If you go to the official City of Saint Paul website, the sub-heading says, “The most livable city in America.”

There should be an asterisk which follows that says in bold letters, “EXCEPT FOR THE TWO WEEKS FOLLOWING A SNOW EVENT.”

Jerry Wynn, St. Paul

Promise of a better life

Regarding the George Will column from Sunday, Dec. 1: “Elizabeth Warren is progressivism’s Donald Trump”:

I appreciate the conservative philosophy of looking to the past for the answers to our present ills, but nothing in our heritage says to give up trying because “if it could have been done it would have been done.”

George Will claims that the U.S. Constitution forbids direct taxation … nonsense. The 16th Amendment clarifies the wording of Article 1, Section 9 granting Congress the power to collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived. The “wealth tax,” if it’s struck down, will have to void that power of the government to collect taxes. Good luck!

The socialists said the New Deal was carried out “on a stretcher” and if the wealth tax … battered, bruised, and broken … is likewise carried out on a stretcher, it will be a success.

When the supply of billionaires shrinks and wealth is returned to its creators, the American promise of a better life may then become a reality.

Peter Mellom, St. Paul

At least some dignity

Okay, forget politics. The Wall. The Trade Deals. Here’s what is really important: Our president feels free to humiliate and degrade anybody who comes into view. He’s like a terribly obnoxious fifth-grader who just learned he likes to bully (with apologies to fifth-graders everywhere).

I’m so glad that Lisa Page decided to speak out against this lower I.Q. individual. (“I’m done with being quiet“).

Maybe impeachment is not the answer. But in the future, we as a country must insist on a president who delivers a minimum amount of dignity for all Americans.

Brad Larson, St. Paul

Start here: Keep city safe, roads passable

The citizens of St. Paul elected Melvin Carter mayor to keep our city safe, and to maintain order. We also elected him to do something about the terrible road conditions in the winter. I live on the far east side of St. Paul, and drive through Maplewood and Oakdale on a daily basis and I see just how terrible St. Paul’s snow clearing is in compared to these small cities.

Our residential roads are now ice packed, and with our recent snows that were not declared a snow emergency, they are almost unpassable for a normal car. What is the mayor’s plan for this? Does he plan another study for another bike route?

Does he understand why he was elected, or what he is doing as mayor? Keep our city safe and keep our roads passable. How hard is that?

When do the taxpayers he claims to represent get representation?

Dan Lucker, St. Paul

Too little affordable housing

I write in regard to the article on the Sunday, Dec. 1, entitled “Rents dip, but no affordable units underway” by Fredrick Melo. I felt like this article was really informative about how even though average rental costs have decreased, there is still a lack of affordable housing.

As a social worker, I work with many individuals who lack access to affordable housing. A report by the Minnesota Housing Partnership published in 2019 reported that a little over 570,000 Minnesotans spend more than half of their income on rent. This unaffordability not only affects a person’s expenses, but it also put stress on their daily living. As a social worker, I often see the struggles of individuals trying to make ends meet in housing that they cannot afford.

One resource that many individuals rely on to assist with housing affordability is the housing choice voucher. However, these vouchers are often hard to come by, have long waitlists, and even if you receive a voucher there is no guarantee that you can use it. As rent has been getting more expensive and the tenant guidelines more strict, not only do fewer and fewer apartment complexes meet the guidelines for these vouchers, but more and more apartment complexes choose to no longer participate in them. This is especially true as the rental vacancy rate gets lower and lower.

According to an article entitled “Section wait: Federal housing vouchers hard to get, hard to use” published last year by MPR, Minnesota’s current rental vacancy rate sits at 3%. This means there are even fewer options for individuals needing affordable housing. The State of Minnesota really needs to invest in increasing the amount of affordable housing options by increasing incentives for landlords to offer affordable options and by investing in new affordable housing buildings.

Carlie Lund, St. Paul