But there was no mention of the director, Leslie Charipar, or the music director, Janelle Lauer, which surprised me because these two women put the show together, chose the actors, singers and dancers. They deserve a lot of the credit for the hard work they put into this show, which helped make this show a success.

Great job, ladies.

Emma Cartano

Cedar Rapids

The banks who received $700 billion from President George W. Bush just before he left office are in no hurry to spend or lend. I think that temporarily extending unemployment is one of the reasons the recession didn’t turn into a depression.

Most unemployed folks would rather work than take a government handout, but jobs simply aren’t available right now.

Members of Congress shouldn’t be playing politics with unemployment benefits for laid-off workers.

Gerald Pleasner

Swisher

We think Iowa’s home schooling program strikes a good balance and is a largely successful alternative form of education that should be protected to help serve some families’ unique and important educational wants and needs.

The important thing is that Iowa’s young people learn the skills and information they need to be competent, contributing adults — where and how they learn it is of secondary importance. If families are willing to devote the time and energy to teach their children, more power to them.

An estimated 30,000 children are home-schooled in Iowa; about 474,000 children attend public schools.

Some families choose home schooling so they can spend more time together. Others want to offer their children lessons that are tailored to their interests and learning styles, or to incorporate religious teachings into standard educational fare. Or because of medical or other issues that would make a traditional school setting inordinately stressful for their child.

Families generally are the best judges of whether or not home schooling is right for them. A traditional schoolhouse environment is not suitable for everyone.

In Iowa, families can dual enroll their students in a local school district, to allow students to attend some classes and extracurricular activities at school.

They can find other resources and support through home school assistance programs, like those in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Linn-Mar and Marion school districts.

Such programs offer supervision and help from licensed educators as well as social activities and shared resources to home schooling families.

The Department of Education cut home schooling assistance funding by nearly half over the last two years, and this year wanted to restrict use of the reduced money even more severely. Budget concerns are more serious than usual. However, it appears state legislators this session have struck a reasonable compromise that will preserve the essence of the program.

That’s important. Drastically reducing home-school support, or doing away with it entirely, would betray families whose children benefit from the program.

So long as annual assessments show that home-schooled children are making adequate academic progress, we see value in the state’s continued support. A flexible educational system should focus on learning and achievement, whether that occurs in the home or a school building.

Back in the early days of V-8 engines, Studebaker got a bad “rap” for a soft engine camshaft. It went public to try and fix the problem. The problem was industrywide, but companies such as General Motors replaced the camshafts and lifters quietly, using “overnight replacement.”

We had a 1988 Ford Taurus engine that would electrically “cut out” any time it felt like it. We spent more than $1,200 to try and fix it to no avail. Many years later after we sold it, Ford admitted to a design flaw in the placement of the computer that caused it to overheat.

When Ford finally agreed to fix the problem nationwide, there were estimated to be only 1 percent to 2 percent of those models still running and therefore not a significant problem, or expense to Ford, either.

The last example of “passing the buck” or ignoring a problem was when Firestone tires were considered defective because they blew out at highway speed. Firestone paid dearly for this, which later was found to be an incorrect pressure suggestion for drivers on the vehicles with those Firestone tires.

Firestone suggested a higher tire pressure for its tires and the tires could not run and hold up under the lower pressure suggested.

I am still driving my second Studebaker and third Toyota.

Tom Snyder

Dyersville

Today, the conservatives are marching and protesting against government and trying to tear it apart. I never thought I would ever see that.

John Andremar

West Branch

I don’t agree with the site chosen for the Cedar Rapids library because it has been shown that those libraries do one-third less business than libraries sited at a heavily trafficked intersection. But that decision has been made and we must make the best of it.

The next test of the choice will be whether free on-site parking will be provided for the public. The ramp with or without a bridge to the library will not be used by the public. Human nature doesn’t fight barriers. The railroad tracks are a natural barrier between the ramp and library site. People will be uncomfortable using a bridge at night.

Since city leaders are willing to pay for the more expensive site, I hope they also will provide free parking.

I also would like to give some support to Library Director Bob Pasicznyuk’s concern. The sad truth is that many people who frequent bus terminals are down on their luck. This is a social problem that should concern us all. What libraries have to deal with is constant complaints from regular users about that “man who smells so bad,” or the woman who yells to herself and disturbs people around her. Every library occasionally has to call for outside help to deal with some of their people.

