Would Kim Reynolds please tell Joe Biden 'thank you' for help with storm recovery?

Social media isn’t so great for adults, either

The surgeon general proposes a warning label on social media for children, saying their mental health is at risk. I might also suggest a warning label for old people who scroll mindlessly through messages each day from "friends" they may not know at all. A time waster.

Recently I was kicked off Facebook for alleged bad behavior on Instagram. I don't use Instagram. Never mind. The dispute process for this decision was long and complicated, so I put it off. I find I don't miss Facebook. An average of 39 new minutes each day of leisure opened up.

One problem: I have 1,527 Facebook friends. My birthday is coming up. All their good wishes will be rejected as Facebook explains I am a violator.

Hey, Facebook Friends, it's not true!

Diane Glass, Des Moines

White House has been big help in Iowa storm recovery

Coping with the effects of natural disasters often requires the big help that only the federal government can offer. I agree with Gov. Kim Reynolds that Iowans devastated by recent tornadoes and floods "need" and deserve that help. I wish, however, that she would acknowledge that the help is coming from a Democratic presidential administration she has repeatedly criticized and from the "big government" she has often condemned. If she can't muster an "I'm sorry," at least a “Thank you” is in order.

Dorothy Lifka, Des Moines

Munson nailed the importance of free press

It was a nice surprise to see Kyle Munson again in print in the Register's July 7. His research and thoughts on the Register at 175 — "Robust reporting, dramatic change" — was a fascinating read as well as an important reminder of the importance of a conscientious free press dedicated to the pursuit of common facts which benefit community.

Fred Nelson, Des Moines

Less spending on nutrition assistance would be wasteful and harmful

On May 24, Congressman Zach Nunn and fellow Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee voted to limit future updates to the USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan, which is used to calculate benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, used by 40 million low-income Americans to purchase food.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this change will snatch away $30 billion in nutrition assistance from American children, families, and seniors in the coming decade.

In a nation that wastes nearly 80 million tons of food each year, refusing to issue federal dollars to purchase some of that food seems nonsensical and cruel. The USDA estimates that 30% to 40% of our nation’s food supply is left unsold or uneaten, left to molder in unpicked fields or fester in overflowing dumpsters. When the federal government adds dollars to SNAP cards, the money allows families to purchase food that already exists and would otherwise go to waste. The money spent from the SNAP program then circulates through the economy, benefiting farmers and grocers as well as the families who could not eat without that additional funding.

Please explain to Zach Nunn why cutting SNAP is a cruel waste of existing resources.

Karen Caligiuri, Des Moines

Art Center seemed to miss the symbolism

The July 10 story “11 things to do this weekend in Des Moines include 80/35, Ankeny Summerfest, IndyCar concerts” mentions “Coexist,” a new Des Moines Art Center exhibit that “delves into the rich, complicated relationship between humanity and nature, one based on both conflict and interdependence, revealing the connection between environmental activism and art.”

How remarkably ironic and/or clueless of the Art Center’s leaders to mount this exhibition just as they pursue the shameful destruction of the nationally acclaimed work in their permanent collection that brilliantly represents the exhibition’s title and thesis, "Greenwood Pond: Double Site," the beloved installation by land art leader Mary Miss.

Charles Birnbaum, president and CEO of the Cultural Landscape Foundation, Washington, D.C.

We tried being a Christian nation early on, and it was ugly

In a July 14 letter, Norlyn Baker proclaimed that the USA was once and should become again a Christian nation. While this may be a comforting delusion for some, in reality it is unquestionably a patently terrible notion.

Early colonial America was a hotbed of religious strife, with various sects striving, sometimes violently, for political dominance. From Puritan Boston's earliest days, Catholics were banned from the colonies, along with other non-Puritans. Four Quakers were hanged in Boston for persistently returning to the city to stand up for their beliefs. In the colonies as a whole, there was a crazy quilt of state laws regarding "correct" religious observation.

The founders of the new nation, and particularly James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, had firsthand knowledge of this level of intolerance, and specifically crafted the Constitution to be religion-neutral in order to prevent any particular religious persuasion from being able to control public policy.

As Jefferson aptly put it, "It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."

Ed Nellis, Iowa City

Vote for Kennedy to repudiate our 2-party system

In the past few weeks, I have heard several people complain about the two-party political system and how it leaves us with a lack of options in the presidential election. While I have been feeling this way for years, the recent conversation seems to have begun following the poor performances from both President Joe Biden and former-President Donald Trump in the most recent debates. Then, with the violence July 13, it is more obvious than ever that the two-party system will only continue to produce candidates we don’t want to vote for and violence we must all denounce. This is not the way a democracy should function.

The two parties will never give us what we want unless we prove that we can vote for someone else. If there is no risk of losing our votes, why would they change? That is why this election is the perfect time to prove that the American public has the ability to vote outside of the two-party system. This election is the perfect time to prove that voters have the ability to vote for an independent candidate like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This is our opportunity to declare our independence from the two-party system that has had control of our lives for far too long.

In this election, we need to show the political power structure that we don’t have to support the lesser of two evils. Instead, we can vote for a candidate who wants to heal the nation, bring people together, and end the cycle of violence that has become all too common in American politics. We can stand together. We can demand something more. We can create change. But first, we must decide to do something new and refuse to accept what we have been forced to take in the past.

Austin Harrington, Des Moines

More: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Iowa farmers must be protected from pipelines, corporate interests

Examine politicians’ votes, not their statements

Politics will not ignore you. Politics affects every part of our lives. It affects the food you eat, water you drink, air you breathe, workplace safety, your public safety and individual rights, and much more. I would encourage readers to examine what your politicians are doing and not saying. When a politician says they will protect the vulnerable, but votes with those in their party to strip rights from those same people, then they are not being truthful.

Watch what they do, not what they say. You will be receiving newsletters from our elected officials that will say the things you will like, but they may very well vote the opposite.

Get educated, listen and watch.

Politics will not ignore you and you need to watch what they do.

Rickey Woody, Clive

Dismissing case against Trump isn’t necessarily just

Just because Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the documents case against Donald Trump doesn't mean he is innocent. It simply means Cannon is willing to put ideology ahead of the law.

Mike Martin, Des Moines

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Kim Reynolds should thank Joe Biden for assisting in storm recovery