Union Letters to the Editor

Politics not appropriate at baseball game

Some may have missed the Annual Congressional Baseball Game on Sep. 29.

Joe Biden handed out ice cream bars with the Presidential Seal and gave Nancy Pelosi a smooch. Masks and social distancing were non-existent and the crowd booed Joe.

Congressman Ro Khana (D-CA) seized the opportunity posting on Twitter “I don’t care if the scoreboard said Republicans 13, Democrats 12. Democrats won! The Republicans stole the game! I demand a recount! I want an audit! Democrats must introduce new rules to make it more difficult for Republicans to hit, run, score and catch the ball for outs.”

It was an obvious attempt to mock those that believe there was voter fraud in the 2020 election and Republican efforts to pass new laws to eliminate future cheating.

Khana’s no-class act is a stain on a non-political event that has raised money for charity since 1909, just like in 2017 when a Democrat shot up the Republican baseball practice nearly killing Rep. Steve Scalise.

Of course, some do but not everyone believes Joe hauled in a record 81 million votes for the win, and Democrats are fighting hard to stop recounts and audits.

But every citizen should have a right to have confidence that the president was lawfully elected.

Leland Graber

Wayland

Pass the Freedom to Vote Act

Here in southeast Iowa, I'm currently wondering how many more laws our Republican-controlled state government plans to pass that will make voting even more difficult than it already is for working people, young people and the elderly. The legislature and governor have done a great job of this so far.

These scams, promoted by special interests and their servants in the Legislature, are touted as "protecting election integrity," when in fact they are aimed at ensuring that only certain kinds of people actually vote - white, well-off landowners and people of means who have stable incomes and housing.

The rest of the population: better if we make it so voting is so difficult that they don't bother. Outcome: government of the wealthy, by the wealthy and for the wealthy. This is racist, discriminatory and anti-democracy, but if you're in the business of legislating to protect your campaign donors, who cares?

A solution is at hand, at the Federal level: The Freedom to Vote Act. This law sets national standards for us to safely and freely cast our ballots, ensure every vote is counted, and elect people who will actually represent us, not just political campaign bankrollers.

Grassley and Ernst are fighting this bill tooth and nail. They need to get over themselves and deliver the Freedom to Vote Act to their constituents and the American people. To do that, they need to end the Jim Crow-era filibuster that is blocking passage of this overwhelmingly popular and urgently needed legislation.

Call 'em, write 'em, go to their offices, stop them on the street, give 'em the message: End the filibuster, pass the Freedom to Vote Act.

Patrick Bosold

Fairfield

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