Letter: Disarming smile

A disarming smile coupled with the willingness to exaggerate reality have kept Steve Drazkowski in public office for too long. His latest update, published Jan. 28, only touched on a few of his party line complaints, but they make my point.

Drazkowski opened up with his reflexive exaggeration of the bill which would allow women to control their own health care decisions. Husbands and fathers of women of childbearing age, would you deny your wife or daughter the ability to make decisions that would impact their life quality, and in some cases even their longevity? Do you really trust others to make those vital decisions for your loved ones?

Then Drazkowski takes up another party line attack on Gov. Walz’s determined efforts to save lives of people in Minnesota by the issuance of COVID mandates, especially prior to widespread immunization. Whatever happened to the time honored tradition of government leaders working together to address public emergencies? I would have thought Drazkowski old enough to remember those days as I do.

I agree that the $17.6 billion budget surplus should be returned to the working public, in constructive ways that would further stimulate this state’s economy, as supported by the Democratic majority and Governor Walz. However, Drazkowski would rather use this surplus as an excuse to tie the hands of those leaders and extend further tax cuts to those who need them least – Drazkowski’s true constituents.

So in closing, I hope that readers and voters please consider the primary purpose of Drazkowski’s updates to be that of exaggeration rather than fair minded views of reality. We need straight talkers in St. Paul, not trash talkers.

-Mike Johnson, Red Wing