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Iowa isn’t the only state looking for ways to catch up a huge backlog of road and bridge repairs. A National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission report announced last year found that states are shortchanging road construction and maintenance by up to $185 billion a year.

In Iowa, the annual shortfall is pegged at as much as $250 million for vital infrastructure needs. Complaints about crumby streets and highways are daily talking points statewide.

Yet the Legislature kicked the can down the road again this session. No change in the fuel tax that has been flat for 24 years. And no other solutions found.

Gov. Terry Branstad recently floated the idea of using more of the state’s sales tax or gambling proceeds to plug this huge funding pothole.

While we applaud the willingness to look at alternative ideas, we are leery of relying on these taxes, which are prone to legislative whim every year and already pay for many important services and programs.

Iowa’s road use fund is dedicated to the state’s transportation needs and can’t be used for other purposes. That’s the way it should be. A stable funding source is a must because transportation infrastructure is critical to our economy and quality of life, and maintenance is ongoing.

So it’s up to legislators to find the funding fix. Raising the fuel tax won’t solve the problem decades down the road because highly fuel-efficient vehicles and alternative fuels will be more common. Other options, such as fees based on vehicle miles driven or even toll roads, will have to be considered.

Raising the fuel tax — essentially a user tax — remains by far the best way to catch up road repairs anytime soon. Painful, yes. But the pain only gets worse each year if nothing is done.

l Comments: editorial@thegazette.com or (319) 398-8262

In 2001, the United States had a very large budget surplus, we all got tax cuts, so that trickle-down money would stimulate the economy, create jobs and pay for costly wars. Have we forgotten what has happened?

In California there has been moratoria on raising property taxes, so towns are bankrupt, civil employees losing their pensions, deteriorating schools, etc.

The property tax relief and growth restrictions in the present Iowa bill (that became law) is a very bad idea. The property tax pays for our schools, well-trained police and firefighters, snow removal, landfill, maintenance of roads and streetlights. Also, our city and county parks and other recreational facilities are paid by property taxes. All this contributes to a quality of life that no single individual could otherwise buy. This is what makes it nice to live in Iowa, and contributes to attract businesses to Iowa.

Also by having a skilled workforce, from good educational institutions, we also attract businesses, and not just businesses that offer minimum pay for work.

Another issue — the state has a respectable surplus, but we still are not able to allocate funds toward passenger rail expansions. We need leadership on state level, which is willing to work for the future and not just for immediate gratification.

Birgit Brun Coffman

Iowa City

The fault for this is not the men who sit in those seats of power, but with us. We are the ones who have elected them and have not reined them in when they go astray. We are the true power and if we stay quiet, we deserve whatever tyranny overshadows our rights and freedoms.

Washington is now trying to pass legislation to reward aliens who have entered into our nation illegally and award them the benefits and rights of those who have come in legally. Estimates of up to 20 million illegal aliens will be forgiven breaking our laws to enter, taking our jobs, receiving education and medical care. They have unlawfully taken advantage of this nation and we reward them for it?

I fully support and welcome anyone who comes to this nation legally. I admire them for what they have done and who they are. I love this country and am thankful for people who come from other nations and enrich our lives. Those I do not welcome are those who break our laws to enjoy the freedoms we have fought to gain and retain.

David Washburn

Mount Vernon

We have a black president who twice beat the candidate of the right. In their minds (right wing of the Republican Party), being white should have been enough to beat any black man. These white and privileged are the same as those who brought the black man from Africa for cheap labor. But now that the black people have received equality, they would send them all back to Africa if they could.

They are also the ones who brought Latin Americans over from Central America for cheap labor. But as the Latinos attained citizenship and voted (mostly Democrat), they want to send them back or restrict their right to vote.

There will be white men as president again, but there also will be women, blacks, Latinos and probably other races. If the right wing of the Republican Party ever wishes to be anything more than a visitor to the White House, they need to forget all the hate, talk to all the people and make sure we all move ahead together, not just the rich.

Jay Levsen

Cedar Rapids

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We understand that having a Legislature controlled by both Republicans and Democrats means cutting deals. Some are good compromises forged in the interest of solving problems and governing Iowa. But then there are the misguided deals that make us wonder what lawmakers were thinking.

Under the latter category falls a deal that led to the passage of a massive health and human services budget bill.

The bill, which also contained hard-won bipartisan compromise on Medicaid expansion, got bogged down in a dispute over Medicaid-funded abortions. Each year, Medicaid pays for a small number of abortions in cases of fetal deformity, rape, incest, or to protect a mother’s life. This fiscal year there have been nine such procedures, including eight fetal anomalies and one case where the life of the mother was at risk.

Some House Republicans want to end all funding for those procedures, even though such payments are mandated by the federal government. Cutting off that funding would jeopardize a huge portion of Iowa’s Medicaid dollars. Democrats who run the Senate wouldn’t do that.

To end the stalemate, lawmakers took the potentially unprecedented step of giving the governor the authority to decide which of these abortions get funded and which ones don’t. So, basically, Gov. Terry Branstad will review each Medicaid abortion after the fact and decide whether to provide reimbursement.

We understand the passions surrounding this issue, and the desire to pass an important budget bill and end an overtime legislative session. But no governor should have this sort of authority. These decisions should be made based mostly on medicine, not politics. It seems like a remarkably bad idea to put a political leader, who may have no medical expertise, in the position of deciding which medical procedures are necessary and which ones are not.

It’s been reported that no other state does this. That’s not a surprise.

Branstad has said he expects to sign this provision into law. We think he should use his line-item veto power to strike it from the broader bill. Maybe lawmakers had to make a deal to end the session, but the governor doesn’t have to make that misguided deal into a bad law.

