Viewpoints

To the Editor:

This year, in preparation for voting in the November election, I decided to look at a sample ballot before actually voting. That was a good idea because when I read the option for the Constitutional Amendment, I was confused about the meaning and intent of the wording.

As a result, I did a quick search to find an actual person at one of the party headquarters that could help me better understand my options. This simple action helped me get crystal clear about my choices. Then, it occurred to me to share this simple choice to be more prepared with others. A quick phone call and a quick look at the sample ballot before voting was the best choice for me.

I also realized that this action step may make a big difference for others during this election cycle. I think we can all agree that it is important to know what we are voting for these days. As long as we are clear, and as long as we vote, we are taking responsibility for our lives.

To the Editor:

Should a man ever have a right to publicly state their opinion on abortion? I don’t know. I’ve struggled with that for a long time and the lack of an answer has prevented me from writing this editorial sooner. Maybe it is a valid argument that a man has no right to an opinion on abortion because: he is not a woman; cannot bear a child; never had a child; or more poignantly, never has had an abortion.

I finally arrived at the conclusion that writing the editorial is one thing, but forcing someone to read it is another. At this point, if your answer to the question in the first sentence is a resounding “no”, simply do not read further. It is your choice.

To the Editor:

The moderate, left of center party in Congress passed the historic Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, and President Biden signed it into law. The Inflation Reduction Act improves the lives of millions of Americans and their families and will hold greedy corporations accountable for price gouging.

One huge benefit in the Inflation Reduction Act is lower prescription drug costs. Medicare is finally allowed to negotiate for lower drug prices. Taxpayers and patients will save over $280 billion over the next 10 years.

Medication costs for seniors is being reduced. The capping of out-of-pocket expenses at $2,000 a year certainly benefits seniors while lifesaving insulin is capped at $35 per month. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, medicines become affordable for millions.

“Grief is not a disorder, a disease or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, physical and spiritual necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve.” - Earl Grollman

We all grieve at various times in our lives and yet we often feel awkward around the grief of others. What can we do or say that will help ease their pain?

My congregation, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, will be offering a free event to address this issue. We have invited author Randy Stocker from Rochester, MN to speak in Lansing. He will give a presentation and answer questions on Sunday, October 23 from 1-2 p.m. at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center, 1944 Columbus Rd, Lansing.

To the Editor:

Iowa’s families, whether they are rural or urban, want great public schools which their children can attend in their communities close to their homes.

Iowa’s more conservative party which now controls the Governorship, State House of Representatives and State Senate is pushing to pass the Voucher Bill. Vouchers take away our tax dollars from public schools and give them to private, for-profit schools.

Our rural public schools are already struggling and strapped for money due to years of underfunding by the more conservative party. Rural public schools will be hit the hardest by vouchers. Will our public schools in Allamakee County be able to survive?

To the Editor:

The coming mid-term elections are the most important ones in our life time.  Although critical issues such as women’s reproductive rights and lower drug prices are in play, the existential issue confronting us is whether our country will continue as a democracy or become an electoral autocracy - a country in which votes are cast, but no longer determine the winner of elections.

Nearly 300 conservatives running for congressional and state offices in 48 states have denied the outcome of the last presidential election. If a substantial number of these candidates win, our election processes and outcomes will intentionally be thrown into disorder and a fundamental principle of democracy - that votes count - will be destroyed. If voters cannot choose the winners, we lose our ability to decide all of the other political issues.

To the Editor:

Friday, October 7, the VFW Auxiliary held an annual poppy campaign in Waukon. The donations received will support our local veterans, patriot quilts, veterans hospitals and nursing homes, youth activities and the National Home for Families.

The generous contributions by our community will help to improve the lives of veterans, service members and their families by bringing them needed services and assistance. The poppy represents the blood shed by American service members, and your donations tell them you will not forget them. The Auxiliary greatly appreciates your donations.

Karen Mathis
Poppy Chair
VFW Auxiliary

To the Editor:

Deja vu - all over again.

I watched with considerable interest the interview October 4 between Tucker Carlson and Tony Bobulinski. For those of you who don’t know or don’t remember, Tony Bobulinski was a partner with Hunter Biden and three others in a business arrangement they had together for several years.  Tony is the individual who went to the FBI about three weeks before the 2020 presidential election with information about corruption and pay-for-play in the Obama administration through then vice-president Joe Biden.

Gathered at the Last Supper with his disciples, Jesus said to them: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives. So let not your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

Oh, how our hearts and the world we live in today desire peace. I have learned that peace begins within oneself. Here are some exercises to seek and to achieve peace in your heart and your life.

To the Editor:

There has been much discussion lately on this page regarding climate change, with appeal to various sources of authority. Yet the ultimate source of authority, the Creator of the universe, has been ignored.

God’s promises in the Bible are 100% true, and God promised that “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.”  (Genesis 8:22)

When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them dominion over the rest of His creation. This means that we have permission to use God’s creation to meet our needs, but also the responsibility to care for it.

We have not always done a good job at caring for our planet responsibly, but we are nowhere near powerful enough to mess up the created world that God designed so perfectly and holds together (Colossians 1:16-17).

Sarah Majewski
Lansing