Letter - Lack of leadership at Legislature

To the editor:

I sent this to Rep. Westrom, Sen. Ingebrigtsen and Speaker Zeller today:

I served 25 years in the Air Force, retired as a Chief Master Sergeant (E9), then 19 years in civil service, retiring as a GS12. I have a bachelor’s degree in management/human resources and a master’s in administration. These are my qualifications for evaluating leadership.

I am so disgusted at the vacuous leadership I see in the state Republican Party, especially the issue on the Vikings stadium: Speaker Zeller’s comment on Governor Dayton “having to find his own votes for the stadium” after the governor vetoed the “Business” bill. The only image missing was Speaker Zeller stomping his feet and crying. That was so unbelievably insidious and sophomoric, I was dumbfounded.

I am so infuriated that I will not vote this election; elections I have voted in at every turn, every time! I have always voted as a Republican, always. But both in Minnesota and federally, the Republicans have driven me away with their loss of vision for this state and the reason they were elected. You no longer deserve my support and will not get it.

It pains me to not be a part of the process I defended for my years of service, but it is too frustrating to see it continue. If I would vote and the same stupidity continued, I would need to completely stop watching news and reading the papers. I am seeing a deterioration of my state and country for purely selfish goals with no adult leadership in sight.

Leaders concern themselves with right/wrong not win/lose! Grow up and act like a leaders, not an arrogant superior person. We already have one of those in the White House and that’s one too many!

Roger Hegland

Alexandria, MN

Tags: opinion, letters