Viewpoints

To the Editor:

Thank you for your article on the bottle deposit bill. We need to do something.

A couple things to add.

1. I called the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and they explained to me that if a store sells you the product, by law they are required to redeem them. Also by law, a redemption center has to have hours open to the public. The problem is that no one will step up and enforce it.
2. Postville is a long way to go to redeem the bottle deposit, especially at the cost of gas these days.
3. Prairie du Chien is an option, as Wisconsin doesn’t have a bottle bill and we can then just recycle, like Wisconsin and Minnesota.
4. The best thing, I think, is to do away with the bottle bill completely. We can recycle, like other states.

To check out further information, call the DNR at 515-725-8200.

Thank you very much.

Harold Miller
Waukon

To the Editor:

Our earth has been warmer than it is now, so why worry? Past warming was caused by either well-understood variations in earth’s orbit around the sun and/or wobbles in earth’s tilt, or by emissions of carbon dioxide and methane, usually from widespread volcanism.

Today’s temperature rise comes at a time when the cycles in earth’s orbit and tilt should not be warming earth, and there is no widespread volcanism. Scientists of all sorts have considered all these possibilities and agree that man’s activities, since the industrial revolution, are causing the warming. They are more certain of this than they were that cigarettes can cause lung cancer.

To the Editor:

There are a lot of myths surrounding depression, the two most common being that depression is triggered by a negative life event, and that people who are depressed should find something that makes them happy so they can “snap out of it.” Neither misconception accurately portrays the condition, and both feed into its stigmatization.

Depression is a serious medical condition that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, affects approximately eight percent of the U.S. population over age 12. Although there is effective treatment available, less  than 35 percent of those living with depression seek professional help.

Individuals may be reluctant to get help for a variety of reasons - maybe they think they can overcome depression on their own, or they believe that no one will understand how they feel.

To the Editor:

Snow’s turned to slush, and water to ice; Santa forgot to check the list twice.

Sugars are high, and the temperature’s low; “Kids, go out and shovel the snow!”

The carolers sing out of key; The shopping lists’ end I cannot see.

The reindeer are on a break; Santa’s on a diet for his own sake.

The cookies are stale, hard as a rock; Over an open fire I must hang this big sock.

We cut down a tree and dress its corpse in lights; As we await Santa through the sleepless days and nights.

The holly is decked in the halls all askew; Santa’s retired, now they need someone new.

The elves are all sick, in bed with a cold; “Sorry, we don’t have Christmas lights, the last one’s been sold.”

It’s Christmas Eve now and I’m finally done; I’ve got the presents wrapped for everyone.

And as I lay down in bed and turn out the light; I can hear Santa yell, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

To the editor:

The height of hypocrisy is Republicans proclaiming their allegiance to the constitution and democracy but failing to embrace the most fundamental democratic principle of acceptance of election results and the peaceful transfer of power. Republicans continue to peddle the big lies of a stolen election and election fraud. They turn a blind eye to the attempted coup of our government. They have dismissed the violence of attackers of police guarding the capitol. Meanwhile, Republicans are passing voter suppression bills in Iowa and other states. How anti-democratic.

To the Editor:

I read a little of the Allamakee Republican Party letter. Not one little word was written about the attempt to overthrow a democratic government of over 200 years, in one of the fairest and honest elections in our history.

This country, for four years, had a career liar of over 25,000 lies told while in the White House who had dictatorial intentions of staying in office until he died. But he couldn’t overcome the election or the electoral college. People died during the riot at the Capitol who were told and encouraged by the ex-president and members of his congressional followers to come to Washington while he and the former party of Lincoln were holding a coup.

To the Editor:

“Birds aren’t real”. They set on power lines to recharge.

Steve Paul
Waukon

The Joy of Christmas Pageants

At my congregation in Lansing, we’re busy preparing for our annual Sunday school Christmas pageant. The children and youth of Our Savior’s Lutheran have performed in a Christmas pageant for as long as anyone can remember. The same could probably be said of your church.

Every year, the script has a slightly different twist but the story never changes: it proclaims the humble birth of Jesus Christ all those years ago in Bethlehem. It shines brightly with the hope of a new world this baby has come to bring.

Invariably, something goes wrong like the Baby Jesus fusses or a cow forgets his line (even though it’s just “Moo!”) or a little angel toddles around the sanctuary instead of staying in her place. Regardless of these mishaps, the congregation laughs and sings and bursts with enthusiasm. Everyone loves a Christmas pageant!

To the Editor:

Sometimes the work at the U.S. Capitol seems far removed from everyday Iowans. However, the Infrastructure Bill will impact everyday Iowans and Iowa farmers who rely on good roads to get their crops to market, good communication to make economic decisions, and will improve clean water distribution.

According to KCCI.com, the Infrastructure Bill will help Iowans in three basic areas:

To the Editor:

Allamakee County Republicans invite all Independents and Democrats in Iowa and the rest of the nation to join us in putting an end to the Build Back Better (BBB) agenda of President Joe Biden and the out-of-touch Democrats. The Build Back Better  is right out of the Karl Marx playbook, requiring destruction of the system that is already working, so it can be replaced by a “Marxist” program that means more big government, less individual freedom and diminishing the power of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.