No, bookstores are not doomed to failure. They are blessed with an opportunity to adapt to new technology. Nostalgic and anachronistic reading habits will change over the next two generations and bookstores that can provide enhanced value will survive. The movies and the movie theater experience didn’t die with the advent of television and cable. [...]

The owners of the Riverside and Waterloo casinos disgust me for trying to buy an election to eliminate competition. They abuse free enterprise. But the promoters of the new Cedar Rapids casino disgust me for buying swampland in the floodplain. They abuse the environment. This isn’t wasted land, it’s land that belongs to the river. [...]

Over the years I’ve been to thousands of estate sales and auctions. I’ve noticed that many of these sales have massive excesses of ‘Christmas’ decor, including trees. It makes me wonder why people compulsively accumulate these holiday trappings. Seems to me that the real question the Gazette should have asked was not ‘Real, Artificial, or [...]

The the American Revolutionary war against the imperialist English, there was an outcry “No Taxation Without Representation”. I believe that is a valid concern, and as far as I’m concerned any Iowa resident who pays any taxes to the state of Iowa (Property, Sales, or Income) is fully entitled to vote whether they are citizens [...]

If enough people in Iowa believe in a flat earth at the center of the solar system, created by one of the bronze age gods 6000 years ago, and populated with ‘Intelligently Designed’ human animals rather than the evolved kind; then maybe Iowa should go for secession. But I have a pretty good suspicion that [...]

There was no surprise in the Presidential election. The 538 blog called it right, The Intrade Futures market had it right. The surprise will come after this election See the CounterPunch article here: http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/11/07/victory-of-the-technocrats/

According to the French philosopher Aron : ” What passes for optimism is most often the effect of an intellectual error. ” The intellectual error is Klein’s hypothetical dream is failing to acknowledge that the choice of the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil. Klein’s optimism is unwarranted wishful thinking.

Iowa’s judicial retention system works about as well as can be expected in a state where a large proportion of the population believes the earth is only about 6000 years old and was created by one of the bronze age gods of mythology. Misguided religious dogma can often trump modern sound judicial judgement. I often [...]

Of course this is irresponsible. A business that is suited to be in the flood plain is being removed to support the schemes of greedy developers. What this Salvage Yard really needed was a huge sign that said “Cedar Rapids –Proud to Recycle”. But green goes nowhere in a decaying city where cultural pretentious and [...]

The “Defense of Marriage Law” should have been struck down because it is a misnomer. If those who drafted this law had told the truth, they would have titled the law the “Defense of Bigotry Law”. Under our modern, progressive constitution, all people (men and women alike) are entitled to equal treatment under the law. [...]

Todd, you’re right about this. Mitt’s comments are way out of line. His policies are not in my best interest. But, even though I’m a Democrat, I’m going to vote for him. Obama continues to support the drone assassination program. These not too accurate flying robots have killed many women and children during his presidential [...]

The ‘spoilers’ in this election will be the pathological liars in the mainstream political parties. With the Democratic and Republican schemes, you get half a dozen of one, and 6 of another. If the lying clowns from the major parties get a place on the Iowa ballot, there had better be room for some alternative [...]

One of the great wonders about Cedar Rapids inappropriate development in the flood plain,is the fetish for connectivity in the downtown cultural ghetto. Isn’t it just great that people will be able to pay their last respects to the dead treewood in the new Book Mausoleum without getting wet on a rainy day. Maybe there [...]

It’s not the repeat offenders that are costing the taxpayers in Linn and Johnson county thousands of dollars. It’s the broken and dysfunctional criminal justice system, with its emphasis on vengeance instead of rehabilitation. Treating people like animals and throwing them into cages is very costly. It breeds more primitive and animal-like behavior. We reap [...]

Eric suggested …”being gay is not the natural state of being…”. I argue that there is no one ‘natural state of being’. Nature permits many states. As a very simple example, think of the many states nature permits for the orbiting electron around atoms. There is no one ‘natural state’, but several alternatives. Through the [...]

And I can’t think of a better place to let the rivers flow free than downtown Cedar Rapids. Get the human infestation out of the Cedar River flood plain. Let nature take its course, instead of propping up ever expensive and unsustainable residential and commercial development in an area that should be one our finest [...]

According to an analysis on COUNTERPUNCH, the scum has risen to the top in Republican Party. http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/03/30/obama-apologetics/ The chances of the Republican Party reversing its support for intolerance is about the same as the Obama administration delivering ‘change you can count on’.

” Another placard urged passers-by to contact St. Luke’s Hospital CEO Ted Townsend and Mike Sundall, CEO of Physician’s Clinic of Iowa.” When you run information like this you should include email addresses and phone numbers for people like this. I would like to personally thank St Lukes and PCI for improving professional medical care [...]

Keeping alive an old church building, previously dedicated to the worship of a long dead god, and only marginally connected to an important historical architect, is a waste of community resources. Attempting to steal community resources to promote alternative therapy and pseudo-scientific healing practices is even more deplorable. This does not even come close to [...]

From this day forward I refuse to put up with lying politicians or censoring journalists. Repent and apologize for your errant ways. This community deserves far better.