Viewpoints

... that I have never hunted deer nor have I cared for the taste of it the few times I tried it. I share in the admiration of northeast Iowa’s deer and enjoy seeing them from a distance. I also share the fear of seeing them too close while driving.
Which means I was ambivalent about the word that Allamakee County has another first of dubious distinction, home of the first deer killed which was proven to have chronic wasting disease.

Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ. March has gone out like a lamb and we are full tilt into the spring weather.
The other day I saw several robins, and I have noticed some of the flowers in the beds around the parsonage growing with the promise of blooming soon. Spring planting season is already upon us and flowers are getting ready for the day when they will bloom in glorious color. This reminds me of what it is like to be a Christian.

To the Editor:

This week we continued to work on the remaining budget bills. The House passed out the Transportation bill early in the week. The budget will see a $5.4 million increase over the current fiscal year. Even with the increase in funding, it does not address the gas tax proposal.

... that the national party’s platform demands, in part, that there ought to be large reductions in federal government spending and decries the usurpation of power by the executive branch of functions which are the legislature’s.
Sound like today’s Republicans? Nope. It’s from the 1904 platform of the Democrat party.
Just one tidbit from Doris Goodwin’s book The Bully Pulpit which I have now finished reading.

To the Editor:

To the Editor:
In my role as a child advocate and former foster parent, I meet victims and learn of experiences that highlight the tragic and horribly profound impact resulting from child abuse and neglect through issues of mental health, crime, violence and addiction.

To the Editor:
Allamakee County is indeed a beautiful and healthy place to live and visit. The threat of frac sand mining on the health and beauty of the county is real, and I am glad to see the Supervisors taking this threat seriously.    

We moved a few steps closer to adjournment this week when we passed three of the eleven budget bills we need to finish this year. It’s a great step forward, but we have still got quite a bit of work to do.
The House passed the budgets of agriculture, natural resources, and public safety.  While it ultimately wasn’t included in the bill this week, I was proud to support an expansion of REAP for $25 million for its 25th anniversary. We did, though, give another $2 million boost to our water quality efforts overall.

... that I have often said that one of the things that goes with aging is that we wake up in the morning wondering what’s going to hurt today.
Lately it seems we can add “where’s the tragedy that’s going to be reported today?”
And each time, I think it is human nature for us to try to relate in some way to the tragedy.
A couple examples from my own past.