It’s time to stop crying foul and get this library built.

Jim White

Cedar Rapids

Wow — I’ve been an employee of the USPS for 16 years now and I’ve pretty much maxed out the pay-scale (no more raises for me unless it’s a COLA), and this was $30,000 more than my base salary.

If this is supposedly the average, then I want to know where you got your numbers from. Nobody in our combined offices, with more 100 employees, makes as much as your “average postal worker,” except our postmaster. Our salaries are easily available online, even down to the name of the employee.

I looked online to see where you got this imaginary number, and stumbled upon Indeed.com. If you put in “Postal Worker” it spits out $84,000, but when you click on the job, none of them are postal-related. If you type in USPS, you get $47,000 and all the related jobs are postal.

I know the Post Office is in trouble, but get your facts straight please. We’re busting our tails to get it done faster and cheaper with fewer people and we don’t need any more negative connotations than we already have.

Aaron Tompkin

Riverside

One Republican senator, Jim Bunning of Kentucky, recently tried to block a one-month extension of unemployment benefits. Other Republicans said they would block a proposed bill that would extend benefits and health insurance subsidies for the unemployed for the rest of the year, unless Democrats agree to eliminate the estate tax.

Now, the House has already passed a bill that would exempt assets of couples up to $7 million, which would make 99.75 percent of estates tax-free, but apparently that isn’t enough. Republicans are willing to block desperately needed aid to the jobless on behalf of the remaining 0.25 percent.

The Republican views on unemployment benefits and the estate tax is an excellent illustration of the core beliefs of the party. Inequality trumps equality. Make the rich richer.

Brian Rhodes

Cedar Rapids

Banks had been buying up risky home mortgages, packaging them and reselling them as derivatives to buyers all over the world. Then suddenly, in September 2008, the housing market collapsed. Out of nowhere came a savior promising hope and change. He said he would transform the country.

The derivative-driven housing bubble then made election 2008 a shoo-in for Barack Obama.

We were hoping for beneficial changes in our governing bodies, more transparency, universal and affordable health care, an end to the housing crisis and an improved economy.

What we gained is massive debt and bigger government.

Like a big ship without a rudder, our president has no leadership qualities. No experience at running a business. Business executives are now suspicious of his intent and judge him anti-business. We have succeeded in anointing a charismatic globe-trotter with good teleprompter reading skills to run this country.

Wayne M.

Lovetinsky

Cedar Rapids

With Jan Thomas, widow of the beloved Aplington-Parkersburg football coach and community leader, in attendance, the House Judiciary Committee last Thursday unanimously approved sending the bill to the full House for debate. The governor already has indicated he supports the legislation.

The bill attempts to close what many see as a flaw in state law. It would require hospitals to notify police before releasing a mental patient who faces criminal charges.

Mark Becker, convicted last week of first-degree murder in the Thomas case, had been released from a hospital psychiatric commitment shortly before he drove to Parkersburg and shot Thomas last June. The Thomas family has said that if law enforcement had known when Becker would be released, the coach’s life would have been saved.

We’ll never know that for sure. But the proposed legislation would at least be a worthy step toward preventing other such incidents.

Some hospitals have voiced concerns about federal privacy laws and the increased responsibility they could face if the bill becomes law.

However, the Iowa Attorney General and the state Department of Public Safety say federal law allows hospitals to notify police of a patient’s identity and location in order to protect the public.

Under the proposed legislation, police would fill out a standard written request to the hospital. In turn, a hospital would face a fine if it didn’t report a discharge after such a request.

While many in law enforcement say they already have a procedure in place with hospitals, they often differ with each agency and standardizing the process would help. And last week, the Iowa Hospital Association said the amended bill’s requirements should be workable.

Too often, it takes tragedy to spur needed changes or improvements in official procedures or practices. While nothing can fill the void created by the loss of Coach Thomas, this legislation would be a reasonable way to help prevent other such tragedies.

Aaron Thomas, one of Ed’s sons, spoke to the House committee on behalf of his family earlier last week. “We ask that you do what is right and allow a simple solution to this simple problem,” he said.

While few pieces of legislation are as simple as we’d all like, we agree with Aaron. This bill represents a sensible way to not only honor the memory of Ed Thomas but also improve public safety for Iowans.

