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When I graduated in 1960 from Lake Mills, my government teacher said countries have wealth three ways:

1. Grow it or raise it. ( Our farmers and ranchers are doing a very good job of that.)

2. Mine it. (We are not getting very many mines approved.) Example, a copper mine in northern Minnesota.

3. Manufacture it. ( We have lost over 7.5 million jobs since 1980 and about 5 million jobs of that total since 1998-2021.

4. Locally: Lake Mills has lost 500 to 600 jobs with the filter plant to Mexico.

5. Locally: The 1970s Albert Lea chamber newsletter informed us there was about 20,000 people in Albert Lea and about 10,000 jobs. I do not know the job total now, but I think it is a lot lower.

6. I moved to the Glenville area in 1969. Albert Lea had about 500 students per class and Glenville had about 50. Today Albert Lea is around 200, and Glenville around 20 per class.

7. Tariffs are the reason for my letter. I think we need them for both jobs and the ability to produce for the military if we get in a war like World War II.

8. I also think if President Trump had not been elected neither Republicans or Democrats would have tried to get jobs back here since all of them get their money to try and get reelected from big donors and big corporations.

9. I do not know about you, but I do not think we can let China get rich with our money and build a bigger military than us.

10. I think all of us should try to buy everything we can made in America.

Russel E. Tordoff
Glenville