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Letters to the Editor

Respect others on the road: slow down

Richard Reuer, Minot Today I was reading in the paper about a roundabout being put at 83 and 23. To me that is not a solution. I find drivers when I’m driving on the 83 bypass and 2 & 52 driving 10 or more over the speed limit. There is not enough law enforcement to cover those who go over the speed limit. It’s those who do not drive what the posted speed limit is that cause most of the accidents on the roads that harm or kill those who follow the speed limit. I am an old-fashioned driver. During the daytime I drive what is posted on the roadway. At nights I drive 5-10 miles ...

Republicans need intelligent debate on property taxes

James Maxson, Minot In 2024, North Dakota voters will probably vote whether or not to eliminate real estate property taxes. It looks like it will be a proxy war between the obvious factions within the North Dakota Republican party. Republicans in recent history have comprised roughly 75% of North Dakota voters. Is the Republican party still the party of local control? Local school boards, city councils, park boards, water boards, and county commissions are obviously local. Have they all become infested with vermin? Their primary source of revenue is real estate property taxes. ...

Generosity toward people in need

Duane Brekke, Minot For the last several years, those of us associated with the Lord’s Cupboard and the elevated gardens, located north of Velva, have learned a new way to spell generosity – KASOWSKI. This is the name of a family north of Karlsruhe, N.D., who has donated potatoes generously to the Lord’s Cupboard of Minot for the past 7-8 years. Those working with this family have found that their donations of potatoes and their attitude toward giving are second to none. This past year they have given 14,393 pounds of potatoes out of the kindness of their hearts. Thank you, ...

Let’s keep the progress going

Josh Wolsky, Minot A couple of years ago I brought a car back from Florida. I used the trip as an opportunity to see how Minot measured up. I wanted to see how we compared to other places. I didn’t have a lot of time, so my stops were brief. Most were maybe an hour – just enough time to walk around, take some pictures, grab a cup of coffee, and form a first impression. It’s hard to get an honest sense of a place by looking at its McDonalds, so I made the downtowns my focus. I stopped eighteen times: Dawson, Eufaula, Montgomery, Tupelo, Conway, Fort Smith, Ponca City, McPherson, ...

Eliminating property tax would have positive effect

Steven Moen Minot Everyone is negatively affected by property tax, not just the property owner. How you say? Do you think groceries are tax free? Not so, their prices are adjusted to pay the store’s property tax. Same goes for any store you shop at, or any apartment you rent. Dakota Square Mall in Minot property tax bill is over 1 million dollars. Guess who pays that tab? The mall owners don’t. They pass it onto the retail stores, who in turn pass it down to the customers. All businesses do this, be it a store, repair shop, dealership, grain elevator, apartment landlords etc. ...

Imagine this science fiction episode

James Maxson, Minot Imagine a science fiction episode in the classic old black and white series, The Twilight Zone. The main character is a middle class woman in a middle class town in the Midwest called Lake Flaccid. The woman has a toothache. She goes to her dentist. Her dentist doesn’t treat her but instead offers her his thoughts and prayers. She has cramps and goes to her nurse practitioner. She doesn’t receive treatment but is offered thoughts and prayers by her nurse practitioner. She has vision loss. She goes to her optometrist who doesn’t treat her but offers her his ...