By Rick Altman

In Sunday’s Gazette, University of Iowa Graduate College Dean John Keller explained that “pursuit of excellence comes through assessment.” Assessment is needed, but not as conducted by the provost’s task force.

The task force was charged with articulating “priorities for increased excellence in graduate education.” But Provost Wallace Loh devalued this charge by insisting that faculty and student quality not be evaluated. Why not? Can excellence be increased by neglecting research quality?

Of 176 degree programs assessed, 44 are in Arts/Humanities. Yet only three of 21 committee members hail from the Arts/Humanities.

Statistics provided by the Graduate College did not include evaluations of quality. Task force members should have insisted on expert input.

Keller notes that “The focus of the assessments was on graduate student outcomes.” But the committee defined “student outcomes” narrowly. Instead of stressing research quality or student placement, it emphasized easily measurable (but not necessarily pertinent) figures including “time to degree.”

That narrow focus meant the committee overlooked genuine markers of excellence. Take Film Studies. The national prize for best dissertation won by an Iowa Film Studies student — not taken into account. Iowa dissertations published by prestigious presses — deemed less important than the time it took those students to complete their degrees. Placement in tenure-track positions at Yale, Chicago, Notre Dame, etc. — not considered. The role of Iowa Ph.D.s in developing Film Studies as an academic discipline — ignored in favor of time-to-degree data that make no distinction between a diploma mill and a world-class program.

Task force membership had a clear effect on committee findings. Of 23 degree programs rated “exemplary,” 17 are represented by task force members. Of 71 “high quality” programs, 40 are represented. But of the 26 lowest-rated Arts/Humanities degree programs, none is represented on the task force.

The task force also did not change a single evaluation after they received departmental responses.

Loh calls the task force recommendations “preliminary.” Yet the Graduate College has withdrawn fellowships from programs designated as “additional evaluation required.” Why this rush to judgment?

My own program, Film Studies, has been showered with letters of support from prominent scholars; 100 were e-mailed to university administrators. Yet Loh claims there has been little response to the task force report.

Keller wrote that “of the 14 graduate programs identified as requiring additional evaluation, one-half were in the humanities and one-half were in the sciences and social sciences.” But the task force evaluated five separate areas. The Arts/Humanities area constitutes not half the programs evaluated, as Keller implies, but one-fifth.

I feel a profound sense of shame when our university’s chief academic officers proclaim that restructuring should be based on something other than faculty and graduate student excellence. Certainly we face unprecedented financial challenges, but unless evaluation is based on our long-standing commitment to genuine excellence, the outcome will damage the university rather than serve it.

Rick Altman is professor of Cinema and Comparative Literature, University of Iowa.

Marion High School students could move to Washington. Middle school students could move to Marion’s high school, eliminating the need to continue to waste money updating Vernon in Marion. A win-win for students and taxpayers.

DeKevin Thornton

Marion

The intent of H.F. 2229 is to prevent dental insurance carriers from limiting what dentists can charge patients for those services that are not included in the patients’ dental plan. Unfortunately, the way the bill is written, there are further unintended consequences that could open the door to higher out-of-pocket costs. Passing this bill will jeopardize important consumer protections that have been in dental plans for decades. Iowans with dental insurance would no longer receive cost protections for vital dental services. For example, if a patient decided to have a third cleaning and the patient’s dental plan only covered two cleanings per year, the patient could be charged a much larger fee for that third cleaning.

H.F. 2229 could put a financial burden on unsuspecting insured Iowa dental patients, many of whom already are managing tight budgets.

Paula Dierenfeld

Executive director

Federation of Iowa Insurers

Like myself, the vast majority of Tea Party participants are hard-working people who are deeply concerned about the proposed policies of the Obama administration. We oppose his avowed progressive goals to bring transformational change by redistributing the wealth, taking over whole industries, bankrupting our nation with massive spending programs, increasing the size and scope of government and turning our health care over to government bureaucrats.

To understand the Tea Party movement, I suggest that you read Mark Levin’s best-seller, “Liberty and Tyranny.” Levin clearly delineates that our society is divided between those who find their security in their own efforts as opposed to those who find their security in the state.

President Barack Obama and politicians like him exploit the insecurities of people for political power. We are tired of politicians who play the class warfare game and divide our country. They keep too many black people on the plantation by reinforcing the notion that they cannot succeed because they are victims; that they need the government to help them because they cannot do it on their own.

