opinion
New handgun legislation endangers Iowans
Friday, April 2, 2021 8:52 pm
State Representative Michael Began and State Senator Michael Klimesh voted their approval of HF 756 Omnibus Bill last week, loosening regulations on handgun sales in Iowa. Bergan claims the legislation “will improve public safety by ensuring law-abiding citizens can protect …
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Contact your legislators to support HR7 regarding employment equality
Friday, March 26, 2021 6:42 pm
Equal Pay Day 2021 was Wednesday, March 24. There has been progress since my niece graduated with her BA in 2008 to a 23-cent gender pay gap. Since the Equal Pay Act of 1963 became law, the gender pay gap …
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Democrats proved party of working-class Americans through American Rescue Plan
Friday, March 19, 2021 8:24 pm
Dear Editor, Republicans claim to be the party of working-class Americans but not a single one voted for the American Rescue Plan. This plan provides significant funding for vaccine distribution, a key to economic recovery and is expected to reduce …
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Iowans must participate full-time in government
Friday, March 19, 2021 8:24 pm
Dear Editor, Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain. So states the Iowa state motto. These are the standards we expect our elected officials to uphold. Sadly, ours do not. Latest event: they passed and signed a …
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Letter from Oklahoma subscriber concerning white supremacy definition
Friday, March 19, 2021 8:23 pm
Dear Editor, I see the words “white supremacist” used as if they are a group of people that are domestic terrorists by the new FBI Director Wray and quoted by others in letters. I thought the name should be explained …
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Response to Craig Spilde’s March 11, 2021 letter:
Friday, March 19, 2021 8:21 pm
Dear Editor, Iowa voting law. I could not disagree more with Craig Spilde and his negative stance directed at Senator Mike Klimesh and Mike’s desire to achieve fair and honest elections. Craig’s assumption that there was a fair and honest …
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Democrats stand up for everyday Americans
Friday, March 19, 2021 8:21 pm
Dear Editor, Did you vote in the 2020 election? Were you proud of the excellent jobs our Commissioners of Elections and poll workers did? Did you know Iowa ranks as one of the top states in election integrity and lowest …
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The big lie gives birth
Thursday, March 11, 2021 2:32 pm
Dear Editor, Trump’s dangerous big lie – that the 2020 election was rigged, stolen, and fraught with voter fraud – had deadly consequences. For weeks before and after the election, Trump repeated the big lie. Trump supporters were enraged and …
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To our elected officials: Don’t be sheep
Thursday, March 11, 2021 2:31 pm
Dear Editor, First off, I do believe in good people having guns. So, having an open door and no rules, to give away guns, just like a prize for buying over 10 dollars-worth of food, so a five-year old can …
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Letter in response to Senator Klimesh’s March 4 “Klimesh’s Corner” column regarding Iowa voting laws
Thursday, March 11, 2021 2:25 pm
Dear Editor, I worked with Mike Klimesh for many years when I was postmaster in Decorah and he was the plant manager at Graphics in Calmar. I always found him to be well informed, fair minded and reasonable. That’s why …
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Bjerke exhibit is “an amazing accomplishment”
Friday, March 5, 2021 9:10 pm
Dear Editor, Lucille Bjerke, originally from Wisconsin, who also lived at times in Arizona and Illinois, returned to Decorah in 2016, where she once studied painting at Luther College under Orville Running, to live near her son Lee Bjerke, Winneshiek …
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Letter in support of 2020 election officials and volunteers
Friday, March 5, 2021 9:09 pm
This is a letter of support, encouragement and thanks to election officials across this country, from secretaries of state to county recorders and their staffs as well as thousands of volunteer workers who all combined to assure that the November …
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Johnson will be missed but not forgotten
Thursday, February 25, 2021 9:42 pm
Dear Editor, During COVID-19 isolation I have been re-reading some favorite books in my library, and I happened to come across an essay that Paul Johnson had written in a booklet “IOWA-Portait of the Land.” It was so well written …
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In memoriam: Transplants to our community led with their hearts
Thursday, February 25, 2021 9:41 pm
Dear Editor, Two towering members of our Decorah community left us last week: Mike Blevins and Paul Johnson. Mike passed away on Sunday, Feb. 14; Paul left us on Monday, Feb. 15. Both men were extremely active in our …
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Letter to Bergan and Klimesh on voting laws
Thursday, February 25, 2021 9:39 pm
Dear Editor, Voting is the fundamental duty and right of United States citizens: the way that we can directly express ourselves politically. Your party is pushing changes in Iowa voting laws with no advance notice to the public and next …