MTA Proterra Catalyst BE40 Electric Bus. Photo Credit: Jason Lawrence, Wikimedia Commons
Des Moines, Iowa – On Thursday, July 15, at 10 a.m. CDT, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, State Representative Marti Anderson and Des Moines City Council member Josh Mandelbaum will join climate and public health advocates for a virtual press conference to call for significant national investments in electric vehicles (EVs) and clean transportation infrastructure. This event will be hosted by Iowa Physicians for Social Responsibility.
Robust investments in EVs and clean transportation infrastructure such as those originally proposed by the Biden Administration are essential to reducing air pollution, improving public health, and create good paying jobs in Iowa. The recent E-transit bus pilot program being run by the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) is an example of how these investments can reduce carbon pollution and improve air quality in vulnerable communities for all Iowans.
WHO:
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller State Rep. Marti Anderson (HD-36) Des Moines City Council member Josh Mandelbaum (Ward 3) Dr. Maureen McCue, Iowa Physicians for Social Responsibility Karin Stein, Iowa Organizer, Moms Clean Air Force
WHEN:
Thursday, July 15, 10 a.m. CDT.
WHERE:
This event will be held over a Zoom Video Conference. Attendees must pre-register for the video conference Here. Attendees will receive an email with a link to the video conference once they register.
INTERVIEWS:
Press is encouraged to join the video conference at 9:55 a.m. CDT. Speakers will be available for questions following the video conference.
On Monday, July 12, Deidre DeJear of Des Moines announced a series of “Conversation Tour Events” as she explores a run for Iowa governor in 2022. The following is from DeJear’s campaign website:
As a small business owner and entrepreneur, Deidre DeJear has helped over 640 small businesses across Iowa. Her work continues to empower small business owners, and her passion for their success drives her to find new and innovative ways to help them grow.
Deidre built her business nearly 15 years ago to support the growing need for small businesses to access affordable marketing tools and successful business strategies during the brink of the Great Recession. Her early work laid the foundation to help over 120 business owners during the pandemic.
Deidre was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and as a child moved with her family to Oklahoma. At eight years old, Deidre’s mother passed away shortly after giving birth to her younger sister. Overcoming this adversity at such a young age, and seeing her dad be there for her and her siblings, shaped who Deidre is today. Turning her life upside down taught her to value life, value people and relationships, and how to overcome any hurdle thrown her way.
Deidre moved to Iowa to attend Drake University, fell in love with the state and chose Iowa as her home. An early social impact entrepreneur, while still a student, Deidre co-founded the nonprofit Back to School Iowa to support youth to continue in their educational endeavors. It was during her time serving as a competitive coach for the East High girls basketball team, helping to shape the lives of the girls and traveling the state, that Iowans began to welcome Deidre everywhere she went.
A voting rights champion and community leader, in 2018 Deidre ran for Secretary of State in Iowa, winning a competitive primary through extensive outreach by expanding the electorate primary process. Deidre is the Vice President of the League of Women Voters in Des Moines, is a member of Links, Inc. and currently serves on the boards of Count the Kicks, Des Moines Housing Services Board, and the Iowa Interfaith Alliance.
Deidre lives in Des Moines, where she celebrated her 10 year anniversary with her husband Marvin, and lives with her two dogs, Macy and Maurice, and a bird, Honey. In 2015 Deidre and Marvin received a USDA loan to purchase a herd of cattle, which they still manage on a ranch in Oklahoma.
I met Finn Harries at the May 2015 Climate Reality Leadership Corps training in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He and his identical twin brother Jack had turned their attention, and that of their large YouTube following, to work on the climate crisis.
In July 2020, a group including Finn, Jack and Alice Aedy formed Earthrise Studio to produce work related to mitigating the effects of the climate crisis. It is “a way of combining their shared interests in film making, photography and design,” according to the website. It operates as a full service creative studio with a dedicated team of designers, filmmakers, and writers addressing the climate crisis in their work.
To learn more about Earthrise Studio, Follow them on Instagram or check out their website and its content about addressing the climate crisis at https://www.earthrise.studio.
