To the editor:

I couldn’t help but comment on the March 28 front page article on Senator Klobuchar gracing her presence in the City of New Ulm for the announcement that the New Ulm Airport will receive $2.5 MILLION in free money from the United States Federal Budget to construct a new crosswind runway. I was somewhat surprised Tina Smith didn’t show up as well.

First of all, I congratulate New Ulm in getting somebody else to once again pay for something that mostly the City of New Ulm will benefit from. I find it somewhat perplexing that anyone would spend $3.25 million to gain just a 4% increase in productivity. I’m sure getting the free money was the deciding factor in moving ahead with the project. Many glowing statistics were presented on how wonderful the airport is for the City. If the airport cross wind runway is so wonderful, I have to question why the improvement of re-aligning the runway hasn’t happened in the last 20 years, but then the City would have had to pull the money out of the City’s own coffers. It’s always easier to pull money out of someone else’s pocket.

I guess it’s really great that our local area is getting a bunch of “free money”. At least until you start to realize there are literally hundreds if not thousands of “New Ulm” like cities across our great country asking for (and getting) free money too. This is all great fun until you start considering where all the “free money” really comes from. Look, our Government gets money in one of two ways. They either tax all of us (which they do quite a bit of), or they borrow it. I suspect most of the cash coming into New Ulm (and all the other cities too) is being borrowed. To the tune of about $34 trillion dollars and counting every minute.

I’m 62 years old and have watched my generation (the baby boomers) pillage our subsequent generations for way too long. New Ulm’s “free money” will be paid for by my children and grandchildren (and most likely great grandchildren), OR our country will suffer immensely by catastrophic economic collapse. Take your pick people. Enjoy the spoils while you can. Our day of reckoning is coming. Happy landings New Ulm.

Paul Platz

Lafayette