Letters: It’s unfair for transgender women to play women’s sports

Will Iowa’s senators stop farmers from getting loans forgiven?

Is forgiving loans for farmers and/or for students … socialism?

As President Joe Biden announced plans to cancel some student loans after 10 years of payments as part his SAVE Plan, Sen. Joni Ernst is determined to block it. In a news release, she called it “Student Loan Socialism.”

In 2007, Republican President George W. Bush signed the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Act allowing for those working in public service jobs who have paid toward their student loans for 10 years, to have some or all of their loans forgiven. Sens. Ernst and Chuck Grassley along with Rep. Randy Feenstra have been lobbying for farming to be recognized as a public service job and therefore qualifying for loan forgiveness. All three of these legislators have advocated for passage of the Young Farmers Success Act, which would make farmers eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

So, Senator Ernst, if forgiving student loans is socialism, would forgiving loans to farmers be socialism and, if so, would you oppose that legislation? Somehow, Senator, I think you would be in favor of forgiving the loans for farmers while opposing them for other students. Is that a definition of hypocrisy?

John Beisner, Ames

Iowa Republicans are hypocrites on food labeling

In May 2023, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Iowa pork producers who had sued California over a law banning the sale of meat statewide if cages didn’t meet the state’s new anti-animal cruelty requirements.

The entire Iowa GOP railed against the ruling. As Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig summarized, it would allow one state “to dictate the laws and regulations for consumers and businesses to the rest of America,” resulting in “a state-by-state patchwork of ever-changing and costly requirements that will increase the cost of production and drive higher costs for food and other consumer products.”

Now, the Iowa GOP is taking the exact same action Republicans lambasted a year ago, demanding specific packaging language for any non-meat product, lest it be banned from sale in Iowa. Republicans’ positions are so fluid, one never knows what they believe. (Oh, they also threw in a ban on egg substitutes for recipients of SNAP assistance; taking swipes at the poor is the one issue on which they can always be trusted.)

Sean Gannon, Des Moines

I’ll say it: $50,000 could go to something other than prom.

Some stodgy old codger is bound to ask, so it might as well be me: Why does a high school class need a $50,000 gift from JC Penney to stage their senior prom?

My high school’s prom was put on by the junior class to honor the seniors. The juniors pitched in for several days after classes to decorate the school gym quite elaborately. Materials and other expenses were paid from the junior class treasury, earned by running the coat-check room at basketball games. A student combo, supplemented by a student disc jockey, provided the dance music. Before the dance, some of us took our dates to dinner at a restaurant one step up from the A&W. Some of us settled for the refreshments the juniors provided at the gym. Several years later, the parents — concerned about after-prom safety — inaugurated a post-prom “dance till dawn” gathering at a local church hall. We all had a swell time and could feel proud of what we’d accomplished.

I can’t help but think that everyone would‘ve been better off if that $50,000 had been used to offset Gov. Kim Reynolds’ rejection of millions in federal money intended to feed Iowa’s hungriest kids.

David R. Witke, Des Moines

It’s unfair for transgender women to play women’s sports

Matt Sinovic in his April 14 guest essay argues that transgender women are women and should  have the right to compete as women.  From my perspective, if transgender women have a physical advantage by virtue of their birth, then the issue of fairness would seem to dictate that they shouldn't have the right to compete as women.

To support his argument, Sinovic highlights the fact that Caitlin Clark played basketball on a boys team when she was a young girl.  His point being that legal prohibitions against trans women competing in women's sports is equivalent to a ban preventing a girl from playing on a boys team.

What nonsense. The performance-enhancing advantage that testosterone gives to making male humans bigger and stronger does not apply to a girl or a woman who wants to play with the "boys."

The NCAA and various professional and international sports associations have rules against the use of performance-enhancing drugs, including steroids, which help to quickly build muscle tissue and increase body mass, thereby giving an athlete an unfair performance advantage.

Those who wish to identify as a woman should be aware that testosterone-driven advantages (in muscle mass, etc.) disqualify them from competing fairly in women’s sporting events.  It should not (I don't think) disqualify the transgender woman from competing in men’s sports, although there might be some social awkwardness in the locker room.

Steve Perlowski, Des Moines

Roundup is essential for farming and safe for humans

Reading the April 14 Register editorial, “Iowa needs its own cancer moonshot,” we were disappointed by its mischaracterization of proposed state legislation and inaccurate representations of both the safety of glyphosate and regulatory reviews.

