Letters: Josh Mandelbaum will fight for a welcoming Des Moines
Mandelbaum will fight for a welcoming Des Moines
I support Josh Mandelbaum for mayor of Des Moines in the Nov. 7 election, and I urge others to support Josh as well.
He currently serves as the Ward 3 city council member and possesses all the qualities that citizens expect of a hard-working, experienced official.
Importantly, Mandelbaum has the leadership skills to assure that our city and state become more progressive and welcoming.
For example, the governor and Republican legislators have taken away the fundamental freedoms of women and girls: the right to reproductive health care.
In contrast, Mandelbaum has introduced a resolution identifying steps that Des Moines should take related to abortion care:
• Advocate for codification of access to abortion care in state and federal law.
• Provide a benefit to city employees to cover travel costs if they must seek abortion care outside the state.
• Prohibit use of city funds to investigate or store information about abortion care and make enforcement of laws criminalizing abortion the lowest enforcement priority.
• Add reproductive health choices to the civil rights ordinance.
The women of Iowa and those who love them need to join the struggle to regain the freedoms that have been taken from us. Electing local leaders like Josh Mandelbaum who will do what they can to protect reproductive freedom is a very important step.
— Bonnie Campbell, Des Moines
Distinguish between Israel and Judaism
Judaism is a religion. Israel is a state. Equating the two is wrong. It encourages anti-Semitism by burdening all Jews, including Jews who oppose Israel's repressive policies, with the continuing actions of the state of Israel designed to destroy Palestine. In the current sphere, what Hamas has done is despicable. But it is winning because it has goaded the Israeli government (not Jews) into an overreaction. In the long run Israel (a government, not a religion) will continue its repression of Palestinians and this will lead to more rounds of violence. Hamas wins; the world, including Palestinians and Jews, loses.
— Ivan T. Webber, West Des Moines
High-end homes aren’t all the metro offers
Why does the Register feature homes that only a small fraction of readers can actually afford?
Most of us will never be in a position to visit, much less own, such a property.
It seems more reasonable to feature homes that the vast majority of readers have a chance in reality of owning.
I understand the need to dream, but…
— Robert Brown, Ankeny
Three nights of trick-or-treating is two too many
Some local officials think it's a good idea to move Beggars’ Night to the Saturday before Halloween. The reasoning is the little ones will get tired by 8 at night.
This act is sheer lunacy. Halloween is on Oct. 31, period. It is bad enough that the Des Moines metro is the only place on the planet that has Beggars’ Night on the 30th.
All these officials who voted for the lame Saturday before proposal should be subject to providing a full- size candy bar to anyone who comes to their door.
Bah humbug.
— Steven Whitaker, Altoona
Planned Parenthood Book Sale should continue
Amber Gustafson praised the decision by Planned Parenthood to sell the book warehouse to the city and invest the proceeds in an endowment fund for sex education in Iowa (Oct. 12 essay). If the endowment generates income for programming in Iowa rather than supporting staff and overhead of Planned Parenthood in Minnesota, it will be a good thing. But Gustafson overlooks the incredible legacy of the Book Sale as an enterprise engaging hundreds of Iowans every year in support of women's health and reading. Book Sale volunteers made the sale financially successful. Let's hope these volunteers are given the chance to find a new warehouse, continue to run the Book Sales and support literacy without bans and local programs for women. This could be a win-win for women of Iowa.
— Tim Urban, Des Moines
Police problems are more than just bad apples
I, for one, am excited by all the new candidates running for City Council in Des Moines. That’s why it was helpful to have CCI Action Fund sponsor a candidate forum recently to hear directly from mayoral, Ward 1 and Ward 4 candidates. I was especially interested in hearing their responses to questions about police accountability and transparency.
It was revealing. As a Ward 1 resident and a longtime member of CCI’s Racial Justice Team, we are anxious for the City Council to fully implement our six recommendations that we have been pushing for more than five years. How disappointing to hear Ward 1 candidate Chris Coleman say that police reform is about picking out the “bad apples.”
Not only does this ignore the documented systemic disparities in stops and payments of over $2 million in penalties when the department was sued, it shows a lack of awareness surprising for such a long-serving council member. It’s as if Coleman has been asleep since he left the Council in 2020. We need new candidates who understand the contemporary challenges of the city and are willing to build a great city for all our residents.