Folks who know me know that if there is one thing that is near and dear to my heart it is donating blood. I started shortly after I turned 18 and haven’t stopped since. A recent health hiccup has slowed me a bit, but fortunately the nurses who run the DeGowin Blood Center have been able to keep me in play if at a lower level.
About a year ago I posted that blood donations were at a low level in Iowa. This was no surprise as the state was tussling with the Covid-19 epidemic. Some folks were skeptical of going near a hospital or any gathering place at all. But Iowa’s donors came through.
Apparently we have been short of blood in Iowa for the last two months. How I missed that I don’t know. I just heard it on Iowa Public Radio this week. So I will use my soapbox to ask that people give a thought to becoming a blood donor.
Depending on where you go, you can be in and out in about a half an hour. Giving blood is simple and easy. Essentially you answer some health questions and get a quick check up for temperature and blood pressure plus a quick blood analysis and BOOM you are ready to donate.
Then you are placed in a comfortable recliner where your blood will be taken. What may be a sticking point for many people is the needle jab. I can only suggest that if it bothers you, try to divert your thoughts. For most folks it is only a momentary discomfort. This is followed by a few minutes to give the product.
Once you are done, there will be a short wait to make sure your are not dizzy from your blood loss. Remember one pint is a fairly good percentage of your blood. Once dizziness is not a problem, most places have a little snack area where donors are given a snack and a drink to help them recover.
And that is about it – around a half an hour and you are done. Probably a good idea to make another appointment before you leave. If you are donating whole blood you can donate once every 56 days or 8 weeks. Perhaps one of the best ways to handle that is to make every 8th Tuesday (for example) your standing donation time.
What happens to your blood depends on what is needed at that time. I will guarantee that it will be used. Car accidents, surgeries, home accidents on and on. There is always a need for blood. And you can feel pretty proud of yourself. You are a hero to someone that needed that pint of blood to live.
Like any business, blood donation centers really like donors who will donate on a scheduled basis. That way they can count on your donation and make plans for using it. Most donors look at donating as one of their most sacred obligations. They know the blood center relies on their blood and so skipping a scheduled time is a last resort.
Only about 38% of Americans are eligible to give blood. However only about 3% actually donate. If all eligible donated we would be awash in blood. Yet we go through these shortages.
And let me tell you for personal experience. If you are type O blood, the donation center would love to see you – soon and often.
Want that feeling of being superman or superwoman for a day? Call you local donation center. Just google “donate blood” and you should get plenty of hits.
And here’s a good idea – do it with a friend. Then go have some dinner. What a great idea.
Never thought I would live in a country where not getting a vaccination against a deadly disease is seen by a large number of citizens as a surrender of their freedom. I guess by that logic, getting sick and dying is seen as patriotic. Seems thoroughly ass backwards to me. Seems the patriotic thing would be to get vaccinated and save your life and possibly the lives of others you come in contact with.
Besides that it would seem patriotic NOT to give the enemy – the corona virus in this case – the material to grow and mutate into a stronger virus. That would be what the unvaccinated are doing. In this war with the virus, we have million who seem to think that surrendering to the enemy and giving it a place to grow and mutate is somehow smart. That is some really screwed up logic.
If you are unvaccinated it is time to to join the True Patriots! Get vaccinated and quit helping the virus in this war. It is free and only hurts for a moment. And then you can join the truly free. Be a patriot – get vaccinated!
A) The Independence Day week brought some fireworks. Who sued Facebook claiming that Facebook’s blocking the suer constituted violation of their freedom of speech?
B) What hurricane/tropical storm raced through The Atlantic, through Florida and up the east coast last week?
C) “Twice impeached, Florida Retiree” was Nancy Pelosi’s description of who?
D) Wally Funk at age 82 is about to experience something she trained for nearly 60 years ago thanks to Jeff Bezos. What is Wally Funk about to do?
E)In order to make the recovery effort in Surfside, Florida safer what was done to the condominium Monday?
F) Last Saturday night one child was killed and 4 others injured when a raft on what ride at Adventureland Park overturned?
G) Covid cases are rising. Almost all of the new cases and deaths have what in common?
H) The rise in covid cases are worst in what state that borders Iowa?
