Letters to the Editor: How STARS Mentoring changed my life

Growing up in my home, I would occasionally feel lonely and sad when my parents couldn’t attend my sporting events, choral concerts or even drama productions. All I really needed growing up was someone to talk to me and care about what I had to say.

Then one day in middle school, I fell upon the STARS mentoring group and wanted to learn more about it. Never would I have imagined the places it would take me and the people I would meet. This program opened its doors to me and allowed me to meet with community members who shared a like personality and interests with me. I just really wanted to talk to someone about my days at school and hold a genuine conversation with them over subjects like life, media, sports and other kinds of themes. 

Because of our friendship and easy connection, I have been able to get over problems I faced like bad friendships, sports, anxiety, and academic pressure. Before her, I never really had anyone I could comfortably talk to about my life problems, but my mentor changed that with her openness and caring.

If there is something that I could take away from the STARS Mentoring Program, I would want to take away the importance of creating connections with people around you and use that in other aspects of my life. Since I was so willing to bond with someone like my mentor, I realized that human connection is vital to our growth and development as we continue our journey into life.

Submitted by Angie Woodford, On behalf of a 2025 Storm Lake graduated mentee

Iowa workers rely on IPERS for a secure, dependable retirement

Americans recently celebrated Labor Day, a day meant to commemorate our nation’s workers. 

At IPERS, we’re committed to supporting a strong workforce in Iowa. We especially recognize the more than 400,000 current and retired public sector employees we represent, including the people who teach our children, police officers who ensure our safety and the employees who make every level of government operate each day. One in 10 Iowans is an IPERS member. 

IPERS is a defined benefit plan, making it different from traditional 401(k)-style plans. Defined benefit plans provide unique benefits: 

1. The retirement benefit payment is guaranteed for life. A 401(k) may not generate enough money to support the recipient until their death.  
2. IPERS retirement benefit payments are based on a formula and are not dependent on the idiosyncrasies of the stock market.  
3. IPERS’ skilled investment team invests member and employer contributions to generate revenue to pay retirement benefits. IPERS’ members don’t have to make complicated investment decisions. 401(k) recipients assume all the investment risk. In a defined benefit plan, a member’s investment risk is eliminated. 

When the Iowa Legislature created IPERS in 1953, it did so to offer an attractive benefit that would draw and retain qualified public workers. Nearly 75 years later, IPERS remains an important workforce recruitment tool and economic engine. In FY2024, IPERS paid more than $2.9 billion in benefits, including $2.7 billion to retirees living here in Iowa. Benefit recipients spend that money locally on food, entertainment, healthcare and housing. 

IPERS’ strong financial position means it’s able to pay benefits now and in the future. With a trust valued at approximately $46 billion, and a ratio of asset to liabilities that exceeds 90%, IPERS is one of the most financially viable retirement systems in the nation.  

IPERS is proud to serve Iowa’s public workers and administer the retirement program that promises what a 401(k) cannot: secure, reliable retirement benefit payments.  Learn more about IPERS at https://ipers.org/ipers-did-you-know. 

The Iowa Legislature created IPERS in 1953 to provide a dependable and economical retirement plan for Iowa's public employees. IPERS is the state’s largest public retirement system, serving more than 400,000 current and former members. Greg Samorajski has served as the organization’s CEO since 2020.

Greg Samorajski, CEO of the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System

What’s in a name?

It’s a cliche, “a rose by any other name,” but Shakespeare’s phrase is still the paragon, questioning how words work. Now we’ve got a flow of Mexican immigrants into the U.S.  We don't know how to stop it, control it or even label it. What words should we use?

I’m reading the latest non-answer in the Wall Street Journal and the author thinks “illegal” is what we should call the these daring strivers. He mentions that “undocumented” won’t do, cause the guys cutting your grass, or washing your car, or taking over the roofing business, all have documents, fake documents, but not undocumented. In fact, Dr. Victor Davis Hanson, who wrote “Mexifornia” and checks his raisin workers’ IDs, said that the fake IDs look better than his own, and he knows his own is real. 

So how should we label our uninvited guest workers who really hunker down, sweat and labor and don’t complain about less than Walmart wages?  “Undocumented, illegal, guest worker, criminal, alien.” Do those terms work? And whom are we referring to, all of them or some of us?  From the Mexican’s viewpoint the illegal is us, he’s the American. His ancestors were born on this continent. Ours were shipped over. I guess that's the thorn on the rose.  