Comments: editorial@thegazette.com or (319) 398-8262

lll

FORWARD: The long-sought Highway 100 extension from Edgewood Road to Highway 30 in Cedar Rapids is another big step closer toward becoming a reality. The project, aimed at reducing congestion and improving safety on Interstate 380 through the city, last week was approved for funding in the state’s $2.6 billion, five-year highway program. The Iowa Transportation Commission OK’d $18.55 million toward the estimated total cost of $197.6 million to cover several years of paving work as the project unfolds.

Comments: editorial@thegazette.com

or (319) 398-8262

STILL WET: Among the lingering negative effects of early June flooding and record-wet spring in Eastern Iowa is slowly receding water in Iowa City’s popular Lower City Park. The park, which includes several ball fields and Riverside Theatre, hopefully will be available for use by July 1. Meanwhile, many Iowa farmers are struggling to catch up the soybean planting before that date, after which the crop is at risk of having enough time to mature.

By Tim Trenkle

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At the edge of small-town Iowa, the John Deere tractors stand tall on the gravel lot. They originate in Waterloo after the blacksmith John Deere decided on the tractor as his goal. The famous green shines like a waving spirit, gleaming with the stars and smiling with the stripes set on the shoulders of Iowa’s small-town past.

Iowa’s small town echoes resound throughout the world.

Iowa’s small burg begat technological revolution in Grinnell, birthplace of the computer.

The vending machine was made in little Clive.

The trampoline came to be in Cedar Rapids. The Eskimo Pie was created in Onawa.

Small-town Iowa is a haven and a vision. Born in the seeds of the determination of hardy people who prepared for change and were willing to weather each season, the small town sings of independence and shakes hands with age-old virtues.

In little Imogene, on the Fourth of July, 1886, August Werner flew his wood-doweled helicopter 4 feet off the ground — 17 years before the Wright Brothers.

Cresco is home to Norman Borlaug, whose vision and determination created an agricultural revolution in wheat that may have saved a billion people.

The Red Delicious Apple first rose from hardy Iowa soils in Peru in 1880. Jesse Hiatt called it “Hawkeye.”

A boy sits under the tree and reads Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain first enjoyed journalism in a small Iowa town, working for his brother in Muscatine.

Interested in the wide world and its statistical revelations, George Gallup started his wondering in Jefferson.

Much of history’s greatness was born in the small town, nurtured in that class of working people who blossom in the fields of struggle. Small-town Iowa beams character and shoulders responsibility.

Fred Maytag spent long hours in Newton and honed his famous namesake into a worldwide brand. Walter Chrysler tinkered in the small town of Oelwein as a roundhouse mechanic.

Grant Wood arrived at his landscapes and homely, much-admired painting in Anamosa.

Billy Sunday thumped the Bible in Ames and headed out to a wider audience to poke the conscience of America.

The small Iowa town trusts providence, tips its cap to elders and does not squander inheritance. The people here paved a main street, planted trees and set geraniums along the sidewalk, abiding conservation. They flew the flag to honor their heritage. The small Iowa space set its sights high, leaving a lasting, historical legacy that matters everywhere in the world, making lives better with simplicity and innovation.

Tim Trenkle of Dubuque teaches psychology and writing at Northeast Iowa Community College. Comments: peace2work@yahoo.com

I am embarrassed for the city for the visitors and travelers on public streets. They are terrible and have been since I patrolled them. The pot holes, heaved concrete and asphalt, loose chunks of roadway scattered over the roads are ridiculous. The barricades never end, detours, and the war zone look should be unacceptable to residents.

Beautification of the city has been a priority, but the roads don’t appear to be.

Steve Spicher

Punta Gorda, Fla.

Because of the National Security Agency scandal, many people now trust our government less than before. However, there are reasons that the government should monitor major methods of communication.

For one, any anti-American group needs to communicate, and intercepting their communications is the best way to stop acts of terrorism before they happen. Also, the police can use the records to track down criminals, find runaway children or prevent crimes from occurring.

These reasons justify some invasion of privacy. I would freely give my phone records and other records of communications to aid in a criminal investigation, allowing they are not kept for longer than necessary. That is where the NSA went wrong. They should not keep records except when absolutely necessary to a current or imminent investigation.

Sam Gavin

Robins

Recent heavy rains remind us how vulnerable homes, businesses and farms are to the weather. Despite millions of dollars spent for flood studies and flood protection, I’ve seen nothing mentioned about the ethics of water management.

Towns seek massive, expensive flood protection projects, such as levees, that send more water faster downstream to vex those who live and work there. That hardly seems fair. In contrast, if every landowner, public and private, took actions that enabled water to infiltrate into the soil as nature intended, that water would not damage homes, businesses, or farms downstream.

Many years ago, the Indian Creek Nature Center began modifying its campus to be a model of no-runoff design. Actions included replacing conventional paving with permeable surfaces, crafting a bioswale in the parking lot, adding rain gardens, mounting a rain barrel project, reducing lawn mowing, and replacing short, mowed grass with native prairie that softens the soil and allows more water to infiltrate.

In addition, the nature center altered its buildings to be extremely energy efficient, reducing the amount of fuel needed and sending less greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.

These techniques are effective, low-cost and readily available. If every landowner in rural and urban areas took small, inexpensive steps to reduce runoff from their property, we could collectively reduce devastating floods.

Rich Patterson

Cedar Rapids

All 501(c)(3) organizations are charities that spend nothing on political causes; 501(c)(4) organizations may spend almost half of their funds on political activities and the donations of some are deductible; 501(c)(5) organizations are labor unions, agricultural and horticultural organizations which, according to Karl Rove, have in past decades spent hundreds of millions of dollars on advocacy and political activities.

The McCain-Feingold Act banned political advocacy groups from soliciting, accepting or spending “soft” money that was subject to campaign finance limits imposed on money spent on political activities by corporations or businesses. At that time, most 501(c)(4) organizations were liberal.

In 2010, the Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case allowed U.S. (but not foreign) businesses to contribute to political organizations. In 2008, a left-wing 501(c)(4) organization “Accountable America” sent letters to 10,000 GOP donors warning them that if they continued to support the GOP, they might be subject to legal problems, public exposure, and “watchdog” groups delving into their lives. Thereafter, their donations dried up.