Rick David

North Liberty

Because of the Iowa Legislature’s action for the year that begins in July, Linn County Mental Health and Disabilities will see a deficit of $2.5 million. This deficit cannot be wiped out by trimming the excess out of programs; there is no excess. We will need to make major cuts in services that harm some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

These services include supported employment that allows people to work in the community or transportation that keeps elderly clients from being isolated in their homes or even services as fundamental as having a normal home to live in instead of living with six or more strangers. It is the difference between people learning how to be independent in the community or living somewhere that they are fairly safe and fed but have no meaningful activities or training. Do we really want to take such a step backward?

The Legislature must restore the mental health and disabilities allowable-growth budget item to the legislative appropriation of $62.1 million.

I understand that revenues have fallen fall short of the need. However, we should not make decisions that will balance the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable residents — the disabled, mentally ill and elderly.

Jane Trobaugh

Cedar Rapids

They say they are willing to compromise by putting it inside the Federal Reserve, but regulators at the Fed have historically served the interest of bankers and predatory lenders over consumers. We need a truly independent agency where decisions are made with the consumer in mind.

Otherwise, we are setting ourselves up for the next financial crisis.

Jay Portas

Cedar Rapids

By Mary Sanchez

A policeman’s vocalized dream: “If everybody was that responsive, this would be a hell of a safe city.”

The comment was made about the crooks-beware full assault that the Waldo area has orchestrated in reply to a serial rapist.

For a while, I bit at the possibilities as well. Many people have lately. The idea of spreading Waldo’s not-on-our-watch commitment is what community policing is based upon. But sometimes these conversations about harnessing the citizen awareness lead to mistaken pronouncements about race and class.

There is some truth that middle-class status can give people the latitude to take on roles of outrage in ways that violent crimes in the central city never seem to engender. At least not past family grief, prayer vigils and door-to-door canvassing by anti-crime outreach teams.

But it’s a stretch to extrapolate that the no-snitching mentality stifling so many murder investigations could be altered so easily.

At best, this is a convenient train of thought that dismisses a reality of crime.

It’s not so much that Waldo is the right neighborhood for such a response, rather, rape is the right crime.

Rapes and assaults on children. No other crimes bond communities quite so fervently. This was wisely pointed out by East Patrol Division commander Maj. Anthony Ell. The fear and sometimes apathy that keep people from cooperating with police dissolve when children are involved, he said.

Even to a point of dangerous vigilante behavior.

In fact, the judgment of the man, who thought wrongly that he was in a car chase with the Waldo rapist and ended up getting shot at, pales in comparison with a past episode.

In the fall of 1991, Kansas City’s urban core was terrorized by a man who snatched little girls from bus stops. He’d molest them for hours, then let them go.

Men formed patrols cruising streets, others stood guard at stops, and fliers circulated with the suspect’s description: black male, box haircut.

After about a month, a fourth little girl, 6, was grabbed walking to school with her brother. Police, residents, taxi drivers, city workers, even a tourist trolley bus, scoured the streets.

Not surprisingly, a classic and painful case of mistaken identity soon followed.

An innocent man was dragged from his car, punched, kicked and held in a chokehold. He broke free, was recaptured and held down for a second beating, with more people piling on.

The mob checked his car. No child. And really, he didn’t fit the description very well, nor did his car.

Eventually, a correctly handled phone tip led to the real criminal and his life sentence.

But remember this: Two of the innocent man’s assailants ended up getting prosecuted, too.

n Contact the writer at msanchezkcstar.com.

You can choose a private option right now, so let’s compare. If you want to send a letter by FedEx, the cheapest rate is $9.60 for three-day service (slower than the post office), plus $4 for home pickup (which the post office does for no extra charge) and $2.40 for delivery to a residential address (which the post office also does for no extra charge).

There you go. You can pay $16, or you can pay 44 cents. Do you think any private company would be willing to deliver a letter for less than $1?

I happen to think the post office is pretty efficient, more so than most people would like to admit. It gets a bad rap because so many people fib about when they put things in the mail and then blame the post office. It’s a terrific bargain that provides an essential service in this country, especially for people who for one reason or another are not computer-savvy.

Carol Sheerling

Cedar Rapids

These percentages are far higher than any other high school completion program, high school or school district in the state. In Cedar Rapids, iJAG is a true non-partisan partnership between local businesses and the community. Some of iJAG’s supporters, such as Rockwell-Collins, Alliant Energy, Cargill and Diamond V Mills, have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in a partnership because iJAG has been so effective.

