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Dieter Harle's avatar

Happy New Year Ed Tibbetts and congratulations in writing from your vast experience!

You invited suggestions for future topics:

1.) How more people of all ages but hopefully many younger folks can be encouraged to participate in open discussion putting parties secondary to REAL democratic American values.

2.) How can the Alaska model featured in todays’ QCTimes: open primaries and ranked-choice voting find inroads into Iowa cities- and State government? (Meredith Sumpter opinion)

3.) Iowas Agriculture industry and its leaders are on a very short sighted mission course! GMO-trait seeds, high chemical (herbicide, insecticide, fungicide) use and driving the ethanol producing industries to unreal highs have eroded water and soil qualities in “support” of rising cancer and health issues not only in rural areas! This topic needs more critical discussion!

A Secretary of Agriculture (like in Iowa) should not have to be elected or have to run for election - please explore this unnecessary overkill!

Thanks very much for your critical writing!

( I am supporting 3 writers in the Iowa writers collaborative and wish I could do more!)

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Ed Tibbetts's avatar

Great list. Thanks, Dieter!

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Laura Belin's avatar

Your newsletter is essential reading. Thanks for all you do.

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Ed Tibbetts's avatar

Thanks, Laura. Right back at you. I appreciate all your support.

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Kurt Schreiner's avatar

Happy New Year, Ed. Keep up the good work.

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Ed Tibbetts's avatar

Thanks, Kurt. You too.

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Marlin "Hap" Volz Jr's avatar

Ed, Happy New Year! Congratulations on the excellent articles you have written over the last year.

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Ed Tibbetts's avatar

Thank you, Hap. I appreciate your support. My best to you and your family this holiday season.

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Pat Kinney's avatar

Good work Ed. Any time a public body spends $1.6 million on anything, it damn well better be a matter of public record!

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Ed Tibbetts's avatar

Thanks for your encouragement, Pat.

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Ralph Rosenberg's avatar

Motivated by Ed's and others' writing, I wrote about Ernst in my substack--it received over 400 views, a lot for my modest substack. .https://ralphrosenberg.substack.com/p/us-sen-ernst-is-cutting-what-i-give?r=9e9e3

I like Ed's challenge to readers to suggest what he should write about. I would challenge readers to share comments and recommend his substack to others.

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Ed Tibbetts's avatar

Thanks, Ralph. And if my readers are looking at this comment, I'd recommend reading Ralph's post. It really does lay out how Ernst's rhetoric doesn't match the reality.

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John C GARDNER's avatar

Keep at it

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Daniel Portes's avatar

Good job Ed I look forward to reading your articles. A couple of suggestions for next year. I have noticed when there is a national health scare and states report on it, Iowa never seems affected and I wonder how that could be true. I think it would be helpful for a reporter to take a deep dive into state and local budgets which is overwhelming to the average citizen. Iowa seems to ignore the separation of church and state and I would like to know how this has come to be particularly how they are funding private religious schools taking money from public education.

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dave fuller's avatar

Ed, Happy New Year to you. I have some ideas for 2025. In America we have known what the problems have been for decades. How about we take ACTION and address them NOW. Lets start with Homelessness, Lack of Healthcare, Gun control, Minimum wage $7.25 an hour----anyway you get the picture. People are sick of the same old "status quo", the time for ACTION is now.

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John M Dooley's avatar

Thanks, Ed. Your contributions are always interesting, thought-provoking and on point. On the subject of corruption in the government of the city of Davenport, when might the public expect to learn the entire stories on personnel misbehavior and the 2023 apartment building collapse? In 2025 municipal elections will be conducted, as Davenport clings to horse and buggy two year terms. Will we see another abysmal turnout? Hanging out all of the dirty laundry before election day might attract quality candidates dedicated to cleaning up the mess, and encourage people to vote.

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