The assassination of Charlie Kirk set off a national convulsion, as it should. It’s horrible. Frightening. It is not a civil war, which is vital to keep in mind. Kirk’s murder is part of …
Another political leader killed, and another frustrating challenge on what to say, what to do. Charlie Kirk’s death resurfaces similar tragedies from our American past, both venerable and …
The farmers who spoke at a Sept. 2 meeting with congressional officials in Brookland, Ark., were respectful, plain-spoken and worried, according to the 4-minute, 30-second report aired by KAIT News, Jonesboro and …
Matt Bormann feels used and abused as a model for stewardship by an ag establishment that does not want to invest in comprehensive conservation. The St. Joe farmer, age 46, is a registered …
It should astonish us that the City of Storm Lake and Buena Vista County are deposing each other in an absurd lawsuit where justice will be done only for the Des Moines lawyers. The city is suing the …
During decades as a journalist, I had countless conversations with interesting people — future presidents, wannabe leaders, governors, business executives, religious thinkers, crooks, and …
Why does Congress even bother to debate an annual budget? Every year members of the federal legislative body spend innumerable hours in committees and on the House and Senate floor debating …
September usually marks a turning point of sorts for most people. Summer turns to fall, vacation turns to school, and the green hope and promise of growing crops turns into the yellow and gold of …
The corn looks record-setting, but Iowa State Extension figures it a loser because of falling prices. The heck, you say. We should be kings out here. The black soil, rain at the right time, …
President Trump gave Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., marching orders: Go wild on health. That’s just what RFK2 is doing at the helm of the Department of Health and Human Services. His order to cancel …
Even the best salesman would struggle explaining away the reasons for the latest contradiction from the president of the United States. He believes crime in Washington, D.C., is so out of …
College football is here once again, and fans are geared up to cheer on their treasured favorite(s). What stokes such ferocious lifetime loyalty to a bunch of guys playing a game for a few weeks …
I commend columnists who publish research-based and value-added (versus “my opinion”) op-eds on a daily or frequent basis. Submitting an occasional essay gives me time to ponder …
A recent change in climate policy by the Trump Administration threatens to change everything on earth — from the fast-warming planet itself to all the life on it. On July 29, Lee Zeldin, …
The challenges facing Iowa’s higher education system have been building for many years, and the impact on students is becoming increasingly severe. For far too long, we have seen a mission …
Tuition is too damn high. Higher education is so expensive that many Iowa students end up buried in debt before they even start working. More than 400,000 Iowans are still carrying student loan debt, …
The earth beneath Iowa politics shifted last week as Democrat Catelin Drey of Sioux City flipped a red Iowa Senate district, and word leaked that Republican US Sen. Joni Ernst of Red Oak would not …
We live in a militarized police state. Los Angeles is occupied by National Guard troops and Marines, against the wishes of local authorities and the duly elected governor of California (whose …
Government regulates business to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public. That is the theory behind enacting and enforcing regulations, and it is a commendable mission. But, too …
A year ago this month, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, introduced the No Kings Act with 36 co-sponsors. With the Senate under Republican control, the bill did not …