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Columnists

Nothing sweeter than Nebraska-Iowa in March Madness

Early in Tim Miles’ disappointing tenure as Nebraska’s basketball coach, I was waiting for a connecting flight at Chicago’s Midway Airport when a bunch of tall guys sporting my alma mater’s logo deplaned at a nearby gate. I spotted Miles about 10 feet to my left, and in what must have ...

The MCO Medicaid mess — Why Iowans shouldn’t have to clean it up

There’s a saying in business: “Where there’s mystery, there’s margin,” meaning complexity, confusion, and a lack of transparency create profit opportunities for those at the top. Sounds a lot like the privatization of Medicaid, and Iowa insiders’ plans to fund it. Medicaid alone ...

When Chuck Norris got a Waterloo soldier to reenlist in Iraq

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 ...

A pair of somber anniversaries

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 ...

Give Trump due credit

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.” ...

Public notices must remain in newspapers

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 ...