Copyright 1999 Star Tribune
Star Tribune
(Minneapolis, MN)
February 25, 1999, Thursday, Metro Edition
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 16A
LENGTH: 1574 words
HEADLINE:
Letters from readers
BODY:
Ventura's late-night
Irish slam
Heck, I have no problem with
the big dumb hairless thug's comments regarding stupid drunk Micks. Heck, I'm a
whiskey-guzzling Mick myself! It's just a joke, right? It's a good way to
represent your state, advancing cultural stereotypes. It's funny. I'd like to
see you come up with something funny on Letterman. Can't wait to find out which
of our state's ethnic cultures are lazy, shiftless, thieving, greedy, ungrateful
or just plain smelly. I'm sure the big dumb hairless thug will let us all know.
Gotta go now, I have a lot of drinking to
catch up on.
_ Kevin Murphy, Bloomington.
Saving the sport
Minnesota is about to draw national attention once
again. But this time the focus won't be politics. It'll be baseball, sort of.
Very soon now, some writer is going to
draw a comparison between the Twins and the Mets of yesteryear. From that point
on until the middle of September fans around the country will be scratching
their heads and grinning over what's going on in Minnesota. But that's all
right, Mr. Pohlad. You are doing what has to be done by somebody in the major
leagues sooner or later. You are about to start a revolutionary movement that
could well result in the changes that must take place if baseball is to be
saved.
_ Jerry Rogers, Minneapolis.
Recalling an entrepreneur .
. .
It was the middle of the 1964-65
school year. I had received an appointment as a teaching assistant to Dr. Harold
Wallace at the University of Minnesota General College. Included in my
assignment were courses in marketing and sales.
As the lead instructor Wallace had already
arranged an excellent array of marketing professionals, one per week to come in
for a class period to share their practical expertise. One of my tasks was to
obtain some data from the day's speaker, and then make the introduction to the
class.
Some were flamboyant, others more
reserved yet radiating confidence, often with differing perspectives on
marketing. One gentleman slipped off his overcoat, stepped directly in front of
the class and explained how he had formed an organization to provide trading
stamps to retailers to use as a merchandising inducement. With no particular
fanfare he urged the students to seek a niche where they could provide a service
to consumers.
After becoming certified to
teach, I accepted a marketing teaching position in Willmar. Now as I drive into
Minneapolis on Hwy. 394 near the 494 intersection by two huge office towers, I
can't help wondering if my '64-'65 students still remember the day a modest Curt
Carlson helped them to focus their life goals.
_ Orlan Skare, Willmar,
Minn.
. . . and a classmate
To all
the recollections of Curtis LeRoy Carlson, we'd like to add the loyalty he felt
for his high school class, Minneapolis West High 1932. Our January and June
combined classes had over 600 graduates but we never had a reunion till our 50th
in 1982. Curt helped the committee locate his classmates and entertained the
committee at Carlson Company headquarters.
For our 65th in 1997 he and Arleen invited
us for a Sunday afternoon cruise on the St. Croix river aboard their yacht, the
Curt-C.
Our mailing list is down to 200
plus. We'll meet again at the Minikahda Club for lunch on May 1. The Minikahda
Club was the scene of our June graduation party in 1932.
We're grateful to Curt and Arleen for the
many kindnesses.
_ Elizabeth Klein Bridgman, Minneapolis, Orem O.
Robbins and David W. Dole, reunion chairmen.
Support 'U' medical school
Your Feb. 8 editorial regarding the need
to adequately fund medical research and education at the University of Minnesota
School of Medicine was both insightful and timely. Failure to provide support
will only lead to further erosion in one of the premiere medical institutions in
the country. Among other achievements, the designated cancer research center at
the university has no equal in the Upper Midwest and the revitalization of our
medical school has brought well-deserved acclaim.
The Star Tribune can play a significant
role in keeping these issues before our governor and Legislature. Your efforts
will benefit every Minnesota citizen and generations to follow.
_ J.W.
Ogilvie, Edina.
The Ramsey Medical
Society, representing 1,350 physicians, strongly supports the mission of the
University of Minnesota Academic Health Center and the center's biennial budget
request.
