Too heavy of a burden

Duffy’sView (May 8) provides a vivid snapshot of the Bible-toting religious right-wing of the Iowa GOP about to be dropped overboard. It refers to the First District Republicans’ recent decision to dump their platform commitment to traditional marriage, which is an acknowledgment that they have accepted defeat in the debate on gay marriage. This is part of the GOP rebranding attempt in order to wrestle control of its party back from the religious extremists and a return to modern reality. The evangelical element of the Iowa Republican party has basically been dictating a cult-like control over the party’s social issues agenda.

Will this first timid rejection of a key element of the religious right’s agenda be the beginning of a new direction, or will it be the first shot in a renewed culture war within their party?

Duffy’s cartoon has a reference to Matthew 7:2-5 (“in the same way you judge others, you will be judged”). That seems like an appropriate reference since the religious right, in the past, has been so harshly judgmental of the LGBT community. It appears the Iowa GOP has now made a judgment that the religious right’s influence is simply too heavy a burden to carry.

What would Warren Buffett do?

“If you’re in the luckiest 1 percent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 percent.” – Warren Buffett

Buffet’s words came to mind during Congressional candidate Staci Appel and Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s recent discussion on Rep. Paul Ryan’s 2015-2024 budget. By 2024, I’ll be two years shy of Medicare eligibility with my retirement neatly planned out (I’m an optimist). Under Ryan’s proposed budget, this means I’d be in a new system of “premium support” paying much more out of pocket. Ryan must also be an optimist thinking it’s acceptable to present a budget that provides no real option to keep traditional Medicare. The American Association of Retired Persons agrees and publicly stated this is not the right direction.

Sadly, the more pressing concern is Ryan’s immediate proposal to slash $730 billion from Medicaid by turning it into a “block grant” program. Clever naming aside, the measure would cut assistance to millions of seniors in nursing homes.

By contrast, Staci’s track record in the Iowa Senate demonstrates her commitment to eliminating waste while protecting Social Security and Medicare. For my future self and my grandpa today, I’ll be backing Staci for Iowa’s Third District.

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