Living in Society
Politics mostly social commentary.
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The Thursday before Ash Wednesday is celebrated as Weiberfastnacht in the German Rhineland. It is a day when women assert their dominance by cutting off the neckties of men they encounter. Some of us long recognized that women should be in charge of society, and not only on “Silly Thursday” as today is known. Helau!… Read more
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There is not a lot of money to spend on frills at the end of each month. I wrote about this before and while we hope to pay off our outstanding consumer loan this year, an unexpected expense could complicate things. Like many people we live on the edge between financial survival and ruin. There… Read more
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The overlooked part of President Joe Biden’s remarks about the January jobs report is this, “As my dad used to say, ‘A job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about your dignity.’” Make no mistake that Democrats should tout the achievement in jobs growth accomplished during the Biden administration. Next week, I’ll… Read more
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It’s the fifth Friday of 2023 and winter is here… not for long, though. The forecast through Feb. 14 is mostly for highs in the forties. While this above freezing forecast sets back my winter fruit tree pruning, I will adapt. Adaptation is what it’s about in the newest era of the climate crisis. For… Read more
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I feel like I live in John Irving’s fiction. It’s mostly because he writes about things that resonate personally. In The Last Chairlift he wrote about the 85th and 87 Infantry which were part of the Tenth Mountain Division during World War II. I was stationed in the 87th Infantry while I served in the… Read more
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Toward the end of Monday afternoon I was following three live video streams opened in browsers on my desktop. With recently improved data stream from our internet service provider, and an upgraded router/modem, the video was crystal clear, the sound excellent. I didn’t like all I was hearing. One window was a Twitch streamer during… Read more
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1,515 students attend four schools in the Solon Community School District this year. There is a $25 million bond referendum election in March, and a school board election in the fall. I plan to cover both elections. The school board terms of Adam Haluska and Jami Wolf expire this year. Neither has formally announced whether… Read more
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A grader notices things. I got a newspaper route in the seventh grade and managed my own business. First it was the Des Moines Register and then the Times-Democrat. There were nice people and deadbeats among my customers. Nice people were friendly. They paid on time and talked to me like an adult. The deadbeats,… Read more
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Iowa Democrats took a shellacking during the 2010 general election for U.S. Senate. We ran Des Moines attorney Roxanne Conlin against incumbent Chuck Grassley in a historic campaign. Grassley won 718,215 votes to Conlin’s 371,686. In an email to supporters after the election, Conlin wrote, in part: I don’t want you to be sad about… Read more
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Last night, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds gave the condition of the state address in the House chamber, live broadcast on Iowa Public Television. In it, she introduced this year’s version of her voucher plan, calling it the Students First Act. In part, she said, Regardless of the reason, every parent should have a choice of… Read more
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