GOP needs a more positive agenda

Republicans are trying to sell a message that the majority of voters aren’t buying. Republicans in Congress have a lack of respect for the majority and disdain for the rule of law and individual liberty. Public confidence with GOP policies has reached its lowest ebb. They support taxpayer giveaways to big oil and other corporations, and they have moved so far right they have abandoned social issues. They’re attacking social security and Medicare. They have obstructed the passing of the public option, Wall Street reform, ending taxpayer subsidies to oil companies, and background checks for gun ownership. The majority see Republicans as corrupt and self-serving. They can’t run on their merits, so they’re trying to restrict the voting access for those that don’t support them. Jobs and the economy are what the majority of voters are interested in. Republicans are against equal pay for equal work; they consider veterans’ benefits federal welfare and now they’re attacking student loans. They want to double the interest rates on student loans, which would make a college education too expensive for all but the wealthy. Retired Sen. Bob Dole said, “The GOP needs a more positive agenda.”

Iowa’s children deserve the best in their first days

One school year has just ended, and parents of young children are going to preschool graduations and preparing for entry into kindergarten. Iowa has moved forward, helping our children with high-quality child care, early head start and head start, Shared Visions and state voluntary preschool programs. But too many children still lack the school readiness and positive development experiences that serve them well, not only for success in elementary school, but also success in the workplace, home and community.

There are 2,000 days from a child’s birth to when he/she enters kindergarten. The return on the public investment is compelling. For every dollar spent on high-quality preschool programs, Iowa taxpayers will spend less on special education, juvenile crime and school dropouts. President Obama has called for a state-federal partnership to accelerate and expand the work we’ve done for Iowa’s children. Let’s not let another school year begin with quality early childhood education for just some of Iowa’s children. All of them deserve the opportunity, and Iowa deserves a smart investment of our public resources. Let’s urge Congress not to let another year go by without all of Iowa’s children accessing a quality early childhood education experience.

Correction: The Real Action front man Kurt Johnson was misidentified as Matt Wellendorf in the Soundstage photo caption (“Punk on tap at Gas Lamp,” June 6).

The Sullivan Brothers opened Sully’s Irish Pub and sold it to Al Gladson in 1981 . (Belly Up, June 6). Gladson later sold it to his employee, Mardeen Perin and her husband Jim, when he retired.

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