How about Congress doesn’t get paid if it can’t pass a budget? | Letters

Returning Panama Canal to U.S. is long overdue

President-elect Donald Trump has announced he will take back the Panama Canal for the United States and its security. It is far past due to correct the foolishness of President Jimmy Carter in giving away the U.S.-built canal to the nation we created out of Colombia where to build this grand feat of human technology over 100 years ago.

If Panama’s president should object to U.S. exercise of its power, Trump might send him a photo of the Manuel Noriega suite in federal lockup. American paratroopers lost their lives in the Noriega arrest, and Trump will vindicate their sacrifice in the best interest of the U.S. and the Western Hemisphere.

Randyl Taber, Van Meter

How about no budget, no pay for Congress?

We as citizens need a law (which Congress will never pass) or a constitutional amendment: If the national budget has not been passed by Oct. 31, Congress will not be paid until the budget has been passed and signed.

Glen Christen, Marshalltown

Des Moines schools show leadership on immigration

Thanks to the Des Moines school board for boldly recommitting itself to the “sanctuary resolution” it passed in 2017 that promised “to support all students and families regardless of immigration status.” I’m deeply grateful for this courageous effort to keep public schools strong!

Most of us believe that every child deserves a safe, secure, supportive school environment to pursue their hopes and dreams. It should make no difference where they live, what they look like or where they’ve come from. But President -elect Donald Trump, Gov. Kim Reynolds and others terrorize some of our children with fears of deportation that put their futures at risk.

It’s time for Iowans of goodwill to follow the example of the Des Moines board and join together and organize to protect and defend our friends, families and neighbors in need. Together we can stand against hate and fear as we work for the safety of all.

Tom Mohan, Cedar Rapids

Resist Daylight Wasting Time

According to the Wall Street Journal, President-elect Donald Trump said in a social media post, “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time.” In March 2022 the Des Moines Register published a letter I sent pointing out that if we kept standard time all year the sun would rise in the Des Moines area in June around 4:40, and I referred to that as Daylight Wasting Time.

To put more meaning into the topic, consider that at Mar-a-Lago the sun will rise on June 21, 2025, at 6:27, and if it were standard time it would be 5:27. The sunset there on that day will be 8:16 Eastern Daylight Time, and 7:16 under standard time. He would miss how many holes of golf?

There are several online sources for you to look up the data for your ZIP code. After you get the facts and if you don’t want Daylight Wasting Time, contact your senators and representative letting them know that if we must have one time all year you prefer daylight saving time.

Guy Ghan, Marquette

Dueling chief executives

I know that at 78 I am getting a little forgetful at times, but when did we elect Elon Musk to be “co- president” of the United States? It sure seems like he is more in charge than the narcissistic Donald Trump. Do Musk and Trump split the normal presidential salary? Do he and Trump have to share the Oval Office, or does he get his own in the White House? So many questions.

Duane Mortensen, Ankeny

Problems from large animal confinements can’t be sidestepped

While Kristin Tentinger is certainly a worthy recipient of the Register’s attention, I am concerned about what her family’s project may mean for Iowa’s environment. The Tentinger’s plan seems to replicate what has been happening in Iowa over the past few decades with pigs: massive consolidation to achieve economies of scale, but with massive damage to Iowa’s environment.

When you jam large numbers of animals into confined barns, be they pigs, cattle or even chickens, you end up with the same problems. Our waters become more polluted because of all the manure, the air becomes stinkier as we drive around our beautiful state, and our overall quality of life is diminished.

Instead of aiming to achieve economies of scale, “resulting in fewer but larger cattle producers,” why not aim to spread reasonably sized cattle operations amongst more producers? The cattlemen’s cooperative would still be able to provide consumers with quality locally raised beef from large numbers of true family farms instead of repeating the disaster that has been industrial pig production.

Don C. Yager, Fenton

Krampus legend is not family-friendly

To celebrate the holiday season, the Satanic Temple wants to have a “family-friendly” event at our State Capitol that includes a “Krampus costume contest.” The reality is that Krampus is neither “family friendly” nor a character we want on display in our State Capitol.

From Britannica.com:

“Krampus, in central European popular legend, a half-goat, half-demon monster that punishes misbehaving children at Christmastime. He is the devilish companion of St. Nicholas. Krampus is believed to have originated in Germany, and his name derives from the German word Krampen, which means ‘claw.’ …

“According to legend, he is the son of Hel, the Norse god of the underworld. With the spread of Christianity, Krampus became associated with Christmas — despite efforts by the Catholic church to ban him. The creature and St. Nicholas are said to arrive on the evening of December 5. … While St. Nicholas rewards nice children by leaving presents, Krampus beats those who are naughty with branches and sticks. In some cases, he is said to eat them or take them to hell.”

