Viewpoints

“Naomi returned together with Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, who came back with her from the country of Moab. They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.” (Ruth 1:22)

What a pathetic pair of sad-sacks they were that day – Ruth and Naomi – as they shuffle into Bethlehem looking like 40 miles of bad road.

People feel sorry for them, but Naomi wants nothing of their pity. What she really wants is for the gawkers to get as angry with God as she is. And so she tears into Almighty God with the fury of a woman scorned:

“Time was when my name meant ‘Pleasant,’ and I used to be a pretty pleasant person, too,” Naomi laments. “But that was before God messed with my life. Now just call me ‘Bitter,’ because that’s what I am, and it’s all God’s fault!  God is to blame for moving me from Pleasant to Bitter. So come on, folks: Let’s shake an angry fist at Almighty God!”

To the Editor:

The local option sales tax was approved by Allamakee County voters in 2008 and added 1% to the state sales tax of 6%, for a 7% sales tax rate. The 1% local option sales tax is distributed by the county where it is collected.

In the unincorporated areas of Allamakee County, the voters again approved the measure in 2014. Ballot language stipulated how the funds would be used. It is scheduled to be on the ballot again in 2024. This makes sense - collecting local money and distributing it locally where it is needed.
Senate Study Bill 1125, however, would eliminate the local option sales tax, and increase the state sales tax to 7%. Then the State would determine how to use the extra 1% sales tax.

In Allamakee County, the 1% sales tax receipts are almost $1 million and are distributed as follows: 40% to townships for services that include fire and ambulance, 30% for rural services including law enforcement, and 30% for secondary roads.

To the Editor:

A society in which its citizens are unable to agree on what constitutes the truth will find it difficult to reach agreement on pressing issues. That is why the recent revelations documenting the intentional spreading of false information by one of the most popular news sources for many Americans is so troubling. Fox News is watched by 1.6 million people each night and led millions of Americans to believe that Joe Biden had stolen the 2020 election.

One of the major claims pushed at Fox was that the Dominion voting machines had been programmed to switch votes cast for Trump to Biden. Leading Fox commentators including Bret Baier, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Maria Bartiromo and Lou Dodds continued after the election to repeat the Big Lie and to give airtime to election conspirators Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani.

To the Editor:

March is National Social Work Month and offers us a chance to recognize not only the effort, compassion and dedication of those who choose the profession, but also the importance of the work itself.

Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers and Iowa Citizen Foster Care Board (FCRB) volunteers closely collaborate with social workers to ensure the children and youth in the child welfare system are safe and receive the care and services they need to thrive.

Social workers are on the front lines of complex life, family and societal issues. They help break down barriers that prevent people from living more full and purposeful lives. They do this on the individual level, helping people with crises like food insecurity, lack of affordable housing, or limited access to good health care, and they do it on a systems level to ensure everyone can access needed services.

To the Editor:

Based on a true story, unfortunately…

It was a relaxing Saturday morning, until we opened the mail. I opened a letter from Allamakee County, started reading it and asked, “Honey, what’s a large-scale borrow pit?”

“Why?” she shot back at me, sensing the concern in my voice.

I said, “There’s going to be one in Allamakee County.”

Anna grabbed her phone and searched for ‘borrow pit.’ Her face went pale as she handed her phone to me.

That began a slew of phone calls and late-night searches for information that took us down one rabbit hole after another. And I’m sorry to say, we found a lot more than cute little bunnies. Our concern has kept us up until 1 a.m. each night, researching details and calling everyone we can, to find out more about what is happening to Allamakee County.

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.