But if your state representative does not act to ensure iJAG is funded in the state budget, much of the progress that has been made across the state to help youth complete high school will end. Don’t let this happen!

Sean McAtee

Education Specialist

iJAG

Washington High School

Cedar Rapids

These percentages are far higher than any other high school completion program, high school or school district in the state. In Cedar Rapids, iJAG is a true non-partisan partnership between local businesses and the community. Some of iJAG’s supporters, such as Rockwell-Collins, Alliant Energy, Cargill and Diamond V Mills, have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in a partnership because iJAG has been so effective.

But if your state representative does not act to ensure iJAG is funded in the state budget, much of the progress that has been made across the state to help youth complete high school will end. Don’t let this happen!

Sean McAtee

Education Specialist

iJAG

Washington High School

Cedar Rapids

Scott Akers

Cedar Rapids

Scott Akers

Cedar Rapids

We need to get rid of our huge professional military establishment and to replace it with a citizens militia based on national service. Every citizen should be trained and prepared to defend our country in case we are attacked by foreign powers. And national defense should be the only function of such a militia.

Let’s get rid of the current practice of using our military to police a global empire which serves the interests of the oil companies and the other multinational corporations. Let’s adopt a policy of peace and non-intervention in the internal affairs of other countries.

Harold Nelson

Cedar Rapids

Their effort along with county conservation boards to continually obtain more land remains confusing to me. I have DNR documentation that states they owned 625,000 acres of land in 1988. Their plan was to double that amount by the year 2000 to 1.25 acres with an ultimate goal of control of 3.6 acres in rural Iowa. What is confusing to me is the DNR reported in 2006 that they only had 335,000 acres. How is it possible for them to lose 290,000 acres in 18 years and why would Sen. Schoenjahn think the taxpayers would be willing to give additional funding to support such carelessness? What the DNR needs is not more money but more oversight on what they do with what they have.

Merle Wilson

Jesup

Those politicians have no business holding office, where they are supposed to represent the people. Instead they are only selling their souls to the highest bidder.

My wife and I have Medicare, so health care reform should not be our priority, but it is because we feel for our fellow man. It’s a pity I can’t say the same about those in Congress who don’t care about the people and only want to see our president fail.

Carl Leinan

Coralville

Cabs are frequently used in this college town, and some operations have been playing fast and loose with their customers, charging fares that vary greatly from those they’ve filed with the city.

Complaints of gouging are commonplace — and recently were verified by a Gazette reporter.

We have no problem with Iowa City cab companies setting their own rates. As a business, they should have that right, and there is plenty of competition to keep those rates in check.

But the way it stands now, there’s not enough regulation to ensure drivers stick to those rates on file. That should change.

City councilors should require cabs to post their rates and use a meter so customers can be sure they’re being charged the proper fare.

Plenty of cities do the same. In fact, some, like Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, regulate the amount of money cab companies can charge.

Iowa City doesn’t need to go that far, but it’s clear that something must be done to stop fares that are anyone’s guess. After all, don’t most businesses post and honor their prices?

Nineteen cab companies operate more than 100 cabs in Iowa City, more than even larger cities such as Cedar Rapids and Des Moines. Four new companies and 28 cabs have been added in only the past few years.

Some cab owners and customers say that growth, combined with loose regulation, has led to abuse.

Iowa City currently requires cab companies to file their rates with the city, but not to post those rates in the cab.

Neither does the city require cabs to use meters, which would help customers make sure they’re being charged a fair, consistent amount.

Without the meters and posted rates, it leaves a window open for unscrupulous drivers to change the rates to suit their mood.

Recently, a Gazette reporter conducted a spot check of 13 cab companies between midnight and 1 a.m. She found that only five of those companies’ drivers quoted the same rate their companies had on file with the City Clerk’s Office.

The rest quoted prices as high as $16 to $18 for rides that should have cost $9 to $12.

Yes, the city has complaint forms available for customers who feel they were treated unfairly, but few take the time to fill one out — if they even know they’ve been taken advantage of.

Usually, customers just pony up the fare without much thought — something unscrupulous cab companies and drivers know too well. It’s time for the city to give customers the tools they need to protect themselves from price gouging.

