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We were fortunate to receive an H1N1 shot on Nov. 15 at the Community Health Free Clinic (under Linn County Public Health direction). My understanding was they had 900 people scheduled. We had an appointment for 1:10 p.m. Upon arrival, we were met by numerous staff, who handled the entire process efficiently through a well-organized plan. Our expectations were that the process should take about an hour. We left the building by 1:15; what a pleasure to experience. My thoughts were, ...

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I had the privilege of going on the Honor Flight on Nov. 10 and would like to thank the sponsors and volunteers who made it possible. Thank you to Mary Clepp who worked very hard and did a terrific job and the volunteers of the Honor Flight from the Quad Cities. Special thanks to Tim Dolan, my guardian, who spend the day with me. He did a tremendous job. To the three students, Morgan, Eric and Danille of Prairie High School, for ...

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Bravo to the Linn County supervisors! An ordinance for 1 percent for art in public buildings has long been needed. May we expect City Hall to follow suit? Come on Cedar Rapids, come alive! Mary Lou Hattery Cedar Rapids

There have been several letters to the editor praising Rep. David Loebsack’s support of the health care bill. Courageous? Does the public know that this bill cuts Medicare by $400 billion? That there will be 35 million new patients with no new doctors or nurses? That the bill fines the uninsured 2.5 percent of their income if they don’t buy insurance? That there is a low level of subsidy available for the uninsured (only after they pay 8 to 12 percent of ...

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While many young people move out of Iowa as fast as possible, Kirsten Running-Marquardt decided to stay in Cedar Rapids. Kirsten remembers how good her education was, and she wants to make sure that her son Jack will get the best possible education. Kirsten understands that good schools are not only a key to a better future for Jack, they’re also the key for a better future for Iowa. Companies are looking for a well-trained work force and Kirsten wants to ...

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I am a supporter of Aaron Saylor, who is running in the at-large seat for city council. After meeting him, I am convinced he would be an energetic addition to our council. Our city needs some ideas from someone younger, and Aaron has those. I am impressed by the number of groups Aaron has already participated in as someone learning to be an active member of our community. He has some definite understanding of the needs to keep our young adults ...

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As a senior and a longtime Gazette subscriber, I am a regular reader of the funnies. Now I have a magnifying glass to even try to make sense out of the funnies. If you could, take three of your “no nonsense” funnies, namely “Frazz,” “Get Fuzzy” and “Colde Sac,” and enlarge the rest of the good ones. William Schuman Decorah

On behalf of the staff, board of trustees and the 8,000 people in the North Central States Chapter living with multiple sclerosis, I would like to recognize all the team captains and volunteers who took part in Walk MS or Bike MS in 2009. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is observing Team and Volunteer Appreciation Week this week. The leadership of our team captains and dedication of our volunteers and participants allow us to move MS research forward and address challenges ...

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City election 2009 is not over yet in Cedar Rapids. There’s an at-large council race and a District 3 doozy between two current city council members. Since the Linn County Auditor’s Office at Westdale Mall is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday for absentee voting for a Statehouse race, House District 33, you also can vote in the city runoff election. There are 87,367 eligible city voters for the at-large race, and 14,291 can vote in the District 3 race; ...

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Regarding Charles Krauthammer’s Nov. 15 column “Medicalizing mass murder”: The horrific massacre at Fort Hood is an example of how religious doctrine can be used as an excuse for mentally unbalanced people to assume the role of the God they claim to worship. It’s not just Muslims who fall into this category, but Christians who blow up federal buildings, murder abortion doctors and shoot up the Holocaust Museum, and ultraorthodox Jews who assassinate Israeli prime ministers. The lesson: fear religious fanaticism ...

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Regarding Charles Krauthammer’s Nov. 15 column “Medicalizing mass murder”: The horrific massacre at Fort Hood is an example of how religious doctrine can be used as an excuse for mentally unbalanced people to assume the role of the God they claim to worship. It’s not just Muslims who fall into this category, but Christians who blow up federal buildings, murder abortion doctors and shoot up the Holocaust Museum, and ultraorthodox Jews who assassinate Israeli prime ministers. The lesson: fear religious fanaticism ...

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Thank you to the tax-and-spend Republicans who pushed Johnson County to spend $75,000 on an election to fill a Board of Supervisors seat for barely 11 months. How ironic to see Lori Cardella and her Republican friends down on the Pentacrest working so hard in getting students signatures with it only being a year after Republicans were so critical of Democrats for getting the students involved in the presidential election. I now understand better why Cardella wanted a special election so bad. ...

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I recently replaced the incandescent bulb in the lamp next to my bed with a CFL that was comparable to a 100-watt incandescent bulb for reading purposes. After a few nights of reading, my left eye (closest to the lamp) began to burn and itch. My eye doctor said there were pieces of my cornea sloughing off but had no idea why. When I got home, I noticed brown spots on my lamp shade from the heat of the bulb ...

