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Respectful or not, America enables criticism and dissent

Columnists

Noah Petersen and Priscilla Villarreal live 1,200 miles from each other, Petersen in Newton, Iowa; Villarreal in Laredo, Texas. They share a key connection despite that distance. Each has encountered government punishment for exercising their First Amendment rights. Both went to court to fight for their freedoms. For Petersen, he had the good fortune of litigating in Iowa, where two judges grasp what First Amendment freedoms encompass. So, his civil lawsuit continues today. Meanwhile, for Villarreal, better luck next time. When her civil case reached the U.S. Supreme Court a week ...

District 53 Newsletter from Rep. Dean Fisher

Columnists

The legislature has finished week 11 of the session, we are busy working on bills sent over from the Senate and preparing appropriations bills for the final weeks of the session. Nearly every year during the session we deal with legislation that to one degree or another seeks to end the requirement that local government notices be published in the local newspaper, opting for publication on local government websites instead. While discussing just such a bill with some of our small-town newspaper owners they made an interesting observation. Readership in that paper increased by 150% in ...

Wake up, Iowa!

Your View

Often, I wonder what it will take for Iowans to wake up and pay attention to the State Auditor’s office. I pray it won’t take a massive scandal like what happened in Minnesota. What is the point of paying taxes if we are not going to properly oversee how those dollars are spent? Right now, $51 million levied through township property taxes goes with virtually no oversight. On top of that, more than $100 million a year in small-town property taxes can go without an audit for up to eight years. I find it ironic that taxpayers are required to keep careful records and report our ...

To make America healthy again, break up Big Ag

Columnists

President Trump has systematically broken virtually every promise made on the campaign trail to court health-focused voters. His most recent walk-backs on pesticide reform are a cruel insult to the idea of “making America healthy again.” Among other controversies, he issued an executive order to boost the production of glyphosate, a toxic pesticide linked to cancer. And he’s repeatedly sided with Bayer in a Supreme Court case that will determine legal immunity from health-related lawsuits for pesticide manufacturers. Voters of both parties are hungry for a new path ...

Bible truth or tradition: “Today you will be with me in paradise”

Columnists

“And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”” Luke 23:42-43 ESV A few years ago I asked a local Pastor about what happens when we die. The only verse that he referenced was Luke 23:43, referring to Jesus’s answer to a criminal hanging next to him on a cross. The Pastor said that as believers when we die, we go immediately to heaven to be with God and Jesus. I thought to myself if that were true, I would want to be next in line. But, is that really what the Bible ...

The Warme Wire: Week 11

Columnists

Week 11 at the Capitol brought an important step forward in stopping financial scams in Iowa. I was proud to floor manage House File 2232, which passed the Senate with bipartisan support. This legislation focuses on preventing financial exploitation, particularly for seniors, in the life ...