Letters to the Editor: A great place to call home

Another 4th of July is now history! Storm Lake sure does a great job of celebrating this patriotic holiday. The Star Spangled Spectacular draws a huge crowd from all over and the city pride is obvious.

I am especially proud of the fireworks crew! They dedicate a lot of time and energy into the show each year and were honored this year by being the Grand Marshal of the big parade! If you see any of these guys (Erik Morrow, Matt Morrow, Loren Person, Clark Gordon, Mark Burkett, Scott Randall, Scott Archer, and Jackson Garrett) give them a big thanks!

Not only does the fireworks crew deserve thanks, the City of Storm Lake Parks Department (Jason Hoffman) for all their hard work and the storage of our equipment as well as getting it to and from Chautauqua Park, the Storm Lake Fire Department for making sure we are set up safely and properly permitted and for being there in case of emergency; the ambulance and EMT crew for being on hand just in case; and of course the Storm Lake Police Department for crowd management and their overall support. I am humbled by the support and the trust we receive from Storm Lake and the Star Spangled Spectacular Commodores.

What a great place to call home! Thank you

Orren Knoffloch, Storm Lake

Know the facts, not the rants

As a former junior delegate for Jimmy Carter I will be the first to show you my bleeding heart which belongs to my beloved husband, a born and bred Republican. Over the years we have canceled out each other’s votes and have recently come somewhere center of our original idealistic selves.

At present, social civility seems stretched beyond repair where the loudest most vulgar rants are the norm. A  time when separation of church and state is unclear. Women’s healthcare has become political, a time when we can’t agree on sensible gun ownership while our children are being slaughtered at school. A time where the most comprehensive border bi-partisan bill crafted by a conservative republican isn’t passed due to Congress playing politics of advocating for are nation’s best interests.

I became vested with talk of conservatism, fiscal responsibility, when Ronald Reagan became president. I agree you can’t just throw money at problems. I supported the Brady bill mandating federal background checks, to me this seems reasonable and respectful for law. Abiding citizens who want to purchase a firearm. I don’t want to ban books, I want to ban gun sales without background checks on future gun owners.

Over the years my views and concerns have changed as has the Republican party. I cannot support the current Republican party platform. After President Obama was elected I heard our senator for life Grassley say “It doesn’t matter what he wants we are going to vote NO” … well he sure has.

Republicans continue thwarting sensible gun control, advocating healthcare restrictions which are endangering women’s lives, insisting that the ACA should be disbanded when the current program expires in 2025.

Do we want insurance companies calling the shots again for those of us with pre-existing conditions? We may not care for the candidates we have, we may rant over issues, what if we were to evaluate the policies and platforms of the parties, know the facts not the rants and vote accordingly.

Amy Mikos, Aurelia