There’s more to pardons than pundits notice
If you are looking for something in government that can be quite messy, even under the best of circumstances, look no further than the power that allows presidents to issue [...]
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Posted February 25, 2020in Stray Thoughts
Posted February 18, 2020in Stray Thoughts
Iowa’s compelling interest in equality for all
Members of the Iowa Legislature are in the midst of tying themselves into knots over the issue of equality, and that’s unfortunate. The knot-tying involves what these lawmakers call “religious [...]
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Posted February 11, 2020in Stray Thoughts
Public deserves to know what occurs in our schools
Forgive me, but I think some government officials forget they work for the people of Iowa, or maybe they just don’t want the public asking too many questions, especially if [...]
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Posted February 04, 2020in Stray Thoughts
It’s time to overhaul, or end, the caucuses
For 40+ years, Iowa has been pulling the wool over the eyes of the free world every four years. It is time our state’s political leaders put aside their love [...]
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Posted January 22, 2020in Stray Thoughts
Remember, our imperfections don’t define us
Every one of us probably has a moment of dread from our grade school days squirreled away in the dusty recesses of our memories. Or many such moments. For me, [...]
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Posted January 16, 2020in Stray Thoughts
Something for Legislature’s ‘To Do’ list
There is a retired businessman in western Iowa who bristles every time he reads a newspaper article from somewhere in our state about government officials who have misused their government [...]
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Posted December 30, 2019in Stray Thoughts
A teacher has a lesson from the ER for all of us
Schools across Iowa have been dark for more than a week because of winter vacation. But a Des Moines teacher still managed to teach a very important lesson during that [...]
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Posted December 23, 2019in Stray Thoughts
There’s something special about simple charity
This is the time of the year when my psyche — after being worn down by the headaches, the hatred and the heartache around us — gets a much-needed pick-me-up [...]
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Posted December 17, 2019in Stray Thoughts
The questions I would like to ask ‘Berk’
Whenever a friend or relative dies, it’s not unusual to find ourselves dwelling on the conversations we wish had occurred or the questions that never got asked. That certainly was [...]
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Posted December 10, 2019in Stray Thoughts
UI utility secrecy: A blow to public accountability
The Iowa Board of Regents is being asked this week to consider a complex proposal to turn the operation of the University of Iowa’s utility system over to an unnamed [...]
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