By The Gazette Editorial Board   —–   We’ve long advocated that health care reform in this country must include a major effort to curb health care cost increases, which have outpaced that of virtually every other vital service or product. But we see no clear way of doing so as long as there is [...]

The Gazette Editorial Board – The debate over whether to accept the federal government’s Medicaid expansion or opt for Gov. Terry Branstad’s Healthy Iowa alternative plan has drawn plenty of attention and fiery debate this legislative session. Both plans are aimed at expanding health care access for low-income Iowans. We’ve leaned toward the Medicaid option [...]

Gazette Editorial Board – The Obama administration has been drawing fire about how well it’s balancing the need for national security with privacy rights. Criticism escalated Tuesday over the Department of Justice’s seizure of Associated Press telephone records. Concern about privacy rights and Big Brother fears certainly has been an issue ever since post-9/11 decisions [...]

By The Gazette Editorial Board —-   When thinking of your children and grandchildren and the kind of world you want them to live in, do you want a society that responds quickly if they become a victim of crime, or do you prefer that they not become a victim of crime to begin with?” [...]

MORE WIND POWER: Welcome MidAmerican Energy’s plan to invest $1.9 billion — without state subsidies or tax credits — to install 656 more wind turbines in Iowa. The company says the project won’t add any net cost for customers and will stabilize long-term rates. State officials say the expansion will provide more than $360 million [...]

JUSTICE CENTER BLUES: With a voter turnout of just 15 percent, the Johnson County Justice Center bond referendum was defeated on Tuesday, a second defeat in six months. Instead of advancing a long-term fix for major security, safety and space problems that likely will get worse in this fast-growing county, officials still face $3 million [...]

By The Gazette Editorial Board —-   Five years ago today, the immigration reform debate became much more real and closer to home for Eastern Iowans. On May 12, 2008, federal immigration agents and local law enforcement raided the former Agriprocessors meat packing facility in Postville and arrested nearly 400 immigrant workers, charging most with [...]

By The Gazette Editorial Board —   We agree with Chuck Swore, Cedar Rapids City Council member. What’s the point of having a city ordinance requiring surveillance cameras in some businesses if there is no enforcement or penalties for non-compliance? This ordinance has been on the books for two decades. The police department is supposed [...]

Gazette Editorial Board – Last week’s Iowa Supreme Court decision, that married lesbian parents both should be listed on a child’s birth certificate, could mean that at least some children’s birth records include the names of parents, rather than mothers and fathers. But that is the biggest change represented by the court’s unanimous opinion. Because [...]

The Gazette Editorial Board —–   The practice of collecting DNA evidence from convicted felons and sex offenders has been an important tool for law enforcement agencies, assisting them in cracking unsolved cases, including some here in The Corridor. It’s also helped exonerate the falsely accused. But we’re skeptical of a bill passed by state [...]