Viewpoints

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown, and Jill came tumbling after.
But wait, there’s more!
Up Jack got and home did trot as fast as he could caper; And went to bed to mend his head with vinegar and brown paper.
Jill came in and she did grin to see his paper plaster; Mother vexed did whip her next for causing Jack’s disaster.
Now Jack did laugh, and Jill did cry, but her tears did soon abate; Then Jill did say that they should play at see-saw cross the gate.

To the Editor:

Congratulations to the Class of 2024. You may have heard a few commencement speeches already, but in a few short paragraphs I will give you one of my own.

Commencement is defined as a start or a beginning. Some changes in your life are welcome during this time, but others are more challenging. Now you can no longer expect your parents to pay for everything for you. However, even in this period of change some things remain the same - your character, for example.

I remember those in my high school who were great people to be around. Then at my five, ten, and fifteen-year high school reunions they remained the same great people. Then there were others about whom I would have to say, “well, not so much”.

The good news is that even if you find yourself in the “well, not so much” category, there is still time to change. Remember, commencement can mean a new beginning.

To the Editor:

As an old, eccentric, opinionated octogenarian (Google it), if you read page four in The Standard dated April 24, 2024, then you read a report on the County Supervisor meeting held Monday, April 22, 2024. If you studied it as I did, you have to know that inflation is here to stay.

With raises recommended by the Allamakee County Compensation Board in a range from six to eight percent for elected officials, only to be lowered by 50 percent by County Supervisors; with non-elected department heads and union employees getting three percent; with Chauffeurs Teamsters’ Helpers Local Union Number 238 getting three percent increases yearly for three years, it is easy to see that the inflationary spiral is set at, at least three percent annually for at least three years.

To the Editor:

There are five reasons to talk about mental health:

To the Editor:

Hardworking families are struggling to make ends meet. Their pocketbooks are getting skinnier and skinnier due to Greedflation. Big corporations are price gouging and exploiting consumers with high, inflated prices while taking in record profits and giving executives lavish bonuses. They are doing this because they can, and because they know everyone needs to eat and put fuel in their cars.

Under Governor Kim Reynolds and her party’s legislators, Greedflation worsens. Their flat tax scheme, which they passed in the final days of the legislative session, benefits the wealthy who will pay less in taxes. This will definitely fatten their wallets. Everyday Iowans will pay more (sales, property, income taxes) on top of the already high prices charged by the corporations.

To the Editor:

As an opinionated octogenarian (Google it) I grew up with penny postcards and three-cent stamps, World Books, Britannica, Webster unabridged dictionary, crank phones that hung on the wall, and hand milkers. The post office has now raised stamp prices three times in the past twelve months.

What has happened to the RFD? The “F” is for free. With all the competitive services available, there is nothing cheap about the USPS. Maybe they need to hire more help, since the new Postmaster General (De Joy) had so many sorter machines completely destroyed.

To the Editor:

I wanted to make sure the residents in your area are aware, that this very minute, members of our state senate are trying to sneak in a new tax on forest lands. This bill has already passed the House. Very few people even know this is happening.

Currently, forest land is not taxed, as a way to encourage landowners to keep trees and not turn that land into crop land. The program has been in place since 1906, and has helped saved countless acres of woodlands.

I do not want to make myself the bad guy here, but facts need to be exposed here. If forest lands are going to be taxed, I will have no choice but to begin harvesting and logging trees on my land. This means cutting down 100-year-old oak trees just to raise money so I am able to pay this tax.

To the Editor:

The Iowa Environmental Council has submitted a Safe Drinking Water Act petition to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A cry for help for well owners in NE Iowa drinking unsafe water.

In 1988 the Driftless counties in NE Iowa were just beginning to feel the effects of industrialized agriculture’s voracious appetite to feed emerging ethanol and CAFO industries. Corn-bean and continuous-corn cropping practices exploded.  But in 1988 Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other Iowa scientists were not yet muzzled. That’s when the study “Ground-Water Contamination and Land Management in the Karst Area of Northeastern Iowa” was published. The first paragraph of the abstract states:

“A statistical analysis of existing northeast Iowa water-quality data showed that systematic nonpoint contamination of ground-water quality was occurring in regional carbonate aquifers… Agricultural practices were judged to be the source of the contaminants.”

To the Editor:

There are some topics that are difficult to discuss. One of those topics is sexual assault. April is nationally recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and provides an opportunity for us to embrace uncomfortable conversations to support victims of this crime.

Every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. Nationwide, 81% of women and 43% of men have reported experiencing some form of sexual assault and/or harassment in their lifetime. More than 736 million women and girls have experienced intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence worldwide. Sexual assault can happen to anyone, anywhere - from famous movie actors to college students.

EASTER PEOPLE

Easter arrives at a wonderful time of year. The earth is coming back to life after winter, crocuses are popping up from the thawing ground and we get a sense of new life abounding. Delight and awe are in the air.

In the church Easter season, we celebrate that new life is also coming to us! Christ is risen and he promises to raise us up as well.

Pope John Paul II once wrote: “We do not pretend that life is all beauty. We are aware of darkness and sin, of poverty and pain. But we know Jesus has conquered sin and passed through his own pain to the glory of the Resurrection. And we live in the light of his Paschal Mystery - the mystery of his Death and Resurrection. ‘We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!’”

Indeed, we are Easter People. Even in the midst of our struggles, we hold fast to our hope in the resurrection. We can experience joy today in changing times because our joy is rooted in God’s unchanging love.