It is just confusing
Gov. Reynolds stated regulations will not address high nitrate levels in Iowa’s drinking water because farmers are adopting voluntary conservation practices. A study found 80% of nitrates flowing Des Moines’ way come from cropland fertilizer used north and northwest. These rivers have some of the nation’s highest nitrate levels, are voluntary measures really working?
Obviously our governor uses regulations to control almost every aspect of Iowans’ lives. Examples: banning books, eliminating gender identity from the Iowa Civil Right Act; lowering the legal age to buy hand guns; mandating sex education instruction without alignment to national standards; signing one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion bans (with limited exceptions); preventing cities from banning or limiting fireworks on specific dates; controlling county supervisors election procedures in Black Hawk, Johnson and Story counties.
Gov. Reynolds rejected Summer EBT (SUN Bucks) replacing it with Healthy Kids Iowa (HKI). The goal was to reach 65,000 kids, far below the 245,000 kids which could have easily participated in Summer EBT. With over 2,900 Iowa retailers accepting SNAP benefits, Summer EBT could have generated up to $45.4 million in economic revenue. HKI was to have more than 500 access points, however according to the website there are 264 distribution sites. Families must complete HKI TEFAP forms for each child in both June and July since TEFAP guidelines change July 1st. Summer EBT provides most eligible families automatic benefits without completing any paperwork. Once again Iowa’s Governor has failed our hungry children.
Diane Duncan-Goldsmith is a retired director of the Iowa City Community School District school nutrition program and a retired registered, licensed dietitian. She ‘always advocates’ for nutrition issues
Advice for Democrats
In 2023 Texas Representative August Pfluger, a member of the House Conservative Climate Caucus (of which Representative Miller-Meeks is chair) said: “I’m not convinced that carbon dioxide is the problem…this is one of the myths that the activists, specifically the radical side of the Democratic party, would have you believe.” This is nonsense.
More than 100 people in Texas died in a devastating flood. The science is very clear: warm air holds more water and thus increases the likelihood of more intense rainfall. Did warming due to fossil fuel emissions cause those 100 deaths? Impossible to answer. Does warming due to fossil fuel emissions increase the likelihood of this kind of flooding disaster? Defintely yes. Will the cuts in sustainable energy incentives in the recently passed Republican budget make it harder to reduce our fossil fuel emissions, and thus increase the likelihood of these kinds of tragedies? Definitely yes. (And I have no idea where he gets the idea that the more than 97% of climate scientists who link carbon dioxide in the air with climate change are “the radical side of the Democratic Party.”)
In communicating about climate change and other critical issues, I have always been respectful of those with different views. But I am overwhelmed with the blatant lying and disrespect coming mostly from the political right these days. Meanwhile, at least in Iowa, Democrats continue to be careful not to offend the mythical Iowa rural farmer, which somehow translates to making sure to not offend Bruce Rastatter and other wealthy people who profit from big agriculture. This is not a coincidence.
The Trump-Republican party has gained popular support and a huge amount of power by lying and saying and doing extreme, often illegal, things (openly accepting bribes, sending immigrants with traffic tickets to prisons in El Salvador while pardoning the people who violently attacked the Capital), all the while accusing Democrats of being radical. Holy crap–who’s the radical party here? The Democratic approach is not working. I’m not suggesting that Democrats take to lying, inciting violence, or making up childish nicknames for those with whom we disagree. But we need to stop worrying about offending when being silent gets in the way of telling the truth.
I’m not talking about using phrases like “The Green New Deal” or “Defund the Police.” Those are not useful because their meaning is not clear and they can be easily twisted into something they are not. I’m talking about telling the truth in no uncertain terms, like making it clear that those deaths in Texas are connected to our national and state policies regarding sustainable energy.
And here in Iowa (I’m talking to you Christina Bohannan, Jennifer Konfrst, Rob Sand, Zach Wahls, J. D. Sholten, Sarah Trone Garriott, and other Democratic hopefuls) we need to state clearly that lack of regulation of agriculture is poisoning our water (and the Gulf of Mexico) and making ratepayers foot the bill for more and more nitrate-removal facilities. We need to state clearly that half of Iowa’s corn is being used to make ethanol but if that land were filled with solar panels instead, we would create more energy with no fossil-fuel emissions and no nitrates in our water.
When given a choice between crude, provocative liars (and people who suck up to them) and overcautious partial-truth tellers, sadly, people are choosing the crude, provocative liars. I believe that if we give them a choice between crude, provocative liars and straight-talking truthtellers, they will choose the straight-talking truthtellers.
Peter Rolnick is a retired physics professor, advocate for the climate and amateur musician in Iowa City. He and his wife have 5 children and 8 (soon 9!) grandchildren, and they want them all to have a liveable world.
A disheartening ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’
It has been incredibly disheartening to see the One Big Beautiful Bill pass the Senate and the House, becoming law. This bill phases out the energy tax credits, damaging the clean energy industry and increasing carbon pollution. As a matter of fact, it will cost over 15,000 Iowan jobs by 2035 and increase cumulative household energy costs by more than $390 million in Iowa by 2035. Throughout America, it will add 530 million metric tons of carbon pollution by 2035. This will lead to even crazier weather that our children will have to face. This is why I’m incredibly disappointed that our Senators and Representatives failed us in such a way. They need to step back from the fray and treat our clean energy future as the bipartisan issue it is. Extreme weather comes for us all, and our children deserve better than a severe and damaged future.
Sincerely,
Eric Johnson
Oxford
A take on PBS
Because we raised our children with PBS (Public Broadcasting) television they are kind, civil, courteous, educated and successful citizens. Viewing programs as Sesame Street and Mister Rogers teaches dignity, human values and civility. PBS is free to all children.
In another blatant act of meanness, Donald Trump and his Republican minions are at this time moving to defund PBS. It is all part of the endless “waste, fraud and abuse” gibberish that has conned so many.
This, while more and more tax cuts go to billionaires.
It is likely Mr. Trump rarely viewed PBS programs or he would be better mannered. When it comes to manners and wisdom we’d be wise to stick with Kermit the Frog.
David Helman
Salem, Iowa
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: It is just confusing | Letters