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Last week, I was called to assist with setting up a shelter, then spending the night there, in Sioux City on behalf of the Red Cross. There had been a rather large fire in an apartment complex. Over the first 12 or so hours in the shelter, only volunteers from Storm Lake, Lincoln, Neb., Des Moines and Omaha were available and willing to assist. If there were to have been a similar situation in Storm Lake or Alta or Newell and no one from Buena Vista County came to help in the shelter, how would you feel?
Since October, I’ve been to Florida to help with sheltering and feeding victims after a hurricane. I’ve responded to fires in Onawa, Estherville, Hospers, Humboldt, and Spencer. Maybe you get the point that fires can happen anywhere at any time. We prefer to have two people respond to each fire incident, but sometimes we don’t have enough available volunteers.
I’m no super hero; instead, I have the time and desire to serve others in their worst hours. It is not easy, but you don’t need to be Hulk Hogan to do the work. It is rewarding and, more importantly, needed work.
You don’t have to answer every call. You don’t have to drive as far as I’m willing. You can hold a full-time job and still be a volunteer on evenings or weekends. Better yet, maybe your employer might let you go during the workday like they do volunteer firefighters. The training is not onerous.
Most of my work centers on meeting with victims, offering comfort and a listening ear, opening the case into a software system, and often providing them some money from donated funds to the Red Cross to get them through the next few days. They might need a hotel room, new clothes, food, personal items, etc. From there, caseworkers take over to coordinate other assistance. Your work is essentially done when you leave the scene.
Vitally, you get to wear a really snazzy, reflective, red vest and carry a special ID card.
Interested? Give me a call at 712-291-0555.
Mike Frantz, Storm Lake
I finally read Trump’s inaugural address. There were some things I agree with, but there are many things that are dangerous and/or lies. I’ll skip the opinions expressed that I think are far off base but not clearly wrong.
“Never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents.” This is a lie on two counts: 1) The Biden Justice Department didn’t just target Trump and his allies. It obtained a long prison sentence for a Democratic senator and got a conviction of the president’s son. The charges against Trump were fair. The evidence of his guilt is overwhelming. Trump and many of his allies pleaded guilty or were convicted by a jury. 2) He has already started to weaponize the new Justice Department by firing government watchdogs without cause, revoking security protection from political enemies and investigating all FBI agents who worked on the cases of January 6th insurrectionists.
“A radical and corrupt establishment has extracted power and wealth from our citizens.” Actually this is true, and Trump is a member of this corrupt establishment. His policies are designed to benefit this establishment at the expense of most citizens by cutting taxes on the rich and cutting the social safety net. He has removed protections against gender and race discrimination. His cabinet nominees include many billionaires.
“Government that has given unlimited funding to the defense of foreign borders but refuses to defend American borders.” First, aid to Ukraine, Israel and others was far from unlimited, and aid to Ukraine was arguably insufficient. Second, the Biden administration did defend the border but was bound by an international treaty on refugees that requires people who present themselves for asylum to be given a hearing and before that hearing must be granted access to the country. Trump said, “I will end the practice of catch and release.” The Constitution says that treaties are the supreme law of the land and this is unconstitutional.
“Our country can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency … That’s going to change.” Yep, and for the worse since Trump wants to abolish the Federal Emergency Management Agency and have states take over disaster relief.
“We have a public health system that does not deliver in times of disaster.” Yep, partly because in his first term Trump defunded our pandemic response just before the covid pandemic. Trump badly mishandled the pandemic, which is partly why the U.S. suffered more per capita deaths than most countries. Trump is about to make it worse. About a week ago he barred Federal health agencies, including the CDC, NIH and FDA, from issuing public updates, announcements or regulations. He has also tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act and the Biden regulations on drug prices which will make health care even more expensive for Americans.
“We have an education system that teaches our children to be ashamed of themselves — in many cases, to hate our country.” Not so. If anything, schools go overboard trying to build self-esteem. They need to teach that our country is not perfect so we don’t repeat the errors of the past. Admitting mistakes does not mean we hate our country.
“My recent election is a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal.” Trump won a narrow victory. He got less than 50% of the vote, so it was not a sweeping mandate.
“The entire nation is rapidly unifying behind our agenda.” This incomprehensible lie flies in the face of the widespread cries in print, broadcast and social media to fight against his agenda. Several of his nominees failed to get a single Democrat yes vote.
