Viewpoints

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that I noticed that in the news this Monday morning of the week of the Masters golf tournament at Augusta, GA, there were severe weather warnings for that area.

That’s always an event held in beautiful surroundings, if not always beautiful weather.

Yesterday, one of the dailies did a story about Iowan Zach Johnson, who won that event ten years ago. The story noted that he has won 11 other tournaments, including the British Open in 2015. Last year seemed to be not a very good year for Zach, but the story says he won over $1.7 million in 2016, which would be a pretty good year for any businessman. His lifetime earnings in prize money top $40.8 million, at age 41.

Key words in that final sentence are prize money.

Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ, it is April and we are beginning to see the spring weather. As I am writing this, I recall that just a couple of weeks ago we had rain, lightning and thunder. The beautiful weather we are receiving comes with a price and that is the severe weather that can come seemingly from out of the blue.

The other day I saw a robin, and I have noticed some of the flowers in the beds around the parsonage growing with the promise of blooming soon. Spring planting season is nearly upon us and flowers are getting ready for the day when they will bloom in glorious color. This reminds me of what it is like to be a Christian.

We go through a time in our lives when all is cold, dark and gloomy and then as we learn of Christ we come to the time of a new life. This new life is not without its own storms but through those storms we receive the precious rain that waters our faith so that we may grow as Christians.

To the Editor:

The “Reality 101” events are terrific learning experiences, but shouldn’t the topics included be part of every school’s regular curriculum?

David Anderson
Waukon
 

To the Editor:

Between birth and death, we are criminals, living in a prison that we cannot escape from. We have been imprisoned since the day we were born, living among a bunch of criminals, all of us committing crime after crime against our creator. We are on death row as punishment for living a life of crime. There is only one door which after having served time in this prison that will open for each one of us. That door is death.

Each of us have a soul that is at death separated from our bodies and goes to one of two places. The choice is ours while we serve our sentence here alive on earth. There is no other choice. Originally man was placed on this earth to worship and serve our creator. A couple of our ancestors decided to follow Satan. That criminal act is still following us. The Bible calls it sin. Sin is doing something that is against the laws of our God and creator. Such as changing His laws, eliminating some of them or disobeying them.

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that this column is going to test my typing ability, which is already suspect. I think I was the only one in my high school typing class not to earn the 40 wpm pin. And in my long career at the newspaper, several of the young women with whom I worked found occasion to giggle or snicker at my “hunt and peck” approach.

It is sort of the same reason why I could never master the guitar. My fingers do not obey my mind quickly enough. That is also why I depend on a mouse and can’t use the touchpad on the computer.

The problem?

The Iowa women lost their NIT basketball game to Washington State over the weekend. Washington State is the name of the school, but the team roster read more like a United Nations all-star lineup.

This is not sour grapes. They played better than Iowa did that day, and deserved the win.

To the Editor:

Several weeks ago Karen Pratte had a letter referencing my involvement in closing Luster Heights. After several inquiries from community members, here’s the “Rest of the Story.”

Anyone who works in a public system or private business understands the role of delegated authority. For example, superintendents delegate to principles, supervisors/city councils, CEO’s to department managers. This normal flow is no different for Legislators.

To the Editor:

I anticipated my initial letter would cause a reaction from the community at large. I visited home recently and many people stopped me to talk about my previous letter. I thank you all for the feedback.

I initially drafted a much different letter in response to Mr. Quandahl. It was riddled with negativity and personal attacks toward our president and those who voted for him. I was advised by people much better and smarter than myself not to publish it. I am grateful they had the courage to voice their concerns by calling me out. If I were to attack Mr. Quandahl, as well as others like him, we could never have an actual conversation. I stand by everything I said in the letter that was published, as well as the manner in which it was conveyed.

To the Editor:

Katie Fahey, principal of St. Patrick’s School in Waukon, has seen the impact of endowments firsthand. By securing a permanent endowment fund with the Allamakee County Community Foundation (ACCF), St. Patrick’s School could ensure long term financial security.

Fahey has said that the St. Patrick’s endowment has allowed the school to expand its programming to offer 21st century learning to keep its children and teachers going at the same pace so they can learn real-world skills and survive in the real world after they leave St. Pat’s. That endowment has also allowed St. Pat’s to offer retirement plans for teachers.

More than 20 Allamakee County nonprofits like the St. Pat’s have established endowment funds through the ACCF. Nonprofit leaders look to these funds as a reliable and recurring source of funding that helps them meet emerging needs and continue the good work they do.

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that almost everyone has a story to tell about trying to get through the “menu” of telephone options robotically provided when trying to contact a utility or big business.

I had noticed that the streetlight on my corner was out on a Friday night. I figured it would be pointless to report that over the weekend. I was hoping that someone would call Alliant and so waited through Monday to see if it would be taken care of. When it wasn’t, I called Tuesday, and after a few menu choices, was put in touch with a human. That person switched me to a different department after listening to the problem, and so I got to talk to a second human. She took down the information and noted that depending on workload, it could take as much as a week before they would get to it. Both humans were very respectful and professional.

To the Editor:

A roar of approval to the Waukon Lions and their yearly variety show Saturday night.  A good crowd was on hand to applaud the St Patrick’s themed evening.  Father and son Gregg and Dolan Jones deftly handled the intros, side gags, changes, jokes, and quips to keep the show moving.

A good mix of adults, teens, and kids appeared on stage to entertain and delight.  It’s gratifying to see our high school performers trot out their pieces for the community.  The bell choir was celestial.  The dance school was charming.  The Allamakee Community Players were hilarious.

We were kept in the Lion’s den a bit too long, and the girl eating lion was too scary for the younger audience.

Waukon and Allamakee County are fortunate to have this generous group so active with their efforts to support those in need here and abroad.  Saturday night showed the “pride” we have in our Lions!

Russ Hagen
Waterville