Viewpoints

by Dick Schilling, Editor Emeritus

To the Editor:
Old Glory and the ideals represented by a white picket fence should be honored. However, on the point of Mt. Hosmer?
Not only is there a desire to be in beautiful places like the Veterans Park at Mt. Hosmer, but share the beauty. Sharing the beauty might just mean preserving it.
I would be remiss in honoring the spirit of the woman the Mt. Hosmer is named after if I didn’t comment on the ongoing tendency to use nature as a backdrop for honoring those who have gone before us. Are we adding to a visitor’s experience when they come to the park, or taking it away?
Just a thought, but you can have picket fences, fly Old Glory and put up benches in your own back yard, without taking a breathtaking view of nature away for the rest of us.
Thank you.

Ann Gallagher
a/k/a Catfish Annie
Waukon
 

by Dick Schilling, Editor Emeritus

by State Representative Patti Ruff

To the Editor:
Kum & Go has now added E-15 to their 65 stores in Iowa.  E-15 was approved by the EPA for use in all 2001 and newer cars, trucks and SUVs.
E-15 has undergone more testing than any other fuel in history. The Department of Energy concluded when E-15 was compared to gasoline, there were no significant changes in tailpipe emission or drivability.
A solar farm in northern Iowa near St. Ansgar: A ribbon cutting was recently held for Heartland Power Cooperative which recently completed their new Community Solar Project. This project includes more than 2,700 panels, with each panel expected to generate 8,500 kilowatt hours over the 20-year life of the project. The units are being sold to members for $700 per unit, which comes out to 8.2 cents per kilowatt hour - lower than the current residential rate.
These are just a couple among many other interesting activities  taking place in our state of Iowa, keeping us moving forward.

To the Editor:
In 2011, the Healthiest State Initiative was formed to help Iowa become the healthiest state in the nation. Each year since, we’ve held an annual walk to renew our commitment to this extraordinary goal.
 This year, the Healthiest State Initiative and the State Fire Marshal Division are combining efforts to keep Iowans safe and a bit healthier. We are encouraging Iowans to “Walk at the Whistle” as part of the fifth annual Healthiest State Walk and National Fire Prevention Week. Walk day activities will include coordinated fire drills and walks for schools and businesses  Wednesday, October 7.
 Delta Dental of Iowa is pleased to sponsor this year’s walk. Our mission is to improve the smiles and health of Iowans. By combining physical activity and taking care of your dental health, Iowa can continue the momentum towards becoming the healthiest state in the nation.

To the Editor:
I see Mr. Engle is still crying over spilled milk, everyone who knows anything about politics knows that one of the very first things that the governor did when he was elected was cut the Iowa school budget and school lunches. Mr. Engle should be investigating his own party and governor to make sure everything they do is nice and legal.
Mr. Quandahl sure tries to blame this country’s downfall on the liberals and a couple of black ministers. But as anyone knows, or should know, our great downfall really started with one-time Democrat and one-time Catholic Ronald Reagan, who switched religions and parties when he divorced his first wife and divorce was very much against the Catholic church laws; and the borrowed 14 trillion dollar Iraq War by a Republican president, George W. Bush.
There are many, many reasons why Reagan should have been impeached, a great president he was not.

To the Editor:
Just over seven weeks ago I told my husband if I didn’t come home from Urgent Care, I would be at the bottom of Mother River.
Trust me, I am not bitter about the fact every time I saw a medical professional they told me my tests were fine. Despite the fact I always mentioned having a cystic ovary removed on my right side as a young woman, the pain I experienced on my left side was consistently attributed to minor digestive concerns.
Please take note, sisters: ultrasounds, pap-smears, blood tests and x-rays do not indicate the presence of ovarian cancer. Frequent complaints about back pain and bowel irregularities will also fail to yield a timely diagnosis. In my case only a CT skeptically ordered by an Urgent Care doctor, on what I thought was the last day of my life, confirmed abdominal irregularities consistent with ovarian cancer.

by Dick Schilling, Editor Emeritus

To the Editor:
Iowa families are needlessly losing sons, daughters, mothers and fathers to overdose deaths. In 2013, nearly 100 Iowans died from opiate overdoses - a sharp increase over the last decade that has yet to receive an effective response from state leaders.
 An individual dying from an overdose can linger for hours. While there is often enough time to get help, the fear of criminal prosecution discourages other people from calling for help. In addition, opiate antidotes can dramatically slow or reverse the deadly effects of an overdose. Unfortunately, it is illegal for non-health care workers to possess or provide this drug to overdose victims.
While we should do more to prevent opiate addictions through better public education and drug abuse treatment, we must do more to save lives now.