Opinion

Dear Editor As someone who has retired within the last year, I find myself looking back on my life and comparing my childhood to the childhood we experience today. No, I don’t mean passing notes in class instead of texting, or having fun on playground equipment that is now considered too dangerous. What are we, the generation that experienced lead poisoning to a far greater extent than any other, leaving those who come after us? What are they inheriting?Yearly record-breaking heat waves, so severe that lives are at risk world-wide.

Editor: As I think through my now, 81 years on this planet, I wonder what is our legacy?  What are we leaving our younger members?  Do we have problems that require solutions?  Is there a logical sequence to follow to solve these problems?  Are the solutions political or are the politicians responsible for these problems?  Can the “people” more readily solve the problems than a big overreaching top-down government? I remember some of the sequences –1.

Just mention anything "politics" and I'm in. I get tons of updates from our elected officials that are supposed to impress me the reader. Most of the time I read it and say, "yada, yada, yada." Under my breath I probably make some snarky remark about what they said. This time Joni Ernst actually earned an eye roll. Her news release read, "For all fans of the gameshow The Price is Right, you are going to want to set aside some time this afternoon to watch Senator Joni Ernst’s speech on the Senate floor…At approximately 12:50pm CT, Ernst will be using a classic Price is Right game – the famous Mountain Climber – to illustrate a phenomenon Iowans unfortunately are all too familiar with under the Biden administration: prices climbing higher and higher under inflation! You might remember nearly ONE YEAR AGO Senator Ernst used The Price is Right theme to warn Americans about how “The Price is UP” under President Biden’s policies.

To the Editor,Our names are Peyton Frank and Taylor Frank, Co-Directors of Better Together Animal Rescue in Vinton. We are writing you today regarding the current Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) in Benton County.Benton County long ago adopted BSL banning Pit Bulls, or those resembling as such, from Benton County. As Co-Directors of the only animal rescue in Benton County, animal advocates and citizens of this County, we are in favor of laws and regulations that protect our community members.

Dear Benton County Supervisors and Cities in Benton County, I’m a past chair of the American Bar Association’s Animal Law Committee and a coauthor of the ABA Book, A Lawyer’s Guide to Dangerous Dog Issues.  Currently 2 Iowa towns and one North Dakota town are facing lawsuits in federal court because of their breed "specific" laws targeting "pit bulls".

Dear Editor, An elderly couple in Vinton took it upon themselves to clean up the landscaping area around the Vinton Library recently. They pulled every single weed by hand! I know this because it was my brother and sister-in-law, Lowell and Mary Ellen Mahr. They didn’t tell anyone they were planning to do this or they would’ve had helpers, like myself! Vinton has had a big, ugly, negative spotlight on them recently regarding our library but we can’t forget that our town is filled with amazing, generous, caring folks, like Lowell and Mary Ellen.

In Chapter 6 of the Vinton City Ordinances, under "Dangerous and Vicious Animals" number 1 on the list that is prohibited are animals like liions, tigers and bears (oh my) you also can't have jaguars, leopards, cougars, lynx, bobcats, wolves, coyotes, foxes, badgers, wolverines, weasels, skunk, mink, raccoons, monkeys, chimpanzees, alligators, crocodiles, scorpions, snakes that are venomous, or constrictors, Gila monsters (I had to google this one, it's a venomous lizard) or bats.

Dear Editor No one is going to suggest the economy is where we want it to be right now. But it's important to keep in mind that economy is not a domestic issue - it's a global issue impacted by global events. The American government can have some positive influence over the direction of the global economy, but only if it chooses to. What are the two largest factors affecting the global economy right now? Resurgence of COVID across the world, but particularly in China, where they've instituted region-wide lockdowns in major world ports.

Dear Editor: Where are we headed?  As we look for solutions to our Nation’s problems, it is important to know who we are and where we are headed. Our form of government, our ideals and our essential freedoms are made for moments like those before us.  They are not problems, but roadmaps to solutions only if we follow the right road.

I have to admit that watching the weather on Tuesday night did not give me a good feeling. That sinking feeling is getting to be almost too normal in our neck of the woods. While visiting with some friends we discussed if we had ever had weather like this when we were kids. If we did, were we just oblivious of it? Growing up in the "good ol' days," there wasn't instant access to all of the world around us.