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I learn with disgust within the Star Tribune on April 4 the article “With weight problems on the rise, ‘anti-diet’ backers discover ally in General Mills.” Shame on the cereal producers. Shame on registered dietitians. There are practically half one million Americans dying yearly due to weight problems, and these individuals need extra. I am unable to consider a extra ludicrous thought in selling extra sugar and fats into American diets. There is a section of this society that has hatched the concept that an anti-diet is sweet for you, and trade has gladly hopped on board, to its delight. These teams are telling us to eat as we please and neglect about regulating the meals trade. Are we to sit down round and let trade leaders inform us consuming their sugarcoated cereal and processed meals is sweet for us and our children as a result of it makes them more healthy and happier?
Lying on this age appears to get outcomes. I believe any scientific examine carried out by the trade claiming it’s useful for our well being is flawed. Are registered dietitians afraid to face up for what is correct and refute this foolish thought as a result of they might lose their jobs? I simply purchased my final field of cereal.
Richard Wagner, Long Prairie, Minn.
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Just learn the April 4 piece on General Mills’ company cooperation with the web anti-diet motion. I bought my General Mills inventory after studying the Star Tribune piece on microplastics discovered of their cereals and different merchandise (“Plastics present in General Mills meals,” Feb. 9). I’m glad to be saved knowledgeable by your reporters on this native meals large’s full disregard for its clients’ well being. The well timed metaphor (up to date) can be “peeing in our Cheerios.”
Lori Wagner Hollenkamp, Mendota Heights
HOUSING
Resurrect the duplex invoice
When my spouse and I have been in search of our first home to purchase collectively in 2021, we started single-family properties. We shortly realized that in essentially the most fascinating neighborhoods the month-to-month fee on a single-family exceeded what we have been comfy paying. So, we turned to duplexes with the concept of residing in a single unit whereas renting out the opposite to offset the mortgage. We have been lucky to discover a property inside our funds in a extremely coveted location with a high-ranking college district. The hire from the opposite unit covers over half of our mortgage (PITI), and we have been in a position to make use of that rental revenue to qualify. Over time, our housing bills will go down as rents improve and the month-to-month hire collected covers a bigger portion of our bills. And there are important tax advantages to proudly owning rental property.
Unfortunately, because of the prevalence of single-family zoning in lots of cities, duplexes are laborious to return by in lots of neighborhoods, together with ours.
As reasonably priced single-family properties grow to be tougher to search out, extra home patrons could wish to think about duplexes. I hope legislative leaders proceed working towards an answer that may enable extra duplexes in all communities (“Duplex invoice doubtless useless for this 12 months,” April 4). Hopefully, they discover a option to embrace native officers on this course of with out utterly yielding to their calls for for whole management. I might like to see metropolis and state leaders collaborate to discover a answer to permit extra households like ours to reside the place they most want.
James Albrecht, Edina
DONALD TRUMP
How is that this our actuality?
Every day I get up and ask myself the identical query: “How is it attainable a person who tried to overthrow our authorities is allowed to attempt as soon as once more to grow to be its chief?” Our forty fifth president, Donald Trump, misplaced the 2020 election and as a substitute of permitting for the peaceable transition of energy that has occurred for the reason that founding of our republic he plotted to foment an rebellion. He met with conspirators to arrange slates of pretend electors, he hounded the secretary of state in Georgia to get him to search out the variety of votes he would want to overturn that state’s election outcomes and, when he refused, Trump badgered his personal vp to not certify the outcomes. When that failed Trump held a rally on the day Congress was to fulfill to certify the election the place he inspired a mob of indignant followers to storm the capitol to aim to overthrow the outcomes.
I watched in horror that day as Trump’s followers attacked the Capitol, knocking over boundaries, beating police and chanting for the hanging of Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The assault lasted for hours, ensuing within the loss of life of a number of individuals and the harm of many regulation enforcement officers. Trump had wished to hitch the mob however was as a substitute taken again to the White House by his Secret Service element the place he watched the riot unfold on tv. Members of his workers, his get together and even his family begged him to cease it, however for over two hours he did nothing to intervene.
In the riot’s aftermath Trump was condemned by each events, the media and the general public. The perception was that his political profession was over and that he would by no means be allowed to hunt workplace once more. But, members of the Republican Party who condemned his conduct simply three years in the past at the moment are fortunately embracing him whereas the press is pretending that it’s one way or the other regular. It is not regular or logical for a person who tried to overthrow our authorities to as soon as once more take management of it. The state of affairs we’re in is as removed from regular because it will get. Every day we enable an insurrectionist like Donald Trump to masquerade as a candidate for workplace makes a mockery of our democracy.
Michael Farnsworth, Minneapolis
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Former President Trump just lately declared that Nov. 5 (Election Day) ought to be celebrated as “Christian Visibility Day.” If his want have been granted, would not he danger not being seen in any respect?
Alan Bray, St. Peter, Minn.
CATS
Keep management of your pets, individuals
An enormous because of the town of Waconia for passing an ordinance proscribing cats! (“Waconia’s feline pals have to be saved on leashes,” April 3.) I’ve owned many cats in my life, and I get pleasure from them. However, they shouldn’t be allowed to roam free underneath any circumstances. Wherever cats are, they stalk and kill. This is as a result of they’re grasp hunters. Recent analysis printed within the journal Nature Communications “discovered that free-ranging home cats (together with feral ones) eat greater than 2,000 species,” based on a New York Times story. This is extraordinarily regarding for the environment and ecology. The article goes on: “Almost half of the species cats ate have been birds, adopted by reptiles and mammals.” Surprisingly, additionally they ate many bugs, together with “monarch butterflies, pink-spotted hawk moths and emperor dragonflies.” And: “Nearly 350 of the species, together with monarch butterflies and inexperienced sea turtles, have been imperiled or liable to being imperiled.”
Here in Minnesota we’re transferring into spring when many child birds will likely be on the bottom and at risk from searching cats. I sincerely hope all cities and cities will comply with Waconia’s lead and cross cat-control ordinances. Simply catching, neutering or spaying after which releasing them once more shouldn’t be the reply. Cats should be in properties and managed each bit as a lot — if no more — than dogs.
Ruth E. Lovander Foley, Eden Prairie
