Viewpoints

To the Editor:

Community Based Corrections, or CBC, provides a vital service to Iowa communities. In corrections, prisons and jails are well known, but CBC is a part of the system that you may not know about because it has been operating quietly in the background for the past 50 years, saving millions in taxpayer dollars.

Unfortunately, legislation has been proposed that may have serious unintended consequences to our unique and effective system. We are asking all Iowans to learn about CBC to understand why its current structure is valuable.

CBC is responsible for providing services to Iowans involved with the criminal justice system, from pretrial release all the way through to parole. The majority of our clients are on probation, given an opportunity to remain in the community while on supervision in lieu of going to prison.

To the Editor:

I had an incident early one recent Saturday morning around 3:30 a.m. that called for the ambulance, EMTs and other volunteers from the Waterville Emergency Services crew. After their prompt response, I have a huge appreciation and respect for what they do for the community.

They are selfless and dedicated people. They donate themselves to be called on any time of the day or night and also do the training to be the best they can be when called. In our community they are ordinary citizens, like most of us, but when called on they are truly the heroes among us.

These volunteers, which include firemen as well, are in every community in the area. I thank them for all their service and the sacrifices they make to do it. It’s comforting to know we are in good hands.

Terry Oesterle
Waukon
 

To the Editor:

In the March 8 edition of The Standard, Tim Wagner went on a rampage against our congressional representative Ashely Hinson. There was very little that was honest and most of his letter was outright lies.

Ashley Hinson is 100% correct in claiming that we have open borders and open skies, which is pretty obvious from the fact that over five million illegals have entered the country since Biden took office. He is 100% responsible for that influx. I wonder if Mr. Wagner will still believe his own lies when Iowans start dying from Fentanyl? How many Americans must die from this scourge before he says enough? The drug, coming from China and Mexico, killed more people in one year than were killed in WWII. Did Mr. Wagner not see the CCP balloon?

To the Editor:

It’s all over the media. With a rebuilding of our NATO alliances against Putin’s tyranny, a strong economy in recovery, with inflation, the stock market, and wages improving, and the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years, many are asking why President Biden’s approval rating is still under 50%.

The answer is simple. The following are three recent Facebook posts by Ashley Hinson.

“Open border. Open skies. Our safety is last on the Biden Administration’s list.”

“The State of the Union: Chinese spy balloon allowed in U.S. airspace. Open borders. Rampant inflation”

“Under the Biden Administration: Eggs are a luxury good. Parents are called domestic terrorists. Gas stoves are canceled.”

To the Editor:

Thursday, February 16, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law a bill placing caps on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases. Veterans Memorial Hospital has advocated for this bill for several years, and we are grateful for Senator Mike Klimesh’s support of this legislation.

This support will allow our hospital to keep our costs low and provide more services to our patients, as well as use money reserved for malpractice insurance for more community programs.

To the Editor:

The cities of Lansing and New Albin have received proposals to install automated speed enforcement cameras. These cameras are nothing but a revenue generator with minimal public safety impact, and they violate multiple aspects of a citizen’s right to due process, as protected by multiple amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Speed cameras send motorists a ticket at least a week after the violation occurred, which does nothing to stop the behavior in the moment. Proponents may argue that the most public safety impact is seen through the local drivers who become accustomed to the cameras. However, when discussing the localities of offenders cited in New Albin, the chief of police stated, “90% of the vehicles are those passing threw [sic].” If we install these cameras on the off chance that the 10% of local speeders might slow down, we are engaged in the very definition of a minimal public safety impact.

To the Editor:

America! America’s Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, declared this: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (mankind) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. That among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Its author, America’s third president, Thomas Jefferson, also wrote, “God who gave us life also gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is a just God, that his justice cannot sleep forever!”

To the Editor:
It’s hard to believe that we are more than halfway through the school year. A high percentage of Eastern Allamakee students participate in at least one extra-curricular activity, whether it be athletics, fine arts, agriculture, or a number of things we offer. It is good to see students participate in many forms of education that include academics, athletics, and the fine arts.

The educational philosopher John Dewey once described an appropriate education as a microcosm of society, and I tend to agree with that idea. You must have many aspects of the society at large to create an experience that facilitates long-term gains. The first and foremost concern of any school district is to have an academic curriculum that is strong, with a strong teaching staff concerned about teaching and learning. Embedded in that perspective, we also must have teachers that focus on having positive student relationships.

To the Editor:
House File 3 revises the SNAP program:
1. Adds an asset test.  Households cannot possess more than $2750 worth of assets, excluding their house and one vehicle (even if there are two working people in the household), or $4,250 if there is at least one member of the household with a disability or age 60+.
2. Adds a work component of 20 hours per week, with a few exceptions.
3. Limits the foods eligible to be purchased with SNAP funds to WIC approved foods (no meat, fresh vegetables or fruits).
4. Will contribute to additional hunger in Allamakee County.

Who will this affect in Allamakee County?
• 874 individuals, 393 households, who now receive SNAP benefits
• Over 50% of those on SNAP are children or elderly
• Monthly benefits of $152, or only $1.69/meal
• Economic impact of SNAP is over $200,000 for Allamakee County.

To the Editor:

Our representative, Anne Osmundson, in the Iowa House, has cosponsored House File 3 which adds eligibility obstacles and restrictions on individuals and families receiving SNAP.  This is a program that provides financial support for people in need to provide food on their table.

An average of 50% of the people who are nourished with this support are our northeast Iowa children and 24% are our northeast Iowa elderly. The money does not come from our Iowa state taxes. It is a federal program so it is already coming to the state.

SNAP is a program where eligibility is based on income. This bill would add obstacles including having to meet monthly red tape requirements so that our friends and neighbors would lose eligibility and access to food for our northeast Iowa children and elderly.