Le Mars Daily Sentinel: Opinion

Poll

Who will lead on finances? (02/08/10)
It's a problem most of us can understand -- not enough income, too many expenses, no self control and the availability of easy credit. The difference is, the money's not going for a new car or a flat-screen television, it's going to stimulate the economy, conduct two foreign wars, support huge entitlement programs and, oh yes, make the minimum payments on all that outstanding debt...

Korn from Kalifornia (02/05/10)
Stereotypes can be entertaining or offensive -- it all depends on your point of view. If you are the party being spoken of in a derogatory manner, the jokes aren't quite so funny. In the truth is stranger than fiction department, we offer the following for your amusement or to raise your blood pressure. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a tireless promoter of his tate, told a group meeting on infrastructure that California remains a top tourist destination...

Exploring space is like having children (02/04/10)
"Those who came before us made certain that this country rode the first waves of the industrial revolution, the first waves of modern invention, and the first wave of nuclear power, and this generation does not intend to founder in the backwash of the coming age of space. ...

Communicating with kids about the economy (02/04/10)
Not surprisingly, parents may be reluctant to discuss difficult economic times with their children. Viewed as the province of adult anxiety, the burdens imposed by tumbling stock prices, falling home values, exorbitant gasoline and fuel prices, and rising unemployment are a powerful force, with 8 out of every 10 Americans blaming the U.S. economic crisis for much of the stress in their lives, according to a recent poll by the American Psychological Association...

Thanks for nothing, Phil (02/03/10)
With great fanfare, members of the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club roused the hibernating Punxsutawney Phil yesterday so he could make his annual weather prediction. Phil saw his shadow, which means that there will be six more weeks of winter. February 2 is also the Christian holiday of Candlemas. Tradition holds that if it is sunny and bright winter will last for six more weeks...

Growing corn and understanding (02/02/10)
It may seem trite to say it, but it is has been proven true time and time again. To truly win an argument or a war, you need to be able to change people's hearts and minds. Since WWII and the lengthy occupation that occurred after the Allies won, among the goals the military and civilian advisors seek to accomplish is to improve the quality of the life for the people that have been defeated...

Ready or not, time to be counted (02/01/10)
It's only a couple of months until census forms will be mailed out to everyone in the United States and Puerto Rico, asking 10 simple questions, regarding how many people lived in the home, what type of structure the home is and the age, gender and ethnicity of house hold members...

Money? Why didn't we think of that? (01/29/10)
The United States and a coalition of allied nations have been fighting a war against the Taliban in Afghanistan since September, 2001. The Afghan war was the primary battle in the war on terror until the invasion of Iraq. With a drawn down of forces underway in Iraq, the focus has returned to Afghanistan...

Was there a triple dog dare involved? (01/28/10)
We humans are truly amazing creatures. We have a seemingly unlimited capacity to learn, love and the desire to constantly push beyond our limits. The people who are able to do these things and survive are known as explorers, heroes and innovators. The people who fail while attempting these things are called crazy and, more often than not, end up dead...

Winter continues to take its toll (01/28/10)
March 20 is a date that many are looking forward to arriving. It is the first day of Spring and the official end of Winter. For many, it can't arrive soon enough. The winter has been more difficult than recent years. Early snow, heavy snow, Arctic winds and temperatures, rain, freezing rain, fog and ice -- you name it, we have experienced it this winter. Road crews, snow removal equipment and budgets have been stretched to -- and in some cases beyond -- the breaking point...

Second stimulus? Could we keep the change? (01/27/10)
Nearly a year after the federal government passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (more popularly known as the stimulus bill), there is talk of a second bill to help jump start the economy. The first stimulus bill had a price tag of $787 billion. ...

Blizzard bucks from China? (01/26/10)
Plymouth County Supervisors last week took the first step toward securing state and federal funds to pay for the Christmas Blizzard of 2009. A week ago, the supervisors passed a disaster declaration, declaring that the storm that lasted from Dec. 22 - 27 was a disaster. The total cost, which is still being tallied is estimated at $300,000 and rising...