Similar letters were sent … in 2012 to Romney supporters. Do you really think that the current IRS scandal was started by renegade IRS workers in Cincinnati? Consider what happened earlier.

J. Fred Doornbos

Iowa City

By Lyle Muller

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The punishment was doled out with little warning in a 12-4 party line vote of the Wisconsin Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee, with Republicans holding the majority. At about 6 o’clock in the morning on June 6, the soon-to-be not so secret double probation came in a provision in the state’s budget bill:

“Center for Investigative Journalism. Prohibit the Board of Regents from permitting the Center for Investigative Journalism to occupy any facilities owned or leased by the Board of Regents. In addition, prohibit UW employees from doing any work related to the Center for Investigative Journalism as part of their duties as a UW employee.”

The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism is a non-profit, nonpartisan news organization that has a contract for space at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication to produce long-form investigative stories in partnership with other news media while training paid UW student interns to do this work and providing resources such as guest lectures for the school.

Critics of the Joint Finance Committee’s moves have included conservative talk show radio hosts and other Republicans who are embarrassed by such insipid churlishness. Yet, the provision remains in the state of Wisconsin’s proposed budget for next year, pending a final vote and judgment by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism’s board of directors, to whom I report, has issued a statement of support for the Wisconsin center. A point of disclosure: Andy Hall, the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism’s executive director, is a member of that board but did not vote on the decision to write the letter of support.

The Iowa center, which runs the news organization, IowaWatch, is modeled after the one under fire in Wisconsin, and Hall has been a mentor and supporter for me in my role at IowaWatch.

True, the legislative move in Wisconsin, whose originator or originators Republican Party leaders have been loath to reveal, comes nowhere close to circumventing a free press. Journalistic freedom still can exist off campus. The Wisconsin center gets no money from the state. Its $400,000 budget is funded by private foundations, contracts and donations.

Without doubt, though, this smacks of an attempt by government to circumvent the reporting of public affairs. It is an excessive attempt to interfere with the practice of meaningful journalism that informs the citizenry, and to diminish the training of our next generation of problem solvers to do journalism in an ethical, thorough, trustworthy and meaningful way.

The real threat brewing in Wisconsin stems from whether or not a state legislature should be able to tell universities exactly how to teach, and with whom they can cavort when teaching.

Prohibiting UW employees from doing any work related to the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism as part of being a UW employee is indefensible. Such a prohibition cuts off educators from doing public service and staying in touch with a topic they teach and from furthering good work so that the profession can improve over time.

Defining “any work” is troublesome. Does that include helping students develop a class assignment into the most accurate, fair and in-depth story possible that the Wisconsin center can distribute to the public? Does it include helping students get internships at the center? Or, working with the center while also serving as a graduate teaching assistant who wants to have the best knowledge possible when teaching others?

If this legislative proposal is allowed to stand in Wisconsin’s final state budget what else should be banned by law from affiliating with one of the nation’s most respected institutions of higher education?

Wisdom in decision-making requires recognizing the quality the public derives from work done for the public good, and in a transparent manner. The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism does both. Such a model would serve Wisconsin legislators well.

Lyle Muller, former Gazette editor, is Executive Director-Editor at the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism in Iowa City. Comments: lyle-muller@iowawatch.org

By Shannon Farley

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Father’s Day for me is bitter sweet. The sweet part of it is that I get to celebrate being a dad to my two children and spend time with my own father.

The bitter part is the fact that I know my brother, Kelly, will be having a difficult Father’s Day. It’s been almost nine years since his daughter Katie died and seven years since his son Noah died. Just writing those horrific words causes me to pause and think about how difficult this journey has been for not only him as a grieving dad, but all of the other grieving parents who are out there.

Father’s Day is supposed to be filled with the celebration of being a dad. But for bereaved parents, these types of days cause a lot of pain. You see, most people think that bereaved parents should pick themselves up, dust themselves off and get things back to “normal.” When I say “most people,” I mean people who have not buried a child.

Those who are unfortunate enough to have seen a family member or friend live through the aftermath of burying a child also know it isn’t quite that simple. There is no getting back to “normal,” although they try. I’ve watched my brother try to get back to “normal,” but it has never happened. How can it?

The death of a child goes beyond most people’s comprehension, except for the bereaved parents . Bereaved parents don’t have the luxury of removing that thought from their head, they live it. Every day, they live it.

EXPAND LEAVE

I have watched my brother take his pain and reconstruct his life to help others work through the death of a child. Because I am proud of his work and selflessness to help other bereaved parents, I have joined him and fellow grieving dad Barry Kluger to assist them with bringing awareness to the Farley-Kluger Initiative (www.FarleyKluger.com). More than 61,000 petitions have already been sent to Washington, D.C., many of these petitions signed by residents of Iowa.

Currently, there are two federal bills, The Parental Bereavement Act of 2013, sitting in the House of Representatives (HR515) and the Senate (S226) that propose expanding the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 to include the death of a child as a covered condition.

Right now, you receive up to 12 weeks unpaid leave from work if you have a child, adopt a child, care for a sick family member, you are ill or you are caring for an injured service member. If your child dies, most companies grant 3-5 days bereavement leave.

Sadly, there is no political support from Iowa’s congressional delegation on this issue. As Iowans, I know we can do better.

I know compassion isn’t a thing of the past. This issue shouldn’t be caught up in Washington politics. It’s a common sense change because no parent is sheltered from the death of a child and those affected are Democrats, Republicans, rich, poor, as well as from all cultural and religious backgrounds.

I urge Sens. Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin and Iowa’s representatives in the House to join their counterparts from other states as co-sponsors of this compassionate bill.

