Submitted by J.P. Claussen on behalf of the Iowa City Community School District school board In the debate over private school vouchers, Governor Reynolds and her supporters are attempting to frame the decision to funnel millions of dollars away from Iowa’s public schools as “parental choice.” One problem with this argument is that it isn’t […]
Letters
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Letter to the editor: Is education in Iowa a zero sum game?
By Syndy Conger, Iowa City A zero-sum game is a mathematical representation in parlor games and economic theory of a situation that involves two sides, where the result is an advantage for one side and an equivalent loss for the other. As a result, they are fiercely competitive. Examples of games include poker, chess, and […]
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Letter to the editor: Grad students need a living wage to succeed
By Stephen Voyce, Iowa City A response to Adria Carpenter’s article, “Use of the UI food pantry is up, with international students disproportionately relying on the support” For the past three years I’ve served as the Director of Graduate Studies in the English department at the University of Iowa. During this time, our department was […]
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Letter from Joe Bolkcom: Reynolds not keeping Iowans safe
The toxic fire, explosion and the hospitalization of 10-15 workers at 6C-Zero in Marengo was a completely preventable disaster. That is if Governor Reynolds were not calling all the shots on how and when to regulate unsafe, polluting businesses in our state. The safety of the 30 workers, dozens of emergency responders and the entire […]
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The 10 most-read letters to the editor from 2022
In the nearly 75 letters to the editor published by Little Village over the past 12 months, readers from across the state took aim at the policies of Sen. Chuck Grassley, Gov. Kim Reynolds and other Iowa leaders seeking reelection; endorsed their favorite candidates; bemoaned the behavior of some of their neighbors; advocated for gun […]
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Letter to the editor: We have lost our moral compass if we allow ventilation shutdown
By Lynn Gallagher, Solon With industrial animal agriculture, animal husbandry has been replaced by animal science. The animals are treated like machines. From the moment they are born, until they die, we take from these animals everything that would make their lives worth living. Their existence is nothing but misery. Ruth Harrison, author of Animal […]
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Letter to the editor: Rural healthcare access is in crisis
By Jan Beltz, Indianola I’ve lived in small-town Iowa my entire life and have always loved the sense of community and pace of life it has provided. From less traffic and noise to knowing your neighbors and business owners, there is truly nothing that compares. However, the challenges of living in a smaller community can […]
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Letter to the editor: Dangerous rail merger threatens rural Iowa
By Justin Hollinrake, Ames If you ask folks in the Quad Cities about the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern railroad merger, they’ll likely cite worries about disrupting downtown areas or holding up rush hour traffic. But the proposed merger, currently going through the regulatory process, matters for rural Iowa, too. And as the midterms fall […]
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Letter to the editor: Toodles the Turkey returns for Thanksgiving Week
By Mary Palmberg, Iowa City I spotted a cute stuffed turkey in a window of the Deadwood Tavern when walking my dog early on a November morning in 2008. My granddaughter, Ava, had invited me to a Thanksgiving lunch at Willowind School that midday; it struck me that the turkey in the window would be […]
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Letter to the editor: We can’t afford to be complacent anymore
By Madi Remington, Iowa City It’s been a little over four months since SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade. Every day since has brought more horrifying results, with near-total abortion bans now in place in 13 states. Miscarriages are being criminalized as well, often victimizing already traumatized individuals. As a community organizer, I saw a spark […]
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Letter to the editor: Iowa officials must ensure long-term funding for 988 and mental health services
By David Leshtz, Iowa City COVID, the derecho, and financial stress continue to take a heavy toll on Iowans’ well-being. Governor Reynolds and other state officials have said that mental health services are needed more than ever, whether it be affordable and accessible counseling, psychiatric beds, or suicide prevention. There is a new, cost-efficient, and […]
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Letter from Joe Bolkcom: Reynolds isn’t really pro-life
Governor Reynolds continues to take victory laps for how she has managed the pandemic. She touts her efforts to be the first state to command kids back to school and to keep Iowa “open for business” as Iowans were filling hospital beds and clinging to life on ventilators. Iowa recently surpassed 10,000 COVID deaths. That […]
