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What has passed is not always what was best

Your memories will try to trick you. I thought about that as I was driving down a street near my house the other day, when I spotted a father walking down the sidewalk, his young daughter slung over his shoulder like a sack of coal he was hauling out of a mine. Her hair bounced along on his back and she looked thrilled. They had been out on a stroll, and she’d asked for a ride: That was the story the image told me. Adorable, I thought, for a second. But wait. What was that look of resignation on the dad’s face? Did I recognize that parental exhaustion myself, that feeling of ...

The Warme Wire: Week 14

We have completed the fourteenth week of the legislative session, which means we are officially in the homestretch. With the 100-day deadline quickly approaching, the Capitol is moving at full speed as we continue debating bills and sending legislation back and forth between the House and ...

Working Families Tax Cuts deliver real results this Tax Day

On April 15, Americans will see the impacts of the Working Families Tax Cuts as they submit their tax filings for the year. For too long, many have seen Tax Day as a day of stress and uncertainty. But this year, Republicans are helping rewrite the course for millions of Americans, and many are ...

The Barker Bulletin: Week 14, workforce and EMS

This week was full of floor action as the House works to pass important policy bills before the end of session, including bills protecting school choice and your 2nd amendment rights. Both Chambers are working diligently on the budget and property tax reform in order to prepare for ...

Rome Resident, Sam Krieger, Vietnam Vet, “It’s Mind Over Matter.”

Sam Krieger, of rural Rome, Iowa, scoffs at being called a war hero. “My Uncle Hes,” he says. “Now, he was a war hero.” At the age of 77, and breathing hard with COPD, Sam digs around in his artifacts and paraphernalia. He finds a framed newspaper article, “Black Devils of World War II Honored in DC, Earn Congressional Medal of Honor.” “That’s Francis Heston,” says Sam. “My Uncle Hes. He was in the brig because he was late in returning from leave. He was given the choice of joining the Black Devils or finishing his sentence. He joined the Devils. He didn’t know ...

After the recognition, the work continues

As National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week comes to a close, I find myself thinking less about the spotlight and more about the people behind it. This week each year gives us the opportunity to pause and recognize a profession that is absolutely essential to public safety, yet so often works quietly in the background. It gives us a chance to celebrate the men and women who answer the phone in moments of fear, confusion, pain, and uncertainty. It gives us a chance to remind our communities that before help arrives on scene, before a siren is heard, before lights come into view, ...