Moving the Conversation Along

I wonder what’s around the bend…

It’s difficult to say goodbye. A permanent goodbye is the toughest, but even temporary goodbyes are rough. That’s why we find ourselves saying, “See ya later.” “Talk to you again soon.” “Until next time.” “Take care.” There’s a pull to continue the connection and conversation, but we realize we have other things we need to do. Our relationships may be one of the most important things we have in life. But even with that truth, relationship-building can never be a 24-7 activity. We’re individuals. And individuals have work to do, families to care for, obligations to meet, goals to achieve, and yes—dreams to dream.

We must move on.

I started the “Moving the Conversation Along” blog in 2015. While working full-time as a small business owner, the goal was to find time to write about politics, religion, or culture on a monthly basis. And to do it for 10 years. The long-term goal was reached this year. Amazing how fast a decade can fly by.

This hobby of researching, contemplating, writing, and publishing opinion pieces on a variety of topics has been one of my most meaningful accomplishments. I hope you’ve enjoyed these blogs, learned something new, or at least reached a greater understanding from a different viewpoint and angle. I can’t possibly thank you enough for your readership. It’s truly appreciated.

It’s time, though, to dream a new dream. And so, this is not another opinion piece. It’s signing off. It’s saying goodbye.

The blog site will remain open for now. With 120 topics tagged, traffic still moves in and out of “Moving the Conversation Along,” from other writers gathering information or simply individuals wanting to learn more about an issue. However, no new blogs are planned at this time.

Several decades ago, there was a television show called “On the Road with Charles Kuralt.” Kuralt toured rural America. Traveling in a motorhome, he got off the interstate and meandered down unknown two-lane roads to meet and interview ordinary Americans who were doing something unique. Or traditional. Or entrepreneurial. Or courageous, even if in an un-famous way.

Kuralt taught us that we all have something to contribute and those combined, individual efforts were what made this country great. After wrapping each show and saying goodbye to his small-town host, he’d get back in his motorhome in search of another quintessential American. With the road curving in front of him, he’d sign off with his signature, “I wonder what’s around the bend.”

I continue to be delighted by words—both spoken and written. It would be impossible for me to live a life, even in retirement, without exploring new ways to create using the power of words. I’m ready for a new adventure with the art of communication. And it’s now just up ahead.

I wonder what’s around the bend.

Improve self-discipline: Take care of your brain and harness willpower and shame

Life is filled with temptations. Food, alcohol, shopping, social media use, television viewing time, and more. We don’t always do such a great job of mastering these temptations. They can then have a negative effect on our life or turn into full-blown addictions.

The self-disciplined, though, can navigate this environment a little more easily. Using a portion control strategy, they’re able to limit calories, alcohol, spending, social media use, and television consumption.

But what if self-discipline is not one of your natural abilities?

Most experts agree that you can learn it.

Lack of discipline is one of those nature or nurture questions. Since self-discipline can be taught, it makes sense that environment plays a role—especially during childhood.

Interestingly, though, biology comes into play too. But even if lack of discipline is a personality trait and core to who you are, it doesn’t mean that you can’t move the needle in the desired direction to become a more productive individual.

For example, I’m an inherently shy person. I’ve learned, though, how to be less shy by putting myself outside of my comfort zone. Forcing myself to accept public speaking opportunities has helped as well as saying yes to as many social functions as possible. If introvert is one end of a range and extrovert on the other, I’m closer to the middle now.

The same is true with self-discipline, and there are techniques that can help those looking to improve that quality in their life. (NOTE: Always speak with a health care professional before implementing any diet, exercise, or lifestyle changes—especially those related to addiction or mental health issues.)

We’ve heard that it’s helpful to break a big but reasonable goal or project into smaller, more doable activities. One way for those wanting to improve self-discipline is to also delay gratification after those small victories until the larger goal is met.

The reason for this approach has to do with dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in the brain’s reward system. And it can be trained. To your benefit or detriment.

Healthy dopamine levels help us to resist impulses and to focus and work toward long-term goals. But too much immediate gratification throws our dopamine out of whack.

Often, but not always, the person lacking self-discipline has some type of immediate gratification problem or addictive-forming behavior that’s unrelated to the task at hand but helps to explain why they’re experiencing difficulties in accomplishing what they want to do.

Any type of frequent reward-centered or addictive-forming behavior will flood the brain with unnaturally high levels of dopamine. Too much dopamine over long periods of time make dopamine receptors less responsive. More of the harmful activity is needed in order to feel the same dopamine hit. At this stage, damaged dopamine receptors make it hard to resist impulses—to delay gratification found in the reward—in order to work at achieving a bigger goal or be industrious in other areas of life. It stifles self-discipline.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be a permanent state. Reducing or eliminating time spent with the reward or stimulant will eventually return dopamine to healthy levels. A return to being productive can happen.