I) San Jose California city council two weeks ago passed ordinances that will require what group of people to carry liability insurance and pay an annual fee to defray cost created by them?
J) A secret video was released showing Republican congressional leaders praising what two Democrats?
K) According to Chinese officials, what iconic animal can be removed from the endangered species list?
L) In a court case concerning the Sandy Hook victims, the defendant Remington Company produced thousands of what instead of documents during the discovery process?
M) For the first time the National Spelling Bee winner is what?
N) The Vatican announced that the Pope was taken to the hospital last Sunday to undergo what surgery?
O) West Virginia Governor Jim Justice on ABC’s “This Week” said the unvaccinated were participating in a what?
P) What upcoming major sporting event will now take place under “A State of Emergency” which will include barring spectators?
Q) President Biden has personally warned Russian Premier Vladimir Putin about Russia’s roll in what cyber attacks?
R) What international leader was assassinated in a bold attack on his private residence during the early morning Wednesday?
S) What national TV Newser on Fox called for cameras inside every classroom to guarantee that teachers did not teach “critical race theory”?
T) Reports of a possible drop in efficacy in the face of the Delta variation of the corona virus what company has begun work on a booster shot?
How can a member of Congress be more concerned with regulating my vagina than in investigating an insurrection against the United States? – Gabby tweet
tip of the hat to Mike Luckovich
Answers:
A) The former guy (Trump)
B) Elsa
C) The former guy (Trump)
D) fly into space. Wally Funk is a woman who was trained for the Mercury women’s astronaut program only to have it dropped by NASA in the early 60s.
E) The remaining stand portion was demolished.
F) The Raging River
G) The victims are unvaccinated
H) Missouri
I) Gun owners
J) Senators Manchin and Sinema
K) The Giant Panda – they will be moved up to “vulnerable” status.
L) Cartoons
M) African American. 14 year old Zaila Avant-garde from Louisiana. She also already holds some basketball records.
N) Colon surgery
O) Death lottery
P) the Tokyo Olympics. The virus is surging in Japan
Q) Ransomware attacks
R) Jovenal Moise of Haiti
S) Tucker Carlson
T) Pfizer
Trump Sues Eighty-one Million Voters for Banning Him from White House. – Andy Borowitz
One of the things most of us hoped for following four years of lies, four years of mismanagement and outright illegal activities by the Trump administration was some competent leadership and a bit of quiet time away from the constant noise from the Neo-fascists on the right.
We do have the competent leadership at the national level, anyway. President Biden and VP Harris have proven themselves to be what the times called for and more. They have turned the fortunes of the country around in six short months and re-instilled Americans faith in their government.
Yet no matter how competent the administration is, they can not stop the constant insanity of crazy noise that emanates from the right. And as expected, our main stream media that is either owned by corporations in this country that are right wing or skews right wing, gives plenty of time to the noise in order to make it hard to sift out real news.
In the latest chapter of “we’re going to make noise and divert attention” Congress member Chip Roy of Texas said it out loud:
tip of the hat to EarlG at democraticunderground.com
This is just another log on the fire that the right and their enablers in the media keeps burning constantly. Just continue to pour BS out there and push it, push it, push it. When you own the media use it to push the current propaganda to paraphrase George W. Bush.
In just the past few weeks as the country went through the month of patriotism (Memorial Day to July 4th) the right has launched such crazy memes as the distortion of “critical race theory” to the continuing downplaying of their attempt to overthrow the government on January 6th to their golden leader’s framing of insurrectionist and traitor Ashli Babitt as a martyr to the cause.
Add this to the continuing constant pushing of the BIG LIE of a rigged election and the continuing fight to maintain states and other public displays of disgraced traitorous Southern Civil War Leaders along with a strangely politicized issue in getting vaccinated against a DEADLY DISEASE. That one is so hard to understand.
“Critical Race Theory” is one piece of propaganda that the right is betting the farm on. It has all the elements needed to scare voters into voting against their best interest because of fear. Since this phase means little to anyone outside of a very narrow academic are where it is taught, this gives the right the opportunity to define the phrase with their images that create an image of fear.
