Letters to the Editor

Friday. March 31, was Transgender Day of Visibility. Coincidentally, the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce hosted a legislative roundtable with four legislators whose goal is to prevent that visibility from happening.

During this legislative session, 29 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been filed, many of them anti-trans. Several have already been signed by the governor. This is a stark contrast to 2009, when Iowa became the third state to implement marriage equality, earning Iowa the image of being a welcoming, forward-thinking state.

On our PFLAG Mount Pleasant website pflagmp.org, we open with the statement “If we don’t want to live in a state where politicians attack children and try to push trans people out of public life, now is the time to be loud.”

We weren’t exactly loud at the roundtable, but these legislators were asked about their legislative agenda and why they were so focused on regulating the lives of transgender individuals. The Southeast Iowa Union omitted this part of the discussion in their April 3rd edition covering the meeting. This is out of character for the Southeast Iowa Union which is known for their fair reporting of LGBTQ+ issues. This is no time to go silent.

The governor and these legislators now use transgender individuals as a divisive issue to use for their political gain. They have made it acceptable for 12, 13, 14 year old kids to be kicked out of their homes in the name of family values and parental rights.

This may be a good short term political strategy as the governor and legislative majority work to consolidate power over service, but as Iowa loses its commitment to being a welcoming state, is this heading in the right direction?

Bob Mueller

Mt. Pleasant

How you can help provide safety and hope for victim survivors of domestic violence in our community

We are writing this letter as strong supporters for building a new domestic violence shelter. Living in this area all our lives, we have been long time supporters of the Domestic Violence Intervention Program. We know how much this organization does to provide much needed refuge for victim survivors. The shelter’s secure environment allows individuals to begin healing by having a safe place to stay and offering counseling services. By supporting DVIP we know we are a part of helping individuals, children and families have an opportunity to start a new life.

However, the need for support and services that victim survivors receive at DVIP is continually rising due to an increase in all forms of abuse. The current shelter helps almost 400 women, men and children each year, but it doesn’t have the capacity to meet the increasing demand for services. And since May of 2020, calls to the hotline have increased by 28%. To this day, there are still individuals, children, and families whom are unable to receive the help they need due to the building not having enough room.

To meet this growing demand, DVIP has launched the Finding Safety, Building Hope Campaign to build a new facility that will provide shelter for twice the number of individuals and families as the current shelter. This new shelter will offer space for more victim survivors to have a chance to not only heal but to break the cycle of abuse. We are committed to helping this dream come true and we are asking for your support to help build a larger space to meet the increasing need in our community. Please consider donating to help make this new shelter a reality in 2024.

Thank you,

Jim & Judy Houghton

Honorary Chairs

Finding Safety, Building Hope Campaign

Domestic Violence Intervention Program

Thanking 4H volunteers

To the Editor,

During this important National Volunteer Week, I cannot help but stop and be so thankful for the countless people who give to Washington County 4-H.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to the village of people who volunteer their time, offer their skills and donate financial contributions to the Washington County 4-H program. My time as the 4-H/County Youth Coordinator has been extremely rewarding and in part due to the dedicated and caring volunteers in this county.

There are currently 577 youth in kindergarten-12th grade who are involved in Clover Kids/4-H in Washington County. The 4-H program would not and could not thrive in this way for so many young people without the commitment of our volunteers.

Thank you to all of our 4-H club leaders, 4-H & Youth Committee members, Extension Council members, Fair Board members, superintendents and project committees, project leaders, short-term volunteers, fair helpers, and numerous other volunteers throughout the year.

I have no doubt that our volunteers enrich the lives of these youth in Washington County. The talents, skills and interests our volunteers share have a lasting impact on all of us. They spend numerous hours working on tasks, such as organizing special events, helping members with 4-H projects, leading community service projects, educating, having fun with and encouraging our youth. They work to make the best better for our young people.

The work of 4-H volunteers is constant and isn’t always glorious with many details, deadlines, and changing needs of youth. Please be sure to celebrate National Volunteer Week by recognizing those who volunteer their time and energy in our youth – our future.

