Letters to the Editor - Dec. 26, 2010

Correction: More being made here

When Dick Palmer writes "Look around -- we don't manufacture anything in the United States anymore," he should follow his own advice. If he looked around, no further than the Star Tribune, he would find that this generalization is false. On Dec. 6 the paper reported that Minnesota's third-quarter exports jumped 17 percent from 2009.

It's bad enough that too many corporations close domestic factories in favor of importing, but sweeping statements like Palmer's don't encourage more people to look for opportunities to manufacture things that aren't being made elsewhere.

Melvyn Magree
Duluth

'Parking stickers' could work

Thank you for Pete Langr's solution to the rental reform issue proposed in the Dec. 12 Budgeteer.

Back in 1984, 'til 2001, I lived on Sixth Street between 19th and 20th avenues east. The first thing we had to do after just one month in our new (to us) home, which was built in 1905, was to have a chain-link fence installed with a double-driveway-size gate in front of our home so we could park our one vehicle in the area of our home.

We had to put the fence and blacktop driveway in since our one block of single-family vintage homes had become college rentals -- all which had at least five cars each.

I had a stack of police-call documents on the subject of just keeping our driveway accessible on each side.

But you can't get college students to abide by this law, let alone the stacks of police calls about their parties and urinating from the roofs and trashing the neighborhood.

Needless to say, in 2001 we had had it; we sold our home, as the neighborhood was ruined by all the rentals.

I totally agree with Langr's solution for this parking issue: putting a price on parking. "Parking stickers" is a wonderful idea; each house would get one or two and extra stickers would come at a large cost.

Why are so many college students/renters not using public transportation? All the colleges provide their students with free (yes, free!) bus service.

What a lovely way to "go green."

We Duluthians don't need a "hardship amendment." We need all Duluthians to wake up and reduce their carbon imprints. Think about and care for each other and the planet.

Please, we all need to work together to make Duluth "nice" -- and keep it that way.

Barbara M. Soder
Duluth

Shopping challenge

How about a challenge? About half of us look forward to having one come our way.

Others look in a different direction, and imagine there must be something better to do.

Life certainly offers up quite a few challenges, doesn't it? From raising children to skydiving for the first time. (As parents, they don't seem like they're that different.)

Challenges keep us on our toes, and keep the brain cells from atrophying. We have a challenge of a different sort; one that doesn't involve pacing the floor waiting for your teen to come home.

Or hurling into space with a canvas pack attached to you -- and praying it opens.

This challenge is for all of you who love children, who, deep down, really desire to help out and make someone smile.

This season, with the tables full of delectable food, and shopping carts overflowing, the challenge is this: When you're in the grocery store getting the best bargain on that ham, buy something else for someone who hasn't had a good meal in a long time.

Here's an idea: Buy some diapers. They're expensive to those who have little or no cash (let alone trying to put food on the table). Diapers can be donated to CHUM, the Salvation Army, etc. There are many places that will make sure they get to a deserving family.

Toys are great, and books are even better -- but we forget about the basic necessities.

Let's go beyond the Christmas season, folks. This can be done all year round.

When you go to get your groceries, or stop at the department store for a few items, grab a package of diapers.

It's come to our attention that the larger sizes are the hardest to come by.

The Northland is known as a giving community; that's been shown year after year in various fundraisers and food shelf donations.

Times are tougher now, however: The Salvation Army needs more toys for the kids. But if we forgo something that we really don't need, and spend it on children who are less fortunate and truly needy, we can make this happen.

A child will be better off, and their parents will breathe a bit easier.

James & Laurie Mattson
Duluth

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