Viewpoints

To the Editor:

Iowa’s families, whether they are rural or urban, want great public schools which their children can attend in their communities close to their homes.

Iowa’s more conservative party which now controls the Governorship, State House of Representatives and State Senate is pushing to pass the Voucher Bill. Vouchers take away our tax dollars from public schools and give them to private, for-profit schools.

Our rural public schools are already struggling and strapped for money due to years of underfunding by the more conservative party. Rural public schools will be hit the hardest by vouchers. Will our public schools in Allamakee County be able to survive?

To the Editor:

The coming mid-term elections are the most important ones in our life time.  Although critical issues such as women’s reproductive rights and lower drug prices are in play, the existential issue confronting us is whether our country will continue as a democracy or become an electoral autocracy - a country in which votes are cast, but no longer determine the winner of elections.

Nearly 300 conservatives running for congressional and state offices in 48 states have denied the outcome of the last presidential election. If a substantial number of these candidates win, our election processes and outcomes will intentionally be thrown into disorder and a fundamental principle of democracy - that votes count - will be destroyed. If voters cannot choose the winners, we lose our ability to decide all of the other political issues.

To the Editor:

Friday, October 7, the VFW Auxiliary held an annual poppy campaign in Waukon. The donations received will support our local veterans, patriot quilts, veterans hospitals and nursing homes, youth activities and the National Home for Families.

The generous contributions by our community will help to improve the lives of veterans, service members and their families by bringing them needed services and assistance. The poppy represents the blood shed by American service members, and your donations tell them you will not forget them. The Auxiliary greatly appreciates your donations.

Karen Mathis
Poppy Chair
VFW Auxiliary

To the Editor:

Deja vu - all over again.

I watched with considerable interest the interview October 4 between Tucker Carlson and Tony Bobulinski. For those of you who don’t know or don’t remember, Tony Bobulinski was a partner with Hunter Biden and three others in a business arrangement they had together for several years.  Tony is the individual who went to the FBI about three weeks before the 2020 presidential election with information about corruption and pay-for-play in the Obama administration through then vice-president Joe Biden.

Gathered at the Last Supper with his disciples, Jesus said to them: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives. So let not your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

Oh, how our hearts and the world we live in today desire peace. I have learned that peace begins within oneself. Here are some exercises to seek and to achieve peace in your heart and your life.

To the Editor:

There has been much discussion lately on this page regarding climate change, with appeal to various sources of authority. Yet the ultimate source of authority, the Creator of the universe, has been ignored.

God’s promises in the Bible are 100% true, and God promised that “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.”  (Genesis 8:22)

When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them dominion over the rest of His creation. This means that we have permission to use God’s creation to meet our needs, but also the responsibility to care for it.

We have not always done a good job at caring for our planet responsibly, but we are nowhere near powerful enough to mess up the created world that God designed so perfectly and holds together (Colossians 1:16-17).

Sarah Majewski
Lansing

To the Editor:

Mr. Klees, in his letter to the editor of September 21, does not remember the economic history of the Trump presidency. Mr. Klees falsely claims that the MAGA Party handed out trillions of dollars to big companies and wealthy individuals.

What the tax break did was lower the corporate tax to a rate more competitive with the rest of the world, which made it profitable for companies to bring their businesses back to the U.S. It also gave millions of IRA and 401K holders, many of whom are in the middle and lower income class, a huge increase in income.

At the same time, it increased income for all of the lower and middle class workers, including blacks and women. It also created the greatest economic growth and lowest inflation rate since President Reagan - who would probably fit into that MAGA category, and he indeed made America great.

To the Editor:

Nursing homes are closing. Dependent seniors are having their home, their caretakers, their sense of life’s balance and security pulled out from under them when they are at a vulnerable stage of life. Now, let’s go to the other end of life in regards to being dependent and vulnerable, grandchildren.

Currently, Iowa does not recognize the continued importance of grandparents in grandchildren’s lives, even if the grandparents have played a key role in the grandchildren’s lives. If, for some reason, the connection, communication, etc. between grandparents and grandchildren is broken, short or long, Iowa gives grandparents, even vital grandparents, little recourse in keeping that connection intact.

This is devastating to grandchildren. It breaks their heart. They learn to build a protective wall around themselves and bottle up what is going on inside them. In time, this will callous and harden the grandchildren.

To the Editor:

Abortion is healthcare. As an ob/gyn, I help usher women safely through the joys and sorrows of childbearing, including abortion care. Since the June Supreme Court decision, state legislators are free to dictate the medical care I and my colleagues across the nation provide, however misinformed or politically motivated they may be.

Women in conservative states are already feeling the impact, even when seeking care for miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. At this time, no state explicitly restricts care for these conditions. However, their treatment often includes the exact same procedures and medications used to provide elective abortion. There are already many reports of pharmacies withholding medications for the treatment of miscarriage.

To the Editor:

There’s an unfortunate trend continuing in Iowa and across the nation that must be addressed: the negative behavior of some coaches, parents, and fans at high school athletic events.

Far too often, we see yelling, harassment, disrespect, and even physical assault directed at high school referees, umpires, and other officials during and after games. Often, the harassment continues on social media. Perhaps you’ve witnessed it firsthand - or even engaged in it yourself.

Not only is this behavior unacceptable and embarrassing, but it’s also having serious consequences on the future of high school sports. At this time, some states and some of our own communities are experiencing a critical shortage of high school officials. The number-one reason? You guessed it: the behavior of coaches, parents, and fans toward officials.

National surveys of officials report alarming statistics: