Viewpoints

To the Editor:

In her letter to the editor April 1, Ann Klees made several statements that appear to be no more than what that date is known for, April Fools Day.

The main thrust of her letter appears to be complaining about the high cost of items needed for our daily survival and ongoing operations. Those prices are high. However, Ann clearly lays the blame on the Trump administration. Her arguments show that she has little understanding of world events and international markets.

What Happens When We Die?

What happens to you when you die? This is an important question, one that we certainly shouldn’t just ask ourselves when we’re 80 or 90 years old. It’s a question that we should ask ourselves today, because death doesn’t just come to the old. We could die today. This is why Moses writes, “So teach us to number our days, so that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

So, what happens to us when we die? Some say, nothing happens. When you’re dead, you’re dead and that is it. There are others who think that when you die, you become an angel or perhaps come back in a different form like a butterfly or deer. Others say that everyone who dies, simply goes to a happier or “better” place. But what does the Bible say?

To the Editor:

President Trump in his address to the nation April 1, 2026, stated that prioritizing military spending on the war against Iran will mean less funding for Medicaid and Medicare. Stop! What?

Trump’s war on Iran is financed with our taxes that we have paid. Now he is asking for $1.5 trillion more and, thus, will have to cut Medicaid and Medicare to offset the war expenses. Our military spending will increase 44%, more than any other time except during WWII.

This “war of choice” has raised gas prices, increased fertilizer prices, increased trucking and travel costs, and is putting thousands of lives at risk. Now Trump threatens to cut essential services to the citizens of the U.S.

Trump and his rich Congressmen are not concerned with everyday Iowa citizens and their lives. First, they don’t understand the economic crisis for thousands of Iowans due to inflation and increasing prices.

To the Editor:

Thomas Hill, in his letter to the editor March 25, 2026, seems to indicate that ICE has no authority to arrest, detain and deport illegal aliens. He pointed out that in President Trump’s first year in office 40 percent of those illegals arrested by ICE had no criminal record at all and were accused only of “civil immigration offenses like living in the U.S. illegally or overstaying their permission to be in the U.S”.  What part of “illegal” is not understood?

He also stated that the arresting agents were “armed with military weapons”.  Most law enforcement agencies are armed with military weapons. I am not aware of any law that says illegals have the same rights as U.S. citizens.

We all need to support the Federal agencies that are enforcing the laws created to protect our sovereignty, the Constitution, our laws and our freedom.

Lowell L. Engle
Harpers Ferry
 

Blessings to you all from Pastor James “Buck” Buckhahn, Lansing United Methodist Church. We are in the midst of two March Madness events; one being the NCAA Basketball March Madness and the other being Lent and Holy Week.

One has a bouncing ball and two hoops, while the other has a cross and a lost world.  One has five players against five players with a bench full of replacements… played on an orderly court, with lines and circles and timers, and referees that keep order. The other is played with two people, Satan and Jesus. One being the creator of the world and the other playing the role. Satan actually doesn’t play directly, he has lost battles with Jesus already. So, he plays more of a bait and switch game.

To the Editor:

Spring is here, farmers are getting ready for the planting season, and prices on fertilizer and fuel are skyrocketing due to the Iran War and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. They are already under stress from seed and chemical costs rising every year, and now this.

How much more can the American farmer take from this administration? Tariffs causing loss of trading partners and sales of grains, support for other countries by buying their beef to compete with American ranchers, allowing mergers among big ag companies, further decreasing competition, and now this war.

Sure, price of fuels may come down in the future, but that doesn’t help for right now, when farmers need to buy fuel and fertilizer. They may only be 1% of the population, but they feed all the rest of us, and we will lose more of them to bankruptcy and despair.

To the Editor:

Mr. Lowell Engle in a letter to the editor (March 11) challenged the veracity of my assertions in my letter to the editor (February 25) regarding ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and the Trump administration. Mr. Engle must not be following the news, otherwise he would have seen the truth of my comments with his own eyes.

Shortly after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good, Vice President JD Vance declared ICE agents are “protected by absolute immunity.” Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff and a major architect of Trump’s immigration policy, also asserted, “To all ICE officers, you have federal immunity in the conduct of your duties.” As constitutional law scholars pointed out, both Vance and Miller are wrong. Federal agents cannot break state or federal law with impunity.

To the Editor:

I have lived in Minneapolis for decades, though I’m always proud to say that I was born and raised in Waukon, Iowa. My current location has unfortunately provided a front row seat to the workings of federal immigration officials over the past few months. I take issue with Lowell Engle’s assertion that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents “are doing the job they are required to do.” Permit me to tell you one story.

Alberto, age 31, came to the USA from Mexico a few years ago on a work VISA.  Working as a roofer, he had been sending money home for his disabled daughter and his father. And I’d like to point out that Alberto was not “taking jobs away from American citizens” - as I write this, there are 195 roofing positions available in Minneapolis, and that’s on just the first employment clearinghouse I checked.

To the Editor:

I sent this message to the six members of the U.S. Congressional Delegation from the state of Iowa March 10, 2026. The casual way the words ‘boots on the ground’ and ‘draft’ are communicated in reporting strikes terror in me.

Combatants for a worthy war are daughters, sons, daughters-in-law, sons-in-law and grandchildren.  When senators and representatives believe completely in a war, they can willingly offer their dear ones. The dear ones of every senator, representative and billionaire would be offered up to a worthy war effort.

When a regime believes citizens are less than human, it is easy to speak about boots on the ground and a draft. When the current service men and women are used up, the draft is the next step to supply combatants for a vanity war.

May the U.S. Congressional Delegation be mindful of the way they think, speak and vote.

Elaine St. Clair
Decorah
 

To the Editor:

If you love skyrocketing costs, high inflation, tax cuts for billionaires, and blowing up billions of dollars in bombs, reach out and thank President Trump and his party’s representatives and senators who control the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate. In particular, thank our U.S. Representative who has been a loyal Trump puppet.

Representatives in congress had the authority to block the tariffs and stop costs from spiraling, but they did nothing. Trump’s tariffs cost everyday Iowans billions of dollars. We’ve spent more on groceries, clothes, school supplies, household goods, and building materials. Farmers have lost revenue and markets, and small businesses struggle.

The Supreme Court ruled that Trump’s tariffs are illegal, but it is unlikely ordinary people will see a refund. Big corporations with deep pockets for high powered lawyers undoubtedly will.