First the word “critical” brings forth an image of some scolding liberal telling the poor white citizen that their thinking is confused. Then the word “race” pulls in the decades and centuries of scary racial stereotypes that the right has kept alive with the help of a corporate media. Finally the word “theory” allows the right to conjure up an image of unproven facts that the “elites” will force them to believe.
In short this little phrase contains enough fear in three little words that the right believes this can be the horse they can ride to victory on. Add in a compliant media that reports on this crap as a viable subject and a party of spineless, amoral people who are willing to do anything to win and the continued flogging of our election system which has been weakened with voter suppression. They may have a winning strategy.
Thom Hartmann discusses the Right’s racist media strategy on his daily letter of July 6th:
Steve Bannon had a name for this type of strategy. When Michael Lewis interviewed him in 2018 for a Bloomberg article that Lewis later expanded into a brilliant book, The Fifth Risk, Bannon laid it out quite clearly:
“The Democrats don’t matter,” Bannon told Lewis over lunch. “The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit.”
It’s another way of saying that the real Republican electoral strategy isn’t to use ideas or contrasting policies against the Democrats, but is to go up against reality and the truth itself. Just accuse them of outrageous things and let the, er, sh*t fall where it may.
In order to work, Rand’s researchers said, a lie must never come from just a single source: the average target of the propaganda has to feel like a firehose of media backing up the lie is being sprayed at him from dozens of directions at once.
“High volume and multi-channel” is the phrase Rand uses, noting of the strategy that “two of its distinctive features [are] high numbers of channels and messages, and a shameless willingness to disseminate partial truths or outright fictions.”
Additionally, the researchers at Rand report, the lie and all the information backing it up must be presented with a media effort that is “rapid, continuous and repetitive.” In this way, they essentially control the zone of discussion around the topic regardless of how many times and in what ways the lie or half-truth is refuted by the mainstream media or the people its characterizing as villains.
While a weary country which was unwillingly dragged into the very pit of a pandemic death spiral just wants some peace to put their lives back together, the right will be hammering us 24 X 7 X 365 with lies and distortions all for the purpose of once again gaining power they will use only to enrich themselves.
Republicans, including Miller-Meeks, complained the overarching legislation was too costly, unpaid for and would drive up deficits.
“(I)t would continue to drive both our deficit and inflation,” Miller-Meeks said in an interview Friday, arguing the bill lacked details about spending cuts, or “pay-fors,” to account for the new spending and ignored input from House Republicans. “Successful legislating requires partnership, not partisanship. And I’ll continue to work in that vein.”
Congress Member Meeks like any of the interchangeable Republicans in congress pulled out one of their oldest tropes. “We can’t afford it — wah, wah, wah.” Was there any mention that the reason we are so far in debt is because of unreasonable and irresponsible spending and tax cuts foisted on this country by Republican leadership over the last 40 years since the dawn of Reaganomics?
President Biden’s infrastructure plan is an investment in America. It is an investment that America must have immediately to remain competitive commercially in world markets. It is also needed immediately to stave off crumbling infrastructure that is about to go under to the ravages of age, neglect and climate change. As we saw in Texas last winter our electric systems are creaky. We still have municipal water systems using lead pipes. We have sewer systems that go back to the 1800s that are simply ready to collapse.
That is just the the top must do repairs. As a country we need a national internet policy that includes the whole country. We need and available and well trained work force that can continue to dominate the world of commerce. Without investments in these areas we will slip behind quickly and playing catch up will be hard if not impossible.
In contrast to Republican plans, President Biden’s will create the playing field where American can succeed. These will be investments in the mold of investments such as our country has made in the past. These investments included the GI Bill that paid to educate soldiers from WWII and Korea to become the skilled workforce we needed in the 50s and 60s.
It is also in the mold of the Interstate Highway system that the Eisenhower Administration began. Both of these paid back multiple times their cost in tax revenues.
On the other hand, Republicans forays into “stimulus” consists mostly of handing huge chunks of public money to corporations and the wealthy. The results of these programs have been to do little to stimulate anything but the bottom line of the extreme rich while returning nothing to the country. Said another way, Republican stimuli were nothing but a transfer of money from the poor through the government to the wealthy – a reverse Robin Hood.
