Our politicians need to take responsibility 

letters to the editor  
Our politicians need to take responsibility 
By Bill Hosko
The cadence of City Councilmember Rebecca Noecker’s May Community Reporter column, ‘Let’s lead the way, families deserve better’ closely followed State Senator Sandy Pappas’ April Community Reporter column, ‘Addressing Minnesota’s Public Education Crisis’. In essence, we’re lectured that we need to do more, and we are going to pay even higher taxes to ‘fix’ the problem. 
Councilmember Noecker’s call for taxpayer-funded childcare for lower-income parents is late; she’s held office for over six years. The root of her implied argument; daycare is unfairly expensive. The reason she doesn’t contend these businesses are greedy is because her policies and actions are permanently making it ever more expensive for businesses to survive in this city, including independent daycares. Her answer is to give more power to herself and create even more government programs and government oversight. Perpetual dependency is becoming normalized, not upon ourselves, but upon the very politicians who are making things worse.
In her column, she also wrote, “nationwide one million more women than men left the workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic, in part due to lack of childcare. These forced labor exits were disproportionately borne by women of color.” This is an incredible statement given that she supported the very policies which forced countless local businesses, many run by women and men ‘of color’, who employed many women and men ‘of color’, to shut down. Simultaneously, ‘essential’ national chains were allowed to remain wide open, to thereby collect record profits. Many businesses forced to close were in fact selling ‘essential’ goods and services. 
     Further, she remained silent rather than demanding a curfew be put in place, as hundreds of businesses, many owned by women and men ‘of color’, were attacked in this city for two nights two years ago. 
     Her column’s ending, ‘If we’re serious about equity, economic growth and creating a caring community, we have a responsibility to make childcare affordable and accessible for every family in St. Paul.’ With all due respect, her policies and agenda are not about equity, but rather the perpetual seeding of division and dependency. 
Countless parents willing to take responsibility for their families and who are willing to put in the time and work to become self-determining, can and are in fact doing so in this lovely city. That said, many are agreeable to helping lower-wage earners with children with childcare if in fact, it means that they can remain in the workplace and remain as self-supporting as possible. 
Bill Hosko, 59, is a Saint Paul native and a self-employed architectural illustrator/artist for 32 years, and a downtown business owner of 29 years. He’s a political independent who has campaigned for St. Paul City Council and Mayor of St. Paul.