Letters to the Editor

As near as I can figure, voting in this country is both a right and a privilege. That being said, I find it both interesting and challenging to see how much attention these days is being given to restoring the voting rights of convicted felons. The argument for seems to be that because they have served their prison sentence/completed parole, they should be able to have their voting rights/privileges restored...

Today’s 21st century classroom looks a lot different than it did 30 years ago. Across the state students are entering schools every day faced with traumatic issues as well as heavy mental burdens created by the “technology explosion” of social media...

Robert Sneitzer "shades of 1930s Germany" in his letter published Monday in the Daily Reporter shows the same breadth of intelligence as Democrat front runner Joe Biden, who in his soapbox appearance at the Iowa State Fair, stated "we choose truth over facts!" His comparison of a duly-elected POTUS with evil dictator Adolph Hitler should be universally condemned, and, quite frankly, is an act of treason!...

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, co-sponsored a bill addressing the high cost of prescription drugs. They presented it to the Senate Finance Committee for confirmation. It was voted on and passed 19-9. It will no go on to Congress. President Trump supports it and has indicated he will sign it...

Mr. Editor, I believe I have a way to accurately predict who could be the next (and succeeding) mass "harmer" in America. Getting more specific, it might be a male born in the U.S. (or not), under the age of 60, and someone who is not feeling a lot of love these days (or for that matter, for a very long time). Let's have a few more details, so we can better prepare ourselves, OK?...

In a recent oval office interview with Breitbart News, Trump said in a warning to Democratic Party members “My base is full of tough people who will only use their toughness when provoked to a certain point.” He further stated. “I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military and the support of the Bikers for Trump. I have tough people, but they don’t play it tough until they get to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad.”...

I was watching multiple reports on the horrible double mass shootings Saturday. I send my sympathy to the people effected, knowing how hollow words are at this time. And it won't be news again until the next mass shooting. I did notice a big discrepancy in reported numbers of mass shootings in the U.S. ...

According to the latest conspiracy theory spread by some liberals, Lara Trump is somehow responsible for starting the “send her back” chant during a recent Trump rally in Greenville, North Carolina. This lie also appeared in a recent letter (to the editor written by Robert Sneitzer on Monday, July 29) published in the Spencer Daily Reporter accusing the president and his family of being racist...

There are some things we can learn from those mass murderers in our malls. One lesson could save lives. That would be the one about becoming more intentional. By intentional I mean something that is done on purpose, with full intent, deliberately and with focus. Let me explain...

Racist acts by President Trump should not be a surprise. His past reeks with words and actions displaying his mindset. He was sued twice for refusing to rent to blacks in his projects. He attacked Muslim Gold Star parents. He claimed a judge in his trial was biased because he was Mexican...

I seriously doubt that AOC and "The Squad" enjoy the songs of Merle Haggard. That being said, I'd like to introduce them to "The Fightin' Side of Me,” verse one: "I hear people talkin' bad about the way they have to live here in this country, Harpin' on the wars we fight and gripin' 'bout the way things ought be. ...

I wasn't seeing much to write about of late, until I came across a story in a recent issue of The Wisconsin Rapids Tribune that described that city's anti-bullying ordinance and the accompanying fine structure for the initial and subsequent offenses. ...

Last year there were 8,967 substantiated reports of child abuse and neglect in Iowa. The cost to taxpayers of our child welfare system was about $230 million. Many of the children reported as abused or neglected were designated as “child in need of assistance” and removed from their homes, putting them and their families into the court system. Almost half of them were 5 years old or younger...

I would have to admit that I don’t usually read the “legals” section in the newspaper, but an item recently(7/8/19) caught my attention. The listing was for the salaries of the Clay County employees. I found the total paid from July, 2018 through June 2019 to be $5,426,668.47. ...

This is my response to Ryan Oder, Katy Johnson, H Schar, Amanda Green and 53 citizens of Spencer including 3 religious leaders. I am truly sorry my belief system does NOT allow me to choose which parts of the Holy Bible I should believe and which parts I can ignore. And it's quite clear homosexuality is a sin. Therefore I cannot condone nor support the constant flaunting and in-your-face behavior by the gay pride community and their supporters...

Thank you to Katey for her excellent letter about wind turbines. I am a baby boomer and I am for wind turbines. Coal is dirty, pollutes the landscape, kills miners and is unsustainable. I invite you to go to the Spencer library and check out the book “Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future” by Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and UN high commissioner for human rights. ...

King James I ruled England from 1603-25. He introduced the theory that a monarch is subject to no earthly authority, deriving the right to rule directly from the will of God. Thus, he is not subject to the will of the people, the aristocracy, or any other estate of the realm. It implies that only God can judge an unjust king and that any attempt to depose, dethrone or restrict his powers run contrary to the will of God...

I’d like to start off by saying that I am in fact a millennial, so my values are a lot different than the baby boomers. For starters, when I made my wedding registry I didn’t put $500 china on it. My Walmart plates will do just fine for Thanksgiving...

We are grateful to live in a nation that protects our right to free speech. Yet when someone’s words make others feel condemned and threatened; as recent comments in a letter to the editor did; we cannot let it go unchallenged. We consider ourselves allies of our friends who identify as LGBTQ: lesbian; gay; bisexual; transgender and queer or questioning. ...

I've read over Mr. Crew's letter to the editor several times now, and have had several different versions of a response. I do agree with Mr. Crew on the fact that we must listen to his concerns and not simply dismiss him. I'm a firm believer in being intolerant to someone you deem intolerant does not make you tolerant. However, I find it interesting how Mr. Crew holds those who support LGBTQ+ rights to a higher moral standard than himself or the people he supports...