“We will not forget our Constitution.” Note he didn’t say he would obey it. He has already issued unconstitutional and illegal executive orders: 1) overturning birthright citizenship in violation of the 14th Amendment, 2) firing over a dozen inspectors general (government watchdogs) without the required cause or notice, 3) blocking federal spending in violation of law, 4) ordering immigration policies in violation of international law, 5) giving an unelected private citizen, Elon Musk, free access to confidential personal information, etc. Most of the lies listed in this article are just bad. Signing illegal and unconstitutional executive orders is valid grounds for impeachment.
“I will direct all members of my cabinet to marshal the vast powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation and rapidly bring down costs and prices.” Inflation has already been defeated. It is now only a smidge above optimal. He has since said that “it will be difficult to bring down prices.” His tariff proposals will increase prices.
“The inflation crisis was caused by massive overspending and escalating energy prices, and that is why today I will also declare a national energy emergency. We will drill, baby, drill.” The inflation was caused by supply issues related to the pandemic and was high in all industrialized nations, most of which had higher inflation than ours. The spending might have increased inflation some, but averted a major recession which was predicted but didn’t happen. More oil drilling will dramatically worsen climate change which is costing us a fortune in increased weather disaster damage and higher insurance rates.
“We will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry.” EVs will significantly help slow climate change. The U.S. auto industry makes lots of EVs and is well placed to make more.
“Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens … will be massive amounts of money pouring into our Treasury, coming from foreign sources.” Tariffs do NOT tax foreign countries; they are sales taxes paid by Americans on imported goods. Tariffs will provide only a moderate government funding source and will start trade wars, decrease trade, and increase prices. The Wall Street Journal called the tariffs the “dumbest trade war in history.”
“China is operating the Panama Canal.” Lie. They do not run the canal, Panama does. At least four companies provide fuel and other services near the canal including one controlled by Chinese.
“The United States will once again … expand our territory.” This is a very dangerous indication that Trump plans on taking over territory of other nations. His first targets are the Panama Canal and Greenland and recently he expressed a desire to take over Gaza and expel all the Palestinians. The latter is ethnic cleansing which is in violation of international law. Imperialism is a bad idea, and advocating it empowers international aggression including Russia to take over Ukraine, China to take over Taiwan, and Israel to annex the West Bank.
“America will be respected again and admired again.” Most foreign leaders are aghast at Trump and have lost respect for America that we elected such a horrible man but feel they must suck up to him in fear of vindictive retaliation. At three sporting events in Canada, the fans booed the U.S. national anthem, and some Canadian stores now refuse to sell U.S. goods. Elon Musk just announced that he, a private citizen, has shut down U.S. foreign aid, a vital source of goodwill. If we cut off foreign aid, China will step in and take over the thanks and loyalty that have been ours.
Our country is in for a very bad time if Trump’s agenda comes to pass. I predict that future historians will conclude that the Trump era was even worse than the McCarthy era.
Jim Eliason, Storm Lake
There comes a point when a man must refuse to answer to his leader if he is also to answer to his own conscience. - Hartley Shawcross, barrister, politician, and prosecutor at the Nuremberg War Crimes tribunal (4 Feb 1902-2003)
Norman E. Porath, Denton, Neb.
Almost $61K for the local school foundation? That ain’t trivial! Unless you’re a member of the ruling class. You know, a major league athlete or a member of the rogues’ gallery/Trump cabinet.
Mike Wellman, Des Moines
Does Elon Musk have the proper security clearances for access to agency personnel records and government payment systems? Of course he does.
People have forgotten the new theory of presidential authorization floated up in the classified documents case. Any and every document is declassified as soon as the President says it is.
In today’s federal government, there is no paperwork required, no accountability channels to clear, just the President’s word.
Even sweeping national policies can be enacted in one breath today and taken away in one breath tomorrow. 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico today, zero tariffs tomorrow. An end to TikTok today, back in business tomorrow. Forced and final displacement of Gazans today, a return of Gazans to their land tomorrow.
Land deals are handled the same way. Today the President can “own” great big strips of foreign land with no diplomacy or treaty paperwork involved. Greenland, Gaza, Gulf of America, Panama Canal belong to America just by the President’s say so.
If you have all the power and all the money, just blow some wind out of your mouth.
Kimball Shinkoskey, Woods Cross, Utah
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