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A pair of somber anniversaries

Columnists

Monday, March 23, was the 16th anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. Roughly 50 million Americans have gained health insurance coverage either through the ACA marketplace or Medicaid expansion. Since 2013, the number of Americans uninsured decreased by nearly half, from about 14.5% to just under 8%. I think most of us would agree that our healthcare system, including the ACA, is imperfect and that we could do more to ensure access to healthcare for all Americans. But programs like the ACA and Medicaid have made strides in closing some of the gaps in ...

When Chuck Norris got a Waterloo soldier to reenlist in Iraq

Columnists

I just heard Chuck Norris passed away at age 86. There’s a group of Iowa National Guard soldiers who won’t forget him — and not just because they may have liked his movies and his hit TV series “Walker: Texas Ranger.” Twenty years ago, the TV and movie star and martial arts expert ...

Give Trump due credit

Columnists

The cause of problems Americans face has hooves, long ears, and a paperback copy of Antifa’s handbook. But the engine behind U.S. victories answers to the name, President Donald Trump. Economy A March 14 Economist report noted “GDP grew at 0.7% per year in the fourth quarter.” Inflation was 3.0%, and unemployment, 4.4%. Since Trump initiated MAGA policies, the S&P 500 has risen to 9.6%. A February CAPS / Harris poll reported 51% of respondents are confident our economy is strong. That’s up from earlier polls. 52% agreed dollar matters were worse under Biden. 59% credited ...

Public notices must remain in newspapers

Columnists

There are some in the Iowa Legislature who periodically toy with the possibility of eliminating the requirement that local governments print public notices in newspapers. This is the wrong move today, tomorrow and for the future. Government transparency is more important than ever. In truth it is critical. While the T-R and other Iowa newspapers have an economic interest in seeing that the public notice publishing requirement remains, the issue goes far beyond a few dollars. Maintaining the legal requirement to publish government actions and meetings in local newspapers is crucial for ...

Grassley’s belly-aching is corporate ag hogwash

Your View

According to his website, Chuck Grassley is once again railing against California’s Prop 12, a measure voters approved in 2018 by nearly a 2-to-1 margin. Grassley’s belly-aching is nothing but corporate ag hogwash. It’s time to move on, Chuck. Or as The Eagles sang in one of their hit songs, Get Over It! By passing Prop 12, consumers were telling the factory farm industry to treat its animals a bit more humanely. It gave gestating sows a few more square feet to move around in their tightly confined crates, and also said most pork sold in California grocery stores needed to ...

Sunshine Week reminds us transparency brings accountability

Columnists

Sunshine Week is observed in March during the week of James Madison’s birthday. The nation’s fourth president is known as the “Father of the Constitution” and a “fierce intellect” who prized public access to information. A statesman and a scholar, Madison’s fervent defense of open government shaped constitutional guardrails that put power in the hands of the people. One of the influential authors of The Federalist Papers, his words stand the test of time. Throughout my time in the U.S. Senate, I’ve faithfully subscribed to the Madisonian philosophy that “the ...