In response to the letter from Mr. Jerry Crew, I would ask him, who are you to judge? You say that the pictures of Gays, their celebration of Gay pride and the displaying of their flags puts you “over the edge.” Did it ever occur to you that your “closed mind” attitude puts many others over the edge too? I’m pretty sure that you have little concern for how they feel or what they think...

Two hundred thirty government entities in the U.S. alone have banned or blocked industrial wind turbines at the urging of their constituents. Hundreds of homes are directly affected by every large industrial wind installation. These installations cast a long list of negative impacts for 2,640 feet, at least that is the distance the wind companies will admit, yet they require county ordinances allow them setbacks from the foundation of homes to be merely 1,200 to 1,600 feet...

Nasty train graffiti being called a mural on the tattoo building and now Neil and Cindy Drefke doing a second mural on the Salvage Sisters building! Copying another city just west of Spencer, but their city's murals are classic designs of people looking out windows and such...

Two items in the Thursday SDR showed that you don't have to turn your head very far to spot hate and bigotry right here in Spencer, Iowa. At least the idiots who vandalized the Rainbow Tree had the good sense to do their dirty work after dark, when their faces couldn't be seen. Unlike Jerry Crew, who spewed his self-righteous bile all over the editorial page...

I first heard the term, “gay,” when I was in grade school. My peers flung it at one another on the playground as insults. Maybe I did too. I usually wasn’t mean, but I don’t remember. I liked fitting in. In 1997 I went to college at Iowa State. I remember vividly sitting with my friends in the cafeteria as they razzed each other about being gay or told jokes about the LGBTQ community. While I didn’t tell them myself, I wanted to fit in, and I laughed along...

The first known accusation of rape against President Donald Trump was made in 1989 by his then wife Ivana. Under intense pressure of a financial settlement during divorce negotiations, she was forced to concede that it was not a criminal rape because they were still married at the time. As Trump publically stated in a taped interview, he felt that because of his wealth and fame he could sexually assault women without fear of retaliation and this incident seemed to validate it...

This last Thursday evening my husband and I were fortunate enough to hear the Spencer Municipal Band in East Leach Park. It was a beautiful evening and the band played on. It is a wonderful opportunity for all ages to come and listen to a great concert. We would encourage others to take advantage of these Thursday evening outdoor concerts...

You asked for it, you got it, that Japanese carmaker! Well, maybe not, but at the conclusion of your June 23 One Man's Perspective ("45 Minutes with Alex”) you did say "What say you?" I say you were in the presence of God himself, yesterday at St. Joseph's in Milford. ...

Howard Beale (tormented news anchor from the movie “Network”) urged everyone to open their window and shout out "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!" Most of us (I quite often) at some point in their lives have reached the conclusion "That's enough!"...

Recently I had a flat tire north of Spencer on the truck bypass road approx 2 miles east of 71. This occurred around 5 p.m. on a Friday afternoon. I tried for 45 minutes to get my tire off but the lock nuts were “frozen” on the hub, I’m not very handy. ...

Medicare patients today, and everyone hoping for a cure for cancer or other catastrophic illnesses down the road, need help from Congress now. There is an upsetting proposal referred to as the International Pricing Index model to change how Medicare decides on reimbursement rates...

I would like to specifically direct this email to whomever decided to attack Delray Bredehoeft by publishing a ridiculous characterization of him standing in water holding leeks. I am personally offended that someone would portray such an upstanding member of our community in such a manner. ...

President Donald Trump’s first visit to the U.K. in 2018 brought out 250,000 protestors lining the streets voicing their disapproval. His June 2019 visit, luckily, coincided with heavy rain on Monday that decreased the number of protestors to only 75,000. ...

There's all kinds of things we can learn about life, from so many sources these days. The people who print "Our Iowa" magazine did a story on baseball recently. Part of their focus was the Field of Dreams, in Dyersville. They also singled out Bob "Rapid Robert" Feller, the Van Meter fast baller who is said to have noted: "That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is." How true. ...

I have resisted writing publicly, preferring to address the issues with the Clay County Board of Supervisors and the Clay County auditor, but after the most recent article regarding Drainage District No. 37 I felt the need to clarify several issues...

Farmers across Iowa are grinding out field work while keeping a close eye on the weather, markets and Washington. Mother Nature has the final say on when seeds get planted. Our livelihoods also hinge on factors that are largely out of our control, such as federal tax, regulatory and trade policies that come from Washington...

Representative Wills was loud and proud of Iowa’s ranking as No. 1 state in the nation. He attributed the success to the unified Republican government. But now that we’ve fallen in the rankings to No. 14, he hasn’t said a word. Most troublingly, Iowa ranks as No. 41 in the entire United States when it comes to air and water quality — the lifeblood of our community and economy...

Pathetic is an inadequate term to describe the behavior of House Democrats who refuse to believe the Mueller Report did not "nail President Trump's hide to the wall!" They attempted to crucify AG Barr who was merely doing his constitutional duty in reporting the results of a special prosecutor to the public and congress. ...

Transparency in social contexts is defined as: “operating in such a way that it is easy for others to see what actions are performed. It implies openness, communication and accountability.” Under no stretch of the imagination can this president claim transparency. ...

You didn’t print my previous pro-choice letter but you did print antiabortion letters. Interesting. With all the horrible anti-abortion laws recently enacted, I’d like to make these points. 1. Pro-choice is not pro-abortion. 2. There’s always been, always will be abortions, natural and induced. Making them safe, legal, accessible and rare is the goal. Otherwise there will be dead women. Some with kids now left without a mother. But I guess those lives don’t matter. See point 8...