I think we can all agree that no one wants more government in their lives. However, we want the businesses that rely on those who have lost a child to recognize that the best assets of a company walk out the door at the end of the workday. They are what makes the economy move along. They have given their employers loyalty, dedication and productivity but in the eyes of some companies, the death of a child makes them “expendable” if they are unable to return to work the day after burying their child.

I cannot begin to imagine why anyone would not want to extend a compassionate hand to those who have lost a child. Have we really become a country that is focused more on the bottom line than helping our neighbors through difficult times?

l Shannon Farley of Cedar Rapids is the father of Max, 8, and Ava, 7. Kelly Farley and his wife, Christine, now reside in Naperville, Ill. Comments: srfarley100@gmail.com

The event

l What: Chris Scaffidi from the Pacific Institute will present “Mindset Matters: Helping Dads Understand How Their Thinking Impacts Parenting, ” a free program hosted by the Eastern Iowa Alliance for Fatherhood and Children

l Who: for fathers, agency directors and staff, educators, faith community and any interested community residents

l When: 9 a.m. to noon, June 26

l Where: National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library, Cedar Rapids.

l To register: www.NowBeADad.com or call (319) 241-1400.

The concept

The Pacific Institute specializes in helping organizations and individuals address habits of thought that impact performance, either personally or organizationally. Relying on research in cognitive psychology, the heart of what we do centers around helping individuals develop their sense of self-efficacy.

Experts assert that self-efficacy, or the belief in one’s ability to cause change, is the number one predictor of success, not education or genetic pre-disposition. From childhood, we form beliefs about our current abilities and future possibilities. These beliefs, often based on external circumstances such as our families of origin or our socio-economic environment, are either limiting or liberating. They either block or accelerate our success in life.

The other fascinating fact about self-efficacy is that it directly impacts our aspirations. According to Dr. Albert Bandura, “We do not allow ourselves to want that which we believe we cannot cause… .” In other words, self-efficacy impacts how we dream about our education, our careers, our personal relationships and even how we parent.

A person with low self-efficacy may not ever consider an advanced education or a meaningful career, even though they have the potential to succeed.When we work with at-risk populations, our aim is to help people discover some of their untapped potential; to take a look at the habits, attitudes, beliefs and expectations that might be preventing them from living the life they want to live.

The Pacific Institute’s mission statement centers on “helping people discover their God-given potential.” By helping people discover some of their hidden treasure, they are becoming better equipped to serve their kids and those who depend on them.

— Chris Scaffidi, Pacific Institute Partner. Comments: cscaffidi@tpius.net

By Steve Nylin and Jim Brown

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In 1972, President Richard Nixon made Father’s Day an official holiday — a day to honor Dad for all he does for the family. However, many kids have little to celebrate.

In Linn County alone. more than 6,000 households have no birth father present.

Over half of Iowa’s children are growing up without both parents in the home, which statistically can have startling negative outcomes. Consider national data: 90 percent of all homeless and runaway kids and 85 percent of all youth in prison come from fatherless homes.

Incarceration and homelessness statistics may reflect more extreme circumstances but a high majority of high school dropouts, pregnant teenagers, and children living in poverty all come from fatherless homes as well.

Young Parents Network (YPN), based in Cedar Rapids, recognizes that the father’s role is critical. Since 1988, fathers have been invited to attend the “Dads Group” where information is shared, including the trials and triumphs of fatherhood — and the triumphs can be magnificent.

For one YPN dad, reading was a challenge because of his learning disability that was generated in part from the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome. At group, he learned about the importance of early literacy and how he could help by reading to his children.

This dad began going to the library and checking out audio books, which he would memorize and then “read” to his son. Over time, Dad’s reading skills improved and he now reads to his son nightly.

This story represents a great success, and the even better news is that we as a community can make these stories become more common — the norm versus exception. However, this change will not occur until we as a society do something to reverse the troubling trend of absent fathers.

Father’s Day is not the only day we can continue to make dads important. Whether you are an organization that works with families, a business that employs parents, a mom or dad who may be present or otherwise, we must find a way as a community to respond to getting more dads back in the equation.

It starts with us as individuals recognizing that with involved fathers’ children are more successful in school both academically and socially, and are more likely to finish at least high school.

Additionally, kids with present dads are less likely to participate in “risky” behaviors such as substance use, delinquency, and early sexual behavior. The facts are hard to dispute: positive, strong and engaged dads equate healthy, productive, successful youth.

Here in Cedar Rapids and surrounding metro communities, we are not standing idly while there is work to be done around the issue of absent fathers. Many times concerned individuals have shared with us that there is a lack of resources for men who are working to be better, more involved dads.

YPN, along with other like-minded area organizations, formed the Eastern Iowa Alliance for Fatherhood and Children to assist with this struggle. The Alliance provides education and resources to agencies, organizations and individuals who want to improve the lives of our children by facilitating greater fatherhood involvement.

To learn more, please visit www.NowBeADad.com

Steve Nylin of Cedar Rapids is a Dad’s Program specialist with the Young Parents Network. Married married with three children. he and his wife, Linda, are Boy Scout Leaders and active with the PTSA at school. Jim Brown, direct marketing consulting firm owner, is married to Cindy Reece and has two children. Jim and Cindy have been YPN volunteers since 2007 and Jim is a Dads Group facilitator. Comments: snylin@youngparentsnetwork.org and dmsolutions4u@live.com

In the last few years, we have had several foreign automobiles sold in the USA. I have always driven “American” cars, fully realizing that many were built in foreign countries or their parts were manufactured in other countries.

I am gratified to see many cars on our streets with nameplates such as Chevrolet, Ford, Chrysler, Buick, GMC, etc. There seems to be a proliferation of such of late.

Well, that all sounds good to me and, hopefully, indicates a trend that Americans are leaning toward “Buy American” or, at least, “Assembled in America.” I think that there is a trend for more jobs to be available here because of “Buy American” attitudes.

