Posted May 28, 2019in Stray Thoughts
There have been plenty of examples that raise questions whether government boards in Iowa truly understand they work for the people, not for government officials and employees — and that they are supposed to be looking out for the best interests of taxpayers. The latest example comes from Polk County,
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Posted May 21, 2019in Stray Thoughts
I’m a sucker for happy news. There never is enough of it. Often it seems as if discouraging news overshadows anything uplifting or encouraging. But there was an amazing good-news moment Sunday. It came during the commencement ceremony in Atlanta at the historically black Morehouse College, a school whose most
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Posted May 08, 2019in Stray Thoughts
A friend of mine, a Korean War veteran, was talking last week about a mutual friend of ours, who also served in the Korean War. Opinionated would accurately describe both men. They often argued over issues, each one trying to shoot holes in the other’s point of view. Then one
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Posted April 30, 2019in Stray Thoughts
The First Amendment isn’t long, but it certainly packs a lot of angst into those few words: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press or the right of the people peaceably
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Posted April 24, 2019in Stray Thoughts
When you drive down Columbia Street in Bloomfield, you will roll past two lessons on selfless giving. Both of those “lessons” are wrapped in one important building, the Bloomfield Public Library. More on the library’s lessons in a moment. All of this is pertinent to our discussion today because it
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Posted April 09, 2019in Stray Thoughts
A sobering comparison between the athletes and the coaches. A few days ago, a friend repeated a maxim about what it’s like at his work these days: When the company wants him to do something after hours for no pay, the boss points out this is his calling. But when
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Posted April 02, 2019in Stray Thoughts
When members of the Iowa Legislature show up at coffee shops in their districts on weekends, you won’t hear them talking about not trusting local government officials. But that is at the heart of a bill that would turn city and county government topsy-turvy and place a straitjacket on the
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Posted March 20, 2019in Stray Thoughts
The altar at the First United Methodist Church in Cedar Falls was decorated with bouquets of beautiful flowers last week. Dozens of people gathered there to celebrate the life of a wonderful woman at the conclusion of her 84 years on this Earth. Those blossoms offered especially poignant symbolism. Ruth
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Posted March 13, 2019in Stray Thoughts
If you had your ear cupped just right and were listening closely Sunday afternoon, you might have heard my head explode. The pressure inside the old noggin has been building for months, thanks to what can be called politics as usual in Washington, D.C., and Des Moines. So, my friends
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Posted March 06, 2019in Stray Thoughts
Sunshine Week will be observed across the nation next week. The week shines a spotlight on the important role open government and citizen accountability play in our democracy. Open meetings and open records are the tools that enable the public to know what their government is doing, or not doing, in the
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