Tax cuts for rich people breed inequality without providing much of a boon to anyone else, according to a study of the advanced world that could add to the case for the wealthy to bear more of the cost of the coronavirus pandemic.
The paper, by David Hope of the London School of Economics and Julian Limberg of King’s College London, found that such measures over the last 50 years only really benefited the individuals who were directly affected, and did little to promote jobs or growth.
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The authors applied an analysis amalgamating a range of levies on income, capital and assets in 18 OECD countries, including the U.S. and U.K., over the past half century.
Their findings published Wednesday counter arguments, often made in the U.S., that policies which appear to disproportionately aid richer individuals eventually feed through to the rest of the economy. The timespan of the paper ends in 2015, but Hope says such an analysis would also apply to President Donald Trump’s tax cut enacted in 2017.
“Our research suggests such policies don’t deliver the sort of trickle-down effects that proponents have claimed,” Hope said.
Let us also add in that Republicans started 2 wars and a “War on Terror” that have among the three cost this country an estimated $6.5 Trillion dollars without any raise in taxes. Instead as soon as they regain power the very first thing they do is pass a tax cut for the very rich.
So let us return to Congress Member Meeks regurgitation of the old Republican talking point. Her claim that we can’t afford the infrastructure deal is a lie. We have to have at a minimum repairs or we will be facing costly repairs in the future. She belies her own talking points by requesting funds for projects in her district. Very hypocritical of her.
She also assumes that there will be no way to pay for these improvements. Not true. Unlike Republican “stimulus” there isplan to rescind some of the previous unpaid for Republican tax cuts to pay for the projects. Plus we can expect a rise in revenues as stimulus to commerce kicks in much as what happened when the interstate highway system was built.
And finally, where does she come off bad-mouthing a bill while coming around with her hat in her hand begging for some of that money. Gawd, what a hypocrite. Hey Congress Member, people see-through your hypocrisy.
Like most Iowa political activists, I’ve been looking forward to new political districts to be created during the decennial, non-partisan redistricting process. Republican legislators repeatedly asserted they wouldn’t change the law and didn’t.
While door-knocking in Wilton during the first election in our current districts, a voter asked where I was from. When I answered, they said, “that’s too far away. I don’t want to be part of that district.” I suspect there was a lot of that going around.
Because the Trump administration botched the U.S. Census (intentionally, most agree), we’ve been waiting for final numbers so a special session of the Iowa legislature can be called and the matter put to rest before the September deadline. On Wednesday, Katie Akin with Iowa Capital Dispatch reported the new census numbers should be released Aug. 16. She laid out the redistricting process in her article, which can be read here.
Most voters don’t care as much as I do about new districts, and the shortage of congressional and state house candidate activity this summer is evidence careers are on hold until redistricting is finished by Sept. 15 when the governor is required to sign the law.
One assumes Iowa Republicans are no different from in other states and want to redistrict in a way that increases their hold on government, or at least solidifies present advantages. How far will they go?
The measure of monkey-business is whether the map prepared by the Legislative Services Agency will be accepted by Republicans on the first or second vote. If it isn’t, that’s a sign trouble is afoot. Laura Belin at Bleeding Heartland has been following and writing about the process and I defer to her granular detail, which can be read here.
In 2011, only two legislators voted against the first map and it was adopted without fanfare. The best Democrats could hope for in 2021 is something similar.
Politico makes the case Republicans are weighing “cracking ” cities to maximize the number of members of congress in each state. As Mount Vernon attorney Nate Willems posted on Twitter, “Fortunately it would be unconstitutional to try to divide Polk County into two congressional districts.” If Polk County could be divided, that would put current congresswoman Cindy Axne at a disadvantage during her re-election campaign. While Iowa Republicans have previously violated the constitution in passing laws, to do so by dividing Des Moines into two separate congressional districts seems unlikely.
“It’s been my experience in studying history that when you get real cute (with redistricting), you end up in a lawsuit — and you lose it. And then the courts redraw the lines,” said Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.). “So my advice would be to keep Louisville blue.”
So it is for the Democratic island of Johnson County, Iowa, which is expected to gain one more state house district completely within its borders. The key element of gerrymandering is to concentrate the opposition party in fewer districts. If there is a way to do that, trust that Iowa Republicans will. I expect they will leave Johnson County alone.