Don Hansen

Waterloo

In answer to Mr. Hanson’s column on our Lake Delhi (June 8, “Lake’s story about more than dam”): First of all, we think this should have been a letter to the editor instead of in the guest column. Many of us are permanent residents of this area — not just those whose “summer patterns” were disrupted! The river was our main street and the story about the dam in the documentary was our love story. Some of us came to the Lake 30 or 40-plus years ago, spending weekends with our families, fishing, boating and making lifelong friends. Then, many of us lived our lifelong dream of retiring here.

Every time something is destroyed by nature, it is better for the environment. But this is 2013 — not 300 years ago.

Mr. Hanson says “dams are passe.” The dams were needed to produce electricity all over the USA, and in 1929 our dam was built. When that was no longer profitable, it was sold and purchased by the Cooeys and then the residents (Lake Delhi Recreation Association) in 1974.

Since then, homes were built, businesses flourished and all of Eastern Iowa came to fish and swim and enjoy the beaches maintained by the LDRA. Water quality was measured and sent to the IowaWaters for evaluation. The towns of Manchester and Delhi recognized the increase of business. Many activities and events were enjoyed.

This is our community!

Don and Karen Williams

Ken and Barbara DeKlotz

Delhi

No joke! The city of Cedar Rapids intends to pass restrictions on the display of any animation on digital electronic message centers, effective Jan. 1, 2014. These new guidelines will require animation to be held for 4-8 seconds per frame. This guideline applies only to schools, churches and businesses not in the Cedar Rapids “entertainment” district, which means TCR, the Paramount and the U.S. Cellular Center will be exempt.

Our business, which proudly displays the American flag waving on Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day will no longer be able to do so. Nor will you enjoy holiday messages, engagements with hearts floating or the Iowa Tiger Hawk on game days in the fall.

Since 1979, the Nesper “sign” has been a staple in Cedar Rapids, welcoming births, engagements, marriages, presidential visits, holidays, veterans going and returning from war, and, of course, the “Joke of the Day.” This has brought a chuckle to passers-by and improved the quality of life in a whimsical way.

On June 25, the council will hold a public hearing on the proposed changes. I encourage you to either attend, call or write your council members and mayor. Technology changes every day. Please let your city know we wish to remain in the 21st century so all entities are treated equally.

Donna Garland

Owner,

Nesper Sign Advertising, Inc.

Cedar Rapids

In June 1863, Walt Whitman wrote of the movement of President Abraham Lincoln “in his barouche, two horses, guarded by thirty calvary” to the home of the secretary of war in Washington, D.C. Whitman also described the movements of Union troops and his thought “Alas, how many of these healthy handsome rollicking young men will lie cold in death before the apples ripe in the orchards …”

This summer, we also need to ask, “How long before our troops come home from foreign wars, from Afghanistan and other danger zones?” How many more young soldiers will be maimed or killed? And why?

Hal Sondrol

Cedar Rapids

I am a science major and spent the bulk of my career in research management in the pharmaceutical industry.

The “truth” of today is the falsehood of tomorrow. That is what life is about. We all knew the world was flat and we all knew that fingerprinting was the gold standard for identification, until we found out that it is not.

DNA technology is today’s “truth” until tomorrow we find out the problems with it.

But, even for “actual truths” — whatever that is — humans make mistakes. Do an Internet search and you will find tons of lab errors in processing DNA samples and people found guilty based on DNA “evidence” that was contaminated, processed incorrectly, or misread by folks who know better.

Niles Ross

Cedar Rapids

By Joseph Tursi

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An economic impact study recently released by the Iowa chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Iowa) indicates that architects make a significant economic impact on the state, according to a study by David Swenson, associate scientist in the Department of Economics at Iowa State University.

Swenson’s study, “The Economic Value of Iowa’s Architects and Architecture to Iowa’s Economy,” looked at Iowa’s architectural services firms, paired with information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and County Business Patterns of the Census Bureau. The findings show that architects make a measurable economic impact on the state.

According to Swenson, the study demonstrates “how important architects are to very valuable components of Iowa’s economy, including government, education, households and the construction industry. Architects partner with those industries and help them meet their goals.”

In 2011, the state’s architects directly employed 1,611 people earning $102.32 million in total labor income. All told, Iowa’s architectural services had $179.4 million in economic output. The following findings add to this picture.

l There are 834 Iowa architects and intern architects working in architectural firms, other private firms, government and education throughout Iowa. Their estimated total labor income was $74.052 million in 2011.

l When the architectural firms and their employees interacted with the rest of the Iowa economy, they yielded $320.8 million in total industrial output, $189.3 million in value-added (another word for gross domestic product or GDP), and $152.3 million in labor income to 2,986 job holders.

l When those earnings were consumed as household expenditures, they supported $68.1 million in Iowa industrial output, $41.3 million of Iowa GDP (or value added), and $22.9 million in labor incomes to 636 job holders. Jobs supported by household spending include dining, real estate, health care and retail.

The study also shows Iowa’s stability over the past few years in comparison to other states. “Iowa’s performance didn’t decline at the rate of other states,” Swenson says. “On a comparative basis, our competitive position vs. other states improved as a result.”

In fact, Iowa’s main street communities, both rural and urban, provide the place for small businesses to start, grow and contribute to job creation within the state. Much of the unique identity of these communities is based in the historic context of the district’s buildings. Architects work with these building owners and community leaders throughout Iowa to rehabilitate these buildings, enhancing their character and adding to the economic well-being of the community.

In Cedar Rapids, architects helped transform the city after the floods of 2008. A revitalization is happening in the NewBo City Market area, and the community is seeing a shift from government/FEMA-funded projects to more private investor work. Along with the residents of the community, architects have taken the tragedy of the floods and used it to re-envision the city.

The high standards and innovation of Iowa’s architects improve our cities and towns through thoughtful design, more efficient spaces and buildings that are both user and environmentally friendly.

As Iowa communities do their long-term planning for this kind of steady and successful growth, working closely with architects is an important step. “Much of what we care about in capital formation and capital needs doesn’t occur without architecture,” said Swenson.

