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In Tom Cullen’s article on the Storm Lake Legislative Forum, “Crowd Spars with Evans on Vaccine Mandates,” those challenging a bill aimed at eliminating vaccine mandates for school children were called “left-leaning attendants.” I wasn’t there, but I did wonder, when did believing in evidence-based science make a person “left-leaning?”
Dave Patton, Storm Lake
The author of this letter to the editor is not a journalist. Nor is he a scholar, professor, legislator, judge or subject matter expert. I am simply a citizen and voter here in Colorado, USA. Since I first voted in 1962, my votes have typically (but not always) appeared on the Republican side of the ballot.
Donald Trump is no longer qualified to serve as the chief executive officer in the administration of this nation, since he is guilty of impeachable crimes.
For example, abuse of power. Our Constitution delegates to the president the authority to act as commander in chief of the U.S. military. (Article II, Section 2.) He is not the commander of the Congress, nor the Supreme Court, nor is he in charge of the governors or legislatures of the individual states. He is not the commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization nor of the European Union. No where is the president given the authority to change national borders nor take authority over any of the allies of the U.S, or of any other nation or the bodies of water which surround them..
During the past year, Donald Trump has attempted to usurp the power of Congress by taking the power to run elections (Article I, Sections 4, 7, and 8).
Mr. Trump has repeatedly violated Article 1 Section 8 by usurping the power to “lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises”. Congress has the exclusive power to levy taxes, such as the international tariffs currently disrupting international trade around the globe. (Check the definition of “tariff” in your dictionary.)
Mr. Trump recently attempted to violate the freedom of speech guaranteed to each American by Amendment 1, specifically by attempting to censure two U.S. Senators and four Representatives in the House for speaking out concerning the right, even the responsibility, of members of the U.S. military services to refuse to obey orders given by superior officers that are patently illegal. If he were to be successful in this illegal effort (and the courts have already ruled that he is not), then the retirement and disability benefits of each veteran who ever served would be at risk. (If Mr. Trump had not dodged the military draft in the 1960s, he might well have received instruction on this point during basic training.)
Officers under Mr. Trump’s command have repeatedly violated the rights of citizens and immigrants under Amendment 5 “depriving them of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.” Those rights are not limited to “citizens;” the text of the amendment reads “no person.”
He is also guilty of ignoring judicial rulings; you’ve read of the example where the plane taking a captured immigrant to a foreign land was commanded by a federal judge to be returned. He allowed that plane and its passengers to continue and the individual was imprisoned until further judicial action freed the individual and returned him to this country for due process of law.
Finally, the office of the president has no authority to impound funds duly authorized by Congress and committed to a specific contract. No where does the U.S. Constitution give the president the authority to void valid contracts and commitments made by duly authorized bodies of our government. This principle has been proven repeatedly in our courts during the past 12 months.
It is encouraging to hear the word “impeach” spoken today in the House of Representatives. One can hope that the members of that honorable chamber can muster the votes, either this year or subsequent to the elections in November, to approve articles of impeachment in order to limit future damage to be done by this current administration. And then, we can pray that Republican Senators will muster the courage they did not display during the prior Trump administration, to vote to actually hear in open session of the U.S. Senate, the evidence that this current president should be convicted and removed from office. We former midwesterners will be looking to Senators Thune, Rounds, Grassley, Ernst and others to step forward and vote to convict.
Rich Crawford, Arvada, Colo.
I asked Iowa Legislator Henry Stone why we didn't have more younger members in the Iowa Legislature. His reason was young people aren’t interested because the job doesn’t pay that well. My view is different. We know from experience that young people do want to make a difference as demonstrated by the success of the Peace Corps. So, what could happen to encourage young people to engage in Legislative leadership?
Probably the most important step would be to impose term limits. Under the current system we have career politicians controlling legislation. These same career politicians are often receiving large sums from special interests that have a different agenda than the citizens they were elected to represent. With term limits there is less incentive to be obligated to any contribution. Knowing your efforts will not be thwarted by a career politician would be an incentive to participate. Term limits should be on both party platforms.
