TO THE EDITOR:
On behalf of myself and all of the cancer survivors in Becker, I want to send an enormous thank you to the wonderful group of people that so passionately provide a yearly Survivor Dinner for all of us. Each year they go above and beyond to make this event special and meaningful for the Becker community survivors. Special shout out to the Seeley family, Lonny, Fran, Mason and Parker, and Bev Knutson. To all the businesses that donated food, gifts, prizes, flowers, and the many items that we were spoiled with, thank you for your support! If you are a local cancer survivor and are unaware of this event, Please reach out to Fran, Bev, or myself. Thank you Becker for making this a wonderful place to live!
Cindy Marholz
Becker, MN
TO THE EDITOR:
Attached to my water bill was an additional sheet about lawn mowing. As it did not have an explanation, I made a call to city hall. The explanation I received was that lawns in Becker are going to be monitored by a city employee who — on the second Tuesday of months May to October — will drive up and down streets measuring lawns. If lawns are six inches tall, a notice will be sent as a warning and if not mowed within 10 days, said lawn will be mowed by the city employee and the homeowner charged. To me, it feels like “big government”. I have traveled the streets of Becker and never saw even one lawn not kept up. I have seen yards that have trash, brush and clutter, but the city doesn’t act on that issue. Consider the following: 1). Homeowner is elderly; 2). Homeowner is sick or in hospital; 3).Homeowner is on vacation or away on a work trip; 4). Lawn is newly planted; 5). Homeowner has planted wild flowers in front yard; 6). Some cities have suggested not mowing the month of May to aid pollinators; 7). Liability? Trespassing? Legality? The Becker city council needs to worry about more pressing issues in Becker. An article explaining this issue in our Patriot Newspaper would be helpful.
Rosalyn Koning
Becker, MN
TO THE EDITOR:
Another crisis—baby formula shortage. Biden’s FDA shut down Abbott’s Sturgis formula plant three months ago when four babies died. Investigations showed that the formula did NOT cause any baby’s death. But the shelves are bare—except along the southern border where photos show pallets laden with baby formula. Across the nation, some 1.2 million babies receive formula for free through the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program. Abbott Nutrition supplies about half the formula for WIC. While the USDA proudly touts “WIC serves 53 percent of all infants born in the United States,” others label it “a third-world level of economic failure.” What does the data reveal? 40% of babies are born out-of-wedlock, and 40-50% of marriages end in divorce, resulting in single-parent families struggling financially. WIC provides for families with a household income up to 185% of the federal poverty level. U.S. families not only compete with border crossers but also with the new arrivals, under the WIC program, as they are resettled across the country by the current administration. Monday the FDA and Sturgis Laboratories reached an agreement to resume production shortly and have formula on store shelves within several weeks. WH officials suggest parents ask doctors for formula samples. WHO promotes breastfeeding (not always an option). American families first!
Dr. Phyllis VanBuren
Clearwater, MN
TO THE EDITOR:
We have been attending the open forums at the Sherburne County board meetings and submitting evidence that the Dominion voting system should not be purchased again. The Certificate of Conformance from the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) states, “This certificate is not an endorsement of the product by any agency of the U.S. Government and no warranty of the product is either expressed or implied.” Rick Weible of Midwest Swamp Watch explained, “Microsoft ended support on Jan. 14, 2020 for Windows 7 and Server 2008, which left our elections in 2020 and 2021 at significant risk. While your Windows 10 machines at home were getting updates to protect you from the latest cyber threats, these voting machines were not getting protection.” Is that good performance for a system that cost over $654,000 for 2016? We attempted to stop them from re-purchasing the system but Auditor Diane Arnold will plow ahead and renew the Dominion system with the lips of the commissioners planted firmly on her butt. Watch the open forums for the past several months and request the documents that were submitted. The commissioners SHOULD have read them and they should have granted a Public Hearing on the Dominion voting system.
Teri Dickinson
Big Lake, MN
TO THE EDITOR:
Last Saturday’s mass shooting in Buffalo, NY has had wall-to-wall press coverage, but there are a number of points that are not being covered to the extent that they should. One, is that there is no death penalty in New York, meaning that this individual has to look forward to the citizens paying for his three meals a day, cot and health care for the next 40-60 years instead of a swift execution which will serve as not only punishment but a deterrent to other potential mass murderers. So just like the Boston Bomber and the Parkwood School shooter, he’s going to have a long healthy life. (Remember, Minnesota doesn’t have a death penalty either.) Two, he purposefully chose this location because of the strict gun laws, meaning that there was less of a chance that a law abiding citizen would be carrying a gun and would attempt to stop him. If people had been carrying, there is a chance that fewer good people would have died. Three, while (10) were killed in Buffalo that day, in the city of Chicago so far in May, (29) have been killed. In April (54) killed. In 2022, (208) killed thus far. In 2021, (793) killed. [See https://graphics.suntimes.com/homicides/] This news only gets passing mention for reasons I’ll let you surmise. The takeaway, our judicial system is broken, our politicians and news media would rather stir up racial hatred over a single bad event instead of following the laws already in place to reduce the murders and violence occurring throughout the country, and our silence is allowing them to do that.
Bret R. Collier
Big Lake, MN