Joseph Tursi is a project architect at OPN Architects Inc., Cedar Rapids. Comments: jtursi@opnarchitects.com.

The June 11 article “Non-farmers own most farmland,” raised some interesting, concerning issues about farmland ownership in Iowa, not least of which is how the land itself is conserved.

Several members of my family farmed through the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s. I can remember my grandfather being recognized by Iowa State University for farm practices such as grass waterways, strip cropping and crop rotation.

“Absentee ownership” of farmland has, and is, undermining the lessons learned from that generation of landowning farmers. In the case of non-farming land owners, conservation of soil and sound farming practices has suffered. No longer is the owner of the land present on a daily basis to see the results of poor farming practices, and the person (renter) that is tilling that ground is less concerned about the long-term sustainability of the land. With absentee ownership of our farmland, we have become a generation concerned only about what the land will produce this season rather than with making the land produce for generations to come.

Burton Davis

Delaware

Jenny Bioche’s latest screed, in which she laments it is easier to get a divorce than break a cellphone contract, is factually barren and wrong on too many levels to count (“Friends don’t let friends get divorced,” June 2).

I need not retain an attorney, negotiate property division and child custody, nor go before a judge to end my “marriage” to my cellphone provider. Changing my cellphone provider will not require me to vacate my residence, does not impact my credit rating, nor require payment of child support or alimony. That commercial relationship does not bear the emotional burden of ending a personal relationship. Does Bioche really think two adults can sever their legal and romantic ties with the same cavalier ease of switching from Verizon to AT&T?

The nadir, however, is Bioche’s unfounded, ridiculous call to end no-fault divorce. I will grant Bioche the assumption of good faith, that she is too young to remember how bitter and contested many divorces were when either party had to produce grounds to justify ending their union.

Bioche needs to learn how no-fault divorce was a necessary step forward in ensuring that couples who were no longer compatible could end their relationships with some grace, without having to pull out the long knives of character assassination and recrimination, aired in court, to separate. May I respectfully submit she is too preoccupied with how other people live their lives.

As for The Gazette, perhaps better editorial judgment is called for.

Jeff Klinzman

Coralville

Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett

Editor’s note: Mayor Ron Corbett was among many who made speeches at Thursday’s Show You Care event commemorating five years of Cedar Rapids and Eastern Iowa resilience since the Flood of 2008. The mayor’s remarks captured the essence of the day’s significance and deserve reflection. Following is the full text of his speech.

I  have given a lot of speeches or remarks as mayor and over my lifetime. I always seem to find a way to come up with a theme or words to speak. Sure, I get ideas, thoughts or talking points from others, but I always try and make the words authentic, my own. I have to tell you, I have really struggled on what to say and how to say it today. Where should I place the focus?

On the damage of the flood or the progress that has been made in those five years?

When I think back five years ago, so much emotion comes to mind. Words that might describe the various feelings people were experiencing. Despair, shock, disbelief, hopelessness, frustration, anger. If I talk only about the flood, the devastation, although factual, it would be too somber, too depressing and not very uplifting. It would also ignore all the progress that has been made over the last five years.

If I talk only about all the progress that has been made in the last five years — the new convention center, reopening of the Paramount Theatre, new homes being built in flooded neighborhoods, the new central fire station — I might come across as being too celebratory or even bragging, ignoring the pain and suffering the flood caused. You see my struggle?

The fact is, we did have a natural disaster — a flood that ranks as one of the worst natural disaster in our country’s history.

We aren’t the first community nor will we be the last to experience a disaster. We know there will be hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires and, yes, flooding around our county.

When you have a disaster, you have both the devastation and the rebuilding. We have to recognize that people’s lives were turned upside down, finances were put in jeopardy, homes were lost. People cried out to God, “Why me?”

Possessions including family heirlooms and keepsakes were piled high on the curbs of streets. The stench. The old Swiss Valley sign along the I-380 S-curve — the building and jobs are gone. The sleepless nights, the anxiety every time it rains.

Not very uplifting but that is part of our story. It is a part that cannot be forgotten. We have to remember to keep telling the disaster part of our story, because it makes the other part of the story even more amazing.

The other part of the story is the rebuilding of the community.

l We will soon have a new library, millions of dollars in private sector investment, and job creation.

l Our water supply that was just one sandbag away from being contaminated has been protected by raising 39 of our collector wells.

l The small business recovery programs that were put in place resulted in 82 percent of our small businesses reopening vs. a national average of 55 percent.

l Down payment assistance programs to help people get in new or existing homes.

l Thousands of volunteers who came locally and from all over the country to help us rebuild homes.

This part of our story also needs to be told. This part of the story might be easier to tell because it is more uplifting. As a community we have to tell both stories — the disaster and the rebuilding.

The flood of 2008 altered our lives and our community. Some may say it altered us in good ways, others think it altered us in bad ways. The fact is our community and our lives were altered. How have we been altered?

I think some people have more empathy for other communities experiencing disasters. Some people have a closer bond with friends and family. Some people have a greater appreciation for volunteering. Some people have more distrust of traditional institutions. Some people are grateful for government safety nets. Some people will carry scars.

I find inspiration in music. There is a popular Broadway musical called “Wicked.” It’s based off the story of the “Wizard of Oz.” It is a story about a good and a bad witch who find friendship among their differences.

At the end, when they say their final goodbyes, they realize the impact they have had on each other and sing a song called “For Good”:

“Who can say if I have been changed for the better … . I have been changed for good.”

I interpret “changed for good” in two ways: changed for good meaning permanently altered and, second, being changed for good in a positive way.

As I apply those words, “Who can say if we have been changed for the better?” to us, I for one think we have changed for the better, but I recognize there are some who may not feel that way.

