TO THE EDITOR:
Rep. Tom Emmer, I have been calling your office, but I am not getting any information back from you. Your update in the Patriot on December 13th didn’t cover healthcare. I retired early at 62, and one of the deciding factors, was having affordable healthcare for myself through the ACA. I have asked you what your plan is for the country. The deadline was December 15 to sign up or change your plan. I had to make a decision without having the knowledge of what your plan was. The Republicans were offering $1,000 for the year in an HSA. Do you realize my plan doubled from $549 to $1100 a month? Small businesses, farmers, early retirees and many others need a plan that is not catastrophic with thousands in deductables. The whole ACA could be reworked to “fix” it instead of just throwing money at it. I agree with your there, but why wait until the last minute to blame the democrats that the $1,000 a year didn’t pass? It is time to come up with a real plan to help the whole country.
Cindy Stoll
Becker, MN
TO THE EDITOR:
I have to chuckle over the fact that Rep. Tom Emmer is constantly complaining about Gov. Walz. If Emmer is so unhappy with Walz’s performance, why doesn’t he enter the governor’s race in 2026? But he won’t. Because Tom is enjoying the perks of being part of the DC elite in his job as GOP Whip. That and the fact that Trump and Emmer have ballooned the federal deficit by passing huge tax cuts for the millionaires and billionaires of this country while ignoring the needs of their working and middle class constituents aren’t making folks happy. And then there’s the embarrassing fact that Emmer has been the number one cheerleader in DC for crypto currency, which is rife with fraudulent activity and is the favorite currency of organized crime. Tom Emmer should be ashamed of his disastrous record. I suspect that Emmer is aware of the problem because he’s been afraid to face his constituents in Town Hall meetings. He prefers the back room conclaves at the Capital in DC. That’s where Tom feels comfortable these days.
Best regards,
Anthony Thompson
Big Lake, MN
TO THE EDITOR:
Unguarded Data Fence. You don’t let strangers wander your property without permission. So it’s fair to ask why our digital lives are treated any differently. This month, President Trump signed an executive order pushing a single, light-touch national AI standard while blocking states from setting their own rules. Federal agencies are now encouraged to challenge state AI laws and even threaten funding for states that resist. At the same time, major tech companies are expanding how they use personal data to train AI. Platforms like Meta, Google, and LinkedIn can draw from public posts, profiles, and user activity, often with limited or confusing opt-out options. The U.S. still has no comprehensive federal privacy law, leaving Americans with fewer protections than users overseas. Here’s the common-sense part: corporations/billionaires (greedy) don’t give money away for nothing. They fund campaigns, initiatives, and flashy projects (ballrooms, airplanes, etc.) because they expect access, influence, or fewer rules in return. State laws were trying to set basic guardrails: transparency, accountability, and the right to know when machines make decisions about you. Now many of those guardrails are being pushed aside before real national protections exist. AI is new. Power isn’t. If we don’t ask who’s paying and what they’re buying, we’re not paying attention.
Vanessa Davenport
Big Lake, MN
