Category: Letters to the Editor

A vote against Trump is a vote for decency

To the Editor:

Donald Trump routinely criticizes the media, attacks long-standing American institutions, diverts attention from serious issues that affect all Americans, insults anyone who criticizes him or his ideas and lavishes praise on dictators. He contributes to and encourages divisiveness and animosity in our country.

What can we actually do to stop or curtail Trump’s regressive agenda, since he will likely be around for several years? The answer is quite simple. First, we need to think about and act on the following critical issues that impact all of us, which Trump and his avid supporters champion but are not supported by most Americans.

A vote against Trump is a vote for: Continue reading “A vote against Trump is a vote for decency”

If Paulsen has nothing to hide, why is he unwilling to debate?

To the Editor:

The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) is out of control. The Super PAC recently launched a scathing ad in their next round of attacks on behalf of Rep. Erik Paulsen against challenger Dean Phillips. The advertisement is directed towards his health care past at Penny’s Coffee. The ad was littered with false statements, insinuating that Phillips did not provide health care to his employees at Penny’s.

This is unequivocally not true.

Phillips has always provided health care to all of his full-time employees along with a $15/hour living wage. Phillips explained his small business policies at the Aug. 21 debate in St. Louis Park. This was the only debate between the two candidates that Paulsen has agreed to thus far, and it came with a price tag of $60 per person. Continue reading “If Paulsen has nothing to hide, why is he unwilling to debate?”

In Third District, Dean Phillips bravely walks the talk

In her Sept. 9 column, “Phillips wages his own kind of challenge,” Lori Sturdevant essentially asks the rhetorical question, “Is Dean Phillips either naive or brave in his Third District congressional campaign strategy?”

The answer would seem to be: brave.

Bravery demonstrated by not accepting special-interest political action committee (PAC) donations and by challenging all candidates from both his own and his opponent’s parties to do the same.

Continue reading “In Third District, Dean Phillips bravely walks the talk”

Take a closer look at Dean Phillips for CD3

To the Editor:

I recently came across Nathan Dull’s letter to the editor entitled “Paulsen is better than Phillips for CD3,” published on Aug. 31, and realized it is light on facts.

Among other things, the letter states that Paulsen does the right thing for our environment. In reality, Erik touts his image as an environmentalist (portrayed by his Boundary Waters TV ad and joining an environmental caucus), but he gets low grades on his actual voting record for climate change, according to the League of Conservation Voters. To further prove my point, the City Pages article, “Erik Paulsen Discovers that Climate Change is for Real After All” describes Paulsen’s self-serving reasons for finally changing his ‘beliefs’ about the environment.

I previously voted for Paulsen based on the recommendation of his predecessor, Jim Ramstad. And even though Erik Paulsen talks like he’s a moderate, he votes the party line 98 percent of the time (FiveThirtyEight.com). Now I know that Paulsen’s quotes don’t match his votes. He actively opposes consumer protection, funding education, environmental protection, financial sector regulation, gun control, labor rights and wages, racial equality, countering Russian interference and women’s rights (Politicsthatwork.com). Continue reading “Take a closer look at Dean Phillips for CD3”

Our taxes are up 23 percent, thanks to Erik Paulsen

To the Editor:

Remember the Republican tax cut bill that Rep. Paulsen worked so hard to pass? It’s the one that massively cut taxes for corporations and the top 1 percent.

For us, it will mean a 23-percent increase in our taxable income and a 35-percent increase in our federal tax bill. We are retired and pay estimated taxes throughout the year. Our CPA did the arithmetic with the new tax bill and our 2017 income to figure out what we should be paying in estimated taxes for 2018 and he shared all the numbers with us. The result has been a 23-percent increase in our estimated tax payments; the final results are above.

We know this tax bill cut taxes for corporations and the top 1 percent; they are undoubtedly grateful to Rep. Paulson (sic). Wonder what it did for your 2018 tax bill.

Gwen and Mason Myers, Minnetonka
Minnetonka Sun-Sailor, September 10, 2018

Where is Erik Paulsen?

