Letters to the Editor: Concerns of an Iowa voter

Iowans should be a little concerned about some troubling developments that seem to be showing up in a couple of candidates running for a couple of very important offices in our state.

Randy Feenstra is running for governor as a Republican and is proud of the over $4.5 million he has raised for his campaign. If you dig down into the origins of this sizable war chest, Summit Agricultural Group along with the CEO of Summit and some good old boy RINOS in the U.S. House and their various political action committees seem to be major contributors.

These actions are legal, but Mr. Feenstra is trying to make us believe that every day Iowans are making most of the contributions with misleading posts on social media. While this statement could be accurate, it appears somewhat questionable.

Summit Carbon Solutions seeks to use eminent domain to build a carbon capture pipeline across Northwest Iowa farmland, aiming to benefit their business rather than serve the public interest. Feenstra was for the use of eminent domain for this project until he was against it after deciding to run for governor. He now denies ever favoring the use of eminent domain and that might possibly be true.

Summit affiliates made large contributions to him, possibly hoping for a return on their investment. Iowans need some answers from Mr. Feenstra to clear this up. Perhaps agreeing to debate the other candidates or possibly showing up at some open forums with the other candidates would be a perfect opportunity for Feenstra to put concerned Iowans’ minds at ease on this issue and several other areas of concern as well.

Consider our other strong Republican governor candidates as alternatives to Mr.  Feenstra.

Larry DeRocher, Onawa

Immigration law

On Thursday, Jan. 15, I watched a news conference being held in Minnesota, about the effect ICE is having on the ag industry and communities across the entire state.

As they pointed out, this is because there has not been an immigration law worked on, nor voted on under this administration. The ICE tactics, and no plan, not working with communities, nor local law enforcement has ICE agents spread out across Minnesota causing this chaos. Many legal immigrants are staying home rather than going to work on the farms, the slaughter houses or various other companies that need immigrant employees there in Minnesota.  

When I reached out to Senator Grassley recently, he stated he is working on legislation, but where is the immigration bill that Biden was ready to sign, Senator?

You are not working on immigration, and your boast of being bipartisan is nothing but hot air.  Produce an immigration bill, vote and pass the immigration bill, and use that boast of bipartisanship to override the President not signing it.  I dare you to act on this and show us you really are doing legislation and care about the people in this country.

Thom Williams, Pleasant Hill

It’s both easy and hard to be MAGA

Do people recognize how easy it is to be a Trump cabinet member? All they have to do is mimic their boss’ propaganda line and they can bank their paychecks.

Kristi Noem mimics the President’s line on immigration, saying those millions who crossed the border are largely “the worst of the worst,” like rapists and drug traffickers, never mentioning regime repression and failing economies as their reason for fleeing ancestral homelands.  

But cabinet members must also promote Trump’s big beautiful bag of negative tools for use in government: international blackmail (Greenland policy), bribery (“stimulus” payments to voters before the election), employee firings, defamation of character, disinformation, usurpation of Congressional powers, flattery, discrimination, intimidation, economic warfare (tariffs), coverup of adultery, vigorous partaking of emoluments, endless appealing of judicial decisions, militarized raids on Democrat cities, racial profiling, warrantless arrests, executive orders, pardons of felons, denigrating judges, impossible promises (ending Ukraine war in a day), wide-open hypocrisy (Iran protesters are good, U.S. protesters are bad), impoundments, politicizing justice/ suing enemies, inspiring violence against authorities.  

Whew! It's not an easy thing to embrace all of these tools, so maybe Cabinet members actually deserve a raise!

Kimball Shinkoskey, Woods Cross, Utah

One is born every minute

This spring I will be 79 years old. Never in my life have I been more ashamed and fed up with Americans. Do people like being lied to? When someone lies to you they are disrespecting you because they think you’re not intelligent enough to know. They don’t believe in facts and evidence. They just blame others. Does that sound familiar?

If you told me back in the day that Americans would elect someone convicted of 34 felonies for fraud and also sexual abuse, I would have told you you’re crazy. Remember when people looked down on someone who goes bankrupt? The Orange Pariah has done it six times. I know the truth hurts. But truth is reality and life can be hard. Any con man can lie and tell you they will fix everything.

P.T. Barnum said “There’s a sucker born every minute.” Now in the U.S. it’s down to 9½ seconds.

After a year do you really think you’re better off? I’m sure billionaires are. Remember when it was just millionaires? We have to start now and let them know we will stop a dictator by balancing Congress next November. If you love your kids we have to stop the chaos.

Don’t be a sucker.

Dave Haynes, Duncombe