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I appreciated Matthew Fritz’s commentary on the highschool hockey match, recounting his expertise and acknowledging his dad and mom’ sacrifices throughout his enjoying days (“For a brief moment in a player’s life, it’s everything,” Opinion Exchange, March 9). As a guardian, let me supply additional perspective. I coached grade college basketball for each my son and daughter by way of eighth grade. Countless hours within the gymnasium, arranging apply schedules, attending to video games. My spouse and I put in miles driving our daughter to and from basketball touring workforce practices and spent many weekends at gyms and resorts across the state for tournaments. While our daughter was in highschool, it was two video games per week, typically driving by way of blizzards. Yes, it was lots of time (and expense), however I additionally obtained to share with our youngsters the highs and lows of competitors, obtained to know their teammates and loved spending time with the entire different dad and mom. My spouse and I additionally sat in Target Center as our daughter’s highschool workforce gained a state basketball championship.
Like Fritz, our youngsters have moved on and so have I, however I often pull out the DVDs and relive these occasions. For this guardian, the journey was not one in every of sacrifice, however of gratitude and lasting pleasure. Thanks, children, for hauling me alongside.
Doug Norris, Brooklyn Park
UBER AND LYFT DRIVERS
What’s stopping additional meddling?
On March 7, the City Council of Minneapolis authorized a plan to guarantee Uber and Lyft drivers a minimal wage (“Frey, City Council heading for a showdown over veto,” March 9). But when did it occur that unbiased contractors, which these Uber and Lyft drivers are categorised as, get any guarantee of minimal pay, not to mention a guarantee to have their bills paid for or to make a revenue? There is not any guarantee for a business to make a revenue ? which these Uber and Lyft drivers technically are, a business ? and though you might break down their wage to an hourly wage, that’s not how they’re paid. They are paid per cease/journey. Expenses related to that cease are borne by the unbiased contractor and never Uber or Lyft. I’ve identified over-the-road unbiased contract drivers who take a load merely for gasoline money to get them again home. No revenue, no bills paid.
But why did the City Council cease with Uber and Lyft drivers? Don’t drivers for DoorDash or drivers working for courier firms who’re paid per cease deserve the identical ensures, or how in regards to the over-the-road trucker whose pay relies on miles? What about drivers who receives a commission per bundle akin to vacation drivers for floral firms, or all the opposite unbiased contractors whose pay shouldn’t be based mostly per hour? Perhaps it will be simpler if Minneapolis enacted a plan the place all staff are paid per hour and never by their work classification.
Duane Butorac, Eagan
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Regarding the pay hike subject surrounding Uber and Lyft, my major subject proper now’s calling them rideshare firms. Yes, I do know, lookup the definition of “rideshare” and that’s what they’re. But actually, there isn’t any sharing happening. It does not save individuals money or assist the atmosphere like mass transit or carpooling. It is a business transaction, type of like what they used to name a taxi. You know, make a name and somebody comes and picks you up and brings you the place you wish to go for a cost. Now it’s simply on an app.
I suggest the Star Tribune maintain a naming contest for what these firms ought to be known as, type of just like the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s “Name a Snowplow” contest. Minnesota will be the state to give you a brand new identify for these kinds of business transactions. And it will probably’t embody the phrase “share.” That would actually make me loopy!
Oh, and whereas I’m at it, the overuse of the phrase “actually” drives me nuts. Uff da.
Christopher Bradshaw, Columbus
MEANING OF WORDS
Aphasia is private, not political
Regarding the commentary by Jacob Goodwin, “Let us not lose the common meaning of words” (Opinion Exchange, March 8), aphasia is utilized in a twisted technique to help conservative ideas. I had a stroke almost 20 years in the past and have aphasia. My mind continues to heal in any case this time with remedy, studying and speaking serving to the mind circuits to heal. Reading the opinion piece written by a neurology resident, I used to be to listen to what he can be saying about aphasia. Instead, in the midst of the piece he wrote about how phrases can be utilized in a different way to speak actuality. Examples had been suicide, abortion and gender, all conservative sizzling subjects. Aphasia is a critical dysfunction and shouldn’t be used to advertise cultural bias.
Rochelle M. Anderson, Minnetonka
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Goodwin is responsible of the language use he criticizes. He refers to an embryo or fetus as an “unborn youngster.” He’s a physician; he know what an embryo is. His message is political, not linguistic.
Barb Farrell, Minnetonka
PUPPY MILLS
Enjoying retirement, years later
Kudos Star Tribune for the front-page story “Amish at heart of puppy mill debate” (March 11). We rescued one in every of these dogs six years in the past, and lots of factors in your story sadly ring true.
Our latest rescue golden retriever, Skye, was surrendered to a rescue organization in 2018. We suspect she was relinquished as her puppy output had fallen with age, and the value of “livestock” relies on how a lot money they carry in. Thank goodness she was rescued as an alternative of being destroyed, as a result of Skye is an excellent member of our household.
Not surprisingly, there weren’t any actual data of her time with the Amish. To this present day, her age is barely an estimate. It appears unlikely that she was seen by a vet fairly often or in any respect. She got here to us with almost no muscle mass as a result of lack of train. Her enamel had been in horrible form, and lots of have been eliminated throughout anesthetized dental procedures. Her nails had been seldom trimmed, so the quicks are very lengthy, and we will solely trim her ensuing “talons” in tiny increments now. The pores and skin on her stomach is completely stretched out from her many pregnancies.
Though Skye was very shy and anxious once we first met her, she had great foster care, and we noticed the gorgeous spark in her. We knew she was the one for us and had been proper. She realized methods to be a canine from her canine sister, one other shy golden rescue who had blossomed. Our dog-friendly neighborhood has all the time handled her with quiet affection. We problem-solve seemingly minor points like discovering the suitable bowl for her meals; sides too deep had been daunting for her, so a shallow Dansk bowl has been hers for years. (We marvel if meals on the breeding operation had simply been chucked on the barn ground.)
If Skye’s age estimate was appropriate, I’m pleased to report that this spring she has been retired for so long as she was in Amish captivity. We hope her years of freedom proceed so as to add up.
Laurie Eckblad Anderson, Minneapolis
