Union letters to the editor

Why we need school choice

What fueled the fires of school choice in 21st Century Iowa and how did we get here?

What is going on in American public education when the National School Board Association asks the 46th occupant of the White House to invoke federal hate crimes legislation and request the FBI to investigate as domestic terrorists any parent, grandparent, guardian, concerned citizen, student or teacher that would question public school policies at a public school board meeting?

What kind of totalitarian federal government are we living under when the United States Attorney General does issue a memo directing law enforcement to investigate anyone that does question public school policies?

What started out as Obama/Biden Common Core State Standards has now transitioned into Obama/Biden (third term) Critical Race Theory indoctrination to continue their agenda to fundamentally transform America to the obligations of global citizenship. (Socialistic one world order.)

Students are being indoctrinated to have reverence to the earth, the environment, green energy, proper pronoun usage and acceptance of all sexual orientations. Students are being brainwashed that the foundations of this nation and our Constitution are outdated, and that the American way, Judeo-Christian beliefs and all chapters of American history are tainted with oppression, racism and sexism.

Public education in America has become a distorted, dictatorial burdensome, troublesome, Godless, overfunded institution of irresponsible insanity!

We cannot continue to allow the interpretation of tolerance and compassion from the White House to be confused with stupidity and ignorance in the restrooms, locker rooms and classrooms of our schoolhouse. Remember when elected public school leadership in this community failed to listen to 1,000 constituents that were asking for a redress of their grievances as to what constitutes proper restroom/locker room usage?

Remember when police, an attorney from Des Moines, the opinions of the Des Moines public school system, the Des Moines Register and various other groups were brought in to sell a planned agenda?

Remember all those accused of causing disunity in the community that were called haters, intolerant, bigots, and asked to remove clothing that expressed their right to freedom of religion?

Remember black arm bands, a “hit list,” bullying, girls leaving school to use bathrooms, and students telling law enforcement that they were afraid to go to school?

Well we do and if this nation is to stay out of the graveyard of fallen nations American public education has a lot to unlearn!

The lies of Common Core State Standards and Critical Race Theory and all its derivatives have created a divided America filled with envy, fear, anger, doubt and blame creating serious problems at home, school, sporting events and on our city streets.

Many are confused as to who they are mentally, physically, emotionally, sexually and spiritually causing many to hate their gender, their ethnicity, their parents, their life and the life of others.

Is it no wonder that data recently released by the National Center for Education has reported a 70% increase in students seeking mental health services?

We The People of Iowa (who have not lost our minds) thank those in our State House, that have stood up with *courage and conviction*, for providing the choice and the means for parents to choose a schoolhouse environment where their students can become *all* that they can be!

James Lee Elliott

Fairfield

Students First Act is misuse of public funds

Sen. Adrian Dickey states that there are many lies circulating about school choice funding (Students First Act). It appears as though he is trying to justify funding private school education with public funds. I would like for him to explain how the $7,598 Iowa will now pay for students who are already attending private schools is not an additional expense taking taxpayer money away from public schools. He is spreading what would appear to be misinformation to justify his vote in this matter. School choice between public schools is one thing, but taxpayer funding of private schools is a misuse of public funds and quite possibly inconsistent with constitutional separation of church and state.

Mr. Dickey also makes a variety of unsubstantiated claims about practices in public schools. Why would problems not be brought to the attention of and resolved within individual situations rather than being generalized as an all-encompassing problem with public schooling. It would seem that Mr. Dickey is less than supportive of public education and I wonder why. How much time has he spent observing education in action in the past ten years? Why does he feel it is OK to justify spending taxpayer money on private education? And, I would also wonder why he and like-minded individuals continue to be elected to state office when they seem to be more interested in private agendas than public good.

Kathryn Augspurger

Fairfield native

What’s up with lowering the flag so much?

I got it, the president has authority to order the U.S. Flag lowered, maybe you’ve noticed it’s at Half Staff a lot.

There is flag etiquette, flag code, tradition, history and basic knowledge that lowering our National Flag is a solemn event that symbolizes a nation in mourning.

School shootings, shooting at Monterey Park, CA., Orlando Night Club shooting, Fort Hood shooting, hurricane victims, assassination of a former Japanese Prime Minister, Fed X shooting, COVID deaths, Atlanta shooting and many other such events have resulted in lowering the flag.

Certainly these are tragic events but we’re at a place where the flag is down so often that people don’t know why or maybe don’t care and it’s not consistent across all states.

Students and teachers sometimes don’t know the flag at school is down or why.

The flag was lowered some places for 92 days in 2021, 25%, 1 day out of 4 and the trend continues.

Some even say we should leave it down and raise it if we have a good day.

The left claims the right has politicized the American Flag, and approve of taking a knee for the National Anthem.

A New York Times article says “a Fourth of July Symbol of Unity may no longer unite,” it (our flag) is alienating to some.

And some illegal immigrants bring with them their own flag.

Looking back it appears some presidents are trying to break the record of the previous president for the number of flag lowerings while trying to break the record of raising the previous National Debt.

Leland Graber

Wayland