Opinion

I?ve written about U.S. Highway 34 before. It has many unique qualities, stops, and sights along the way. It seems there?s no end to its surprises.I travel U.S. 34 a lot. It provides SE Iowa motorists with a nice diagonal to Des Moines, and me a quick shot to Newton to visit a certain friend.A while back, returning from Newton, my eyes were pulled up to the words ?Find Your Love? spray painted on an overpass ...

To the editor:Warren Buffett was on the cover of TIME magazine recently. The cover story discussed his many laudable points about how to improve life in America, and noted the inspiration he took from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?s observation that, ?It may be true that the law can?t change the heart, but it can restrain the heartless.?Speaking of laws to restrain the heartless: Mr. Buffett will never see the ...

To the editor:It takes great courage to admit you are wrong. To say that, after much research and study, it has been determined that mistakes have been made and steps need to be taken to ensure these mistakes are not allowed to be made in the future.Since the United States Supreme Court legalized abortion on demand throughout all nine months of pregnancy in 1973, over 53 MILLION unborn babies have died in our ...

My parents and my sister came to visit me over the weekend. They were on their way to Fulton, Mo., where my sister had just gotten a job. She will be the activities director at a small college called Westminster College, which is famous for being the site of Winston Churchill?s ?Iron Curtain? speech in 1946.For my sister Julie, Missouri is the fourth state she has called home. That is three more states than me, ...

In some areas of the law, at least in Iowa, the rules are becoming more lenient and people are finding themselves with more freedoms than they had before. I believe this is a good thing, but some who have made headlines recently don?t seem to understand that with freedom comes responsibility.I thought of this the other day when I was reading about an incident in Texas. I?m sure everyone has heard about the ...

June 20, 2012Washington, Iowa To the Editor:We have seen many changes take place in politics and our economy. However, one constant is that many people are battling cancer. These realities make dollars donated and hours volunteered to the American Cancer Society so important.Plans are under way for the American Cancer Society?s Relay For Life of Washington County, set for this Saturday, June 23, at Washington...

June 12, 2012Washington, Iowa To the Editor:To be historically correct, Andy Hallman?s June 8 story about the ?four living? former directors of the Municipal Band should have also included Robert Steele. He now resides in a West Des Moines care facility and the last I heard brother Bob was still among the living. Sincerely,Ione Steele Burham

I always wave at oncoming cars when I?m running. I do this not because I?m a friendly guy, but I want to appear as a friendly guy. If it should happen (and it has), that I?m way out in the country and need a ride home, I want motorists to pick me up.Waving has given me ample opportunity to study the return wave of drivers and passengers. Drivers typically have at least one hand on the steering wheel (hopefully), ...

To the editor:In response to Mr. Edlin and Mr. Hyde?s letters [Edlin: ?Homophobia has evil consequences,? Dec. 8 and ?All adults influence children bullying gays,? Dec. 29; Hyde: ?Letter on homosexuality reflected bigotry,? Dec. 29].Are people unaware of the laws of nature? Specifically the natural attraction between male and female? To claim that it is natural to have unnatural desires makes no sense, it goes ...

It has come to my attention lately that some may be confused about what is and isn?t included in Iowa?s Smokefree Air Act. The Iowa Smokefree Air Act (Iowa Code § 142D), enacted July 1, 2008, protects the health of the public and employees by preventing exposure to secondhand smoke (also known as environmental tobacco smoke) and the 4,000 chemicals and 69 cancer-causing compounds it is known to contain. The ...

It?s perfectly understandable why so many folks care how farmers care for the land; it doesn?t just need to be protected because it feeds us, but because our fertile soils and watersheds always have and always will be Iowa?s most valuable asset.But there?s a growing concern that some well-intentioned folks have taken efforts to be sustainable to a whole new level, calling for the sacrifice of property rights, ...

To the editor:Since 1969 there has been a much used expression that states: ?If they can put a man on the moon, why can?t they ____?? You fill in the blank.With that in mind, the expression can be altered just slightly so that it applies locally and it would go something like this: ?If they can create a very smooth railroad crossing at Ninth Street, why can?t they do it at Fourth Street, B Street and D Street??...