Ambitious guys dig tunnels, climb razor wire fences, and detour through miles of desert just to get here and earn minimum wage. Sounds like a determined people to me. So how about “persevering, hard-working, unstoppable, self-sacrificing, persistent, decent folk?” How about calling them Americans?

Now, if you travel south of the border, you might get a surprise about the “rose by any other name.” You see, we stole Mexico (their point of view, also Lincoln’s and Grant’s), or about 50% of it. And the Mexican doesn’t think that he’s crossing the border when he’s trying to get to a job. It’s the border that crossed him. You can look it up. Google Aztlan.

But, so what? All these names and no solution? As long as there are jobs here and not there, men will come. Minimum wage, or something between $5 and $10 an hour gets the “rose” treatment, too. What’s minimum here is a fortune there. OK, not a fortune, but a solid income.  

So maybe that’s the problem. Mexico needs to pay their workers more. The pay gap between U.S. and Mexico for labor is just too wide. An unskilled young man with a few years of schooling will earn $5-10 a day in Mexico. A teacher in Mexico may earn $4 an hour.  

So, if you really want to halt the daredevils crossing the border, get Mexico to raise wages, and that means economic growth. And be prepared to have your kids wash your car, weed the fields, pick the produce, mend your roof, assist the elderly, cut your grass and do some hard work.  

Dick Davis, Danville, Calif.

The difference between me and Trump

Where has all the wisdom gone long time passing? One difference between Trump and myself is I believe this quote and he doesn’t. “Government is instituted for the common good, for the protection, safety, prosperity and happiness of the people and not for the profit, honor or private interest of any one man, family or class of man.”  John Adams, second president of the United States.  

Another pretty smart guy, Albert Einstein said, “The only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance,” and Trump has both.  

And for a third quote, “If you want to control a people create an imaginary enemy that appears more dangerous than you, then present yourself as their savior.”  Noam Chomsky — philosopher and professor. Getting through yet?

Dave Haynes, Duncombe

Break from ideology

In his first inaugural address in 1933, President Roosevelt told Americans they “had nothing to fear but fear itself.” 

The relevance of this statement has come roaring back with the hostile takeover of the CDC by the profoundly unqualified anti-science profiteer, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (whom Iowa’s senators unhesitatingly confirmed).   

Mr. Kennedy profits handsomely by sowing doubt and fear about vaccines.  His hand-picked vaccine advisory committee recently approved Covid vaccines only for those 65 and older or for anyone with underlying health conditions. Formerly, anyone over the age of six months qualified.   

And there you have it! Kennedy has written his own vested-interest prescription for vaccine fear, confusion and hesitancy. (He has stated that the mRNA Covid vaccine killed more people than it helped!)  Many people will fear either the vaccine or the hassle required to qualify for it, thus leaving their communities vulnerable to the next strain of Covid.  

In response to this dangerous political turmoil, governors of several states, armed with their constitutional mandate to protect the health of their residents, have formed health alliances which rely on advice from leading medical authorities like the AMA for vaccine guidance.  This will relieve confusion and enable vaccine access in their states. 

Several people on both sides of the aisle have already announced their candidacy for Iowa Governor. Voters would be well-advised to ask them if they are willing to break from political ideology to form alliances, if necessary, to protect their citizens from another pandemic.

Karen Heidman, Sioux City

Crazy talk and scary action

Trump says tariffs are going to pay down the $37 trillion national debt and overflow into a dividend check back to the American people. Who is he kidding? Tariffs are not even paying down the interest on the debt today, let alone the principal.

Before the Alaska meeting with Putin, Trump said that Putin must agree to a ceasefire or there would be severe consequences. Neither of those things happened, did they?

Trump says if the Supreme Court rules against his tariffs “that will be the end of the United States.” Pretty breathtaking pronouncement on the negative side, but just as outrageously unlikely as paying down the national debt on the positive side.

During Senate confirmation hearings, Hegseth referred to military JAG lawyers in very derogatory terms. Now Trump wants to use them as immigration judges even though they have no training for that. It sounds like Trump wants legal low-lifers to complement his private army of low-life ICE agents.

It’s time for America to admit that the President is full of crazy talk and scary action.

Kimball Shinkoskey, Woods Cross, Utah