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Joyce Deboy (Nov. 15 letter) wants us to believe that it is “un-American” to force others to obey beliefs. She claims the government caved into the anti-abortionists to pass along health care reform. She claims that abortion is settled law. Really? Where is it in the Constitution that courts and judges make law? Isn’t that an elected legislature’s job? And isn’t an unelected, unaccountable judge imposing his or her beliefs on the rest of the public by enacting “law” by fiat ...

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I am impressed with Kirsten Running-Marquardt, who is running for the District 33 seat in the Iowa House of Representatives in the special election Tuesday. She has spent most of her adult life helping others, including fighting to make sure all Iowans have health care. She is bright, caring and concerned about the future of Cedar Rapids and Iowa. We need this new generation of leaders to help move our city and state forward. Maxine Smith Cedar Rapids

Last week the city of Cedar Rapids received good news, much needed. First, the Urban Land Institute concluded in its report that downtown development plans are on target. The ULI, a land use and development research firm with credentials in post-natural and man-made disaster communities, has released a report from its June visit to Cedar Rapids. It cited several development strategies for reinventing a portion of downtown Cedar Rapids for economic growth and improved quality of life. The report’s authors acknowledged ...

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All this talk about socialism is nonsense. Our government has been on the side of the elites for the last 30 years. It’s no accident that, starting with the Reagan presidency, unions have been broken, good jobs have been sent abroad and government operations are increasingly being privatized. The aim has been to concentrate the wealth of the nation. As a result, the buying power of workers and the middle class has plummeted and inequality has reached the point where we can ...

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Women are being asked to take the back seat in health care reform. Specifically, there is an amendment that will limit women’s reproductive health care options in the current health care bill. The bill that recently passed in the U.S. House bans abortion coverage in the public health-insurance option and private plans participating in a new national health-insurance exchange — even if you are paying for most or even all of it yourself. It is a betrayal of women. I urge ...

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As I experienced the 234th birthday of my beloved Marine Corps on the 10th and reflected on the 91st anniversary of the World War I armistice on the 11th, I was reminded again of the sacrifices of my men and my buddies who adorn the Wall in D.C. and dot the slopes of Arlington Cemetery with their hallowed graves. They answered freedom’s call and in the end died defending a failed policy. I appreciate greatly President Barack Obama’s reluctance to boldly ...

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Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, deserves our gratitude for standing up for working Americans. When he voted for the U.S. House health care reform bill, he voted for long-overdue changes to a broken system. Assuming members of the Senate show that kind of courage, Americans soon might not have to declare bankruptcy if they suffer a major medical event. Iowans are lucky to have Loebsack representing us. Cathryn Hruska Oxford

to read that the U.S. House of Representatives let an amendment make it into the recently passed health care reform bill that could seriously limit a woman’s right to make her health care decisions. Women are not second-class citizens — we should have the ability to consult privately with our health care providers about our health care decisions. I urge the Senate to strip the Stupak amendment and refocus our national discussion on the real issue: health care reform. Our country ...

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Whoever wrote your Nov. 5 editorial on the “dismal” Iowa City election turnout is clueless. As I wrote to The Gazette’s Iowa City reporter and columnist some time ago, it was obvious that this was going to be the lowest turnout in my 31 years here. Susan Mims and Terry Dickens were politically “moderate” longtime members of the community and had no real opposition. They had no “liberal” opponents because the liberal community couldn’t find anyone to run who could articulate ...

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I’m pleased that Lou Dobbs has left CNN. In recent years, he had crossed the line into paranoia. A bigoted, elderly white man is not what CNN needs for its image. That’s what Fox News Channel is for, so I bet that’s where Dobbs ends up. He will be allowed to tell many more lies there, plus he’ll be able to denounce his old employers as commie news-slanters. Jay Portas Cedar Rapids

Recently, the non-partisan Pew Center for the States, in a report titled “Beyond California: States In Fiscal Peril,” listed Iowa among the 10 states in the best financial condition (www.pewcenteronthestates.org/report_detail.aspx?id=56044). The results of this study were summarized in a Wall Street Journal article on page A7 of its Nov. 12 edition. What this means is that Iowa’s state government is far more fiscally prudent than 80 percent of the states. And does that suggest that our Democratic governor and Democratically controlled Legislature are ...

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Hurrah for the bishops. They are U.S. citizens, too. They are interested in protecting the unborn human life in future legislation. Wholesome beliefs by Protestants, Catholics and others are welcome readings. They should not be silenced by a meaningless slogan or this regard, such as “separation of church and state.” Donald Heineman Fort Atkinson