In one segment there was talk about easing congestion (“Creative Solutions to Congestion”), yet no talk of motorcycles, and in another segment (“Wind Technology Boot Camp”) a joking remark about a desperate father, who is working diligently to re-engineer his career to support his family, being forced to sell his motorcycle. Guess what? Motorcycles and other motorized two-wheeled vehicles are better for the environment and easier on the wallet than automobiles with lesser emissions, less congestion, cheaper upfront cost, cheaper insurance, cheaper maintenance fees.

Listening to your story on The Great America Think Off, I am sitting in my Montana farmhouse sheltered from the blizzard whipping outdoors, and feeling a joyful camaraderie with those rural North Dakotans being interviewed. As a one-time resident of large cities on both coasts, I often felt that city folks genuinely underestimated the creative intellect of rural residents. Nothing could be more FALSE! Many of the most well-informed, most imaginative, most thoughtful, and most mentally agile people I have met over decades of peripatetic living are those right here where I grew up… in Big Sandy, Montana, surrounded by wheat fields and cattle ranches.

Thanks for a wonderful story.

Diane Edwards

Greetings … and continued thanks for being such an important part of our lives! What would we do without NPR?

I loved the story about the Think-Off… and would like to hear a follow-up about what Founder, John Davis, is up to now. He’s one talented guy, and I believe he’s gone on to found the Kids Philosophy Slam and is Director of the Cornucopia Arts Center in small-town Lanesboro, Minnesota. How about sharing The Rest of the Story …?

With gratitude and wishes for a lovely afternoon,
Roberta

While many creative solutions to incentivize drivers to commute during off-peak hours were proposed (“Creative Solutions to Congestion”), you did not discuss the simple solution of getting more people to ride bicycles to work. Nearly 40% of commuting trips are under two miles, which is a feasible distance to travel by bicycle for all levels of riders. Cycling also addresses many problems at once. It would not only contribute towards reducing congestion, but would increase exercise amongst americans, reduce pollution, and reduce the demand for foreign oil. It would be nice in the future to hear a segment on your show discussing these aspects.

I enjoyed the “Think Off” story. As an early resident of New York Mills, MN, which was the largest predominantly Finnish American community according to the 1946 state History book we had in elementary school, it was gatifying to hear this intellectual side of rural life described.

However, I really was dismayed that Garrison Keilor singing was used as a cheap advertisment for him as a ‘representative’ of rural life. I’ve always enjoyed Prairie Home Companion but Garrison has never once, in th 30 some eyars that I’ve ever listened to him, meantioned Finnish people or New York Mills.

Further, as far as I can tell, he never even lived in a small town. Anoka, his home town, is beter described as a suburb of Minnesota’s Twin Cities. In my opinion it was great to hear of the “Think Off” in the radio but it was disappointing that it was overshadowed by a Twin Cities suburbanite.

In other words, your ending the show with Keilor was Wrong although it may have seemed to be the Right thing to do.

And, no, I no longer live in Northern Minnesota, but my new Home Town is only 10 miles from Hell, Michigan. I ile to say “No Pinckney is not in Hell …. but I can see it from here” :-}