Thank you, once again, to all of those who generously give of themselves to help the youth of Washington County 4-H! You are the best!

Washington County 4-H Volunteer Stats

• Our county wide volunteer crew is made of:

• 57 4-H Club leaders and Clover Kid leaders who meet with their clubs once a month, support their members throughout the year at other events, coordinate community service learning, and social outings for their members.

• 18 Youth Committee members who meet once a month to help plan, evaluate, brainstorm, advertise, recruit, fundraise, supervise. They are very active in 4-H events and program development.

• 26 Livestock Superintendents who are the experts in their species. They make suggestions for class/rule changes, arrange for their volunteer crews for weigh-ins, fair livestock set up, shows, and clean up. Many of them also lead workshops, tours, and training throughout the year to those project members.

• 9 elected Extension Council members who are the governing body of all Washington County Extension & Outreach and 4-H programs.

• 24 fair board members who meet monthly to plan the annual Washington County Fair. They maintain the grounds and facilities and work to bring entertaining and educational experiences to the fair each year.

• HUNDREDS of episodic volunteers and donors who offer support for an event or two every year. They have their specialty and interest areas and help make those things happen for our 4-H members.

• Youth volunteer as well! The 4-H program works to model for and train youth how to be giving members of their communities as well, and many of our youth do give back and volunteer for this program by assisting at day camps, teaching at workshops, serving at our events, setting up/cleaning up for fair. The list is endless!

Sincerely,

Amy Green,

Washington County 4-H/Youth Coordinator

Washington County Solar Projects Can Build Good Quality Clean Energy Jobs for Iowa

Nearly two years since we started, the Iowa BlueGreen Alliance is bringing together labor and environmental organizations who reject the notion that we have to choose between good jobs and environmental protection and insist that we can and must have both.

Workers have been hit hard by the increase in severe weather events in our state, from the floods anticipated in Iowa this spring to unexpected derechos. Families living paycheck to paycheck have the least capacity to rebuild as our climate becomes increasingly unstable. Meanwhile, an estimated one in five Iowa workers did not earn enough in 2019 to meet their basic needs. Fully half the jobs in our state do not pay enough for a single parent to make ends meet.

There are already positive examples we can learn from, in which Iowa workers are building a renewable energy future with living wages, health and retirement benefits, proper training and safety, and equity. We are proud of the work our alliance did to win two large utility scale solar projects in Linn County that will both be built by local union workers - starting this month. Workers in Iowa’s building trades unions recently worked with contractors to safely decommission and remediate a coal plant in Clinton and install solar panels on buildings at the Quad Cities airport—these jobs were done safely, on-time, with agreements that respected their workers. Union Steelworkers are manufacturing light-weight aluminum in the Quad Cities for more energy efficient air travel and vehicles like the Ford F-150. They are also building electric vehicle parts at a manufacturing facility in Keokuk with negotiated raises, health, and retirement benefits and a voice in their working conditions.

Unfortunately, we have also seen some renewable energy projects that have taken the low-road with their workers—cutting corners with safety, using temporary agencies and fly-by-night out of state contractors rather than local workers, and paying substandard wages. This approach is harmful and inconsistent with our shared values. That is not how we will build a better Iowa.

As organizations who support a rapid, just transition to a clean energy economy and infrastructure, we are joining together to fight for more clean energy jobs while making sure project developers, state and local officials, and all stakeholders adopt labor practices that make Iowa’s clean energy jobs good jobs. Good jobs employ local workers first, invest in training, pay fair and transparent wages, and prioritize safety and workers’ rights. Good jobs value the dignity of every worker.

We continue to see results. Proposed solar projects in Washington county can move us further ahead in building good quality clean energy jobs for Iowa. That is the kind of win-win project that invests in our community and our renewable energy future.

As we create a clean energy economy, it is imperative to create new clean energy jobs while also putting working people front and center to create and sustain jobs that value our work, our families, our communities, and our environment.

Ryan Drew, President, SEIBCTC

Katie Rock, Sierra Club Campaign Representative - Beyond Coal

Abby Harvey – member of USW Local 2002, Deputy Director of Communications BlueGreen Alliance