For their part, Iowa Republicans have been tight-lipped about redistricting. As the last legislative session demonstrated, they can keep a secret and surprise us with things normal people wouldn’t expect. Let’s do our part to make sure the redistricting process is truly non-partisan by staying in touch with our legislators and holding them to account. I know I will.
In March I wrote my U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst about the climate crisis as follows:
I hope you will support the efforts of the Biden administration to act to mitigate the effects of our changing climate. Naturally I’m curious about your views on how you might address the effects of climate change while in the U.S. Senate. The approach of the Biden administration regarding mitigation of climate change is such there should be many areas in which to work with them without supporting an overarching environmental bill. I look forward to hearing your policy stances and how you can help address climate change while you are in the Congress. Thank you for your public service.
During a recent conference call with Ernst and a group of environmental activists, she touted her support for the then upcoming vote on the Growing Climate Solutions Act, the first bill to specifically address climate change since Biden was sworn in. Grassley and Ernst joined the 92-8 Senate majority to pass the bill on June 24. (Booker, Hawley, Inhofe, Lee, Markey, Merkley, Sanders and Warren were nays). Storm Lake journalist Art Cullen opined in the Washington Post, “Ignore the chatter. Stuff is getting done. And both parties are helping.“
After familiarizing myself with the bill, I can only ask of the legislators, “What else you got?”
Below are the Iowa senators’ unedited responses to my query. Grassley’s is first because he is our senior senator. Ernst replied first. I’m glad to hear from our elected representatives.
April 14, 2021 Dear Mr. Deaton:
Thank you for taking the time to contact me with your concerns about the environment. As your senator, it is important to me that I hear from you.
I appreciate hearing your concerns about climate change. In contacting me, you shared your support for climate-related legislation. While I believe a changing climate is a historical and scientific fact, I also recognize that most scientists say man-made emissions contribute to these changes. With that being said, it is just common sense to promote the development of clean forms of energy. Throughout my tenure in the Senate, I have been a leader in promoting alternative and renewable energy sources as a way of protecting the environment and increasing our energy independence. I’ve been an advocate of various forms, including wind, biomass, agriculture wastes, ethanol and biodiesel.
I’m proud to let you know that Iowa has had much success in renewable fuels and wind energy production. As the number one producer of corn, ethanol, biodiesel and cellulosic ethanol, Iowa has the opportunity to lead our nation’s renewable fuels industry. This cleaner-burning, homegrown energy supports the economy by generating 47,000 jobs and nearly $5 billion of Iowa’s GDP. In 2018, Iowa produced 4.5 billion gallons of ethanol. In regards to environmental benefits, ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 46 percent compared to conventional gasoline.
Iowa’s wind industry ranks second in the nation behind Texas. Wind energy supports over 9,000 jobs in Iowa alone and provides 40 percent of the state’s electricity. As the “father” of the Wind Energy Incentives Act of 1993, I sought to give this alternative energy source the ability to compete against traditional, finite energy sources. Like ethanol and other advanced biofuels, wind energy is renewable and does not obligate the United States to rely on unstable foreign states.
The most effective action Congress can take to address this issue is to advance policies that increase the availability and affordability of alternative and renewable energy sources. If alternative energy sources can become more competitive, market forces will drive a natural, low-cost transition in our energy mix that will be a win-win for American families. I will keep your thoughts in mind as the Senate considers related legislation in the future.
Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. I appreciate hearing your concerns and encourage you to keep in touch. Sincerely,
Chuck Grassley United States Senate
March 25, 2021 Dear Mr. Deaton,
Thank you for taking the time to contact me about the issue of climate change. It is important for me to hear from folks in Iowa on policy matters such as this.
As you may know, on January 21, 2015, during the Keystone XL Pipeline debate, I voted in support of S.A. 29, an amendment offered by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) that acknowledged the existence of climate change. I do believe that the climate is changing, however, the science surrounding climate change continues to develop, and additional, objective research needs to be done to conclusively identify the root causes. Our climate is experiencing a period of changing temperatures, but it is important to note that not all scientists agree on the cause.