The Academic Health Center
educates two-thirds of the health professionals in Minnesota and is a world
leader in medical research developing new medical procedures and devices as well
as new drugs.
Medical students face an
increasing financial burden. The average cost of educating a physician
approaches $100,000 per year. The average debt at the end of
training is $75,000. The increasing cost of medical school
tuition and fees are among the highest in the nation and threaten student access
to medical school.
The aging population of
Minnesota is increasing the demand for health care. As the incidence of chronic
disease rises, the demand becomes more acute. This increasing demand for health
care also increases the pressure on the Academic Health Center to prepare
physicians and other health professionals to meet those needs.
Traditional funding sources for health
professional education are rapidly eroding. Because of the
Balanced Budget Act of 1997, graduate medical education will
lose $100 million in support over the next five years and
$30 million per year in subsequent years. In addition to cuts
in Medicare-related funding, managed-care cost containment reimbursement
reductions have reduced income from patient care. The income from patient care
subsidizes medical education and research. The decline care revenue is expected
to result in an $8 million loss annually.
The Ramsey Medical Society urges the
Minnesota Legislature and the governor to support quality health care in
Minnesota by providing generous funding for the University of Minnesota Academic
Health Center.
_ Lyle J. Swenson, M.D., president, Ramsey Medical
Society, St. Paul.
Blather about treaty rights
Gov. Jesse Ventura's remark this week that
Native Americans should use birchbark canoes displays an ignorant mentality. I
have heard that precise argument before from other buffoons who know absolutely
nothing about treaty rights.
In all treaty
rights cases, parties have always agreed that modern methods of harvesting are
expected. Otherwise Ventura himself would have to ride his old swayback horse to
the Capitol and carry an old flintlock in his tights.
_ Lavern Shotley,
Cloquet, Minn.
Thriving in city's schools
By propagating the myth that suburban
schools are excellent and desirable and urban schools are of poor quality and
undesirable, John Shulman and the NAACP have harmed the city and the schools
they have sought to improve (Star Tribune, Feb. 20). There is no denying that
there are failing students and our schools are not perfect. These are problems
all of us need to continue to address.
Putting the blame solely on the schools,
as the mediation solution does, is unfair and inaccurate. This simplified
response to a complex problem is the type of hype that demoralizes school staff
and destabilizes the city by sending residents running to the suburbs.
Our children are taught by excellent
teachers in a safe, well-run school in south Minneapolis. They have wonderful
friends at school. They receive high standardized test scores. Our children and
many other successful students prove that Minneapolis public schools provide an
excellent education.
_ Mary McGurran and Robert Hanson, Minneapolis.
Saluting a real hero
The world
lost a hero with the death of Walter Bresette, Anishinabe activist and hands-on
environmentalist (Star Tribune, Feb. 22). Real heroes are rare nowadays. His
activism effected change, far beyond the borders of Minnesota and Wisconsin. As
the land waits for spring here, it's a good time to remember that he spoke for
all of us who honor the Earth; may he be so actively remembered.
_ Beryl
John-Knudson, Duluth, Minn.
Radio that pays its own way
I listen to a radio station that has no
commercial interruptions. Not Minnesota Public Radio _ KTIS (98.5 FM). Unlike
public radio, it is entirely listener-funded and has never tapped the public
coffers. For the past 50 years, it has easily gathered operating costs with just
two or three days of annual fund-raising.
To the Feb. 8 writer who is mad at our
governor for trying to defund MPR _ and to the rest who sympathize: Please think
beyond yourself. If you disagreed as I did with a taxpayer-funded Twins stadium,
there was probably a principle behind that sentiment. It wasn't a dislike of
baseball. It was an ideal of fairness and freedom, that because a Twins stadium
is a luxury, some people should not force all the people to pay for it.
As a matter of conscience and consistency,
it would be wise to allow user fees _ listener donations _ to meet MPR operating
expenses. Just because public radio is so named does not mean that it serves the
entire public. Like any station, it has a format that appeals to some and not to
others. If there is a demand for it, it will still be there.
_ Hannah
Zasadny, Roseville.
LOAD-DATE: February 26,
1999 
