Integrity is key after Minnesota s mask mandate is lifted With no way to police vaccine status, individual honesty and responsibility are critical.
By EDITORIAL BOARD, Star Tribune May 18, 2021 5:45pm Text size Copy shortlink:
If you lie, you could still die. Or someone else could.
Consider this a reminder of how vital individual responsibility has become now that Gov. Tim Walz has lifted the statewide face mask mandate. Walz announced the move last Thursday after federal officials said those fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer needed to mask in most situations.
Minnesotans who aren t vaccinated should still mask up. But with no easy way to check, it s up to those who haven t gotten the shot yet to act responsibly. And too many of them are motivated by anti-masking political rhetoric.
Readers Write: Electric vehicles, solar power on school roofs With EV push, rethink gas tax. May 14, 2021 6:00pm Text size Copy shortlink:
Democrats are correct that the vehicle industry must and will switch from gas-powered to electric-powered vehicles. But Republicans are also correct that electric vehicles do not pay gasoline taxes, which support our roadways and ground transportation infrastructure. The clear solution is that the gasoline tax needs to be dropped and replaced with some other type of use tax that would apply to all vehicles.
At first glance, one could consider a tax on all vehicle registrations, but that would not take into account the fact that some vehicle owners drive much more than others. It occurs to me that one solution would be a tax on tires, which all vehicles use. The tax would be best based on the cost of the tire, since more expensive tires generally last longer than cheaper tires.
Our Best Shot: Fact-checking claims about COVID vaccines and fertility Medical experts agree: There s no evidence the immunization causes infertility.
By EDITORIAL BOARD, Star Tribune May 8, 2021 6:00pm Text size Copy shortlink:
A worried reader s e-mail launched this addition to the Star Tribune Editorial Board s Our Best Shot series addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.
A much-loved uncle resides in a rural Minnesota nursing home, the reader messaged. While almost all residents there have been immunized, only 70% of staff have gotten the shot. For maximum protection against the virus, everyone in the facility should be vaccinated. Yet the holdouts aren t budging. They re mainly young women who have heard the vaccine will make them infertile.
Readers Write: Minneapolis Park Board, a gun at a Plymouth school, eating meat, the deliciousness of quiche Silliness is one word for it. April 30, 2021 6:00pm Text size Copy shortlink:
The Star Tribune Editorial Board got it exactly right in A voice of reason on Park Board silliness (April 26). The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board resolved to bar State Patrol officers from using space at its headquarters. Bizarrely, the Park Board characterized this vote as an emergency resolution.
For those who have observed the actions of the Park Board over these last few years, silliness is certainly the kindest term that could be used. The State Patrol resolution is only the most recent example of overall absurdity and utter mismanagement by the board. Sadly, more examples can be regularly found, basically every time the board meets.