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Considering my two moms on Mother’s Day
I’ve had two moms. To be precise, I’ve had three. I had a biological mother who gave birth to me in the summer of 1975. She gave me up for adoption. I’ve sifted through old papers and heard a few stories. I’m not really sure what happened. I know that she was a woman who […]
Senators, please drop the expensive test for teacher licensing
A bill that would remove testing as a requirement for teaching licenses is before the Iowa Senate. It passed the House unanimously. Dear Iowa Senate, please pass this bill and get it under Gov. Kim Reynolds’ pen at once. I rarely speak publicly about political issues anymore, but I confess my vested interest in this […]
Senate Republicans remix Reagan’s ‘welfare queen’ tale in latest stimulus debate
I am one of about 13 million Americans who receive unemployment benefits. I lost my job during the pandemic and receive a $600 increase in those benefits each week because of the federal stimulus plan passed earlier this year. Those benefits expire July 30.
John Wayne: Iowa’s cultural icon or a ‘rotten SOB?’
Some California Democrats want Orange County to strip John Wayne’s name off their airport because of some racist and homophobic things he said in an interview. Wayne, of course, was born Marion Robert Morrison in Winterset in 1907. He became one of the most successful actors in history. He died in 1979 at age 72. […]