More important, five or 10 years from now, as we and others look back, I hope we can say “we have been changed for the good.”

l Comments: editorial

@thegazette.com or ron.corbett@cedar-rapids.org

By Rick Moyle

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I  am sure most people by now have heard about the firing of a Fort Dodge dental assistant for her being too attractive. Many may say, “Hey they can’t do that! “

Well, they can and they did. Justice Edward Mansfield stated that such firings were not illegal and not unlawful discrimination because they are motivated by feelings and emotions, not gender. Bull.

Iowa is an at-will employment state. Unless an employment contract details the duration of the employment relationship, an employer can terminate you for any reason they want, at any time and without any notice. State and federal laws are supposed to make it illegal to discriminate against an employee or applicant based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, creed, sexual orientation, sexual identity or disability. All this does is give an employer a list of things he or she cannot use for firing someone.

This brings me back to an employment contract. One great way to obtain a contract is to collectively bargain for one. Collective bargaining is a method of negotiation in which employees use authorized union representatives to assist them. In the contract, it will state that the company recognizes the union as the sole collective bargaining agency for all employees covered by and coming under the provisions of the agreement.

It also may declare that the company, the employees and the union recognize that harmony, cooperation and understanding in their relationship with each other are essential to the welfare of the parties hereto. It may further recognize that the goodwill of the public is important and the company, the employees and the union pledge themselves to fair and understanding dealings with each other.

This contract will state that no employee shall be discharged or disciplined without good and sufficient cause. It may have a list of prohibited acts that allow the company to suspend or discharge an employee for violations.

It is beyond me why anyone would want to work in an at-will state without the protection of a collective bargaining agreement. I am betting that most CEOs in this country have a contract. Why can’t you?

Well, you can. The National Labor Relations Act states that employees shall have the right to self-organization, to form, join or assist labor organizations and to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing. It also gives you the right to refrain from any or all of such activities.

Many major corporations and some other employers are violating employee rights and safety. This behavior should not be allowed to continue. Know where to turn when your rights at the workplace have been violated.

Rick Moyle is executive director of the Hawkeye Labor Council AFL-CIO. Comments: rmoyle@hawkeyelabor.us

By Edna Carpenter Booker

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Today is the 236th birthday of our national flag. On June 14, 1777, the new Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act.

“Resolved that the flag of the United States, alternate with red and white stripes” President George Washington was quoted, “and that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.”

The symbolism, as Washington, the father of our country, is said to have described it: “We take the stars and blue union from Heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity, representing liberty.”

Respecting the flag has been a part of my being since I was 5 years old. On my first day at school, I was attracted to that big red, white and blue banner, behind the teacher’s desk, in my one-room country school in Moore, Okla. I especially loved the white stars against the blue background.

After welcoming the 24 students, our teacher read to us the “Pledge of Allegiance” printed on the blackboard. She asked us to stand at attention and recite the words. Then she gave each of us a copy of the Pledge, telling us to memorize it. “Each day we shall recite it to show that we honor our flag,” she said. “It is our country’s banner — our emblem.”

In the fifth grade, I was intrigued with American history and how the pilgrims had sailed to this new land because they wanted to be free people. At that time, repeating this salute to the flag was the practice in every public school in America. But since the 1960s, this gesture has all but faded into the past. Many school children today are not learning early American history and how our forefathers have fought and died for this flag.

Later, in my genealogical research, I found at least two great, great, great grandfathers who were American Revolution soldiers. The one who was from First Virginia State Regiment, serving under General Washington, at Valley Forge, was killed in 1777 fighting for the independence of the “Thirteen UNITED STATES” and its flag.

The year before, on July 4, 1776, Congress had officially adopted the Declaration of Independence, asserting that, “The Thirteen British Colonies in North America are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown.”

On Sept. 3, 1783, after more than seven long years of battle, the “new” United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, formally ending the Revolutionary War. As the British soldiers abandoned their last stronghold in New York on that Nov. 25, the first order of business for the proud Colonial soldiers was to raise the battle-worn flag for their new America.

It wasn’t until 1949 that Congress approved June 14 as Flag Day, and in 1970, the week beginning with June 14, as National Flag Week.

Since the birth of our nation, our flag has remained a vivid witness to innumerable great moments in our history. It has grown up with our country, from the original 13 stars and stripes to the 50 stars, symbolizing our 50 United States. Through the years, as each new star has been added, it remains as a living tribute to our spirited forefathers who “… brought forth upon this Continent a new Nation … .”

Our flag continues to give heart, hope and strength to our great country. Again and again it has flown over our nation’s triumphs and tragedies as a symbol of our unquenchable faith. It is living proof that most of our citizens are proud of America’s heritage. They are determined to protect its ideals and freedoms, believing that our “One nation, under God (is) indivisible with liberty and justice for all.”

Edna Carpenter Booker of Iowa City is a freelance writer, a member of National League of American Pen Women, a partner at Goodwill Of The Heartland, and a member of National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Coments: edbooicstars@aol.com

Because of the National Security Agency scandal, many people now trust our government less than before. However, there are reasons that the government should monitor major methods of communication.

For one, any anti-American group needs to communicate, and intercepting their communications is the best way to stop acts of terrorism before they happen. Also, the police can use the records to track down criminals, find runaway children or prevent crimes from occurring.

These reasons justify some invasion of privacy. I would freely give my phone records and other records of communications to aid in a criminal investigation, allowing they are not kept for longer than necessary. That is where the NSA went wrong. They should not keep records except when absolutely necessary to a current or imminent investigation.

Sam Gavin

Robins

Recent heavy rains remind us how vulnerable homes, businesses and farms are to the weather. Despite millions of dollars spent for flood studies and flood protection, I’ve seen nothing mentioned about the ethics of water management.

Towns seek massive, expensive flood protection projects, such as levees, that send more water faster downstream to vex those who live and work there. That hardly seems fair. In contrast, if every landowner, public and private, took actions that enabled water to infiltrate into the soil as nature intended, that water would not damage homes, businesses, or farms downstream.

