Viewpoints

To the Editor:

The stench from Washington is increasing by the day. Seems there is no end to it and it is obvious that now both parties are adding to it!

The most recent folly is that of trying to select a Speaker of the House. The Republican Party has the majority in Congress, yet, because of personality conflicts and petty infighting they have been unable to come up with a leader.

We do not know the full story on what has been going on in the halls of Congress in their efforts to elect a speaker. We do know that there has been entirely too much posturing by certain members of Congress and not enough common sense displayed every day.

It should have been easy to select Jim Jordan as the speaker after some members of the party chose to destroy Kevin McCarthy, and now Jordan has been pushed out of the contest. Reminds one of a circular firing squad.

To the Editor:

Most people in America value democracy and believe our government should work for everyday people, treat everyone fairly, provide opportunities, and help our seniors. When running for re-election, Ashley Hinson claimed to share these values. But, Hinson’s votes for Rep. Jim Jordan to be the next Speaker of the House reveals she does not support those values.

Jordan, a poster boy for MAGA Extremism, played a role in attempting to overturn the 2020 election with the fake elector scheme. Like other MAGA Extremists, Jordan rules by force and intimidation. A past Speaker of the House (Boehner) called Jordan a “legislative terrorist.”

Since winning the House, MAGA Republicans have shown they are incompetent at governing. Hinson bemoans Washington is broken and dysfunctional yet refuses to acknowledge that her Republican Party is in charge and bears the blame and responsibility.

Covenant Relationship

Hello, I am Pastor James Buckhahn, better known as Pastor Buck.  I am the new old pastor at Lansing United Methodist Church, Lansing.

God has a message for us today about His relationship with us and our relationship with Him.  And yes, it starts with love, but there is so much more.  

So where does God’s relationship begin with us?  There are many related answers, but the truth is it began at creation. Genesis 1:26-31

To the Editor:

October 1, 2023, Governor Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation declaring October 2023 as Head Start Awareness Month in Iowa. This proclamation coincides with the national campaign recognizing October as Head Start Awareness month.

But what is Head Start, you may ask? Head Start is exactly what its name implies, it is a federal program designed to give children ages three and four a head start in their academic lives. The goal is to help these students have the academic, emotional and social tools needed to be successful in kindergarten and beyond.

To the Editor:

Postville Childcare partnered with Iowa Women’s Foundation in October of 2022 and because of the childcare champions, Norplex, St. Paul Lutheran Church, the Postville School District, Hall Roberts and Agri Star, that have stepped up this year and invested in early childcare, Allamakee County was selected for the dollar for dollar HHS funding match.

I challenge the businesses and community members in Allamakee County to be a childcare champion and pledge to the wage enhancement fund. All that is required for the HHS match is your pledge by the preferred submission date of October 20. Contact will be made to arrange payment options later. We will continue building the fund, but contributions will not be eligible for a match after the HHS deadline of October 30.

Other communities in Iowa have found great success and raised around $700,000 for their Wage Enhancement Fund. When people believe in this option, it is successful.

To the Editor:

Just want to second the letter by Dodie Keatley in the October 11 edition of The Standard, referencing a previous letter in the September 27 edition. We must compliment our police officers and Highway Patrol for just doing their jobs. We need those people, and they need our support.

However, on the national scale we have groups in the USA who we do not know, that are doing much the same as we are now seeing in Palestine, Israel and Gaza. One man in the whole of USA is holding up the placement of our military officers. The group of women who alone can go from town to town into libraries, to have their choice of books banned. The Proud Boys, Oath Keepers on the warpath to destroy a democracy of people who elected our president.

To the Editor:

I am a product of public education, having graduated from Crestwood High School. I also am a substitute teacher for Eastern Allamakee Community School District. I do this because I believe in the value of public education and local control. The local school board oversees the public funding, sets district policy, and its decisions impact local students, families and the community.

Today, Governor Reynolds and anti-public education legislators are taking away local control and encouraging extremist groups, like Moms for Liberty, to attack our schools, ban books, and stop students from learning the truth about American history, both its strengths and weakness, including native-American genocide, slavery and the Holocaust.

To the Editor:

I believe in this community. I know this community wants to support valuable resources like education for our children.

We have an amazing opportunity right now. HHS will match contributions until October 20 and money will benefit all early childcare providers in our community. I have heard people say, “I wish I could win the lottery and give all the money to early childcare.”

And, honestly, it doesn’t take a million dollars from one person to reach our goal. We could reach our goal if everyone in our community donated twenty to fifty dollars. Many hands make light work. Pledge forms are available at the Postville Childcare Center, on our Facebook page, and upon request by emailing postvillechildcare@gmail.com.

Kristy Turner, Director
Postville Childcare Services, Inc.

To the Editor:

A 90-year-old Senator from Iowa (the one who graces this paper weekly with two or three columns) said that we do not care if it is true or not, we just want to keep the investigation going. His tutoree (the one who “grew up castrating hogs on an Iowa farm”) is totally silent.

A candidate threatens a decorated military officer with “execution” and not one Fox news representative asking the questions for the so-called “candidates”’ televised debate addressed this, nor did any of the so-called candidates bring up the statement. It was ignored. Why?

Friends and family that claimed for years we can discuss anything, yet when they repost a political photo offensive to me, and I ask for an explanation of why, or how it fits into your religion, they say they are offended, and deleting years of friendship.

To the Editor:

No matter the background kids come from, they deserve a well-rounded education where facts matter. Iowans know that when kids learn about history, they learn about community and themselves. Parents and teachers provide that in our public schools.

But extremist politicians and out-of-state interest groups are attacking our schools and our libraries.  These attacks on our books are a coordinated effort by dark money groups who donate to politicians so politicians enact their agenda into law. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Rep. Osmundson, Mike Klimesh and fellow MAGA Republicans voted to ban books containing content they disagreed with.

Banned Books Week  has been shining a light on censorship since it was founded in 1982, and the fight for free expression is as urgent as ever. The American Library Association reported the highest number of attempted book bans in the last 20 years. Despite this trend, 70% of parents in the