Waterloo school board presented with financial audit report

City Hall questions

The Courier building being 27 years old while the present City Hall is 60 years old, it makes no sense that the value of the newer building is much less.

City Hall with the Carnegie building has an accessed value of $6.6 million with 57,000 square feet, while The Courier building valued at $3 million with 52,500 square feet. A newer building in my mind would have a better value.

Police cars will park in the adjacent ramp which will occupy spaces as I understand are now on a leased contract, or at least presently paid for. Will this not take income away from the city/citizens/tax base? Where are those people to go? Where will city employees park, and at whose cost? Where do those who wish to attend a council meeting park?

Now we get to the incentives. You are going to give the developer all kinds of incentives. If that value is actually there, it looks to me the developer should be paying the city. Didn’t we just replace the roof on the present City Hall?

Is the meeting Monday just a formality and it’s already a done deal?

Shouldn’t this move be up to the citizens?

Dave Dreyer, Waterloo

Corporate capitalism

I don’t understand why so many are surprised and appalled at the election results.

Ever since the insidious scheme of corporate capitalism was concocted, the highest goals imbedded into the system have always been for individuals to acquire great wealth, power, and unobstructed control, this regardless of harm to other individuals, to other groups, or to other species. Donald Trump and Elon Musk simply represent the apex of those goals. Both are truly the highest epitome of corporate capitalists.

What we have is a monumental victory at last for corporate capitalism.

Mary McBee, Tama

Hurray for herbicides

Iowa is the heart of the Corn Belt. With more than 86,000 farms, we furnish nearly 10% of the nation’s food supply and lead the country in corn production. An essential tool in maintaining this production is glyphosate, a widely used herbicide on which our farmers rely.

Iowa’s lawmakers must protect access to American-made glyphosate. With pesticide use, crop losses still reach 40% annually; without glyphosate, crop losses could climb to 85%, hurting family farms and reducing Iowa’s economic output. These lower yields will trickle down to consumers in the form of price hikes. With inflation at untenable levels for many families, an uptick of this magnitude could break the bank.

Currently, glyphosate-based pesticides save farmers 150% on their input costs. Despite this, three in four farmers only make 10 cents on every dollar they spend. If access to American-made glyphosate is restricted, farmers will be forced to adopt costlier alternatives or rely on glyphosate from China.

Food security is national security, and the US should never be forced to rely on China for essential crop agents or to keep our food supply steady. I call on our leaders to support legislation that will protect access to American-made glyphosate.

Vic Miller, Oelwein

Life under Trump

In response to Steve Kapler’s letter of Nov. 23. Elections are over. Kapler said Ukraine had 50 thousand people who lost arms or legs. What do you care of our boys who lost arms and legs in combat? You offer no solutions, only sarcasm. If Trump wanted to end the war, he should have allowed soldiers to take away the supply routes. Our world leaders won’t use nuclear bombs because they believe ground is worthless. You claim Biden welcomed illegal immigrants. The way it is done overall is wrong, but our ancestors all could be one. To end your article bringing Laken Riley into this is the way it will be until Trump is out, if there is another election. No one in the U.S. has done anything about gun control since Capone, Dillinger, Kelly, Columbine, Sandy Hook, El Paso, Uvalde. You Republicans did nothing to bring jobs back to the U.S. Trump has told me I am an idiot, lunatic, liar, thief and a murderer. I hope for your sake gas will be $1.75, bread $.24 and new cars $3,200. Because my way is none of my business. I have been told that for a long time.

Francis Murphy, Waterloo

Climate action

People are worried the U.S. will backslide on progress regarding climate. However, many positive efforts will not be stopped.

Energy is now more cheaply produced via wind and solar than with coal. Companies are losing interest in building more fossil fuel infrastructure.

The House Conservative Climate Caucus, founded by Rep. John Curtis in 2021, now boasts 84 members. Iowa Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks is the current chair. She is one of 18 Republican House members who have signed a letter urging that the climate provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act be left in place. Representatives Hinson, Nunn and Feenstra can be asked to join this caucus.

Permitting reform is needed to allow transmission lines and renewable energy to come online more quickly. This has bipartisan support. It can be done by streamlining the process, without sacrificing historic and environmental concerns. The Energy Permitting Reform Act S.4753 is in the Senate. Senators Ernst and Grassley can be encouraged to support it in the lame duck session. Studies have shown when enacted, it will reduce carbon pollution.

You can also join Citizens’ Climate Lobby, cclusa.org, with 1760 members in Iowa. CCL makes it easy to contact your congresspersons on climate. Action helps.

Lyle Otte, Decorah