Cancer is a devastating disease that warrants as much research and investment as possible. But glyphosate does not cause cancer, and no regulatory body has deemed it a carcinogen. Sold to farmers as Roundup, it has been thoroughly evaluated and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and other leading safety and regulatory bodies around the world. Further, a federal judge struck down a proposed cancer warning label in California, finding “the great weight of evidence indicates that glyphosate is not known to cause cancer.”

Despite the clear science behind Roundup's safety and benefits, legislative uncertainty and costly litigation persist, requiring the intervention of state bills such as the one in Iowa. While it would not prevent anyone from suing pesticide manufacturers, it would ensure pesticides sold under a label consistent with the EPA’s own determinations satisfies requirements for health and safety warnings. Enabling Bayer to continue to provide a critical tool to Iowa farmers.

Brian Naber, president, Bayer Crop Science North America, Creve Coeur, Missouri

Compassion, not guns, is what averts violent incidents at school

According to state Rep. Phil Thompson, teachers carrying guns in Iowa can prevent school shootings. The bill's floor manager emphasized the importance of the first 30 seconds in such scenarios. However, this viewpoint overlooks the root cause of shootings and may not prevent some gunshots from being fired.

Several decades ago, while working as a teacher in Texas, I had an incident where a junior high student brought a gun to school. Although he was a good kid, secretly, he had troubles. Fortunately, he did not use the weapon to cause any harm. The reason for this is not difficult to understand. Violent incidents can be prevented when acts of kindness, love, and compassion are present in classrooms, hallways, and lunchrooms. In turn, legislators must allocate funds to improve the teacher/student ratio, increase the availability of campus nurses, and add additional counselors.

Moreover, to address the threat of active shooters, Iowans must step up as leaders to tackle this crisis. We Iowans need to be the leaders to infuse decency, love, and caring throughout our society — a prior Iowa behavior that needs to return. A personal duty we need to act upon.

John Clayton, Brooklyn

Anne Frank’s diary too dangerous for elementary kids?

Recently my fourth-grade son attempted to check "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank out of his school library. He was denied. Apparently my 11-year-old isn't ready to read something written by a 13-year-old.

Our self-righteous governor and her censor brigade must feel proud. I just feel insulted. And feel terrible for my son and his generation, as they're inheriting a real mess. Shame on us.

DATABASE: Books removed from Iowa school libraries

I hope someday soon we let them read history again, especially very recent history, in the hopes they don't repeat it.

In the meantime, he'll be getting his copy of Ms. Frank's diary. And we'll read it together.

Travis Lowe, West Des Moines

AEAs aren’t getting that money back

Signing Senate File 2096 on April 3, Gov. Kim Reynolds, with compliance from Republicans, gave $68 million dollars from the Area Education Agencies to school districts to spend as they choose. It was suggested in the law that this money could be spent on general education services and media services, but districts will not have to spend the money on those things.

Does anyone honestly believe that this money will not be spent on such things as extras for athletic departments, administrative costs and perhaps for legitimate expenses that have not been funded in the past due to the starving of our public schools?  The Republicans have had control of our government since 2017. Since then, our public schools have been attacked repeatedly and underfunded. Reynolds and the Republicans are very obvious with their intentions. The rest of us must work to bring back our great public schools. It's that simple.

Karen Hetzler, Davenport

The truth refutes Republicans’ claims

Like most all Americans, I was raised to believe lying is wrong, a sin even. “Honesty is the best policy.” Of course like most all Americans I sometimes exaggerated, fibbed, or even outright lied. But I felt guilty about it. And when I saw someone tell huge lies over and over, I thought it was shameful and tried to avoid him. That’s normal.

So how can a man be a serious candidate for president if he tells huge obvious lies, over and over? Such as:

1. The former president really won the 2020 election, not the current president. Truth: Former president lost all 63 court cases he filed trying to show it was “stolen.”

2. The current president is corrupt, while the former president is not. Truth: Former president took $7.8 million from foreign governments while he was in office, $5.5 million of it from China. The current president has taken $0.

Perhaps his party accepts his lies because his party has for decades told other huge obvious lies, repeated over and over, such as:

1. When the government cuts taxes on the very wealthy, government revenues go up. Truth: The 2017 tax cuts add more than $100 billion a year to our national debt.

2. More guns in the hands of citizens lead to less gun violence. Truth: For each percentage point increase in gun ownership, the firearm homicide rate increases almost 1%.

3. Humans are not making the earth’s climate dangerously worse. Truth: 97% of actively publishing climate scientists agree that humans are causing global warming.

People who believe that lying is wrong, that the Ninth Commandment should be obeyed, that the truth should prevail over dishonesty, must not allow such a baldfaced serial liar to be president. That seems obvious. But is his lying party fit to govern in Washington, or Iowa?

