Viewpoints

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.

To the Editor:

The cities of Lansing and New Albin have received proposals to install automated speed enforcement cameras. These cameras are nothing but a revenue generator with minimal public safety impact, and they violate multiple aspects of a citizen’s right to due process, as protected by multiple amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Speed cameras send motorists a ticket at least a week after the violation occurred, which does nothing to stop the behavior in the moment. Proponents may argue that the most public safety impact is seen through the local drivers who become accustomed to the cameras. However, when discussing the localities of offenders cited in New Albin, the chief of police stated, “90% of the vehicles are those passing threw [sic].” If we install these cameras on the off chance that the 10% of local speeders might slow down, we are engaged in the very definition of a minimal public safety impact.

To the Editor:

America! America’s Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, declared this: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (mankind) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. That among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Its author, America’s third president, Thomas Jefferson, also wrote, “God who gave us life also gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is a just God, that his justice cannot sleep forever!”

To the Editor:
It’s hard to believe that we are more than halfway through the school year. A high percentage of Eastern Allamakee students participate in at least one extra-curricular activity, whether it be athletics, fine arts, agriculture, or a number of things we offer. It is good to see students participate in many forms of education that include academics, athletics, and the fine arts.

The educational philosopher John Dewey once described an appropriate education as a microcosm of society, and I tend to agree with that idea. You must have many aspects of the society at large to create an experience that facilitates long-term gains. The first and foremost concern of any school district is to have an academic curriculum that is strong, with a strong teaching staff concerned about teaching and learning. Embedded in that perspective, we also must have teachers that focus on having positive student relationships.

To the Editor:
House File 3 revises the SNAP program:
1. Adds an asset test.  Households cannot possess more than $2750 worth of assets, excluding their house and one vehicle (even if there are two working people in the household), or $4,250 if there is at least one member of the household with a disability or age 60+.
2. Adds a work component of 20 hours per week, with a few exceptions.
3. Limits the foods eligible to be purchased with SNAP funds to WIC approved foods (no meat, fresh vegetables or fruits).
4. Will contribute to additional hunger in Allamakee County.

Who will this affect in Allamakee County?
• 874 individuals, 393 households, who now receive SNAP benefits
• Over 50% of those on SNAP are children or elderly
• Monthly benefits of $152, or only $1.69/meal
• Economic impact of SNAP is over $200,000 for Allamakee County.

To the Editor:

Our representative, Anne Osmundson, in the Iowa House, has cosponsored House File 3 which adds eligibility obstacles and restrictions on individuals and families receiving SNAP.  This is a program that provides financial support for people in need to provide food on their table.

An average of 50% of the people who are nourished with this support are our northeast Iowa children and 24% are our northeast Iowa elderly. The money does not come from our Iowa state taxes. It is a federal program so it is already coming to the state.

SNAP is a program where eligibility is based on income. This bill would add obstacles including having to meet monthly red tape requirements so that our friends and neighbors would lose eligibility and access to food for our northeast Iowa children and elderly.

To the Editor:

Iowa conservative MAGA Republicans are showing us great examples of hypocrisy. They want to eliminate a woman’s right to choose, ban abortion, criminalize dispensing abortion pills, and force women to have babies. Then, once these children are in the world the HF-3 “SNAP” bill (Food Stamps) that these same conservative Republicans are pushing will limit who can access the needed food to help these children thrive. Approximately 300,000 Iowans receive this federally funded program; half of them are children, disabled, or elderly.

A total of 39 Republican legislators, including Anne Osmundsen, want to institute a means testing for recipients. That means if you have over $2,450 - or $4,250 if over age 60 - in household assets, you won’t qualify for SNAP. If you have two cars, you won’t qualify. Do you know anyone in Allamakee County who can get to work without a car?

To the Editor:

Iowans value their freedom to make their own healthcare decisions without interference from the government. This attitude extends even to the emotional issue of abortion. The majority of Iowans believe such pregnancy questions should be left to a woman and her physician.

A recent Iowa poll found that 61% believe that abortion should be legal in most cases, while only 33% felt it should be illegal. And yet, extreme Republicans who are in control of our state government intend to restrict that freedom as much as possible.

The latest example is House File 146, which is supported by State Representative Anne Osmundson. The bill would make it a felony to “manufacture, distribute, prescribe, sell or transfer” abortion drugs in Iowa. The use of pills to cause an abortion (called a medical vs. a surgical abortion) was the most common approach used in Iowa in 2020 at over 79%.