To the Editor:

Congressman Erik Paulsen thinks he can fool us by distancing himself from Donald Trump, but we know better. Paulsen may say he puts his constituents in front of his president; however, his actions say otherwise. I want to be able to trust my representative to make thoughtful and personal choices for the benefit of his district, but has Paulsen ever done that?

The answer lies in his voting record. I was extremely shocked to find out how loyal Paulsen is to the president: 98 percent. That’s the percentage of time Paulsen chooses to side with the president. But how well does that represent our interests? I want to feel like Minnesota’s third district representative cares about Minnesota’s Third Congressional District!

In addition to the president, Erik Paulsen’s voting record relies on the donations of PACs and special interest groups. I find it interesting that the donations from passionate supporters come second. Continue reading “Where is Erik Paulsen?”

Dean Phillips will listen

To the Editor:

Dean Phillips says, “Representation begins with listening.”

He wants to listen to me! And all of the constituents in Congressional District 3. I am a citizen of Plymouth and I work on any campaign that I believe in. I have no job title or positions with campaigns. I am simply one of your neighbors who believes in speaking up. I try to go out and attend (free) voter forums like Phillips had Aug. 21, so I can learn about who I am voting for and where they stand on issues (not just what party they are associated with).

Phillips seems very accessible to me. I believe the representative’s job is to represent. Many do not. It is always interesting when a congress person is not running for re-election that they start to ‘speak their mind’ more freely. They should always be doing that. That is their job. To represent me in Washington. Continue reading “Dean Phillips will listen”

PACs and special interest groups own American politics

To the editor:

On the eve of our primary elections, I started doing some research and was astounded to find that my representative in Congress, Erik Paulsen, has received 53 percent of his campaign money from political action committees. For more information, visit bit.ly/2HuGBTe.

These groups are consistently corrupting our Congress by spending millions of dollars to buy favors with our democratic institutions. They shift politicians’ priorities from serving everyday constituents to satisfying mysterious, multi-million dollar corporations.

We’ve seen it recently with the much-publicized plea from a devastated Parkland student to the many recipients of National Rifle Association donations in Congress (including, notably, Erik Paulsen). In this televised, emotionally-charged event, Sen. Marco Rubio from Florida refused to say that he would stop being beholden to the NRA.  Continue reading “PACs and special interest groups own American politics”

Paulsen should not accept donations from opioid manufacturer

To the Editor:

I wholeheartedly agree with Erik Paulsen’s stance against opioids that he took in his recent Medium article. His facts and efforts in Congress are much appreciated. It is unfortunate however that he may be beholden to many of those same pharmaceutical special interests and PACs being sued that inadvertently assist in distributing some of these harmful opioids to Minnesotans.

This makes me more than uneasy. How can you claim to be fighting for the opioid crisis while simultaneously being propped up by their donations? Until Paulsen distances himself from the pharmaceutical companies that are being sued by the state of Minnesota, I’ll be taking everything he says with a grain of salt. He should show that he’s serious about fixing the opioid crisis at all levels, and that includes rejecting money from the purveyors of the problem. I would urge him to go still further. I like the idea of a separate corporate tax on opioids for the pharmaceutical companies. This would dissuade them from condoning overprescribing as they have in the past.

John Hetterick, Plymouth
Plymouth Sun-Current, August 21, 2018

Paulsen owes constituents access to a debate

To the editor:

I’ve been looking forward to seeing Congressman Erik Paulsen and challenger Dean Phillips on the debate stage for months now.

To my disappointment, I found out that it costs $60 for non-members to attend the Aug. 21 TwinWest Chamber of Commerce debate. How is this fair? People need to make an informed decision about who to vote for, but how can they do that if they can’t afford to go to the event.

Dean Phillips has agreed to multiple free debates around the district sponsored by bipartisan organizations such as the League of Women Voters and other local chambers. Despite this, Paulsen has only agreed to the paid debate so far. Continue reading “Paulsen owes constituents access to a debate”