David Russell, Ames

Welcome immigrants, fill job openings

Kevin Baskins wrote a story that was in the April 14 Register titled, "Employers say Iowa needs more workers to fuel growth."

The story suggests that one way to fill this void is to train and employ former prisoners who have been rehabilitated. This idea has merit.  However, Baskins fails to mention one of the most obvious potential solutions. If the state of Iowa would begin to welcome immigrants instead of attacking them with a variety of legislative bills that make their lives more difficult, the shortage of workers might soon disappear.

Eloise M. Cranke, Des Moines

Hold a statewide vote on abortion

If many are tired, like me, of the constant coverage of the women's choice/abortion issue, why can't a statewide vote be held, voting yes or no, and finally settle it at least for our state. It seems ridiculous to have very few decide such an important critical issue for so many.

As I understand it what our state Legislature and the governor have decided are not the will of the people, unlike the vote on the right of everyone to buy and carry a gun. If that was voted on why not allow the will of the people to prevail on the issue of women's right to choose what they do with their own bodies?

Do we want to happen in this state what is happening in Arizona? What must happen to get this issue to be voted on in our next election and settle it?

Don Franzen, Urbandale

Three cheers for Courtney Crowder

Courtney Crowder is one of the best writers to ever work for the Register.

I just finished reading her story about NICU nurse Stephanie Amundsen and the preemie she so lovingly cared for the duration of his very short life.

Crowder has the rare ability to transport the reader into the heart of the story as though present. She uses an expressive style of writing that is neither excessive nor underdeveloped. Just perfect.

In every one of her personal-interest stories I am left awed. She writes with unmatched sensitivity and tenderness. An incredible talent.

After reading her most recent account I was left moved by the work of people like Crowder and nurse Amundsen. What a testament to the caring people we are surrounded by.

Thank you nurse Stephanie and writer Courtney for making this state a better place for all of us because of your heart and soul.

Fred Dorr, West Des Moines

Iowa ideology favors controlling women over feeding children

The timing could not be better at revealing our governor’s values. Kim Reynolds turned down the federal government’s offer of $29 million for groceries for children who receive free lunch during the school year. The program would have cost the state about $2 million to administer, but that $27 million return is far better than the stock market, many of the Iowa lottery options, etc. It’s an amazing return. Her reason for rejecting such a generous payout?

She said there is an obesity problem among children and the program did nothing to address it, and that the state could and would do better. Her recent announcement about the state program would be laughable if it were not so cruel. The total allocated is $900,000, and cities have to compete for that tiny amount. There is no reference to addressing obesity, either.

And to add to the shamefulness we also read that the recently legislated anti-abortion centers (whose acronym is MOMS) required a change in legislation to allow unqualified directors at the Department of Health and Human Services to run them because no one qualified under the original criteria applied during two searches. The amount allocated for those centers? $2 million.

How states spend their money reflects their values. Reynolds prefers spending $2 million trying to prevent women from making free choices to providing hungry children with $27 million of free lunches. This isn’t a partisan issue; it is ideology gone amok.

Sue Ravenscroft, Ames

Consider our arboreal diversity

Don’t you just love trees?

Arbor Day is April 26. Trees are under attack around the world just as they were in Iowa. Pioneers cut a few oaks and walnuts to build cabins, houses, and barns. Entrepreneurs cut our hardwoods for sawmills that sprung up along our rivers. Railroads needed ties. Wood stoves needed woodlots.

That all changed. Now we likely have more trees than ever in Iowa. The prairie fires ended. Where the land did not grow crops the fast-growing fire-intolerant species spread. Iowans can still appreciate some savanna oaks and hickories at the edge of what was prairie. Riverside walnuts like the ones in Walnut Woods still survive. Cities planted ashes. It would have been better to diversify. Elms, ashes, basswoods, and ironwoods encroached on the old spreader oaks. Our giant cottonwoods seem immune to assaults where plenty of water is available. Now comes honeysuckle to ruin our woodlands.

Now comes the Iowa Legislature to take away woodland protection. Why? We apparently need more corn in Iowa. However, I heard the price of corn and pigs is in decline due to over production. Here comes more tax breaks and subsidies to compensate. Corn in the floodplains and corn where the trees used to grow. People like expensive, nursery trees that don’t belong here. Plant acorns, walnuts and hickory nuts this fall. They are free and need less care. Manage honeysuckle. Maybe a honeysuckle disease will come along and save our woodlands. Happy Arbor Day!

Mike Delaney, Windsor Heights

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Letters: It’s unfair for transgender women to play women’s sports