Viewpoints

The Lord Provides 

Paul writes in Philippians 2, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” How true this is! Not only has our good God granted us salvation in Christ Jesus through the forgiveness of sins that He won for us on the cross, but He also cares and supplies all our daily needs as well.  

We are surrounded by God’s gracious care - through the people, tools, and opportunities that He gives to take care of us. While it’s easy for us to forget, we know that God is always at work taking care of us. I was reminded of this when we welcomed a healthy baby girl this past July.

To the Editor:

To the citizens of Allamakee County. For 40 years the Allamakee County Bar Association had been providing a service, free of charge, where someone could learn whether their law question was something requiring an attorney or not.

I am sad to announce that the Allamakee County Legal Advice Clinic has been temporarily shut down. As President of the Allamakee County Bar Association, I have been advised by the Clerk of Court that we can no longer use the services of the clerk’s office to set appointments and hold client conferences for this free service.

Previously, there were ads/articles in the local newspaper that indicated this service was available.  One could call the clerk’s office and they would set an appointment on a Monday, two weeks per month, for citizens to speak with a volunteer attorney.

I hope that the service did provide some help to the community over the last 40 years. Presently, the program is temporary shutdown.

To the Editor:

I heard one older lady say, “We fed our kids. Why can’t people feed their kids today?”

I thought about that and did some research. Wages are up, but prices are up, too. I decided to compare 1975 purchasing power to today’s purchasing power.

Purchasing power is measured by the Consumer Price Index, which is the price of a basket of similar goods that has been tracked over time. What $1 bought in 1975, now sells for roughly $6.02. If a family made $10,000 in 1975, that same family needs over $60,000 to buy the same goods.

Minimum wage in 1975 was $2.10/hour.  In order to buy the same goods today, one would need $12.60/hour, but today’s minimum wage is $7.25. This means that someone living on minimum wage today can only buy 58% of what someone living on minimum wage in 1975 could buy.

To the Editor:

November 1, over 250,000  Iowans lost Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, putting healthy food out of reach for families already struggling to make ends meet. SNAP isn’t a handout; it’s a lifeline for children, people with disabilities, seniors, and hardworking families trying to feed themselves while paying rent, utilities, and other essential bills. With the cost of groceries soaring, stopping food aid results in people going hungry.

In the richest country in the world, children are going to bed with empty bellies. Allowing hunger to exist is a moral failure and the result of intentional policy decisions made by politicians.

To the Editor:

Farmers are a dying breed. During the 1980s, my first husband and I lost our farm in a farm bankruptcy, along with 250,000 other farmers. This wasn’t because we weren’t good farmers, but because the federal government created artificially high interest rates and inflation was out of control. Another farm debt crisis is happening now, thanks to tariffs, the possible importing of beef from Argentina, and hand-outs to Argentina.

The tariffs on soybeans caused our largest buyer, China, to stop buying U.S. products, and they have turned to Argentina. Tariffs are meant to “even the playing field,” but instead the tariffs decimated the playing field, and thus are decimating farmers.

And this week (10/18/2025), Trump floated the idea of buying beef from Argentina to reduce the price of beef in the grocery stores. Now, he is reducing the one profitable enterprise for farmers, after years of losing money on beef.

To the Editor:

I appreciate Ashley Hinson voting to keep the government open and operating for Iowans. The letter published a couple weeks ago failed to include the facts that House and Senate Democrats are keeping the government closed over providing healthcare for illegal aliens and providing hundreds of millions of tax dollars to NPR and PBS.

Ashley has worked hard to expand access to healthcare for Iowans - she supports keeping premiums low, improving maternal health care, and expanding telehealth options for rural Iowans. It’s unfortunate that Democrats are playing politics with healthcare instead of working on common sense solutions.

I appreciate Ashley fighting for Iowans in DC. She is doing exactly what we elected her to do.

Cristina Smith
Waukon
 

To the Editor:

In her letter to the editor in the October 8 edition of The Standard, I wonder why Ann Hart seems to be so opposed to our Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcing immigration laws. She would try to convince us that these agencies are in business only to make money.

Her letter leads us to believe there is abuse in the system with uncontrolled violence and abuse of the illegals. We don’t know if she means abuse at the hands of the ICE officials or other illegals. The letter offers no proof that such abuse exists. Her letter also leads us to believe that the money being spent for controlling illegal immigration is being taken from SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and Social Security.

To the Editor:

The Driftless Half Marathon held annually in Lansing each October has become bigger than just the hobby of running. What started off as a way to share the uniqueness and beauty of Allamakee County, has since turned into a do-good, feel-good fundraiser where everyone can partake.

Each year, folks from across the country come to see what our area of the driftless region has to offer. Some love it so much, they return each year and become known on a first-name basis.

When they arrive in Lansing on race weekend, they are met with friendly faces of the volunteer race committee and locals when they frequent the businesses in town. There are endless comments of how polite and welcoming our townspeople are. Some, being used to larger events in bigger towns and cities, acknowledge how much they love our ‘small-town race’. This is all because of the hospitality our locals provide.

To the Editor:
The outpouring of generosity and support from our community during the VFW Auxiliary poppy sales Friday, October 10 was truly inspiring. Each contribution plays a vital role in honoring the service and sacrifices of our veterans and supporting programs that assist them and their families.
It is heartening to see so many members of our community come together to make a meaningful difference and demonstrate the spirit of care, compassion and commitment to those who have served.

Karen Mathis
Poppy Chair
VFW Auxiliary

To the Editor:

At the core of the government shutdown is the cost of healthcare insurance. Millions of Americans will see their health care insurance premiums skyrocket because Republicans refuse to extend the health insurance tax subsidies. Without subsidies, insurance premiums will double or even quadruple (Kaiser Family Foundation) for people who purchase insurance from the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplace, making insurance unaffordable.

To prevent the explosion of health insurance costs, Democrats will not vote for the Republicans’ partisan budget bill which excludes health insurance subsidies. Republicans wholeheartedly supported $1.1 trillion tax cuts for billionaires, but refuse health insurance tax subsidies for everyday Americans.