Viewpoints

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.

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.