Requiring meters and posted fares in cabs would reasonably protect customers looking for a ride from being taken for a ride. More transparency also could make for fairer competition.

By Cyndi Pederson

It happens every week in theaters across the country – the lights go down and the curtain goes up as people gather to share a common experience that often borders on magical: live theater.

One of those magical moments was captured at the Iowa Theatre Building on Feb. 26 when the curtain rose for Theatre Cedar Rapids’ production of “The Producers.” I marveled at the transformation the historic, grand venue has undergone since the flood of 2008.

While the flood of 2008 brought many tears to Cedar Rapids, the cooperative efforts undertaken by many different organizations and businesses to bring the theater building back to prominence deserves hearty cheers.

Despite losing its performing home, Theatre Cedar Rapids did not miss a beat and found alternate venues to produce and present shows.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division, the State Historic Preservation Office, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Vision Iowa Board, the Hall-Perrine Foundation and others brought their energy, skills and expertise to this project.

And, Gov. Chet Culver’s signature initiative, I-JOBS, awarded $1 million to Theatre Cedar Rapids and is targeting Linn County with $93 million in grant funding to support jobs and keep the rebuilding momentum moving forward.

As the show concluded on opening night, the applause spilled out of the theater and onto the streets in celebration of the spirit of Cedar Rapids.

In leaving the theater, I glanced at the marquee and flashed back to June 2008 when it stated: “We’re all in this together!” I could see in that statement the resiliency of a community that has endured a horrible situation and is bouncing back better than ever.

We filed into Zins restaurant with many other theater patrons. The place was filled with conversation, good cheer and wonderful desserts.

That night, I witnessed the ripple effect cultural activities bring to communities. The ripple effect is happening in other locations surrounding the theater, too. Research shows that the preservation of historic properties creates job opportunities and economic growth for skilled trades, the hospitality industry and other businesses.

Expectations and hope for Cedar Rapids’ downtown are bright, and the reopening of the Iowa Theatre is the next step in “raising the curtain” on the area as a hub of cultural arts, business and economic activity.

Congratulations to all on a job well done!

Cyndi Pederson is the director of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and its two divisions, the Iowa Arts Council and the State Historical Society of Iowa. Contact her at cyndi.pederson@iowa.gov.

By Jonah Goldberg

‘Victory has a thousand fathers,” John F. Kennedy reportedly said, “but defeat is an orphan.”

By that standard, George W. Bush has won the Iraq war.

Last month, Vice President Joe Biden proclaimed on CNN’s “Larry King Live” that the peaceful transition to democracy and the (partial) withdrawal of U.S. forces “could be one of the great achievements of this administration.”

Initially, I ignored Biden’s comment because, well, he’s Joe Biden. As critical as I may be of the Obama administration, holding it accountable for Biden’s mouth seems grotesquely unfair.

But then White House spokesman Robert Gibbs defended the vice president, suggesting that it was Obama who put Iraq “back together” and worked out bringing American troops home. More on that in a moment.

Then, just this week, Newsweek, which spent years ridiculing Bush, came out with a cover story titled “Victory at Last: The Emergence of a Democratic Iraq,” in which the authors grudgingly and tentatively credit Bush with creating a democratic Iraq.

No word yet on whether Michael Moore will publicly cut off some fingers, like a failed Yakuza henchman, to atone for his misdeeds.

The Newsweek story might indeed be premature, as recent upticks in Iraq violence demonstrate that nobody’s out of the woods yet. From what I can tell, there may be a rough summer ahead if a new government can’t be formed quickly. There almost certainly will be more bombings during this weekend’s elections and beyond.

Still, when the Obama administration starts taking credit for success in Iraq, you know things have changed for the better. Now, of course, it is a grotesque distortion of logic and even political decency for the White House to be taking credit for victory in Iraq.

Obama wouldn’t be president today if he hadn’t opposed the war. His opposition is what best distinguished him from Hillary Clinton in the primaries. Obama also opposed Bush’s surge, which turned Iraq around. He and Biden both claimed that it would actually make things worse. “I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is going to solve the sectarian violence,” then-Sen. Obama declared in January 2007. “In fact, I think it will do the reverse.”

When Gibbs went to bat for Biden, he said that Obama’s achievement was “putting what was broken back together and getting our troops home, which we intend to do …” When it was pointed out that the proposed U.S. withdrawal had been set in the Status of Forces Agreement signed by the Bush administration, Gibbs claimed it was the “political pressure” of candidate Obama that made such an agreement possible.

