Viewpoints

To the Editor:

The impact on Allamakee County life will be substantial when the Black Hawk Bridge closes this fall. You probably know that I am a fishing guide on Pool 9.

Prior to moving here, I was a professional firefighter, also federally certified in disaster management. This experience is goading me to take proactive action regarding access to the Mississippi River for rescue, commercial and recreational purposes between now and 2027 when the new bridge opens.

Bridge closure will eliminate two ramps on Hwy. 82 for access to the river from the west, leaving just Village Creek south of Lansing and the Army Road launch two miles east of New Albin for suitable access to the river once the Black Hawk Bridge closes.

To the Editor:

Alligator Alcatraz is the official name of the detention center in Florida’s Everglades. No one who’s being detained has had any due process, which violates the law. As Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida stated, no one held there was of European descent for any visa issues.

The pictures the representative showed were of the cages inside tents. Each cage had a 32-person capacity. Take out the bunk beds and three toilets and it looks like a bare cage at a zoo’s monkey enclosure. A floor and all chain-link fencing.

To the Editor:

I’m disappointed in every legislator who voted for one of the most harmful bills in history, known as “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

Many people in our state and nationwide likely don’t understand what this legislation means for our families and communities. Here’s a breakdown of how some parts of this bill will directly affect us:
- Phase out tax credits for wind and solar power, which will drive up our energy.
- Withdraw funding for agencies like NOAA that monitor extreme weather, leaving communities vulnerable to climate disaster.
- Throws millions of children, seniors, and families off Medicaid and food assistance.

Republicans cheered on the bill, despite the fact that it will be taking away healthcare, gutting clean energy programs, selling public lands, and giving massive tax breaks to billionaires. Policy reflects values, and I do not align with the values represented in this bill.

To the Editor:

Letter to the editor gurus tell us to choose one topic to expound on. Dictator/President Trump has released a herd of dik-diks, and I am not “lion”, I can’t pick just one.

Deporting innocent immigrants, removing rights from LBGTQ people, cutting Medicaid for vulnerable Americans, destroying our education system, cutting Headstart, and SNAP (food stamps),  cutting key employees from our critical services: Veterans services, Social Security and Medicare, Internal Revenue, health and safety, environmental protections, aid to starving, dying families in war-torn countries. 

To the Editor:

Hope plays a crucial role in the recovery of individuals with co-occurring disorders (addiction and mental health conditions) by fostering a positive mindset, motivating action, and promoting overall well-being. It helps individuals see possibilities and solutions, rather than getting trapped in negative thoughts, and it can lead to healthier coping strategies and reduced stress.

Here’s why hope is so important in co-occurring disorder recovery:

Motivation and Action - Hope provides individuals with the drive to pursue treatment and stay committed to recovery, even when facing challenges and setbacks.

Positive Mindset - Hope helps individuals cultivate a positive outlook, which is essential for managing the complexities of co-occurring disorders and maintaining a sense of optimism.

To the Editor:

I grew up in Lansing and will always consider myself an Iowan. I went to medical school at the University of Iowa and have worked in public health for the last 35 years, most recently in the Tuberculosis Program at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).  Eight days after the inauguration of President Trump I was terminated along with thousands of other employees by Elon Musk in what was described as an effort to root out waste, fraud and abuse. That is simply not the truth.

After years of misinformation and distortions of the true role and benefit of foreign assistance and its importance to our standing in the world and to our national security, USAID was the first agency to be completely (and illegally) dismantled. By July 1, only a few hundred of 10,000 staff worldwide remain as it has been shrunk and absorbed into the Department of State, making it impossible to deliver its prior lifesaving work in those areas of greatest need.

To the Editor:

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski refused to vote for President Trump’s big ugly bill until she received special changes to it that benefited her constituents, insulating Alaska from some of the bill’s harshest cuts to Medicaid and SNAP food assistance. Afterwards, she said, “it is not good enough for the rest of our nation and we all know it.”

In contrast, U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst meekly voted for it. That’s all the voters need to know about Grassley and Ernst.

Thomas Hill 
Lansing/Cedar Falls

To the Editor:

Poverty doesn’t care about political parties, but how we fight it must be smart, effective, and fiscally responsible. That’s why it’s so concerning that Congress is considering cuts endorsed by the current administration that would gut programs proven to help families help themselves.

Programs like the Low-Income Home Energy Program (LIHEAP), Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), and Weatherization - administered by local Community Action Agencies - don’t create dependency; they provide critical stability and support for low-income Iowans who are working hard to achieve self-sufficiency.

To the Editor:

As I drive around the city of Waukon doing my daily errands, I can’t help but notice all the building construction going on. I turn onto the new road, 8th Avenue SW, and notice the huge living unit going up. Then I drive farther to Rossville Road and see Pladsen’s new facility taking shape, and on the next corner I see the future Peoples State Bank. And this is all happening in just the southwest corner of town.

No question about it, our city is a growing community. I look forward with excitement to all the changes this will bring. As our city grows, many more opportunities will arise, and many more newcomers will move here.

Some may view community growth more apprehensively, thinking it will change the friendly quality of our once small town. It doesn’t have to be that way, however. As we grow, we can preserve those same great characteristics that have long graced our community.

God’s Blessings on the People who dwell in the land we call Driftless. Here are more wondering thoughts from a wayward follower of Jesus the Christ. Let me get right to the point… We need the CHURCH (i.e., the Community of Believers, the Body of Christ), but do we really need organized religion (i.e., the Lutherans, the Catholics, the Protestants, the Baptists, the Methodists, etc.)? The answer is yes, if just for the reason, as people, we need some kind of structure to govern our lives and the activities we are called to do together. The problem is when we try to control ourselves and leave God out of it, either entirely or more often, not putting Him in total charge. At a Christian summer camp I attend for many years in my youth, I learned that I needed to live by this guideline, “God First, Others Second, and I’m Third”. We have turned that around, where “I’m” is first, others are used to benefit “I” and God if consisted at all, is used as window dressing, a name drop.