Viewpoints

To the Editor:

The Iowa legislature passed the Senate File 94 that will provide $7600 per year as an “educational savings account” (ESA) for students attending private elementary or secondary schools. This bill did not have to pass the House Education Committee, go through the Appropriations Committee, nor were any amendments allowed, thus restricting debate over budgets and additions.

To the Editor:

I am writing to express appreciation to Allamakee County​​​-area residents for sharing the true meaning of Christmas with children in need this past holiday season. Generosity throughout contributed to a successful shoebox gift collection season at drop-off locations for the Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child.

Across the U.S., the project collected over 9.3 million shoebox gifts in 2022. Combined with those collected from partnering countries in 2022, the ministry is now sending nearly 10.6 million shoebox gifts to children worldwide.

Through shoeboxes - packed with fun toys, school supplies, and hygiene items - Allamakee County​​-area volunteers brought joy to children in need around the world. Each gift-filled shoebox is a tangible expression of God’s love, and it is often the first gift these children have ever received.

Are you a member of a church?

Lots of people aren’t. A 2020 Gallup poll found that only 47% of U.S. adults belonged to a church. It’s not the norm anymore.

Nevertheless, many people find great value in belonging to a church. Let me share with you some of the important benefits.

Sense of community
Personal connections are vital to our health. High social relationships can lower rates of anxiety and depression, heighten self-esteem, and even increase longevity by 50%. Historically, churches have provided people with a sense of community, friendship and belonging. According to an article in Psychology Today, feeling that you belong is most important in seeing value in life and in coping with painful emotions. Research also shows that it improves your motivation, health and happiness. After the isolation caused by the pandemic, our need for community is greater than ever.

To the Editor:

Thousands of creative and imaginative minds helped our country grow and prosper. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if those brilliant minds could come up with a solution for substance abuse and addiction?

If so, what kind of changes would occur in a society without drug-related crime, people dying from overdose, and the resulting financial burdens? It may seem like a utopian dream that can’t come true, but let’s try to imagine what life in a drug-free society would look like.

The following are some of the most noticeable changes we could expect if substance abuse and addiction didn’t exist:

To the Editor:

The Democrat Party has been taken over by the devil. They are anti-American and openly anti-Christian, our national debt is a disgrace, and it happened with Democrat programs and some RINOs (Republicans in name only).

They built 105 Planned Parenthood buildings and they want to defund our police and military. The states that have Democrats for governors are riddled with crime and in debt big time. Also, cities with Democrat mayors, ditto to the above.

They won’t support English only in our schools, they ban anything Christian in our schools - the Bible and 10 Commandments. Christian teachers could not wear a cross. Clergy could not be active in politics or they would lose their tax exemption status. These facts should make you sick, and to think the Republican Party helped them. I can not express how badly we need to clean the swamp in the Republican Party to make it great again.

Every new year some people make “resolutions”. Maybe it is to change a behavior or habit, possibly to learn a new hobby, to exercise more. Too often we fail because we do not consider taking small steps toward personal change. This is true for our spiritual lives as well; we don’t think about how challenging it can be to create and sustain new, grace-filled habits.

To the Editor:

As we move into the New Year, I find myself giving thanks for living in Iowa and for having Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) and their entire staff serving us.

December 1 I suffered a serious accident while working in the woods with my son, Jonathon. We were working recovering firewood from a steep hillside on my farm and I was struck by a falling tree. The blow from the tree fractured my right femur and destroyed the artificial knee which had been implanted 21 years ago.

The Harpers Ferry Fire Department Rescue Squad brought me out of the woods and delivered me to VMH where they diagnosed the full extent of my injuries. Once the full extent of my injuries was known, the hospital staff began the search for anyplace to do the repairs required. It took all day to find a surgical team that does the type of work needed and that turned out to be University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City.

To the Editor:

There is a form of slavery taking place in Iowa right now. It’s called human trafficking, and it occurs when men, women or children are forced to perform labor services or sexual acts.

This horrific crime affects thousands of people across the U.S., and it can happen to anyone. The State of Iowa is taking steps to raise awareness about human trafficking and put an end to this danger, but we need your help.

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. This is an opportune time for Iowans to learn how to recognize the signs of human trafficking, stand with survivors, and inform them of available resources.

The Christmas Tree

Have you ever wondered why we put up Christmas trees? Most people love Christmas trees. However, very few know its history or the purpose behind Christmas trees. And so, I thought I would share some information with you so that you may learn to understand and appreciate your Christmas tree a little more.

For many, a “good Christmas” means just getting through the holidays with minimal conflict. Clenched teeth make it hard to sing most holiday carols, so now is no time for confrontation.

Yet, John the Baptist stands as the Gospel’s necessary Advent precursor - God’s go-to man whose precise charge confronts us and bring us into conflict with ourselves.

“By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace,” declares John’s father, Zechariah.

His lyric song in Luke 1 provides a kind of pause, an interruption, in the narrative flow. Turn the page, and what’s next is the most-famous version of the Christmas story! That’s what we’re all so eager to get to this month. Who doesn’t want to jump straight into Luke 2 and once again see that manger, that baby, those exhausted young parents, those angels dancing in the night sky?