— Thomas Rendon, Des Moines
Israel must take responsibility
Last May my wife and I traveled to Israel/Palestine. We spent most of our time in the West Bank and met with several Palestinian Christian leaders. These leaders all work for peaceful, nonviolent solutions to the intractable problems in the area. I know they are appalled by the horrific violence inflicted by Hamas on Israeli citizens, as am I.
I understand that any elected official in the US is obligated to express full-throated support for Israel, and especially so at a time like this. And I agree with President Joe Biden there is never an excuse for the brutality unleashed by Hamas last week on Israel. But the government of Israel has been systematically brutalizing Palestinians for 75 years, and even more so during the past year. While there may be no excuse for terrorist acts, what happened was in many ways predictable due to the military occupation and apartheid state imposed by Israel. What pains me is knowing that our country has been supporting and condoning Israel’s policies and actions – actions that are recognized by most of the rest of the world as illegal and immoral.
I implore the Biden administration, for the sake of both the Palestinian and Israeli people (not to mention the health of the American soul) to make clear to Israel through whatever means possible that US support will be conditioned on Israel’s willingness to change its policies and actions, to recognize the human rights of Palestinians, and to provide reparations for the harms done.
— Larry Anderson, Newton
MidAmerican is winning with wind
Congrats to MidAmerican Energy for producing nearly all of Iowa’s needs (27,024 gigawatt hours) with renewable energy (27,030 gigawatt hrs). We can be proud that Iowa is a leader for the nation by getting 58% of its electricity from wind (MidAmerican reports that 64% of its energy comes from wind). I paid 10.6 cents/kWh last month, nearly 30% lower than the national average. I drive by those spinning turbines, and I know they are spinning my ceiling fans.
— Charles Strutt, Grimes
Defining diversity and equity
Diversity is our greatest strength. Though, equity means we are all the same. We all have the same goals, skills, and ethics. The fact that we are all born exactly the same, also means any disparate outcome anywhere in life, is inherently the result of systemic, imposed unfairness. Because in an equitable world, everyone's life would be exactly the same. This means all humans are interchangeable. Except when it comes to representation. We can only be represented by people that look like us. Though, race and gender are social constructs. So anyone can claim to look like us, and we must agree.
If you consider this confusing, be careful, and good luck to you.
— Erich Riesenberg, Des Moines
Please, study up for school board elections
If you value Iowa public education, vote in the Nov. 7 school board election. Before you cast your ballot, do your homework. Make sure that the candidates you vote for plan to prioritize the needs of the students. Listen carefully to their motivation for running for school board. If they have an ax to grind, or are simply parroting politicians, they don’t have students as their priority.
Look for the candidates who have studied the workings of school boards by attending and observing school board meetings, have volunteered in their children’s classrooms, who attend school events, and are committed to providing a quality education for all students in the district. Traditionally, school board elections have low voter turnout. This is not the year for Iowans to stay home. The students are counting on us!
— Jean Swenson, Waukee
Pella library plan isn’t an aberration
I said to my wife awhile back that as soon as the book banning groups get their way with schools, they would go after public libraries. Well, behold what's happening in Pella, with a ballot measure to make their library's decisions subject to politics.
Most of these efforts are in no way "grass roots.” They are proposed and coordinated by national out-of-state conservative groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council. That is why all the red states seem to come up with laws and attacks that sound very similar. This will not stop with Pella.
Time to read “Fahrenheit 451.”
— Frank McCammond, Redfield
Will there ever be a safe place for Jews?
Fear. Outrage. Shame. Disgust. These are the emotions that wracked my body when I first heard about the attacks on Israel on Oct. 7. What did this mean for my family there? Were they safe? Were they dead? Had they been murdered, as one thousand other Jewish people had been? I had no answers.
This is my Jewish reality, constantly fearful and outraged. I wait for the day when I wake up to swastikas on my door. As I eat, I wonder if my family is dead. I do my homework, hoping they’re alive. I go to sleep at night, knowing that the next day might bring me news of death. And there’s nothing I can do except wait.
