Posted February 11, 2020in Stray Thoughts
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 those questions could be embarrassing. Regrettably, I come to this conclusion because every week or two I hear about another
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Posted February 04, 2020in Stray Thoughts
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 of the national spotlight and retire the much-ballyhooed Iowa caucuses — or overhaul the process to address the obvious flaws
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Posted January 22, 2020in Stray Thoughts
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, it was in elementary school when it was my turn to sing a solo in music class. I would have
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Posted January 16, 2020in Stray Thoughts
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 credit cards for unauthorized purchases. This man is worried such abuses could be happening at the local county hospital since
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Posted December 30, 2019in Stray Thoughts
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 time — but this lesson wasn’t aimed at the kids she normally works with. It was intended for adults. Laura’s
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Posted December 23, 2019in Stray Thoughts
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 from those wonderful news reports of secret Santas, free holiday dinners for the less fortunate, and communities banding together to
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Posted December 17, 2019in Stray Thoughts
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 true with my parents, Noel and June, who left long before my brothers and I ran out of questions about
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Posted December 10, 2019in Stray Thoughts
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 a business that will be paid to operate it for the next 50 years. The business will make a cash
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Posted December 03, 2019in Stray Thoughts
Down through the ages, a pretty comprehensive list of sins has been compiled to guide our daily lives. Some have been added over time as society’s norms have changed, and others have been stricken from the list. I’m not here to preach to you about envy, gluttony or greed, or
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Posted November 26, 2019in Stray Thoughts
Mark Cady was right at home at the piano and was an occasional singer, too, maybe best known among family and friends for his rendition of “Easter Parade” each New Year’s Eve — a whimsical tidbit that widened the eyes of some people at his funeral last week. But it
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