Home > Articles by: Jeff Tecklenburg

The Iowa Supreme Court’s nearly year-old ruling on same-sex marriage sparked a debate in Iowa that continues to burn. But we hope anger over a single court ruling isn’t misused to justify doing great harm to Iowa’s independent judiciary.Opponents of the court’s ruling in Varnum v. Brien filed measures in the Iowa Legislature this year that would subject state supreme court justices to direct election like Statehouse politicians, and limit their ability to use legal precedent in reaching decisions.One candidate ...

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 By Merlin BartzIn case you hadn’t noticed, the latest twist by those in favor of same-sex marriage in Iowa has been the contention that “we should not write discrimination into the Constitution of our fine state.”The homosexual advocacy community has latched on to the big “D” (discrimination) word and wrapped our state’s flag around its cause.Advocates hope a firewall of opposition will be created to those who would dare to “degrade” our state’s 153-year-old governing document with an amendment banning ...

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By Rev. Laura Lee OdegardSteven Radig, in a March 2 letter, quoted our Founding Fathers in suggesting that our government leaves us free to regulate our own pursuits and also that if we sacrifice liberty for security. we could lose both. These are words of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.These wonderful, immortal words go back more than 200 years, to the days just after the American Revolution.These were different times compared to the 21st century. We were no longer tied ...

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By Kate FordCasey, Leslie and the cast ...It’s hard for me to find the words to say thank you to Theatre Cedar Rapids and to tell you how last night (March 4) was just what I needed.My husband and I had tickets to the 7:30 show of “The Producers.” Two hours before arriving, my husband informed me that his deployment date has been moved up — he and his National Guard unit will be deployed to Iraq in November of ...

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The buy-in to Medicare would probably cost me more than I am paying now with a health savings account and insurance, but I would be covered in the event of a medical problem. I have a pre-existing condition and live in fear of being canceled!And HSAs only work well if you’re healthy, wealthy, and young, of which I am none of the above.Randy MarquardtManchester

With Social Security struggling to meet demands (or will) and company pensions going to the wayside (not to mention 401(k) matching being suspended by many companies) it is imperative you re-educate yourself on basic investing. Asset allocation selection, rebalancing and goal planning will need to be the focus.As we tell our own children, with increased freedoms and responsibilities comes increased focus. It used to be when you retired, you got your gold watch and received a fixed monthly retirement check. ...

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It is easy to get a standing ovation in the Cedar Rapids metro area, even following the most mediocre of productions. The gesture has lost much of its honor.But rising enthusiastically to our feet at the March 5 Theatre Cedar Rapids performance of “The Producers” was not only easy but extremely satisfying and honest. What an exhilarating synergy of theatrical, musical and technical prowess. What a sense of pride for all of us who still do daily battle the flood ...

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In the world today, it seems like most of the “newsworthy” reporting is negative stories. It was so uplifting to see the wonderful article (Feb. 28) where Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner recognized deputies for their courage. It served as a simple reminder to me that these employees have a career that puts their lives in harm’s way every day. Whether it is a traffic stop or a call for a domestic disturbance, these deputies do not know which turn ...

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It was such a delight to read Duane Schmidt’s March 7 piece, “Iowa home to many firsts for women, equality.” It was an impressive list of women who furthered equality for all women.One woman not included in Schmidt’s piece begs to have her story told. Emma J. Harvat was the first female mayor of any U.S. city with a population over 10,000. She was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame in 2007.Harvat was first elected in 1921 as ...

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By Andrew GarbersonYour generation’s members separated their resume from the stack with a broad list of extracurricular activities.The following generation of employment-seekers reinvented the term “monotonous” in an act the business world cleverly called an internship. The semester abroad standard was born when students, and the employers they hoped to impress, realized that a summer of menial tasks at a randomly selected white collar service firm hardly created a well-rounded applicant.Today, a resume appears incomplete without “Master’s” written somewhere above ...

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We need to make our school board officials accountable for their selfish property tax increases.I received a copy of the notices from The Gazette’s July 2, 2009, salary schedule for our school officials.Do you know, for example, that the principals of Kennedy High School and Washington High School, who incidentally are man and wife, earned $104,000 in 2008 and in 2009 their salaries increased to $125,000? A $21,000 increase in one year? That is obscene!In these times of money crunch, ...

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 By Charles KrauthammerAs the Afghanistan war intensifies, it has come to be seen as Obama’s war.Not so. It’s become America’s war. When the former opposition party — habitually antiwar for the past four decades — adopts, reaffirms and escalates a war begun by the habitually hawkish other party, partisanship falls away, and the war becomes nationalized.And legitimized. Do you think if John McCain, let alone George W. Bush, were president, we would not see growing demonstrations protesting our continued presence ...

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Everyone who has attended a performance of “The Producers” at the magnificently restored Theatre Cedar Rapids not only saw a fantastic show of the very highest quality, but also felt the joyful excitement of having a major flood-damaged facility brought back to life — and how! It seemed to be a tangible signal that the city is indeed on the road to recovery.Now if only we could get moving as fast as possible to restore the Paramount Theatre and get ...

