Never in my wildest dreams did I think America would be on the verge of changing from democracy to authoritarian rule. But, overwhelming evidence abounds that voters and a political party are purposely changing their behavioral traits. With three grandchildren -- ages 11, 8, and 4 -- I truly ...
Do you make a difference in the world? Does anyone care about what you do? Are some people more important than others? We all ask ourselves these questions from time to time. Some people wonder about them more than others. You do make a difference. You are important. Who you are and ...
There’s an unfortunate trend continuing in Iowa and across the nation that must be addressed: the negative behavior of some coaches, parents, and fans at high school athletic events. Far too often, we see yelling, harassment, disrespect, and even physical assault directed at high school ...
Reporters need a thick skin. Hard-hitting stories can generate a lot of complaints, including abusive language and the occasional threat. It got out of hand this month in Las Vegas where a reporter was stabbed to death in his home. Police have arrested an elected official who had been the ...
When former Republican Gov. Terry Branstad signed executive order number 85 on March 24, 2014, he stated, “transparency provides Iowans the necessary access to information to hold our government accountable, and our Open Records Act is essential of ensuring openness . . . our administration ...
It’s well known America’s first president warned citizens – on Sept. 17, 1796 – about the negative impact political parties could have on the country. In George Washington’s farewell address, he felt politicians and their party of preference could become “unprincipled.” The ...
School districts across the country are facing a shortage of teachers and other positions in K-12 education, such as paraeducators, bus drivers, and substitutes. As students head back to school this fall, it’s estimated that the U.S. is short over 300,000 people to fill critically important ...
Ever have a day when something keeps needling you and you have a chance to let it out and you grab it? Today was the day! After wallowing in the mud on Tama County gravel roads for the last two weeks, the Tama County Supervisors meeting was to be held today at 9:30 a.m. My first question was ...
We all heard about the horrible tragedy of the young lady killed by a ‘pack of feral dogs’ on the Settlement recently. However, it might behoove us all to understand the problem in more depth. The Settlement has long been the recipient of unwanted dogs (and cats) from surrounding ...
Once a year this old dog has to shake the fleas out, get refreshed and just unload all of those testy little irritants, called "pet peeves" out in the open and move on. So this column today is dedicated to pet peeves that haunt everyone. Here are a few of yours and then I'll share a few of ...