Opinion

Thank You and Kudos

THANK YOU to the Vinton police department and the Vinton firemen who helped block intersections and get us down the highway, through town and over the river bridge Friday.  You made the funera...

'New York Values:' An Iowan's view of Big Apple demographics

Imagine how crazy and crowded Benton County would be if every person in Iowa moved here. Now add every person in Nebraska. And North Dakota. And South Dakota. And most of Alaska. Pretty sc...

If Smokey the Bear had elves, they'd camp in our backyard

Dear Smokey the Bear, I raised them right. I told them NOT to play with matches. We explained clearly WHY the metal hanger should NOT go in the microwave. We taught them never and I...

To the Editor: Another view on 'Mo money'

To the Editor: Here is another view to Kurt Karr’s opinion: Bill Keller asserts:   "they (our government) create nothing . . . they sell nothing . . . they simply take...

Was Grassley\'s meeting about \'Mo money\' or things more substantial?

I would have been amused by Bill Keller's outlook, expressed in his recent letter to the editor, if it weren't for the many millions who are under the sway of similar thinking. Let's se...

To the Editor: 'We want mo' money!' -- thoughts on a town hall discussion

Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa has a personal policy of visiting all 99 counties within the state at least once a year.  Last night – February 16, 2016 – was our turn for the ye...

It\'s Valentine\'s Day, let\'s go away, he says...

We spent Valentine's Day, well, as we always do, not over a romantic dinner in front of a fireplace. It all starts with a dream. “Let's go away on a trip! What could possibly go wrong?” he says. “Just everything!” she says. “You need to relax and just enjo...

Letter to the Editor: What is Extremism?

Being a fiscal liberal is mainstream, but being a fiscal conservative is extreme? Redistribution of wealth is mainstream, but earning wealth is extreme? Being a Secular humanist is mainstre...

Debating \'smarter, not harder:\' A mildly optimistic view of disheartening words

It's appropriate, with all the love they have for each other, that both the Democrats and Republicans running for President met for debates during the week or weekend of Valentine's Day. ...

Reporter, Person at the Scene and At the Bedside

As a.... Reporter I came home tonight still wound up from an accident scene. Having been in the positions (except the cop, but having hung around enough people in law enforcement, I've hear...