errors and biases fail to persuade any reader not predisposed to agree with her premise.

-Tom Brandt, Blaine

Fear of the left

I, too, am a conservative, and the liberal left and our domestic enemies scare the hell out of me. I pray that “Minnesota Nice” someday returns.

-Al Smith, Owatonna

The importance of historical accuracy

I attended school in Wisconsin most of my life, but I was part of the Minnesota education system for a year and I am greatly concerned [about the proposed social studies standards]. Taking away history is how a society falls. These changes would be detrimental. Ignoring the problem is not the answer, and if this is approved my children will not be taught through the school system.

I will not brainwash them with lies, saying the past never happened because mistakes were made. I would rather teach my children to own up to mis- takes, take responsibility, but to always remember them, so they will not be repeated again.

I am sickened by this proposal.

-Annie Lorsung

A real leader

Absolutely great article on Kendall Qualls. When I learned he was running against Dean (This is your fault!) Phillips, I researched Mr. Qualls to find out who he is. What I found impressed me, and I sent off a request to the campaign for a yard sign.

After reading the “What I Learned” story, I am even more impressed. I believe Mr. Qualls should run for public office again. Let me be one of the first to request a Qualls for Governor sign.

-Steven Roeder, Coon Rapids