Many years ago, the Indian Creek Nature Center began modifying its campus to be a model of no-runoff design. Actions included replacing conventional paving with permeable surfaces, crafting a bioswale in the parking lot, adding rain gardens, mounting a rain barrel project, reducing lawn mowing, and replacing short, mowed grass with native prairie that softens the soil and allows more water to infiltrate.

In addition, the nature center altered its buildings to be extremely energy efficient, reducing the amount of fuel needed and sending less greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.

These techniques are effective, low-cost and readily available. If every landowner in rural and urban areas took small, inexpensive steps to reduce runoff from their property, we could collectively reduce devastating floods.

Rich Patterson

Cedar Rapids

The IRS allows donations to 501(c)(3), some 501(c)(4) and all 501(c)(5) organizations to be deducted from the taxable income of the donor.

All 501(c)(3) organizations are charities that spend nothing on political causes; 501(c)(4) organizations may spend almost half of their funds on political activities and the donations of some are deductible; 501(c)(5) organizations are labor unions, agricultural and horticultural organizations which, according to Karl Rove, have in past decades spent hundreds of millions of dollars on advocacy and political activities.

The McCain-Feingold Act banned political advocacy groups from soliciting, accepting or spending “soft” money that was subject to campaign finance limits imposed on money spent on political activities by corporations or businesses. At that time, most 501(c)(4) organizations were liberal.

In 2010, the Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case allowed U.S. (but not foreign) businesses to contribute to political organizations. In 2008, a left-wing 501(c)(4) organization “Accountable America” sent letters to 10,000 GOP donors warning them that if they continued to support the GOP, they might be subject to legal problems, public exposure, and “watchdog” groups delving into their lives. Thereafter, their donations dried up.

Similar letters were sent … in 2012 to Romney supporters. Do you really think that the current IRS scandal was started by renegade IRS workers in Cincinnati? Consider what happened earlier.

J. Fred Doornbos

Iowa City

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“We look stupid.”

That’s how, back in December, state Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville, described Iowa’s reluctance to pony up a $20.6 million match to claim an $87 million 2010 federal grant and finally construct the long dreamed-of passenger rail line from Chicago to Iowa City — and eventually on to Des Moines and Omaha.

“We’re dead center in the Midwest,” Jacoby continued. “What, are we going to have people go up to Minnesota to get to Nebraska? It really does look stupid.”

We agreed with Jacoby’s blunt assessment at the time, and we especially agree with it after the Iowa Legislature — in an otherwise history-making year — failed to approve Iowa’s portion of the project.

Although critics of the project rightfully scoff at using the phrase “high-speed rail” to describe a proposed five-hour trip from Iowa City to the Windy City, the new rail line would present multiple opportunities for both Iowa and Illinois — which is why Illinois is moving forward at full speed with its end of the project.

It’s true the rail stands to benefit Eastern Iowa cities most directly, and it remains an important part of Iowa City’s plans for (re)developing the Riverfront Crossings area. But the long term plan for the rail line stands to benefit cities along the Interstate 80 corridor.

Although the initial price tag is high, we continue to think the route would be a worthwhile investment for the state — especially at a time in which citizens are beginning to wake up to the need for more environmental and economic sustainability.

There are some concerns that the proposed line would have a negative impact on Iowa businesses by facilitating residents to leave town and shop in larger metropolitan areas. But many of the Iowa City-area residents who are interested in shopping excursions to Chicago are taking such trips already. And the line would facilitate day trips between Iowa City and the Quad Cities that could benefit both areas.

The line also could make it easier for the growing number of University of Iowa students coming from Chicagoland to travel to and from school — maybe even leaving their cars behind. And it likewise would provide some safe travel options for City’s growing population of retirees.

Lawmakers supporting the rail proposal say this year’s lack of action is a setback, but not a fatal setback. And we’re glad to hear Jacoby is working across the aisle with Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, to find a bipartisan compromise that would allow this project to move forward. (The two have proposed pairing the rail funding with some eminent domain restrictions supported by Kaufmann.)

But the big question now is, “How long will the feds wait on Iowa to make up its mind?” There’s no hard deadline on the federal money, but bureaucrats could give it to other projects if Iowa doesn’t come up with the match eventually.

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Our Founding Fathers never fathomed this one.

Our federal government’s systemic analysis of private business records from American phone companies is being described as the most grievous assault on personal rights, and the most effective tactic against terrorism.

At our federal government’s request, Verizon, and presumably other communication firms, have handed over billions of records documenting Americans’ communication habits, according to excellent newspaper reporting in Great Britain’s daily Guardian.

The feds aren’t listening in. They’re using computer programs to discern calling trends that identify possible terror suspects. Technologically, this is fascinating. The process discerns patterns that investigators interpret to track individuals, before obtaining any evidence of a crime. Or a warrant.

That’s where that pesky Fourth Amendment comes into play. “… (N)o warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation… .”

There are no asterisks or exceptions.

This secret tactic, divulged by a leak, comes as our U.S. Supreme Court authorized the collection of DNA database from criminal suspects – not just as evidence for a present investigation – but to bank for future investigations. Instead of a warrant or probable cause as stipulated by the Constitution, Americans will be compelled to present evidence for crimes they may yet commit.

The unavoidable consequence is that police will pursue, question and even detain individuals for crimes they may know nothing about, but are linked to through trace DNA.

These 21st century crime fighting techniques are the logical outcome of technology that enables investigations 20th century detectives never could imagine.

Neither did our nation’s 18th century statesmen. But they did fashion a Bill of Rights specifically to prevent innocent Americans from being detained and interrogated and from being compelled to present evidence against themselves.

Now it seems simply by using a private phone service, Americans are building a case that could lead police to their doors. We’ve heard rebuttals that say innocent Americans have nothing to fear. They can explain away their phone calls, or DNA presence, when questioned by police.

That can make us a nation of suspects guilty until they prove themselves innocent.

Our founders never would recognize that nation.