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Between two mighty rivers, there was a once-great kingdom called “Iowa.” The ruler of the kingdom and her minions had the power to ignore the peasants and do whatever they wanted. And they did.
One day the ruler heard of a beekeeping operation in the kingdom that had gained national attention for its quality honey, sought after by both fine dining restaurants and ordinary, tax-paying subjects.
“This honey may be popular, but I’ve heard some people don’t like it. We must visit this operation,” the ruler told her minions.
During their visit, they observed nine colonies in their hives, each with a queen. As the beekeeper explained the operation and its impact on the local economy and environment, the visitors grew impatient. They didn’t want to hear the facts.
“Your operation would be better if you got rid of the queens. They have it too easy,” said the ruler.
The beekeeper replied, “The queen creates the environment for the workers to do their best.”
“They have no accountability,” said the ruler. “We must take over this operation, get rid of the queens, and supervise the work.”
Alarmed, the beekeeper said, “You can’t disturb a bee colony. It’s an interdependent family. The queen, the drones, and the worker bees each have their own specialty and work together to make the honey sweet and pure. And environmental conditions must be ideal.”
“The time to fix this problem is NOW,” said the ruler.
Mystified, the beekeeper asked, “What problem?”
“Inefficiency. Having nine colonies is unnecessary,” said the ruler. “This should all be done in a single colony on the grounds of the castle. I will put a member of my entourage in charge of all bee operations in the kingdom.”
“Does this person have experience producing honey?” asked the beekeeper.
“No,” said the ruler.
“Has this person ever seen a bee operation in our climate?” asked the beekeeper.
“No, but she’s written about beekeeping in other kingdoms,” replied the ruler.
The minions added, “Beekeeping isn’t complicated. Experience doesn’t matter.”
The ruler agreed. “She’ll be fine under my direction. With just one colony on the castle grounds, she can clean things up and keep an eye on all the bees.”
“But customers want this honey, not something mass-produced in undesirable conditions,” insisted the beekeeper.
“Nothing will change for your customers,” said the ruler. “They can still get your honey.”
The beekeeper argued, “No, they can’t. If you take all the queens, the hives, and most of the worker bees, it will be impossible to make our quality honey. If we can’t make it, customers can’t buy it.”
The ruler quickly pounced. “If you can’t keep your customers, there’s no reason for your operation to exist. Case closed.”
The beekeeper cried, “This is a foolish, uninformed, and dangerous idea! How will plants be pollinated? How will our local merchants benefit if they have no honey to sell? How will our local economy survive if all the workers are in the castle?”
Ignoring the beekeeper, the ruler forged ahead. The once-healthy bee colonies were destroyed, and the hive boxes repurposed. The beekeeping operation was dismantled. People could never enjoy quality honey again. The local economy suffered because merchants had none of the popular honey to sell. The environment suffered for lack of bees to pollinate plants in the area. And the youngest, most vulnerable blooms no longer thrived.
“Yay!” said the ruler. “I have more control!”
“Yay!” said the minions. “The ruler won’t primary us!”
And everyone in the once-great kingdom known as “Iowa” got stung.
Bonnie Boothroy, Iowa City and Troyce Fisher, Clear Lake
My junior high school history teacher was a stickler on memorization of important American documents that must be recalled word-for-word on examinations.
Asked to quote the inaugural oath the President takes, one of my classmates wrote, “I, Dwight David Eisenhower, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the President of the United States…”.
If said student is still with us, I wonder if he might wish to file an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in support of the claim that the Presidency has no relation to “the Office of,” the words he embarrassingly omitted.
Bill Morain, Lamoni
Those Iowans who are concerned about hog manure pollution of our air and water are not surprised to read that Iowa has too many hogs. The Des Moines Register’s Donnelle Eller reported that hog producers lost an average of $32 per head last year (DMR 2-6-24).
Fifty million hogs last year seem like a lot to most Iowans. Back when a great many family farms had hogs we did not have problems with manure and oversupply as we do now.
Consolidation of wealth is a problem in the United States. Apparently, consolidation of hog production is too. Taxpayers subsidize nitrogen, phosphorous, corn production, hog confinements, manure pits, ethanol production, tractors and even gasoline for farm trucks.
Chinese-owned Smithfield and Tyson say they are losing money too. Sorry, consolidated meatpackers, a lot of Iowans would rather we have less hog manure to deal with.
The diversified farms of the past had more resilience. My mother’s farm had small grains, corn, milk cows, hogs, chickens, a garden and an orchard. And, she knew how to can. Most farm families did. Something about “putting all your eggs in one basket.”
Is there no way back? Some are trying. But, it takes a lot of work.
Mike Delaney, Windsor Heights
It would seem that if Republicans had their way, they would not do anything to pass any legislation in an Election year. At this point that is what they are doing, that is turning out to be how they work. Dysfunction is the name of the Republican Party!
Why should they get any pay if dysfunction and bringing down democracy is the goal?
This hasn't been a functioning U.S. for many years due to “total control” that they seem to want.
How the world must be looking at this clown car speeding towards the cliff!
Thomas Williams, Pleasant Hill
One needs to read to the very end of Tyler Jett's, first-in-a-series, front-page story on Des Moines’ “fading” financial and insurance industries (“Hartford of Midwest” No Longer, 2/11) to get a whiff of what might be a larger issue behind this drain. There, EMC Executive Vice President Beth Nigut says local leaders need to focus on the “liveability and desirability of Des Moines” to draw more people. That could be said for our entire state.
Current Republican governance, with its emphasis on cutting taxes, cutting services and waging full-throated cultural warfare on every front, isn’t making Iowa a place where talented professionals — be they in finance, medicine, law, education, manufacturing or technology — would want to live, raise their children or even visit. With some of the foulest water in the country, with neglect of our schools, the lack of public lands and recreation areas (not to mention the hostility to anyone “different”), who would want to?
The Branstad/Reynolds years have given us more cornfields, casinos and rural decline. While it is nice to get a Casey’s pizza in virtually every Iowa county, it’s not the cuisine that will bring new blood here. Perhaps Tyler Jett will cover this in the rest of the series.
Jim Walters, Iowa City
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