It’ll cost the state?

The lead story within the July 11 Pioneer Press was titled “Desire a rebate? Update your info.” After explaining that you just needed to be certain your banking and address info is up so far the article went on to state that “The one-time rebates will cost the state about $1.1 Billion…”

Excuse me, however it’s not costing the state anything. It’s our money to start with.

We also ought to be getting greater than the $260 per taxpayer back. As an alternative of sending it back or using it on some one-time project that needs attention the state and legislative leaders select to begin recent programs that may have legs of their very own and wish recent revenue in future budgets. It seems pretty easy to throw money around when it’s not your individual.

Dean Libby, North St. Paul

Possibly not so proud?

I just read an article and saw TV news coverage of a drag queen event held in Chaska recently. Each the newspaper and TV report mentioned that the event was attended by over 100 people, and likewise stated that the group referred to as Proud Boys felt it essential to be there to harass and protest.

I don’t personally have an opinion on the event or what it represents, but I definitely have an issue for any and the entire Proud Boys who were there: Should you are so convinced that what you think in is justified and your values are legitimate, then why the necessity to wear scarves, masks and sunglasses to hide your identity?

Should you are truly “proud” of what your group represents, make yourself known … otherwise, you’re remindful of a bunch who used to wear white sheets with pointed caps, and everyone knows what they represented.

Mike Miller, Lakeland

Lack of respect

Occupied with the rash of random shooting recently; now we have lost respect for each other. The ratio of guns to households just isn’t higher than within the ’50s, ’60s, or ’70s. In those days many men would go small game or deer hunting, so we at all times have had guns around. So it just isn’t the guns.

So what has modified is our society. Movies and videos are very graphic, abortion on demand up until birth, crude language in movies and public, and a general lack of respect for one another and authority. Our churches have a dwindling variety of young people — religion if nothing else tells us that there are absolute rules of conduct.

Changing a society is like attempting to turn around an aircraft carrier; it’ll take effort and time and the desire to achieve this.

John Heller, North St. Paul

Clear laws, blatant disregard

This will likely be somewhat after-the-fact, but we are able to’t let one other 12 months go by without registering a legitimate criticism in regards to the use and abuse of fireworks in our community.

What was a one-evening celebration at a neighborhood park on the 4th of July has evolved right into a two- to three-week excuse for setting off a barrage of illegal, disruptive and sometimes dangerous displays in streets, back yards and parking lots throughout our neighborhoods.

The laws governing shooting off fireworks couldn’t be clearer or more blatantly disobeyed.

Every night for the past weeks our dog (and countless other pets we’re sure) is forced to cower within the basement while people who’re similarly distressed or sleep-deprived are asked to place up with the shenanigans. Our neighbor blows up boxes upon boxes of skyrockets above his heavily wooded lot yearly. Even a timely visit from the police just a few years ago has not deterred him. We have now no ready solution for this widespread problem. It’s unlikely that an appeal to common sense or threats of legal motion will avail. In any case, we do feel higher for having unburdened ourselves. We’re only sorry that we are able to’t say as much for our dog.

Andrea and John Wheeler, Maplewood

Can’t consider what St. Paul has change into

My wife and I are each native Minnesotans, she’s from St. Paul and I’m from Stillwater. She attended Summit School and the University of Minnesota and I spent my youth in Hudson, Wis., graduated from Hudson High School after which the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse. I then went to work for the St. Paul Insurance Company in downtown St. Paul and was there for 21 years. All this to say we’re very conversant in town of St. Paul and what it was.

Seven years ago we decided to maneuver to Florida from our home in Hudson. After six years, we made the choice to maneuver back to the Twin Cities area to be closer to family and decided that St. Paul was the place to be. It didn’t take long for us to significantly query our decision.

We will’t consider what has change into of this once great city, especially the downtown area. Empty store fronts and office buildings, other office buildings was apartments partially filled and with residents who use town streets as their very own personal playground and hangouts, streets and skyways full of homeless people and street thugs, public transportation that’s not protected to make use of, and garbage in all places. After which there are the infrastructure issues, especially the condition of city streets, to call only one obvious one. Don’t even get me began on the “crime” issue.

I do know nothing about our mayor or the makeup of town council, nor our leaders on the state level. What I do know is that each one in all them ought to be embarrassed by the condition of this once great city. It’s the capital of our state for crying out loud, and ought to be a showcase for visitors to enjoy and residents to be happy with like they’re in cities like Austin, Texas, Columbus, Ohio, Madison, Wisconsin, Nashville, Tennessee, Charlotte, North Carolina, and other state capital cities.

We don’t want to depart this area again but unless we are able to sense that there may be some effort being made to deal with the issues listed above, we may haven’t any selection.

As an alternative of spending tens of millions on a motorcycle parkway on Summit Avenue and enhancements to the governor’s mansion, why hasn’t more of the $18 billion surplus the state accrued gone toward infrastructure, especially improving our streets and cleansing and keeping clean our downtown?

What about concerted efforts to revitalize the downtown area, like Minneapolis has undertaken and appears to be making progress toward?

Allen Stendahl, St. Paul