Opinion

Renowned motivational speaker and entrepreneur Jim Rohn said, "There are times when you just lose; no matter what you do, it's that kind of planet."

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 be made public and not shrouded in secrecy.

Iowa’s congressional delegation mustered a goal-line defense for biofuel subsidies as the last holdouts to the House passing a debt ceiling bill that slashes government spending and sets up a showdown with President Joe Biden.

I don't want to sound negative, but have you ever noticed that when you're feeling good about something you're about to do, someone comes along and tries to bring you down with a mean comment? It's almost like they're determined to spoil your excitement and make you doubt yourself.

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 — until they gain the majority. Then those politicians see many reasons why transparency and accountability are problematic.

I thought the often-repeated desire to weed out waste, fraud and abuse in government spending was something Republicans, Democrats and independents could agree on in Iowa.

We've all been tempted to point fingers at others for the hurdles we face. Certain actions by people can indeed create stumbling blocks or impose devastating challenges on our path.

Last week was one to savor. But it also was a week to reflect on how far we still need to travel to have true citizen engagement in our state and local governments.

My friend Denny and I were as different as night and day. He was conservative; I was wasn’t. I accused him of being to the right of Atilla the Hun. He accused me of working for Pravda, the famed Communist party newspaper.

The Iowa Legislature and Governor Kim Reynolds cannot seem to make up their minds whether they support parental rights or are against Mom and Dad being the decision-makers when it comes to their children’s well-being.

What separates average-to-good Iowa towns from thriving ones, former Governor Terry Branstad often said, is the presence of locally owned banks and a dedicated community newspaper.

Expanding government is the name of the game for the Biden administration.

Some events are so heinous that finding a positive aspect can be challenging. In these situations, the only ray of hope that remains is Justice & Accountability.

There is an interesting study in contrasts playing out right now in Iowa.

A must see movie is “A Man Called Otto” with Tom Hanks, Mariana Trevino and Tom Hanks' son, Truman. Both Ginnie and I read the book, saw the original Swedish movie on Netflix, “A Man Called Ove,” and now the American version. Outstanding! Although Ove's love of Saabs over Volvos plays much b…

A recent public opinion poll found that three-quarters of Americans want members of Congress to end their bickering and begin compromising more with their colleagues from the other party.

Not that she asked, but I have some advice for Rita Hart, the new chair of the Iowa Democratic Party.

Occasionally I will devote an entire newsletter to one topic. This is such a time, and the issue is school choice. Governor Kim Reynolds and many legislative candidates, including me, made this a central campaign theme last year. It’s time to deliver on those campaign commitments to Iowa families.

This story comes from Marcia Wiedemeier in Burlington.

The Legislature wrote Iowa’s public records law 55 years ago, and one of the tenets of the statute was the belief people deserve to know how state and local governments spend their tax money.

You could be hurting, and your family could be in trouble. Every day feels like a grind; you can't make it from one day to the next. You may have addictions, people disrespect you, and you have little help. Inflation seems spiraling out of control, and they say world war three is upon us. Th…

It's nine degrees outside with a windchill factor of near death, but you can feel the heat from the lights while standing in the street taking its picture. People in Mt. Pleasant call it the Christmas House. It's on the north side of town, between Walmart and Highway 34, at the intersection of Jewel Ave. and James St. Clearly visible for motorists buzzing by on the four-lane, it's often mistaken for Mt. Pleasant's Festival of Lights, for which the town is noted. But Mt. Pleasant's Festival of Lights is on the south side of town, on the Old Thresher's Grounds.

This is a true story. It was written by Ellen Fenn, a school teacher nearly a century ago, and was carried in the Mt. Pleasant News as well as national and international newspapers. Ellen Fenn is the sister of Chester Mills—one of the men in the story.

It is amazing what takes up room in our memory.

When my family migrated to Iowa in 1976, we found the people of Mahaska County to be people of incredible hospitality and welcome. I remember my first day of kindergarten at Oskaloosa’s Grant Elementary that following year – Mrs. Nedra Smith was my kindergarten teacher, and I quickly became friends with other children, several of whom remain good friends to this day. One of my closest friends was Pom Quang – she and her family had resettled in Iowa following the war that displaced thousands of wonderful people from SE Asia.

Few people like being told what they must do. Lorie Smith is one of them.

Judging from the furrowed brows and dire predictions in Iowa, you might have thought a national Democratic Party committee had voted to eliminate motherhood and apple pie last week.

Elon Musk’s ego and hard-nosed success with risky business investments landed him ownership of Twitter. Now he has to find a way to make the social network a money-flush enterprise.

It won’t be long before empty parking spaces near the Iowa Capitol will be as hard to find as a compromise between Democrats and Republicans.

Mamie Till came along at the right time in American history.

It is safe to assume Kirk Ferentz has not enjoyed the glorious autumn in Iowa the way he would prefer.

I try to stay atop the day’s news. But I must have dozed off last week — because I missed the response from Iowa Republican leaders to the Biden administration’s announcement of $1.3 billion in debt relief to 36,000 farmers who have fallen behind on their farm loan payments.

Middle ground is not something that often is seen nowadays in Iowa government or our politics.

The 2022-23 school year is well underway in the Oskaloosa Community School District. Our administration, staff, and I are pleased with the positive energy students are bringing to class each and every day. We’re off to a wonderful start!

Japanese Dr. Masaru Emoto, who passed away in 2014, wrote a book that became a New York Times best-seller, The Hidden Messages in Water.

“Reasonable” is a word that is used often in Iowa’s laws. Reasonable fees. Reasonable rules. Reasonable efforts. Reasonable force.