On the merits, this is pretty pathetic stuff. The same administration that blames all of its mistakes on problems it inherited now wants to take credit for accomplishments it inherited.

Still, it’s good news. First and foremost, it’s a sign that the war in Iraq, while costly and deservedly controversial, was not for nothing. Putting Iraq on a path to democracy and decency is a noble accomplishment for which Americans, of all parties, should be proud. Even if you think the war wasn’t worth it or that it was unjustified, only the truly blinkered or black-hearted can be vexed by the fact that Saddam Hussein’s regime is gone and the country is on the path to better days.

Second, it shows that America’s victories aren’t Republican or Democratic victories, but American victories. The same goes for its losses. At times it seemed that at least some opponents of the Iraq war wanted America to lose because they thought that was synonymous with Bush losing. It doesn’t work that way.

Indeed, that’s what’s so interesting about the strange turn in the zeitgeist. Many of the war’s most ardent opponents claimed that Americans didn’t like the war for the same reasons the hard left didn’t. But all that talk about “imperialism,” “neoconservatism,” “Cheney-Halliburton blood for oil” and the rest was not at the core of the war’s unpopularity. What most Americans didn’t like was that we were losing militarily and losing the precious lives of our troops. Unlike the hard left (and certain quarters of the isolationist right), most Americans don’t care that the U.S. has troops stationed all around the world. They don’t think we’re an evil empire because of our troops in South Korea or Germany.

What most Americans care about is winning, or, more accurately, winning in a good cause. Public attitudes are still raw when it comes to the war, and for good reason. But a generation from now, if Iraq is a stable, prosperous democracy, Americans will in all likelihood think the war was worth it, and that George W. Bush was right.

n Comments: jonahscolumn@aol.com

l l l

LONGTIME HELPER: Haiti’s recent massive earthquake inspired many American people and groups to send money and other assistance. Meanwhile, Willis Miller’s non-profit Water for Life organization has assisted Haitians for 26 years. The Kalona-based operation has drilled more than 650 wells that serve a million people and assist agriculture. The earthquake has made their work even more vital.

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THANKS, CHIEF: Cedar Rapids Fire Chief Steve Havlik retired at the end of February after 30 years of service. He became chief in 1998 and is credited with stabilizing the work environment, balancing needs of the department and employees, and providing leadership after the central fire station was damaged by the 2008 flood.

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MORE ABUSE FOUND: Reports and official findings of child abuse both rose 11 percent in 2009 in Iowa. Department of Human Services experts point to more economic stress on families as one cause but didn’t rule out other causes. This at a time when DHS is facing big losses of front-line workers because of state budget cuts.

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DOLDRUMS: As The Gazette’s series portrayed this week, University of Iowa men’s basketball program has sunk to all-time lows by most measures. No where to go but up, we hope.

Through it all I witnessed bloggers expressing hateful commentary about what was the “right” verdict and punishment for Becker. Regardless of your feelings about mental health, my question is “Can we forgive Mark Becker”?

The brutal death of beloved football coach Ed Thomas and the circumstances surrounding it were incogitable. However, blanketing Becker and/or his family with hateful words will not bring Thomas back, nor will it allow a community to heal from this terrible tragedy – one that has had more than its fair share the last few years.

We are in the Lenten season, a time when Christians are encouraged to emulate Christ’s example by replacing their self-serving ways with those showing forgiveness and compassion.

We can do this by reaching out to Becker and his family, offering forgiveness and being determined to make sure he gets the help he needs. Forgiveness is not easy, especially when the loss is so great, but what an incredible opportunity to show that we understand and are living the lessons that we have been taught.

Heather Armstrong

Cedar Rapids

This legislation would have a return on investment unlike any other insurance mandate due to the drastic health care costs associated with tobacco use. It’s estimated that Iowa’s employers lose $1 billion in productivity on top of the $1 billion spent on direct health care costs from using tobacco.

Wellmark recently pointed out that an extreme increase in premium rates is largely because Iowans are increasingly unhealthy with more cases of chronic disease. I encourage the Legislature to look at smoking cessation coverage next year.

Eileen L Fisher

President,

Clean Air for Everyone

Iowa CAN

I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to open the first permanent center in Iowa City in 1972. I was also fortunate to work with Gay in developing what became the largest adult high school program in the state.

