The issue we didn’t know was an issue
Silly me. I thought I had been paying attention to the issues about which Iowans feel strongly. You know, things like inflation, taxes, government spending, the war in Ukraine, a [...]
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Posted July 31, 2023in Stray Thoughts
Posted July 24, 2023in Stray Thoughts
Thin skin plagues some officials in Iowa
Around the time the famous movie “The Bridges of Madison County” premiered in 1995, author Robert James Waller was at a book-signing in West Des Moines. Between scribbling his signature [...]
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Posted July 18, 2023in Stray Thoughts
When ‘governing’ loses track of its purpose
One of the photographs of my father that I clearly remember appeared on the pages of the Bloomfield Democrat about 60 years ago. Pop was standing chest-deep in a hole [...]
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Posted July 03, 2023in Stray Thoughts
What our leaders don’t grasp about books in schools
My late friend Paul was a fine Des Moines teacher. I wish the Evans girls had him for history and government. Judging from his ability to entertain me with [...]
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Posted June 27, 2023in Stray Thoughts
School and state board blunder in major transparency case
These are challenging times for Iowa’s 327 public school districts. They are being watched closely by state officials and lawmakers, by parents and by others in the community. These eyes [...]
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Posted June 19, 2023in Stray Thoughts
Cameras are a must in Trump criminal case
Forty-four years ago, the Iowa Supreme Court made an important change in the way the state courts operate — allowing journalists to bring their cameras and audio recorders inside courtrooms [...]
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Posted June 05, 2023in Stray Thoughts
We honored Cameron and remembered Gov. Ray
Sue and I were in Washington, Iowa, last month. The purpose for our trip was a high school graduation. It was a special occasion because the people we joined with [...]
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Posted May 24, 2023in Stray Thoughts
Millions of reasons why outside scrutiny is important
When FBI agents led a Dixon, Ill., official out of city hall in handcuffs and the charges against her became public, the most often asked question was “How.” How did [...]
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Posted May 19, 2023in Stray Thoughts
This is why anxiety about secrecy led us into court
In 2017, the Iowa Legislature responded to concerns from Gov. Terry Branstad and amended Iowa law to ensure when government employees are forced out of their jobs the reasons must [...]
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Posted May 02, 2023in Stray Thoughts
Keeping Iowa in the dark is not acceptable
If you watch the Iowa Legislature in action, there are some truisms you see time and again. Such as: Each political party is in favor of transparency and accountability — [...]
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