Rates of anti-Semitism have been rising. My cousin, at 11 years old, faced anti-Semitism in school. The Anti-Defamation League’s 2022 audit of anti-Semitic incidents found that 3,697 incidents of anti-Semitism had occurred, a 36% increase from 2021. Hamas’ attacks on Israel are anti-Semitic. Why else would they be killing Jews? From the beheadings of babies to the extermination of the elderly, no Jewish person is safe.
The persecution of Jews has been constant throughout history. Mere days after Israel’s inception, it was attacked. Wherever they have been, Jewish people have never felt safe. When Jews said never forget, we meant it. With the actions of Hamas and many others, I feel like Holocaust has been forgotten and its atrocities are reoccurring. I leave on this: Will there ever be a safe place for Jews? At this point, I doubt it.
— Macy Gardner, Des Moines
We are lucky to have Governor Reynolds
Regarding “Iowa surpluses and tax cuts are no triumph,” Oct. 18: The effect of tax cuts can’t be measured yet. When I was in grade and high school Iowa, consistently ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the nation in standardized test scores. Our school had a superintendent, a principal and a secretary for admin. We didn’t have federal handouts with restrictions or the litigious society (thank you trial attorneys) we have today. What administration there was supported teachers who were always right even when they weren’t when it came to student discipline. Nearly all students lived with both parents.
Now many kids are in single-parent situations. Another difference is the lack of faith in God, who created all things, is all good and deserves all our love.
There’s plenty of blame to go around, but throwing more money at a problem, especially education, does not and will never help. Have you ever heard a school administrator say, “We’ve got enough, we don’t need more money”? No, it’s, “Oh, if we only had this much, we could do so much more.” Tax money then goes into the black hole to be used, but not to improve learning. Not to worry though, because taxpayers have an unlimited supply of funds.
The letter writer decries “denying women of making their own health care decision.” If this is a reference to the “heartbeat bill,” abortion is murder. There is no health care involved.
The governor has a tough job. There is no way to please everyone, and especially the way our society is divided now. Most of the better governors are women. All things considered we are lucky to have Kim Reynolds.
— Brian Hunter, Council Bluffs
Iowa’s top cop supports notorious criminal suspect
Attorney General Brenna Bird's endorsement of Donald Trump is a clear indication of how far Iowa Republicans have fallen. Here is our state's chief lawyer endorsing a chronic liar under four indictments and 91 criminal charges. What would Trump have to do before Bird would conclude he wasn't worthy of her endorsement?
— David Leonard, Waukee
Crossover at Kinnick was a delight
Not that long ago, Iowa was known as the king of corn, hogs, and maybe a few other things. But no longer. We will be known now as the home forever of the first women’s outdoor basketball game played in Kinnick Stadium, a football field.
55,646 Iowa fans set a world record for this event. Their hearts were on the floor with these players. $250,000 went to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Fund along with the “Wave."
We can be so proud of what happened. It’s like Iowa was brought back to life.
— John Carver, Decorah
Climate awareness should mean holding back on air travel
Amen to Ed Fallon's common-sense plea (Oct. 15) for central Iowans to forego airport and highway capacity expansions.
The climate crisis is upon the planet. It's here, it's real. Let Iowa help lead the way through it by investing in fuel-efficient transport modes, i.e., high-speed passenger rail between hub cities like Chicago. Des Moines, Omaha and with light-rail systems in metro settings and for nearby reaches such as to link Des Moines and Ames.
Irresponsible lifestyles, encouraged by irresponsible infrastructure, are causing irreparable harm.
— Jay Howe, Greenfield
Vote no on airport borrowing
For years Des Moines airport executive director Kevin Foley has tried to secure financing for a new airport.
One we do not need. Foley has tried to secure both private and public funds. He has failed. Those decision makers also believe the money could be better spent elsewhere.
Now he comes hat in hand to have the residents of Polk County come to his rescue. Heaven forbid another pandemic, war, or other catastrophes that would plummet air travel as we have seen happen.
If the Airport Authority is unable to pay its bills, the residents of Polk County would be responsible for $350 million in bonds.
I am voting no. I encourage others to do the same.
— R D Smith, West Des Moines
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Letters: Josh Mandelbaum will fight for a welcoming Des Moines