I believe that government can take reasonable and concrete steps to protect and improve the environment. This includes encouraging the utilization of a diverse mix of energy resources and improving energy efficiency. We can also make personal choices that have a positive impact on the environment—I am a committed recycler.
I support an all of the above energy approach that increases America’s energy independence and domestic production. Iowa is a national leader in alternative energy sources. As a result, nearly 40% of electricity generated in our state is by wind. I believe America can responsibly take advantage of our nation’s abundant resources while also emphasizing conservation and efficiency.
We all care about clean water and clean air, but any efforts to reduce pollution must be done in a thoughtful manner that involves the communities, businesses, and families that will be most affected by changes to rules and regulations. Climate change is an international issue, not one limited to the United States. Any policies designed to mitigate the effects of climate change should take into consideration the impact they will have on American consumers and also on our businesses and their ability to compete globally and create jobs.
Please know that I will continue to keep your views in mind as the Senate works on this issue. Feel free to contact my office with any further information, as I always enjoy hearing from Iowans. Sincerely,
Baggage Handlers at the Orlando International Airport, June 27, 2021.
I recently flew to Florida to help someone move to the Midwest, my first non-local trip since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. We convoyed from central Florida to Chicago, following major interstate highways all the way. Evidence that the coronavirus pandemic had resulted in the deaths of more than 600,000 people–the most of any nation on Earth–was scant.
The airline enforced a mask policy both in the terminals and on board the aircraft. Hotels where we stayed had well-publicized policy that masks were required indoors and social distancing was necessary. None of the hotels enforced the policies for guests. Compliance was infrequent among staff. All of the other workers we encountered–at truck rental facilities, convenience stores, and restaurants–wore no masks at all. The restaurant delivery drivers all donned masks as they approached us to deliver a meal. Their business is predicated on no-contact delivery during a pandemic, so that was expected. In a Walmart in Indiana about two-thirds of the employees wore masks. The business community seems more interested in avoiding liability while catching up on lost revenue than in preventing spread of the coronavirus.
As far as regular, non-working humans go, few wore masks. In Florida (outside the airport), Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky I saw zero humans with a mask. That changed when we arrived at our destination in a Chicago suburb.
After the maskless trip from the South, I was pleasantly surprised by the neighborhood where people wore masks indoors and out. I asked one person why they wore a mask outside. They said they were vaccinated and the mask was to prevent contracting variants of the coronavirus that are currently thriving. Made sense to me.
I walked across the street to a local grocery store in which most people were masked, including all the employees. Disposable masks were available for $0.99 at the checkout counter. Not required for customers, yet available.
From the beginning of the trip I asked masked people if I should don mine in their company and the answer was a unanimous no. A couple of masked workers in a local Chicago bakery explained it best. They said I didn’t need to don my mask in their store. Customers would be inside for a short duration, however, they wore a mask because they would spend all day at the counter. This, too, made sense.
While settling into the new apartment a neighbor knocked on the door to introduce themselves. They wore a mask and of course we didn’t at home. I asked them if we should put ours on and revealed we both had been vaccinated. It turned out they had as well. We all went maskless for the rest of the encounter.
If there is a mask policy in the United States, it is either unknown most places I went, or unenforced. Masking is something we Americans do only when required, and not always then.
At this point in pandemic progress, people not vaccinated continue to be at high risk of COVID-19. There is a news story circulating about a woman who avoided getting vaccinated because of side effects people mentioned. She contracted COVID-19, was on a ventilator for a month, then died. Her two children lost their mother. Vaccinated people have not been getting sick with COVID-19 very much.
During our drive I noticed the crappy condition of the interstate highways: countless potholes and not enough construction crews. Whether it is infrastructure, healthcare, or masking during a pandemic, Americans don’t do it well. My advice is get vaccinated if you haven’t been, and wear a mask when indoors in a public place. It may not be socially acceptable among your cohort, although it may save your life.
Governor Kim Keynolds: (515) 281-5211 U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 Iowa Members of Congress - Rep. Randy Feenstra (R) - Rep. Ashley Hinson (R) - Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) - Rep. Zach Nunn (R) Iowa US Senators - Senator Joni Ernst (R) - Senator Charles Grassley (R)
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