Opinion

I thought about taking a stab at writing about the now officially French Fencing Federation recognized sport of lightsaber dueling, but to be honest, I’ve never cared about “Star Wars” ... or France. Part of me thinks Macron is behind the move in an effort to have some sort of positive story come out of the country that doesn’t involve any discussion of its citizens rioting in the streets which has been going on for what, 14 weeks now?...

The field is starting to form for the 2020 presidential election, and the Democrat lineup is starting to look like The Highwaymen on tour. The 2020 campaign's “The Highwaypeople” are the household names who will soon be singing their iconic standards to us as if we were front row in Ames for the ‘93 Farm Aid concert. ...

Farm-raised, farm-grown and farm-proud. A part of me always needs to have a view of neat, rustling rows of corn and soybeans while looking out my kitchen window. I need to be able to walk out my door and pluck tomatoes ripe and warm from our big garden, and live in a place where fall brings with it apple boughs hanging low to the ground, laden with ripe fruit. ...

I finally had a chance to dig into the Green New Deal legislation. First thoughts: Ambitious and ridiculous. Folks what has been proposed with such enthusiasm and excitement by freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey it just isn’t possible...

This week the House took steps to send $90 million new dollars to schools for the next school year. It matches the dollar amount proposed by the governor in her budget in mid-January. The bills to increase funding for schools do so through what's known as Supplement State Aid. ...

The chart that I have included in my annual outlook presentation longer than I can remember is the Purdue University 29-year corn price cycle. The corn price cycle starts with a base equilibrium lasting about a decade, followed by a launch when prices respond positively to having built a demand base, and then a spike higher when a drought or some other fundamental exacerbates supply and demand tightness stetting the price high for the cycle. ...

Grace and peace to you! I hope that this finds your soul well. I pray that this will be a service to you. I don’t know if you have noticed but our world has a lot of ideas about service. What does that word really mean? Service, Stephan Graves has given the definition as: Finding the focus and energy for others that you have for yourself. ...

Cupid's aim can sometimes be random, so whether you find yourself with the love-of-your-life or making plans with your best friend, don't be afraid to celebrate Valentine's Day on your own terms this year. Each year at this time, the romance blitz starts with the ominous question: "What are you doing for Valentine's Day?"The holiday doesn't have to just be about amore...

Dahlias have been a fixture in summer flower gardens for generations. But it may be time to update your idea of dahlias! With hundreds of varieties to choose from in a fabulous array of colors, shapes and flower sizes, it is no surprise the National Garden Bureau has declared 2019 the Year of the Dahlia. Join the celebration and brighten your garden with dahlias this year...

Those who know me well know that I don’t watch TV. In my apartment, covered in dust, the flatscreen lies completely unplugged from any form of electricity. I don’t watch any late night news, any talk shows, cartoons or even the film-buff channels. Despite my cord cutting ways, HBO bringing “True Detective” back for a third season got me back to watching a currently airing TV show like a regular person, albeit on a computer...

Iowa politics are pointing toward concentrating power in Des Moines. The proposal to reorganize judiciary selection, giving the Legislature a larger role, is bigger than a “partisan power grab,” and the argument that having legislators instead of lawyers select commission members would protect the rights of voters is only a small piece of the puzzle...

I must admit, this week it was difficult coming up with a topic for discussion. Look at all the choices: the wonderful world of California's Gavin Newsom; late term abortions; human composting; how to fix "the Bottle Bill"; the Green New Deal; the scourge of pornography; and the list could go on and on. Instead of focusing on these and other less than honorable aspects of our current state of being, let's go with several positives that were greatly enjoyed...

As interested and concerned citizens, we should expect our president to give us correct and truthful information in an important national address. Instead what he delivered was laced with untruths and misrepresentations. —He claimed the U.S. is the hottest economy in the world. We’re not!...

As a father of military men — where one did a tour in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne and was in for 10 years, and the other is a career NCO in the Air Force, enough said ... America needs to see and hear about these congressmen! I didn't see, or read about this, in any medium and I follow Crenshaw on Twitter. ...

Two letters to the editor printed in the Feb. 7 edition of the SDR challenged your pro-life value set. The two writers seemed to be trying to convince the readership that laws coming (or already on the books in New York state) would not be taking the lives of babies in utero, in the birth canal or outside the womb. ...