Letters to the Editor: Voters can clean house in November

Donald Trump’s name was removed from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on June 13, just one day before his 80th birthday. It was a fitting “tribute” to our nation’s manbaby.

Steve Schmidt, the former Republican strategist who worked closely with George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and John McCain, summed it up this way: “The Kennedy Center is named after a president who called Americans to service, sacrifice and citizenship. Trump represents the opposite impulse. Self before country. Vanity before duty. Brand before nation.” Amen to that.

Trump is everything my Goldwater-Republican mom taught me not to be. His arrogance, vulgarity, greed and sheer foolishness are off the charts. He lies and creates chaos almost daily. Trump needs to be challenged and held accountable constantly, especially by members of his own party. But we all know that’s not happening. They’ve allowed him to run wild.

So it’s up to us — ordinary voters in Iowa and across the country — to clean house Nov. 3. And after all the votes are counted, I’m hoping we can say goodbye to folks like Ashley Hinson, Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks. 

Hugh Espey, Des Moines

Why not civics for all Iowa students?

In a June 5, 2026 Letter to the Editor of the Times Pilot, Rep. Taylor Collins of Mediapolis reports on successful passage of House File 2800, legislation that is expected to improve student knowledge of American history and government. Rep. Collins cites considerable evidence of “shocking gaps in civic knowledge among college students.” It is admirable that the Iowa Legislature is dedicated to improving such knowledge in college students.

I must ask however, are private college students and non-college students not susceptible to  this proven gap in knowledge as well? And if so, why would the State of Iowa wait until a student enters college, public universities at that, to improve such knowledge? Shouldn’t these important aspects of American history and government be an essential element for all students in Iowa? Why not in K-12 education? Why wouldn’t the Legislature want to raise civic knowledge for all students in our state, prior to college, so that our state can pride itself on well informed citizens throughout the State of Iowa?

Sandra Madsen, Bettendorf

Who feeds the world? 

That old adage about our farmers “feeding the world” needs a little clarification. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal (5/30-31), Land O’Lakes CEO Beth Ford acknowledged that “roughly two-thirds of U.S. agricultural workers are non-citizen immigrants.” She went on to note “there’s a universal understanding that most of of the time American citizens don’t want these jobs. This is not an argument that immigrants are taking jobs from Americans.”

Donald Trump masquerades as a friend of the farmer, but his misguided tariffs, unnecessary war with Iran and draconian immigration policies represent a triple threat to our farmers, when many of them are now on the edge of insolvency. His chief domestic policy advisor, Stephen Miller, wants to deport every non-citizen immigrant. Two-thirds of our agricultural workforce? If you think food prices are high now, just wait until that happens. Do our current senators and representatives have a grip on any of this? If so, I’m not hearing it.

Jim Walters, Iowa City