Supreme Court, Congressional Race, Utility Bills, and Swimming Safety

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The conservative justices of the U.S. Supreme Court must be breathing a sigh of relief because the media is busy with the 2024 election, not decisions made at the end of the 2023-24 term: bump stocks are fashionable accessories for assault rifles, bribes paid to public officials are allowed if paid after a “favor,” presidents are above the law, and judges are in a better position to set rules and regulations governing the environment, public health, personal safety, finances, etc. These burdensome rules prevent business interests from maximizing profits.

The rejection of the Chevron rule, which federal courts have used for four decades to refer to reasonable agency interpretations of federal law, is significant. Lawyers for companies, government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs like the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, etc.) are preparing to challenge the rule as the Supreme Court resumes its new term in October. Those issues will first be argued in lower courts and then go to the high court as the final arbiter.

In Minnesota, challenges include delays in Twin Metals and PolyMet permitting, water quality standards for PFOA/PFOS limits and remediation, oil pipeline construction permits, and air quality standards for cars, industrial plants, and power plants.

Removing educated and trained experts from the standard-setting process will be disastrous for our health and environment. Clean air, safe water, access to public lands, and consumer protections for financial products and institutions will be a thing of the past. Companies have no history of “doing the right thing,” and Mother Earth can no longer recover.

Fall 2024 will be “wild” with presidential elections and many regulations being rolled back. Fasten your seatbelts!

Michael Bennett, Eden Prairie

ELECTIONS 2024

Party elites had disproportionate influence on Omar’s race

In Minnesota DFL Chairman Ken Martin’s commentary endorsing U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar over her challenger Don Samuels (“State DFL Chair: Omar is the choice in the 5th District—literally and for good reason,” July 22), he left out one important fact. He was right that she won the DFL’s support by the required 60 percent in the first round of voting. What he failed to mention was that she was outwitted by individuals known as “superdelegates.” Superdelegates are a mix of elected DFL officials and certain DFL insiders. They were not elected delegates by any local party group. They are simply granted delegate privileges by virtue of their position in the party. In my opinion, as members of the party elite, superdelegates have a disproportionate ability to steer the direction of support. If they don’t like the direction and work required of the democratic process, they are often able to change it to whatever they think is best.

Yes, I support Samuels. I have known him for over 30 years and have worked with him both when he was an active member of the community and when he held elected office. I know him to be a man of integrity, wisdom and experience. Throughout all those years he has given of himself without any suggestion of undue advantage or enrichment. He rarely takes credit for the many things he has accomplished and would never take credit for the work of others. He has a true humility. These are the qualities that set him apart from his competitors.

Samuels’ near-total defeat by an incumbent congressman in the last election apparently shocked and stunned Minnesota’s DFL elite.

Gregory Hestness, Minneapolis

CLIMATE ACTION

The city needs a tough agreement on utility bills

We recently had two of the hottest days ever recorded on Earth, and 2023 was “almost certainly” the hottest year of the past 120,000, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. But I won’t bore you with that old news.

Right now in Minneapolis, the mayor’s office is negotiating new franchise agreements with our utilities, Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy (“Minneapolis’ once a decade chance to fight for energy and the climate,” June 14). It’s a big deal. Franchise agreements were once seen as simple right-of-way agreements for utilities to lay wires and pipes; but they’ve evolved to become climate change documents, agreements that help chart the course for the city’s transition to clean energy.

As the heat gets hotter, utilities should at least commit to clear, enforceable annual performance metrics with consequences for not meeting city goals. They have a monopoly, after all, and it seems modest to humbly ask them to be held accountable to benchmarks so we can all see how they’re doing. Are we really moving to a clean energy future?

While utilities own and profit from the vast majority of our city’s energy assets, this is our air, our climate, and our future. We need to be included in the conversation.

Brian Krohnke, Minneapolis

POLITICS AND MEDIA

It’s time to learn from the lessons of the McCarthy era

On February 9, 1950, in a speech in Wheeling, W.Va., the relatively unknown senator from Wisconsin, knowing the national anxiety about the coming communist infiltration, announced: I have in my pocket a list of the names of members of the State Department who are known members of the Communist Party. It does not matter whether Joseph McCarthy, the senator in question, had such a list; it does not matter whether the accusations were true or false. What is important is that McCarthy hit the jackpot in the art of manipulating the media. This statement made McCarthy a defender of America. At the McCarthy hearings, he criticized hundreds of Americans for alleged communist connections. Were there communists in the State Department? Probably. Were they a threat to the United States? Probably not. Did McCarthy serve the American public by insulting and ridiculing government officials? Absolutely not! He served himself. McCarthy’s genius was finding ways to grab the media’s attention. Fortunately, the country had had enough of his tricks and even his own party had moved on.

If you find something relevant to today’s political arena, let’s hope history repeats itself. Let’s hope the media and the American public recognize the corruption and move on before our democratic republic is destroyed.

Marian Severt, Brainerd, Minnesota.

MINNEAPOLIS

Warnings, Preservatives Needed in Open Water

Minneapolis urgently needs signage and life jackets at public swimming areas.

According to the Red Cross, drowning is the leading cause of death among children in the United States. The risk increases with race and economic status. I have read several articles about drownings in rivers and lakes this summer due to high water levels. You can imagine my surprise when I visited Minnehaha Falls this week and noticed extremely high water levels, fast currents, and many families swimming. There were no signs informing families of the risks of swimming, no emergency life preserver available in case of an accident, and no life jackets for swimmers.

I understand the city may not want to encourage swimming in Minnehaha Falls and other areas, but ignoring the fact that many people swim there puts too many people at risk. They should also add more free or discounted swimming lessons in parks, since the current public options fill up as soon as they get signed up.

Kian Glenn, Minneapolis