Passenger rail will bring money
Kurt Johnson’s use of “we” is way outside the scope of his representation (“Your View,” July 15). I’ve been riding Amtrak to Chicago for years and I love being free of a car in the city, but I hate that I can’t catch Amtrak in Des Moines. A passenger rail to and from Des Moines is not just about Iowans traveling outside the state, it’s also about people from other states coming to and through Des Moines and the money they might spend here.
Jennifer Morrone
Urbandale
I don’t support the message, I support the right to say it
I don’t support the views the North Iowa Tea Party posted on their billboard, but I defend their right to say it. It is a refreshing change in this country that tea party activists feel they can criticize the president, even with troops still in the field. Contrast this to the Bush presidency when even a mild criticism of a “war-time president” was reviled by Republicans and other right-wingers as high treason, if not outright blasphemy.
Jeni Nosbisch
Des Moines
Read the tea leaves
Iowa’s greyhound dog racing is a dying industry. Without $12 million in subsidy payments from Harrah’s Casino in Council Bluffs and Mystique Casino in Dubuque, the industry would cease to exist. A significant portion of the subsidies goes to greyhound dog kennels that are located out of state. Recent studies have indicated more than 42 percent of greyhounds come from kennels out of state.
Greyhound dog racing interests need to read the tea leaves — the greyhound dog racing industry is not sustainable. Already three states have voted down greyhound dog racing this year. It’s time for our state legislators to eradicate greyhound dog racing in the upcoming legislative session.
Mitch Henry
Des Moines
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