Posted May 18, 2023in Morain
Federal government whistleblowers have a champion in the U.S. Senate: Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa. We can measure a politician’s sincerity about a specific issue or policy by how consistently he or she maintains that position, regardless of which party holds power. Through the years—decades, really—that Grassley has served in
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Posted May 11, 2023in Morain
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”—Lord Acton, 1887 We usually hear this statement when someone wants to make a point about someone else, someone in power. I’m doing just that. And those to whom I want to point in this case are the Justices of the U.S.
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Posted May 02, 2023in Morain
The mental health of young people depends to a great extent on how they interact with their peers. At COVID’s height, isolation bred anxiety and its accompanying downsides, like cyberbullying, depression, and self-image uncertainties. Even in normal times it’s difficult in Iowa for youngsters with behavior challenges. When an epidemic
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Posted April 27, 2023in Morain
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, OR to the people.” —Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (bold face and capital letters added by this columnist for emphasis). That little word “or” is
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Posted April 13, 2023in Morain
How important is it to maintain decorum in a legislative body? And how serious must a disruption of decorum by members be to justify their expulsion from that body? Pundits and politicians alike are asking those questions after the Republican supermajority in the Tennessee House of Representatives expelled two Democratic
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Posted April 06, 2023in Morain
I need to apologize to the Iowa Hawkeye women’s basketball team for jinxing them in the NCAA tournament final game last Sunday. I didn’t wear my Hawkeye sweatshirt. I know, I was more than 700 miles from Dallas during the game. I know it wouldn’t have made any difference if
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Posted March 23, 2023in Morain
One state among the 50 registered an increase in the incidence of cancer in 2022. That would be Iowa. The only one. Only Kentucky ranked ahead of Iowa last year in the rate of its residents’ cancer cases. But Kentucky’s rate dropped last year. Iowa’s grew. The reasons for those
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Posted March 16, 2023in Morain
Words can convey both meaning and opinion. They therefore can be weaponized, stretched beyond their literal usage, to win favor, or to bully, or to slander. Propagandists know the power of words – that’s how they earn their daily bread. The word “hate” and its derivatives offer an example. Wordsmiths
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Posted March 09, 2023in Morain
Americans, as is our wont, continually focus on “the questions of the day.” Some of those issues change over time, but sometimes it takes a long time. And sometimes it’s a puzzlement why they were relevant in the first place. A few examples: 1. Why do we need to know
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Posted March 02, 2023in Morain
Most every morning I meet with a group at a coffee shop in Jefferson. It’s informal – anyone who shows up becomes a member for that morning. We number anywhere from two to 10. There’s no penalty for absence or tardiness. We have no official agenda. We discuss anything that
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