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Whereas March is designated as “Music in Our Schools Month” and in light of potential cuts and/or changes in school music programs across our state, I feel compelled to share some important information.Did you know there are studies that prove participation in music can improve learning? Researcher Fran Rauscher found that musically trained students scored 80 percent higher on tests of spatial and temporal reasoning. This is the skill needed to succeed in math and science. Also, the study of ...

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By Leonard PittsEvil is not a color.It has no particular religion nor creed, nor style of dress, nor gender nor geographic home. Evil is an equal opportunity employer.One hopes we learn at least that much from the adventures of Jihad Jane.That, according to federal prosecutors, is the name Colleen LaRose used when she went online to say how “desperate” she was to do something to help Muslims. That desperation allegedly led her deep into the shadowy world of fundamentalist extremism.LaRose, ...

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I am a chaplain at two long-term care facilities (nursing homes) in Cedar Rapids. I resonated with Jean Greiner’s letter on March 7. I also see many who wait in vain for family and friends, although I also see residents visited regularly.I urge families and friends to visit those in retirement facilities. I encourage everyone to remember the reality of aging, of losing both home and possessions and privacy. All of us will be in this place unless we die ...

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By Garrison KeillorThe snow is melting in the woods of North Carolina and the kudzu is greening up. This ravenous pealike vine was introduced to prevent soil erosion and now it is devouring the South, which goes to show you that some solutions are worse than the problem. Likewise, the judge in Yolo County, Calif., near Sacramento, who sentenced a man to seven years in prison for stealing a $3.99 bag of shredded cheese. Under California’s unique three-strikes sentencing scheme, ...

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A recent writer was wrong. It is not forgiveness but instead the failed responsibility of the mental health system. Forgiveness is difficult for those who failed Mark Becker through inadequate treatment, few supports and unwillingness to pay taxes or enact laws to treat his illness.Elsewhere, more options are available. For example, Oklahoma’s mental health care provides innovations and basic programs, evidence-based practices, efficient emergency wait-times and sufficient numbers of psychiatric beds.But Iowa, which spent only 0.2 percent of its budget ...

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Rush Limbaugh has been one of health care reform’s most vocal opponents. On his March 8 radio broadcast, he said, “I’ll just tell you this, if this passes and it’s five years from now and all that stuff gets implemented — I am leaving the country. I’ll go to Costa Rica.”Well, that is another big advantage to passing health care reform, but what will Rush do when he learns that Costa Rica has a universal health care system?George HewlandCedar Rapids

The melting snow reveals the abundance of litter that has been tossed to the street by passing motorists. I urge those offenders to take care of their own garbage.I further urge walkers, homeowners and renters to look down and pick up the litter, to be a positive contributor to making this community a better and cleaner place to live. That requires looking beyond our property boundaries and along stretches of street not occupied by homes.Some communities (Cedar Rapids is one ...

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I used to love to read Garrison Keillor, but for the last few years, he has really gone off the deep end. Everything he writes about turns political.He used to write such thought-provoking information, mostly about Minnesota, but basically down-to-earth, good writing. You are entitled to your ideas, Garrison, but we wish you would leave politics to the informed and speak about what you are knowledgeable.Nelsene BeckBelle Plaine

Questions for Sen. Chuck Grassley:1) Please explain your being named the “Third Insurance Puppet“ by the Public Campaign Action Fund, a national non-partisan group dedicated to holding elected officials accountable for the special favors given to wealthy campaign donors. (www.insurancepuppets.com) They named Democrat Max Baucus (Montana) the first puppet, so they are not just harassing Republicans. You received 23 percent of your campaign funds, $2.3 million, from the health care interests, which I am sure has not influenced you (www.mtstandard.com).2) ...

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Bonuses for Wall Street executives whose companies received billions in bailout money struck a raw nerve with many Americans over the past year.So does a flap about how a national charity uses tax dollars and compensates its CEO pale by comparison?Yes. Still, we think that four U.S. senators, including Iowa’s Chuck Grassley, are asking legitimate questions about the national Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Let’s be sure the answers have sufficient context.According to Friday news reports, senators question why ...

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What should move faster over the Internet — an ambulance emergency call or someone’s personal music download? A transfer of banking funds or a routine e-mail?Such obvious priorities are determined by Internet provider companies who manage networks. Through tiered levels of service, traffic and applications on the information highway are directed.Now the Federal Communications Commission is proposing two new rules that supporters say is needed to protect access to the Internet — ensuring what’s called “net neutrality.” We’re skeptical that ...

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By Susan EstrichLike most Americans, I haven’t seen “The Hurt Locker,” but I was still rooting for Kathryn Bigelow to claim the Best Director statue.This is, after all, 2010 — a little late in the day for “first women,” particularly in an industry that depends on women as much as men to buy tickets.If you believe the media accounts, another glass ceiling has now been broken. Were it only so simple.Of course, it’s important to have “first women” — whether ...

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