Gay was fair, supportive and willing to listen. There was never fear of retribution if his staff expressed disagreement with his policies or direction. We often had lively staff meetings but he always remained a friend.

Unknown to many, Gay befriended, sometimes out of his own pocket, students and other individuals who needed a second chance. Both Mr. Ballantyne and Gay were known for operating in unconventional ways. I am proud to have served with both of these individuals during my 30 years at Kirkwood.

Lowell Rutz

Cedar Rapids

My prayer was answered. The gentleman who greeted me at the door called an ambulance and sat and prayed with me until they arrived.

He and his daughter then drove me to St. Luke’s Hospital, where they stayed with me and other family members to await word on my husband’s condition.

When the doctors delivered the devastating news, they grieved with us and tried to give all the comfort they could to people they had never met until that night.

On Sunday morning, I received a call from this caring gentleman asking if there was anything that he or his family could do for us. He and his family came to console us during the visitation and also at the funeral.

Words cannot explain the feelings we feel toward this man whom God sent to help in our time of need. Compassion and hope are still very much alive; sometimes it just takes a while to find.

Bev Martin

Central City

Has anyone given any consideration, with both parents working and the little Bobbies and Suzies going to caregivers who are easily stirred negatively by these messages, that they are putting these children at risk? Do you want your children or grandchildren to tell you later in life how you failed to do what is necessary in our uncertain world? These bad incidents can never be erased from children’s minds.

We have a national problem. Address it now.

Tim Evans

Solon

By John Keller

he final report of the Task Force on Graduate Education: Selective Excellence has drawn attention within The University of Iowa and the higher education community, and rightfully so. It is rare that such an assessment takes place within a comprehensive research university.

All other levels of education in the United States, including k-12, undergraduate and professional programs, have come under scrutiny for quality and effectiveness. Conducting a national assessment that encompasses such a broad array of disciplines is a difficult and complex process. The most recent attempt by the National Research Council to evaluate doctoral programs was initiated in 2005-2006, but the results of the study have yet to be released.

Undoubtedly, the results will provide crucial information to guide higher education, as our institutions’ stakeholders demand increased accountability. In this current economic climate, accountability is more important than ever for graduate education programs.

Faced with the need to focus on quality and sustainability, a number of highly respected institutions have completed or are currently undertaking similar assessments, including Ohio State University, University of Arizona and Michigan State University.

The University of Iowa’s Task Force on Graduate Education was established by Provost Wallace Loh last year. The final report was released to the university community in February. While most attention has focused on the rating assessments of more than 100 graduate programs, the overall goal of the task force was to seek improvements in the graduate programs offered at Iowa.

There are a several key highlights from the UI report.

First, 82 percent of the programs were rated as exemplary, high quality or good, while only 13 percent were rated in the category of additional evaluation required.

Second, the task force reviewed graduate programs, not departments, faculty or undergraduate programs. The focus of the assessments was on graduate student outcomes, using multiple quantitative and qualitative parameters. External funding generated by graduate programs was not a specific criterion of assessment.

Third, the task force report presented a series of recommendations, which is only the first step in a multi-step evaluation process. The report does not mandate specific actions for graduate programs. Rather, the colleges will use the report as a guide as they move forward with key decision-making processes.

The deans and their administrators will make their recommendations to Provost Loh before he presents his recommendations, if any, to the state Board of Regents for its consideration.

The report raises questions for further consideration about the long-term viability of graduate programs rated as additional evaluation required, but at this juncture it is premature to conclude the fate of any of our programs.

The task force scrutinized programs in all academic areas equitably. Of the 14 graduate programs identified as requiring additional evaluation, half were in the humanities and half were in the sciences and social sciences.

The report recommends reorganization not only for programs requiring additional evaluation, but also for a number of very strong programs in the sciences, including some that were recommended for administrative relocation in order to maximize their impact. No particular area was immune from attention.

The Task Force on Graduate Education went beyond structural aspects of these programs, recommending changes to financial support that will benefit students in both the short-term and long-term.

These recommendations continue the evolution of support mechanisms the Graduate College initiated several years ago to focus on student retention and degree completion.

As graduate educators look to the future, our pursuit of excellence begins with assessing our current programs. The task force report shows that while we have much to be proud of, we also have work to do.

John C. Keller is Associate Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate College at the University of Iowa.