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No right way or wrong way to think, act or speak in U.S.

We all need reminders now and then. Some of us believe there is only one correct way to think and speak and act in these United States of America. But that is not true. Americans are not who we are because we are the same. Americans are who we are, and our nation has long been a shining beacon, because we are all different and were brought together by that freedom to be different. One occasional reader of my stray thoughts suggested I reshare the following column from 2017, which remains relevant today. Details are tucked away in the distant crevasses of my memory about one of ...

The Four Horsemen

The usual saying is that it comes in threes. Whatever is going on in your life, be it bad or good, comes in threes. So, when the third one arrives, you can expect the tide to turn. But I’m a Four Horsemen kind of guy. Number one was Buddy dying. He made it 15 years. I miss his sweet, sad eyes and Scottie Dog face, even though he was a Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen. Sometimes I think I still hear him shake his collar. Stormy, our comfort cat, is okay as far as lap-cats go, but he doesn’t have the feel of our Buddy Boy, not even close. Stormy is way too independent, and can draw blood ...

District 53 Newsletter from Rep. Dean Fisher

Ten years ago, I was the lead sponsor on legislation that created an “Address Confidentiality Program” here in Iowa. The Iowa Legislature unanimously passed this law, creating Iowa’s Safe at Home program – a bipartisan effort to protect survivors of violent crimes. Administered by the Iowa Secretary of State, Safe at Home is an address confidentiality program designed to help survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking and stalking stay safe and rebuild their lives. Since its launch, 3,098 Iowans have participated in the program, most of them survivors of these ...

Stealing students’ dreams to give billionaires tax breaks

President Trump has declared that he has “won affordability.” In his State of the Union speech, he even bragged that he’s bringing costs “way down on health care and everything else.” In reality, the Trump administration is making it much harder for working families to meet their daily needs — and to fulfill their long-term dreams of higher education. The Republican tax and spending plan adopted last year — the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” — includes huge tax giveaways to the rich, paid for with deep cuts to programs for working people. The Congressional Budget ...

A funnel report card

Feb. 20 saw the passage of the first legislative funnel. This is a deadline lawmakers set to winnow down bills eligible for consideration for the remainder of the session. It doesn’t apply to spending bills, but does a good job of narrowing what lawmakers will focus on around the midpoint of their time spent under the Golden Dome in Des Moines. I didn’t have high hopes for this legislative session. Considering the last handful of years, the bar had been set low. But I had a sneaking suspicion they could always go lower. So I’m kind of surprised they didn’t go even lower this ...

When child protection becomes an empty promise

As a father, my top priority is protecting my kids. When a child is placed in foster care, their safety and wellbeing become the state’s responsibility. Tragically, the state failed to protect Sabrina Ray, killed by her adoptive parents in 2017, and her siblings from abuse and torture. Because of that failure, the state of Iowa in 2023 paid $10 million to settle lawsuits brought by Sabrina’s two surviving sisters. I voted on those settlements because, as Auditor, I am a statutory member of the Board that makes these decisions. I supported those settlements not just to help those ...