Opinion

To the editor and voters of Jefferson County:With slightly less than a month until the election, it is time to look seriously at the choices we as residents of Jefferson County have to make. We have four candidates running for two seats on the county Board of Supervisors. It is vitally important that we retain Lee Dimmitt as one of our supervisors. He has been on the job working for us for eight years. He ...

To the editor:The upcoming election in Jefferson County has many important facets to it, but none more important than the election for Jefferson County Supervisor. It has been stated by one candidate for supervisor, and may very well be sustained by more than one candidate that Jefferson County has ?evolved? beyond agriculture and that farm families do not represent a necessary ingredient for Jefferson County to ...

To the editor:On the upcoming election day, we urge you to vote for Margaret Dwyer for Jefferson County Supervisor.Marg's long involvement in community service combined with her executive experience at Cambridge Investment Research gives her a solid background in action and decision-making. She also possesses a level head, the ability to see and assess both sides of an issue, and a knack for galvanizing people ...

To the editor:As the election for supervisors draws closer, I thought I should share my experience working with Marg Dwyer on the Fairfield School Board of Directors.I served with her for about four years. During her term, the ?alternative? school was opened and Project Lead the Way (a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math program) was implemented. As our board president, Marg was always fair, open-minded, ...

To the editor:A unanimous decision by seven unelected judges of the Iowa Supreme Court in the Varnum vs. Brien case, dated April 3, 2009, held that the state?s limitation of marriage to opposite-sex couples violated the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution. That decision established same-sex marriage in Iowa.In November 2010, Iowa voters defeated the retention of three of the judges responsible for ...

To the editor:I have no doubt of the evil forces in the world today, many are losing or have lost hope! This election could not be more urgent with the importance of each vote!Most troubling is the diminishing of human dignity and rights in all respects. The church is being silenced with increasing restrictions in not only practice but deeply held values and beliefs. The love and light of faith is in danger! ...

To the editor:If someone asked me to decide who among all the people I know about in the history of civilization I would like to have dinner with, I would have a lot to think about. ?Anyone?? I might ask.?Absolutely anyone in the last 5,000 years?? Jesus Christ? Isaac Newton? Mickey Mantle? Maybe Anne Frank, Eleanor Roosevelt, or Audrey Hepburn? I would have to think about it, but I know what my answer would ...

After gridlock for nearly a decade, a group of Iowa lawmakers said this week that raising Iowa?s minimum wage should be one of the top priorities of the 2017 legislative session. There are over 216,000 Iowans who earn the minimum wage and 90,000 Iowans who would indirectly benefit from an increase.Over the last 30 years, the minimum wage has failed to keep up with the struggles working families are facing. If ...

Des Moines Register, Sept. 20Blurring the lines between news and public relations It's easy to see why the city of Davenport elected to bypass the local news media to spread the word about some of its operations.These days, many local news outlets have too few resources to effectively cover city hall. In many communities, the county boards, school boards and city councils haven't had a reporter covering their ...

To the editor:Maharishi was able to navigate the question of religion so well it has taken many years for me to understand how he did it. Speaking to the West about spiritual principles and experiences naturally meant that the subject of religion would come up.Organized religion is a Western concept; you will not find it in India or Asia. It is not even a word you will find in the Bible.Organized religion is a ...

To the editor:I am puzzled and chagrined at the city?s treatment of Revelations.They were the first to offer a classy outdoor dining area in the downtown area ? nice fence, nice tables and chairs, and nice atmosphere.Now it is ruined by the city?s picky and unnecessary rules.Yet, the mess at Café Paradiso is still there. The two chairs sit outside at the Broadway consignment store where Walker?s used to be, ...

Iowa?s pre-K through 12th grade students headed back to school last week.Unfortunately, many of the students will be feeling the impact from six years of the lowest school funding levels in Iowa history. Many schools have been forced to cut teachers, increase class size, and raise property taxes.In Davenport, schools had to cut $5.5 million this year and it led to closing a school and a reduction of at least 24 ...