Tuesday, March 19, 2024

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Will Bill’s sex scandals hurt Hillary Clinton?

4/6/2016

The answer is no. Why? People don’t care if public figures are exposed for doing what the electorate is doing without the accompanying publicity. Right-wing fundamentalists are willing to publicize such things. They ignore it when their own kind gets involved in similar activities. I love the quote from four-time Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards: The only way I can lose is if I’m caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy.”

‘Nuf said.

Gary Thelen

West Des Moines

Grassley should take his own advice 

CNA - Stop HIV Iowa

In a March 27 letter to The Des Moines Register, Sen. Charles Grassley makes an outrageously laughable suggestion, “We need to hear each other out, not shut each other down.” Apparently, that admonishment is meant for everyone except Sen. Grassley. He demands we give everyone a hearing while simultaneously blocking President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee from getting that hearing. Instead of allowing this nominee a hearing, Grassley is shutting down the process guaranteed by the Constitution to Presidential court nominees to be heard. Has Grassley become so out of touch with reality that he would call for listening to others but be deaf to his own blatant obstruction? Has Grassley been in Washington so long that he doesn’t think the rules apply to him? Sen. Grassley, please follow your own advice and stop blocking the American people’s right to hear from this nominee. You have the option to vote against this nominee, but you don’t have the constitutional authority to block him from getting his chance to be heard.

Rick Smith

Urbandale

Focus on preschool education

If the state legislature was really concerned about students reading at a proficient level by third grade, it would spend tax dollars on preschool education to give students a head start, and would be better money spent. What good does it do to wait until third grade? My experiences when substitute teaching in kindergarten classes enhances my belief that if a child is held back, it should be in kindergarten. “Late bloomers” are easier to identify. Another year in kindergarten would essentially be a year in preschool that they may not have had. This would help them from starting school as disruptive students because they know they are not as advanced as classmates. Please contact your legislator and Gov. Terry Branstad to eliminate a law that is based on a fluency assessment that is based solely on how fast a student can read. Iowa’s Department of Education executives need to have a degree in reading as well as experience teaching early elementary classes before they choose tests used to hold back third grade students.

Julie Stewart Ziesman

Waukee

 

Clarification: The March 24 Cityview cover story, “Our Lust for War,” was written by Mike Wilson. We apologize for not crediting this properly.

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