Gordon Garrison, Estherville
I come to this conversation because, for generations, Iowans of all walks of life have sent up a righteous cry: Free people read freely.
That principle is not abstract in our state. Iowa has more libraries per capita than any other state in the nation. Nearly 70% of Iowans hold at least one library card. Eighty-eight years ago, in Des Moines, an Iowan drafted the Library Bill of Rights which is a document that has shaped the ethical foundation of library service across the country. Libraries are not peripheral to Iowa’s identity. They are central to it.
Again and again, Iowans have entreated their elected officials from the quiet places of our small towns and vibrant cities alike. They have traveled at personal sacrifice to the marble halls of the Capitol, not to ask for the chains of micro-governance, but to ask for leadership that marches toward a prosperous tomorrow.
House File 2309 represents a retreat into the shadows of suspicion.
This legislation seeks to transform our sanctuaries of learning and literacy into sites of surveillance. It places librarians, who are often volunteers and under sourced, who are often the caring weavers of a community’s dreams, under the threat of criminal penalties and significant financial liability. This financial liability extends to our communities too.
It suggests that the professionals entrusted daily with guiding children, supporting families, assisting seniors, and protecting patron privacy cannot be relied upon without the heavy hand of state intervention.
We must recognize what is truly at stake.
A threat to the freedom of the local library is a threat to the freedom of the local soul.
Libraries are not state propaganda centers. They are locally governed institutions, accountable to their communities. They reflect the needs, values, and priorities of the towns they serve. When the state dictates the contents of shelves from the heights of the Capitol, it does not strengthen families but rather erodes the very foundation of local trust and community conscience.
Iowans are conscientious people. We know how to raise our families. We know how to guide our children.
Parents and guardians already have the authority and responsibility to make decisions for their own households.
Librarians partner with families every day, offering tools, information, and choices rather than abstract mandates.
House File 2309 relies on the vague and expansive concept of “presumptive harm,” language that will almost certainly invite costly litigation. We have already seen how similar measures strain local budgets and divert taxpayer dollars into courtrooms rather than classrooms and community services. At a time when we should be investing in literacy, broadband access, workforce development, and civic engagement, we risk spending precious resources defending ambiguous statutory language.
This is not prudent governance.
As leaders, lawmakers should set aside the divisiveness of state-mandated walls. They should resist policies rooted in fear and instead affirm policies grounded in trust, local control, and constitutional principles.
You cannot build a Great State on the quicksand of fear, control, and censorship.
Libraries are among the most trusted public institutions in our communities. They serve readers and students, job seekers and entrepreneurs, seniors and newcomers. They provide access to information across the political, religious, and cultural spectrum. They protect patron privacy. They uphold intellectual freedom. They do this work every single day, quietly and professionally.
Let us refuse to be an Iowa that polices the mind. Let us instead be a state that empowers the spirit.
Give our library communities the breath of support not the chokehold of legislation that undermines their mission and autonomy.
I urge lawmakers to vote “No” on House File 2309 and to stand firmly on Iowa’s proud legacy of literacy, local control, and liberty.
Sam Helmick, Iowa City
“Well, the Times Pilot had a better year than the United States in 2025.” (Fillers, Feb. 6)
Radical, funny, humbling, persistent. More than just a fiscal celebration, I believe.
I’m a recent subscriber to the Friday SLTP print edition. It’s been less than a year since I subscribed (I hope someone reminds me when I’m due to renew) but the feeling is expansive and timeless, as if Buena Vista County were my county, too. I googled Western Iowa Journalism Foundation and the yellow donate button is my next destination after sending this note.
As for CBS “losing” $40 million “this year” on Stephen Colbert, that’s a head scratcher. Maybe because potential viewers like me can’t stay awake that late? My gut tells me it’s Colbert and his writers, what they talk openly about. The relentless digs at Trumpy Magaland.Or Maga Trumpyland.
Thanks for all you do.
Gretchen Reeh-Robinson, Mount Vernon
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