TO THE EDITOR:
You Want to Spend How Much? Last July 18th, the Sherburne Co. Commissioners were presented an Action Item asking them to authorize $150,000 to cover half of the cost of a pre-fab vault style restroom (i.e. Outhouse) for Grams Park. The Board was about to approve the first payment of this $300k restroom until one Commissioner questioned the price, so they placed it on hold. That weekend I happened to drive down to Kansas City where I saw a near identical pre-fab restroom. I call the Missouri DOT, learning that they paid at most $60k per unit! I alerted the Board and a change was made, saving almost a quarter million dollars. But that doesn’t fix the problem. On November 7th, in Open Forum I asked, “How did this $300k proposal get before the Board in the first place?” Whoever created and approved this proposal must either be incompetent at their job or this was an attempt at something more nefarious. The commissioners and we as taxpayer need to know exactly how this happened. I requested an independent audit (i.e. non-Sherburne Co employees) be performed on this and every other project/budget item that these individual(s) brought before the board. $300k for a $30-60k item is not a simple mistake. How many more of these drastically inflated budget items have been brought before the Board and approved? To date, no investigation has been performed.
Bret R. Collier
Big Lake, MN
TO THE EDITOR:
What should be taught to our children? Instruction or indoctrination? Who decides what is taught to our children? Traditionally, we assumed that local teachers, administrators, and school board members elected by community members determine curriculum. Sadly, that is false. It is true that the Legislature requires a review of academic standards on a 10-year rotation, but the Standards are set in and by St. Paul (state government) and sent to the schools. In theory, during the review process, residents of MN provide written testimony to the committee appointed by the elected officials controlling the government at the time. One questions how much the public input influences the decision. Media sources notified us recently that the Social Study Standards were finalized by judges and are a part of the MDE. On Friday, January 19, 2024, Almanac interviewed Becky Dernbach, from the Sahan Journal. She defended the progressive view of the Ethic Studies standards, a new strand added by the political appointees. Watch the program at https://video.tpt.org/video/bonding-bill-job-numbers-metro-transit-40520/ (minutes14:26-19:11). Former Minnesotan Pete Hegseth interviewed educational scholar Katherine Kersten from the Center of the American Experiment think tank on policy issues in September 2023. That interview presents a contrasting view of the standards. Watch at https://www.americanexperiment.org/katherine-kersten-on-fox-and-friends-discussing-ethnic-studies-in-minnesota/. Please watch both video clips and decide which more closely aligns with your values and views about educational standards for Minnesota.
Dr. Phyllis E. VanBuren
Clearwater, MN
TO THE EDITOR:
I had the privilege of attending the March for Life at the State Capital yesterday (Monday). It was my 11th trip down there. I haven’t attended the event since 2017 so it was great to visit with a number of pro-life people. This was the 51st March for Life event since 1974. Minnesota is now one of the top abortion states in the United States, after many extreme abortion bills passed by the Democratic Party last year, who have the majority in the House and Senate and have a Democratic Governor. This needs to change in 2024 in this year’s election. Our Attorney General (Keith Ellison) said that Minnesota is a HAVEN for abortion. This HAVEN he is talking about cost the lives of 12,125 little babies last year. This needs to stop. I was happy to see the largest crowd at this year’s event with many young people too.
Jim Aleckson
Becker, MN
