Viewpoints

To the Editor:

Dear People of the Great State of Iowa,

Hello! I am a third-grade student in Northern Virginia. Our class is learning about the United States, and I will be teaching our school about the state of Iowa. In the month of May, I will create a display for our State Fair that I hope will make you proud.

Although I have gathered facts about your state from books and websites, I think that I can receive the best information from the people who live there. This is why I am writing to you. I am hoping that you would be willing to send me some items to help me learn more about the best things in your state. You might consider sending items such as postcards, pictures, souvenirs, this newspaper article, or any other unique items that would be useful or show your state pride. Here are a few questions:

To the Editor:

Ann Fields gets a letter grade of “F” in Economics 101 for her letter of March 9. She claims that everyone will have less with the new tax policy recently signed by Iowa’s governor. Ms. Fields fails to recognize that if Iowans are paying less income tax they automatically have more money available for their own personal needs.

Nor does she acknowledge that the State currently has a budget surplus that can be spent to cover any unexpected expenses on the part of the State. It appears to me that the legislators, who represent us, have done a great job in keeping spending under control, thus accounting for the current budget surplus. We should be applauding those efforts and remind our Federal Government that Iowa is a great example for fiscal responsibility.

To the Editor:

Hard-working Iowans deserve a fair tax plan which would ensure that tax cuts go to the middle class and the wealthy pay their fair share.  The bill recently passed by the Iowa Legislature, and signed by the governor, implementing a “flat income tax,” does neither.

Iowans deserve to know the truth about who really benefits from the plan: high income people would see immediate income tax cuts, while middle-class Iowans would not see even small cuts for several years, and many lower income earners would see little or no cuts at all. In fact, under this plan, it will take the average Iowan a century to receive the same tax benefits that the ultra-rich will receive in a single year. How is this fair?

To the Editor:

We are so grateful for the Waukon Volunteer Fire Department, and the Decorah, Lansing and Waterville Fire Departments. Two fires in less than a year, and we still have our building.

The night of the February 13, there were times we didn’t know what was going to happen. With having a father, husband and brother serve as firefighters, we know first-hand what they go through - frigid temperatures and all.

We appreciate family and friends for all their phone calls, texts and concerns in helping out in any way. We are fortunate that we only suffered smoke damage and closed for two weeks.

We are also very appreciative of Servicemaster Restore for their quick service and long days. I was so glad I was able to celebrate my 38 years this February. It may be safe to say we have the luck of the Irish, and on March 17 our Irish eyes will definitely be smiling.

To the Editor:

The political party in control of the Iowa Legislature is proposing decreasing Iowa income taxes, exempting all retirement income from Iowa taxes, eliminating capital gain state tax, and decreasing corporate taxes. I have one question: If Iowa has less tax revenue, what services will be cut?

As every household knows, if income is cut, households have less money to spend. If a family’s income is reduced, it means expenses must be cut. In order to have a balanced budget, less income means expenses have to be cut.

The State is the same. If the State reduces its income, then expenses will have to be cut.

According to the governor’s proposed budget, in 2022 Iowa’s income will be $9,065 million. According to the Legislative Services Agency, the tax cuts proposed will subtract $500 million in 2024 and when fully implemented will subtract $1,625 million from Iowa’s income, which means almost 20% less income.

To the Editor:

As part of National Social Work Month recognition, we want to show our appreciation for the social workers who devote their careers to bettering the lives of others.

Social workers strive to build a stronger community for all people, and the Iowa Child Advocacy Board (ICAB) is a grateful partner in the collaborative work done alongside those who serve the vulnerable children and families in our child welfare system. Many social workers embody the values embraced throughout the profession’s history. Those values include service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity and competence.

Strength in Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:9-10
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

How can I be strong, if I am weak? Isn’t this an oxymoron? What in the world is Paul talking about? How can my weakness be a strength? How can the troubles I am going through possibly be good?

To the Editor:

In the January 26 edition of the newspaper you had an item about the book, The Worry Knot, by Mary Evanson Bleckwehl. I read that book and I was so engrossed that I feel like everyone in middle school needs to read it. It is an exceptionally well  written book about kids with differences. We had a special needs child and put a lot of responsibility on our other children also. Sometimes I wonder if all we did was enough but then in the end it all has turned out the way it should. Our daughter lives independently in her own apartment. We had to rely on several agencies to help us and as the book indicates there are many differences in all of us.

To the Editor:

Iowa’s governor and most of the state legislators whose political party controls all three branches of Iowa’s government are advocating to take tax dollars from public schools and give them to private schools, including for-profit schools (Senate Study Bill 3080).  They cloak this legislation as school choice, vouchers and scholarships.

Don’t be fooled. Iowa already has school choice through open enrollment. This is about giving a blank check to private schools without requiring any oversight, accountability or financial disclosure. Taking money away from public schools is wrong, bad for our children, bad for public education, and bad for our communities.

To the Editor:

I enjoy reading the Word for Word column each week. It is interesting and enlightening to glean insights from area ministers, pastors and priests.

Rev. VanderVelden’s entry in the February 9, 2022 edition of The Standard gave me a new perspective on the Big Bang theory. While I hold to a more conservative, six-day account of creation, I respect and appreciate Rev. VanderVelden’s view and how he arrived at it. What I do find unsettling in his article, however, is when he questions whether the stories in Genesis “entirely represent fact”.