Viewpoints

November has arrived and that means Thanksgiving day is not far off. This is a great opportunity to focus on gratitude - to celebrate the many blessings you have.

When you’re feeling grateful, your mind is clear, you have a deeper relationship to God and the whole of Creation, and you become more aware of the big picture. The world becomes a friendly place to live. Couldn’t we all use that right about now?

To the Editor:

Iowans take immense pride in the commodities we produce that feed the world. Our resource-rich land allows farmers to support the rural communities that make Iowa a very special place to call home. Harvesting clean energy sources, like wind and solar, play a vital role in farming operations by diversifying income and ensuring family farms remain sustainable.

While some folks harvest traditional crops like corn or soybeans - or run a dairy operation like the one I grew up on, some may choose to harvest the wind or sun to power the world, too. In doing so, these farmers and landowners are offered peace of mind with annual drought- and flood-proof land lease payments totaling $74 million. Between unpredictable weather and an unstable economy, this steady income stream helps keep farms afloat regardless of the conditions.

To the Editor:

So what the heck is “Project 2025”? According to their website, Project 2025.org, it is a “political initiative published by the conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation, which aims to promote conservative and right wing policies to reshape the United States Federal Government and consolidate executive power.”

In the some 900 pages of this document, there are changes to the Farm Bill, which, by the way is being delayed in Congress, possibly to allow these changes to take place after the election.

Author Chris Clayton, of Investigate Midwest, explains some of the changes to the Farm Bill. It would focus the bill on ag production, removing obstacles but not subsidizing ag. Ag risk coverage (ARC) and price loss coverage (PLC) would be repealed.

To the Editor:

Governor Kim Reynolds has proposed a flat tax. A flat tax isn’t fair.

You might ask, why not? Three basic reasons. First, it isn’t fair to everyday Iowans. Second, lowering the tax rate means less money for government services. Third, Iowa will suffer in the long run, just like Kansas did.

According to the new flat tax plan, all taxpayers will pay 3.8%. This isn’t fair to everyday Iowans who need every dollar they make just to get by. The ultra wealthy and corporations can afford to pay more and will reap the benefits of a flat tax.  The rich will get richer and everyday Iowans will suffer.

Second, over the next two years, Iowa tax revenues will be $1 billion less than this year. Coupled with the educational savings plan, another $750 million over the next two years will be spent on private school vouchers totaling $1.75 billion less for government services: education, police, roads, county hospitals and libraries. This isn’t fair.

To the Editor:

When planning your estate, you can take care of your family while also investing in your community.

What if there were a way to make a big investment in our community’s future by setting aside just a small slice of our assets today? Imagine being able to support local needs and amenities like housing, the arts and education with a gift that will grow and grow over time.

That is the opportunity we have today.

In our county, throughout the state and across the country, a historic transfer of assets is taking place over the next decade. This movement includes efforts to earmark a portion of that transfer for charitable endowments. A new study by the University of Minnesota and Iowa Council of Foundations* shows that in Allamakee County alone, $127 million is projected to transfer from one generation to the next in the coming decade.

To the Editor:

Our rights and freedoms are on the line. Most Iowans believe in the dignity of all people, which has long been protected as fundamental rights and freedoms. At the heart of this issue is the dignity of women - the freedom to decide when and if to have a family, and the right to make the best medical decisions for themselves and those they love.

Dignity does not mean attacking women’s freedom or stripping away their rights. Yet, that’s exactly what Governor Kim Reynolds and her legislators have done. By passing a six-week abortion ban, they’ve taken away a woman’s right to make her own decisions, placing politicians in our bedrooms and exam rooms. This law denies women privacy, the right to choose, and access to essential reproductive healthcare, completely disregarding their unique, personal situations.

My dear brothers and sisters, we as members of the human race and the Body of Christ simply must stop hurting each other. Last month I wrote about the Golden Rule and how we’re to treat others the way we want to be treated. Well, as we move into the highly charged presidential (and others) campaign, I believe we need to be reminded of this! There’s also an old saying, “if you can’t say something nice about someone then don’t say anything at all!”

Jesus embodied all that is good about humanity - he was perfect in his thoughts, words, and deeds. Folks who run the campaigns are not! They say terrible things (even lies) about their opponents and they have found that this is a successful way to win voters! What is wrong with us voters?

To the Editor:

Like most Iowans, we vote for the person we trust to represent us in the U.S. House of Representatives and who will pass legislation that helps solve problems and improve our lives. We do not want a politician who prioritizes campaign donors, corporations, and the ultra-wealthy. Unfortunately, that is who we have in congress today.

Politicians of one party call for renewing the 2017 Tax Cuts, which benefited corporations and the top 1% and added $2.5 trillion to the national debt. This law is a scam because the benefits from the tax cuts were supposed to trickle down from the wealthiest to everyday folks like us. That didn’t happen.

In contrast, the Biden Administration has been committed to serving everyday Iowans. Thanks to them, high speed internet is being built in Allamakee County, Highway 76 has been paved and the Black Hawk Bridge in Lansing is under construction. These improvements help all of us and our communities.

Words matter, so you need to say it, believe it, and receive it: You are enough.

YOU are enough. You ARE enough. You are ENOUGH.

If you’re at all like me, you’ve experienced moments, times – or maybe even whole seasons – when you felt as though you weren’t enough. So, just in case you woke up this morning feeling like you are not enough, just in case someone with whatever intention made you feel like you are not enough, just in case your lot in life tempts you to believe that you are not enough, please be of good courage!

No, you don’t have to have all your ducks in a row. No, you don’t have to be all things to all people. No, you don’t have to do everything, go everywhere, and be everything. No, even if you don’t accomplish or achieve any or all of your dreams during your earthly lifetime, the fact nonetheless remains true: You are enough, and so am I.

To the Editor:

Remember back in 2017, when the massive tax cuts were passed for corporations and the “American people”? It was called the “2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” and it was supposed to increase every American’s wealth.

Well, guess what gang, it didn’t work! Sure, the wealthy top 1% saw a cut of $60,000, but what did you get, a couple of hundred?

Corporations were supposed to put their windfalls back into the business, raise wages... yada, yada, yada. Instead, the top executives got huge increases in their salaries and bonuses.

I just read an article by Jean Ross that shows in boring, technical charts and graphs what we already know. We didn’t get squat for our working families and the country now has even less money to keep our government functioning. And the wealthy are really wealthy now! When the top one-tenth of the 1% got tax breaks amounting to $252,300 and the four lowest brackets got $70 to maybe $1000 back, that’s obscene!