I was very glad to see Jeff Klinzman write a sane response to columnist Jenny Bioche’s latest rant from your paper (“Divorce, cellphones are worlds apart,” June 15). Why do you keep giving her space in your paper? Please understand, this is not just some left vs. right thing. I read opinions in your [...]

  Effective July 1, Linn County supervisors’ annual salary will increase from $74,362 to $92,953, a 25 percent increase. The increase was supported by the Linn County Compensation Board, whose members are appointed by the supervisors and other county officials. Iowa Code Section 331.907 states: “The county compensation board annually shall review the compensation paid [...]

Again, our elected Iowa state government has made decisions without thinking realistically about our future. 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 [...]

The time is now. We must stand up for our nation and the Constitution of the United States of America. There are so many scandals from our leadership that exposes the depravity of our elected politicians. They do not follow the constitutional laws of the land, but instead seem determined to pull them down. The [...]

The age of the great white father in Washington is over. 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 [...]

I spent almost 29 years on the Cedar Rapids Police Department, most of those years patrolling the streets. After retiring in 1999, my wife and I moved to Florida, but come home every summer to visit friends and family. I am embarrassed for the city for the visitors and travelers on public streets. They are [...]

  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, [...]

  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 [...]

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 [...]

  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, [...]