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Iowa’s water problems need solved

4/29/2015

Twelve years ago, we set out with our young children to spend a weekend at Clear Lake, anticipating camping, swimming, canoeing and building sand castles. When we arrived, the lake was closed due to high bacterial rates that could cause illness should the water be ingested. Our young kids were confused and angry. I was disappointed in the stewards of our land and deeply apprehensive regarding the future of our water quality. Now, 12 years later, Iowa’s water quality has not improved, and it’s clear that we need to support candidates who will address this important issue as well as the broader issue of climate change. We need to all work together to fix our long-term water pollution problems. Iowans need to be asking politicians for their solutions, and candidates need to be coming up with answers. If you’re not engaged on the issue of water pollution, then you need to get motivated. Things don’t change unless people demand it, and the time has come for Iowa’s water problems to be solved.

Rose Brandsgard
-West Des Moines

 

The real double standard

In response to Ken Zinkula’s letter (“Double Standard?”, April 23): 1. The LGBT wedding guide was for same-sex-friendly businesses, because some wedding-related businesses are same-sex-friendly and some are not. This can make things difficult for engaged same-sex couples planning their weddings. Straight couples do not have this problem. I am sure any of the same-sex-friendly businesses listed would also be happy to accept business from straight couples getting married. 2. The wedding ad section was 28 pages long, and only two of those pages were the LGBT wedding guide. The rest was pretty heterosexual. Who knows if those businesses are same-sex-friendly or not.

CNA - Stop HIV Iowa

The real double standard is that straight people have the upper hand.

Julie Luepke
-Windsor Heights

 

For the sake of our children

Today’s Republican Party has decided that hardline tactics trumps compromise. They refuse to budge from their original 1.25 percent increase to supplemental state aid for K-12 education. Iowa House Democrats have reduced their original recommendation of 6 percent allowable growth down to 2.62 percent increase. Democrats are practicing compromise, which makes for a healthy government.

The Great Compromise of 1787 solved the problem of who would elect members of Congress. There were many other compromises when writing the U.S. Constitution that had to do with such issues as slavery, trade, elections and the executive branch. During the hot, humid days of 1787 summer, the toughest issues were solved when the delegates locked themselves in a building until compromises were reached. Maybe the Iowa legislature needs to try this for the sake of our children’s education.

Julie Stewart Ziesman
-Waukee

 

The complete story

Can any story of Johnny Gosch really be complete without at least a mention of the similar loss of the Martin family and their son Eugene?

Mike Rowley
-Clive

One Comment

  1. Channing Dutton says:

    I can practically hear the howling of the dwindling supply of Iowa climate deniers at the mere mention of former vice president Al Gore’s climate awareness training taking place in Cedar Rapids. Gore’s Climate Reality Project provides education and instruction to the next generation of climate-action spokespersons who, in turn, act as volunteers to raise the public’s awareness of the urgent need to immediately address global warming. The science community is convinced, based on the scientific evidence, that man has harmed the atmosphere and that immediate steps must be taken to provide for the general welfare of present and future Iowans. This effort to add even greater clarity to the necessity of climate action should be applauded by all Iowans.

    http://www.climaterealitytraining.org/iowa/
    http://cph.uiowa.edu/ehsrc/pubs/documents/Iowa%20Climate%20Statement%202014-Impacts%20on%20the%20Health%20of%20Iowans_FINAL.pdf

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