Jon Chalmers, Bloomington
I am writing in response to Tolkkinen’s commentary regarding rural politics. I grew up in a rural part of this state and currently work in three different rural areas. She complains about those of us in the metro saying, “Too bad, you voted for him,” in regard to how Trump’s policies are affecting rural Minnesota. She’s right that 35% of outstate Minnesota voted for someone other than Trump, but did those 35% voice their opinion in small-town cafes or only at the ballot box? Too many times, the vitriol of Trump supporters suppresses the opinions of those who think differently. As I drive to rural job sites, I often pass flags with words that denigrate Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Those same flags with ill will to Trump are not seen in the metro.
Tolkkinen says that rural folks want mining (and the unions that got them the livable wages), gun protection and fewer taxes. But just like blue states subsidize poorer red states, more taxes from metro areas of Minnesota flow to rural parts of our state. And when a large “cabin” is built on a lake in rural Minnesota, the county benefits from the property taxes. Biden’s policies that helped farmers combat climate change (cover crops, no-till methods, paying farmers for wind turbines and solar on their land) were quickly abandoned for a vote for Trump, despite his promise to re-enact tariffs that hurt them the first time. While I am willing to bring farmers into the Democratic fold (because we need to win control in 2026), I’m confident they will scatter once their issues have been fixed. They will still believe immigrants/people of color are getting a better deal than they are and that climate change is a hoax.