NT S wrth risking a lyf (01/25/10)
In case you aren't a practitioner of texting as a second language, the headline reads "no text is worth risking a life," the sage advice given to the Transportation Committee of the Iowa House on Wednesday by an expert witness who knows about texting...

Time for health care 'do-over' (01/22/10)
"You can't always get what you want...but if your try sometimes, you just might find -- you get what you need." -- Keith Richards, Mick Jagger The contentious debate on overhauling our health care debate has taken yet another turn. The special election Tuesday in Massachusetts to fill the U.S. Senate seat held by the late Ted Kennedy was won by Scott Brown, a Republican state senator...

Boyfriend unsure of marriage? Financial incentives available... (01/21/10)
It all makes sense to me now. Growing up during the midst of the feminist movement of the 1960s and 70s, I thought the whole thing was about equality. Everyone, regardless of their age or gender, should be treated the same. A survey recently released by the Pew Research Center this week on the economic impact of marriage on men and women shows just how much progress has been made in the last four decades...

Time to move the herd? (01/21/10)
Any livestock producer will tell you that if you can get a few of the cows, sheep, hogs or whatever else you are trying to move headed in the right direction, the rest of the animals will follow. Some have referred to this behavior in humans as "herd mentality." It is prevalent in many places and in many situations. ...

Here's to another century (01/20/10)
In January, 1910, President William Howard Taft began the new year by inviting the general public to the White House. He shook hands with 5,575 people. Also that month, a new school program began in Berkeley, Calif. Called junior high, it was presented as an "introductory high school" for classes 7, 8 and 9...

CPR mandate will benefit community (01/19/10)
The Iowa Legislature is back in session, and many times we cower in fear, dreading the damage they will do in the three months they are in session. But sometimes, laws are passed which may seem silly or superfluous at the time of their passage, but actually end up doing some good...

Saving money or limiting access? (01/18/10)
"Never waste the opportunities offered by a good crisis" -- Machiavelli A recession, lower than projected tax collections, a constituional amendment requiring a balanced and a shortened legislative session -- a "perfect storm" scenario for all sorts of issues to come up and be acted on without much information or public input...

Citizen input vital to budget process (01/15/10)
With new City Council members and County Supervisors assuming their posts across the country this month, it is timely to encourage citizens to become an active participant in the local government process. For cities and counties across America, effectively dealing with the #1 problem area - long-term financial issues - is never easy...

Far from an ordinary person (01/14/10)
On Monday, Miep Gies, who along with her husband Jan, helped hide and sustain Anne Frank's family for more than two years, died at the age of 100. Gies, who worked as a secretary for Otto Frank, found the pages of Anne's diary, scattered in the attic hiding place, gathered and saved them for Anne. ...

May we play through? (01/14/10)
Government is a strange thing to behold at times. We live in a representative democracy, where the majority of people that take the time to cast ballots select the people that will make our laws and spend our tax dollars. At all levels of government, there are times when the job of an elected representative is overwhelming. There many, many minute details involved in running a city, county, school and state -- and don't even get us started on the national level...

Resignations impact more than bottom line (01/13/10)
On the same day the Iowa Legislature began its budget shortened session, the Le Mars Community school board accepted the resignations of seven more teachers. The district is seeking to trim one million dollars from its budget for next year. With a 10 percent cut in state funding for half of this fiscal year and uncertainty about the level of funding that the legislature will approve for next year, Le Mars and many of the school districts in the state are looking to save wherever they can...

Newspapers remain leading source of local news (01/12/10)
A Utah newspaper, the Milford News, was once published with the motto, "The only newspaper in the world that gives a damn about Milford, Utah." We don't know if the paper is still in operation, but the 1,400 residents of Milford probably have a wide variety of news available in electronic form via the Internet, satellite, radio or television...

Thanks, carriers (01/11/10)
If you are reading this paper in the cozy confines of your living room, you need to pause and be grateful for the efforts of your newspaper carrier. Normally we celebrate Newspaper Carrier Day in early September. The day honors everyone, who is now, or once was a newspaper carrier...