Letters to the Editor: July 6-July 12
So, anchor Tucker Carlson is calling for the placement of cameras in classrooms to ensure teachers do not teach certain subjects. This from the man who constantly whines about the loss of liberty and free speech in the U.S. More: ‘Like any other first day of school’ as students return to full-time classroom instruction in Des Moines Gail Koobs, Boone Two of my grandsons dropped in to the new Lauridsen Skatepark. My own drop-in was not in the skateboard sense. What a visual delight from my shaded bench and from the top view near Second Avenue. There were girls and boys of all ages on bikes, skates, scooters, and skateboards. Some older walkers on the Principal Riverwalk came to sit on the short wall for a show by the young kids. Not many available parking spots close by as it was happening with several onlookers with lawn chairs as well. My advice is to bring something to do in the meantime because the kids don’t want to leave this great addition to the city. More: ‘This is my skate park’: Downtown Des Moines’ Lauridsen Skatepark, largest in US, opens to the public — Jane Klaver, Webster City What difference does the color of one’s skin make? What difference does one’s sexual orientation make? What difference does what religion a person practices make? What difference does it make what country a person was born in or comes from? What does hate accomplish? What satisfaction is there in persecuting people for these things? For hurting or even killing people because of these traits? Why can’t we all live and get along with each other? Think what we and our country could and would accomplish if all these prejudices disappeared. Our leadership comes from within and from our people and not from the elected or former elected officials and the media that promote conspiracy theories and preach hate and divisiveness. Truth, facts and love of our fellow woman and man must prevail to return our country to what we want it to be. — James Marcovis, West Des Moines The next time you are driving down an Iowa highway and are passed by a vehicle clearly driving over the speed limit and wonder to yourself, “Where is a trooper when you need one?” (and now some of them are going to Texas), remind yourself that the patrol force has shrunk dramatically in the past several years. It is just another example of “small government”. If you look around, you can see lots more examples. This, at a time the state government is bragging that there are several-hundred-million-dollar surpluses and hundreds of millions more in reserve. Small government is easy to accomplish. You only need to sit in government leadership and say, “No,” or say, “It costs too much,” then announce that you are “putting tax dollars back into the pockets of hard-working Iowans.” Then, when the horror that happened in the Anamosa prison or problems with the unemployment compensation system, both which have required action for decades, government leadership suddenly finds money to increase funding to both. Is reaction to a problem an example of good leadership? We have seen what small government looks like. I wonder what smart government would look like? I think that is, really, what hard-working Iowans are paying state government leadership to do. — John Gulbranson, Stuart My family and upbringing taught me that we should give, when we are able to those in need. They also taught me that we have a responsibility to take care of ourselves and not be a burden to the rest of society. It seems one party wants to stop all aid and the other intends to make us all dependent on the government. Neither is correct. There is a middle ground, and I really believe we are pretty close to that spot. Any more wholesale federal giveaways are not necessary at this time. There is probably a need for some very targeted help, but the infrastructure bill is way beyond infrastructure and is without merit at this point in time. Fix the infrastructure and urge people to go back to work, even if it isn’t the high-paying job they want. A strong work ethic, education and the desire to get ahead will sort out those who succeed from the chronically needy. I don’t feel any great urge to support those who refuse to help themselves. — Beryl Richards, Nashua July 3, 158 years ago, the battle of Gettysburg ended, with 53,000 casualties. In today’s world of red/blue, us/them, it would behoove any person who seeks the presidency of this country to spend two days at the Gettysburg battlefields and then watch the 1993 extended version of the movie “Gettysburg.” Are we headed there again? — John Roehrick, Des Moines The hallmark of American democracy, peaceful transfer of power, was shredded by mob rule on Jan.6, spurred by Donald Trump’s Big Lie about his election loss. He set the stage for democracy’s demise by cozying up to dictators, abandoning allies, favoring racism and violence, rejecting fact and science, stealing Supreme Court seats, and undermining politicians who refused his dictates. Senate conviction following impeachment would have ended the nonsense, but Republicans put Trump above the law, which spawned his attempt to rig the election through voter suppression and disruption of postal service. Lawmakers took shelter from invaders on Jan.6, but in the months since, Republicans have tried to bury accountability for the Insurrection. A few Republicans have had the integrity and honesty to oppose Trump’s Biggest Lie about his defeat, and support a commission to sort it out, but most of them reject inquiry into causes and future prevention of unpatriotic mob rule. We must not forget or accept their fawning failure. Ongoing erosion of “the great American experiment” in democracy needs to be exposed in public dialogue, and face consequences at the ballot box. — Terry Stewart, Dubuque On June 4, a remarkable, and long overdue, thing happened in Utah. Twenty-three current and former state legislators (plus two gubernatorial candidates) publicly endorsed a national price on carbon pollution. These were all Republicans! Writing an op ed in The Deseret News (published out of Salt Lake City), they wrote: “Emissions can be cut either with regulations, incentives or price signals. … The best way to cut emissions is with a price signal to the private sector, which lets competition and innovation find the solutions.” We couldn’t agree more. A technology-neutral policy that rewards both industry and consumers for low- or zero-emission products is fast becoming a part of our future — we might as well embrace the fruits of that reality sooner rather than later. The Utahns continued: “Carbon dividends will also put American manufacturers on a level playing field. … A border carbon adjustment will reward environmental stewardship and position our manufacturers to grow and create jobs without giving other countries a free pass to pollute.” Environmentalists may be primarily concerned with how pollution knows no border, but commerce also crosses borders, and having a clean, robust energy infrastructure will accelerate 21st-century job growth. What an inspiring thing it would be to see the conservative politicians of Iowa publicly recognize the coming clean energy economy. Many of us remember the divisions about a 5-cent bottle return in the 1970s. Decades later we recognize the benefits of cleaner roadsides and environmental citizenship.