And the Satanic Temple has the audacity to claim that Krampus would make this a “family-friendly” event.

Steve Kirby, Indianola

Easy strategy to avoid debt

Don’t buy what you don’t need. Don’t spend what you don’t have.

John Stiegelmeyer, Vinton

Trump flip-flops on debt ceiling

During his first term in office, Trump called the debt ceiling a “sacred thing” and that he couldn’t imagine anybody using the debt ceiling as a negotiating wedge.

After losing the 2020 election, Trump promptly changed his mind about the debt ceiling and spent much of the last four years urging Republican lawmakers to use the debt ceiling to threaten the Democratic administration with a default on our debt, to obtain concessions from the White House.

Now that he is about to start a second term, Trump wants Congress to do away with the debt ceiling altogether (or at least suspend it through the first two years of his term), so that he can ignore the debt ceiling in pursuing his agenda.

We have a name for someone who wants to change the rules of the game that have been followed by everyone else: “cheater.”

Jon Sullivan, Ankeny

Can’t the Satanic Temple just hold its event somewhere else?

Any Iowan is free to worship anyone or thing they want, so that is not the issue. In our government buildings holiday decorations to brighten everyone’s spirits seem reasonable. I fail to see why any religion needs to hold a holiday event in an Iowa government building. Don’t religions have their own buildings?

Michael Montross, Winterset

Smoking in casinos seems unnecessary

Why are we still allowing smoking in casinos? We know smoking to be harmful, and it’s not allowed in eating establishments and so on, but the tobacco lobby has pressured the Legislature to allow it in casinos. I need to know the reason why. I can only guess: taxes and campaign contributions.

Fred Ruedy, Bettendorf

Serve your country by facilitating deportation

Iowans, be all you can be! Sign up for the Iowa National Guard. When the governor calls, suit up, load up, and march on Marshalltown, Sioux City, Storm Lake, Ottumwa, Postville, and other Iowa communities where our blood is being poisoned by migrants. Show your military prowess by hauling alien men, women, and children out of their homes and loading them onto buses bound for barbed-wire-encrusted detention camps in the Texas desert. Free up housekeeping, fast food, nursing home, and meatpacking jobs for red-white-and-blue-blooded Americans. Your mom and dad will be so proud of you.

Thanks for your consideration.

Joe Tye, Solon

Jim Leach had 20-20 foresight

Hindsight is 20-20. Jim Leach possessed crystal clear 20-20 foresight, though, regarding Iraq and George W. Bush’s war.

I can’t help but wonder if Leach knew that the U.S’s 10th Mountain Division, along with a Marine contingent, had Osama bin Laden cornered at Tora Bora in Afghanistan and that his capture would alter the course of terrorism worldwide. I bet he knew that Bush’s redirection to Iraq to avenge Saddam Hussein’s attempt on Bush Sr.’s life would do exactly what it did: exacerbate Middle Eastern chaos to the nth degree.

I came to Iowa 15 years before 9/11 and quickly saw functioning bipartisanship with Leach, Leonard Boswell, Greg Ganske, Tom Harkin and even a much younger Chuck Grassley. Sadly, no longer.

Phil Armstrong, Des Moines

Water quality effort is desperately needed

While it is good that the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is trying to improve some of our lakes (“Iowa DNR lays out lake restoration plans for 2025”) it is more important that some organizations like the Iowa Soybean Association are trying to address the causes of our river and lake degradation in Iowa.

Land owners once protected their soil. The result was that our waters were not so bad. Things changed in Iowa agriculture. Corn became fuel. Corn prices shot up. Conservation work got plowed up. Soil and chemicals flowed into our waterways. Agronomists raised a red flag. We have lost nearly half of our topsoil. We insure farmers to plant in floodplains. We pay dredgers to take pretty useless sediment from our lakes. Anything wrong with this picture?

Our culture is plagued with waste at all levels and it all institutions. The worst of our waste in Iowa is sometimes called, “Black Gold!”

Mike Delaney, Izaak Walton League conservation director

This collection was updated to correct a typo.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How about no budget, no pay for Congress? | Letters

EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email news@emeatribune.com Follow our WhatsApp verified Channel