Letters to the editor

Due process overrated

Kudos to the author of the letter “Fort Hood a tragedy, not opportunity for ethno-centrists.” I hope we all are inspired to forget that nonsense about “innocent until proven guilty.” What a long and boring process that was. Taking what the pundits say at face value sounds close enough to justice for me. Let’s write Hasan off as guilty for his funny-sounding name and be done with it.

Erik Brenna

University undergraduate student

U of M Regents and the LRT

It was disappointing to read that the University of Minnesota Board of Regents refused to meet with the Metropolitan Council to discuss light-rail issues.

Universities, like other organizations, need boards of directors who bring independent perspectives and represent stakeholder interests (citizens of the state, in this case). When boards hear only from upper management, ill-advised and off-mission investments can result. The politically and financially expensive lawsuit of the Met Council over light rail and the conversion of the Rosemount agricultural research station into a gravel pit and ex-urban development are examples of the need for independent oversight by the regents. The risk is that the state Legislature, perceiving that the best interests of citizens are not being represented, steps in as it did recently with the stadium alcohol issue.

Les Everett

University staff

Delineate a Church Street bike lane

Wednesday’s response to bike lanes on Church Street is correct that bikers should yield to all pedestrians, and mopeds need to dismount on Church Street in accordance with University of Minnesota bike and moped laws. Bikers, however, often do not yield to pedestrians, and mopeds run wild, creating a free-for-all on Church Street.

I too have been caught in the crossfire of traffic on Church Street. It’s easy to avoid the bikes and mopeds coming at you, but try keeping track of what is coming from behind. That’s another story; I found that out the hard way a week ago when I was making a sharp left turn toward the steps of Lind Hall and was nearly steamrolled by a biker coming from behind.

The people to enforce these University bike and moped laws are the University police; however, it is unrealistic to have Church Street constantly monitored by the police and even more unrealistic to have police officers try to stop bikers for failure to yield to pedestrians. A bike lane on Church Street would provide a designated area for bikers to pedal freely, an area for pedestrians to avoid bikers and would limit the melee that is associated with all of the congestion on the street.

Anthony Jakubiak

University undergraduate student

Free care invites less care

I am in utter disbelief of the intellectual bankruptcy of “Healthy taxation necessary.” How am I supposed to take this letter seriously when the author claims it is a “national disgrace” to have someone pay for something they use, i.e., health care? It is no disgrace that when I go to the grocery store I pay for my food. Then again, with all the food available in the world, there’s no reason I shouldn’t be able to just take what I want and walk out.

Health care will never be an unlimited good, and health resources will always be scarce. Hence, care infrastructure will only come into existence if the people investing in and creating the good foresee a profit to be made at the time of the sale.

Without this condition, the supply of care would vanish.

Chris Huxtable

University undergraduate student

Young Americans for Liberty