In addition to identifying unhealthy habits that could be leading to a lack of self-discipline, there are supplementary behaviors that can help with dopamine. Eating foods high in magnesium and tyrosine (chicken, almonds, apples, green leafy vegetables, green tea, tomatoes, and turmeric), exercising, and spending time in nature all help to naturally regulate healthy levels of dopamine.

Next, for some, it’s better to stop hoping for the feeling of motivation to arrive. Sometimes we’re self-motivated and sometimes we’re not. Feeling motivated is just that. It’s a feeling.

Instead, put the word “willpower” into your vocabulary. Willpower more readily leads to action. Even if we don’t feel like doing something, we have enough willpower to complete the smaller chunk of the bigger goal we’re trying to accomplish. You might not be motivated to run a 26-mile marathon, but many times you have the willpower to walk 2.6 miles in a day. In ten days, you will have completed a marathon. If you’ve been living a very sedentary lifestyle and 2.6 miles per day seems like too much, walk 26 steps. The point is that you always have sufficient willpower to do something. That something will give you the confidence to do even more and put you on a journey to completing a larger goal.

And if you’re really struggling with willpower, think of the most productive person you know. The one that you catch yourself saying, “How does he or she accomplish so much?” Imagine what he or she would be doing in your place at that moment.

In the Christian world, there’s the saying, “What would Jesus do?” It’s a moral compass to guide actions. In the world of willpower ask yourself, “What would Mr. or Ms. Productive do?” He or she might forego the dessert or the extra glass of alcohol, put the credit card and smartphone away, or get off the couch.

There’s the saying that the fastest way to make yourself miserable is to compare yourself to someone else. But sometimes, comparisons are fair and healthy. A little self-inflicted shame can be useful at times.

It is possible to improve your self-discipline. Take care of your brain and harness willpower and shame.

They’re far better companions than the alternative—unachieved goals that are important to you.

President Trump, don’t forget about student loan interest

Since former President Joe Biden left office, nobody’s talking about student loan debt.

It’s still there. All $1.7 trillion of it. Over 40 million have student loan debt. That’s nearly one in six adult Americans.

It clicked into focus again when President Donald Trump announced his plans to make interest paid on a personal auto loan a deductible item on income taxes, as long as the vehicle is made in the United States.

It does beg the question, if interest on a personal auto loan can be deducted—why not allow the interest on student loans to be deducted?

The IRS currently allows for a student loan interest deduction of no more than $2,500, depending on your income and marital status.

It’s something. But the average student loan debt on a graduate degree is about $100,000 at roughly 7% interest. Much of the actual interest paid never hits a tax return.

Compare it with interest deductions taken by small businesses. While large corporations may face limitations, a small business can generally deduct interest paid on an operating note—without a cap on either interest paid or earnings made.

This is a good thing. Deductions for small businesses are needed. They create jobs.

But there are two parts to the equation of a successful small business. Employers create jobs. Qualified and educated individuals fill them.

For many entrepreneurs, starting a new business requires investing their life savings as well as taking out loans to get the enterprise off the ground. For many students, obtaining a college degree requires investing their savings as well as taking out loans to be able to make it to graduation day. Both entrepreneurs and graduates keep the economy humming, and many times both have taken out loans to help make that happen.

If a small business can deduct operating note interest expense, maybe it’s time to think about allowing graduates to deduct their operating note interest expense—their student loan interest.

There are many education choices, and student loans assist in all of them. Many of the trades—building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, etc.—still require a two-year degree. Four-year degrees are needed for white-collar positions in many professions. And advanced degrees—graduate and doctorate—are required for high-skill and knowledge occupations demanding licensing and certification.

Every year of education beyond the high school diploma gives employers more opportunities to hire skilled workers—people they need if their business is to survive and thrive.

And the distance between business owner and college graduate just got a little bit shorter. The Trump administration proposes to move student loans from the Department of Education to the Small Business Administration. Student loans and business loans will have more in common.

Give these graduates opportunities to deduct student loan interest without a cap and without an income limit.

This idea will receive pushback from some, particularly those who paid back student loans without a fair deduction for interest paid.

But that’s the thing about new policies. They’re new. With new starting dates.

When it’s new, it’s not historical. There are certain tax advantages that today’s businesses have, but which former businesses didn’t have the opportunity to enjoy. Auto loan interest was not a deductible item for millions of individuals who purchased multiple American-made vehicles over the years, but Trump’s agenda is calling for it to happen now.

And student loan interest has been paid for decades by others who didn’t receive full tax benefits for it, but a new policy could make fairer student loan interest deductions a reality for current debtors.

As for the suggested auto loan interest deduction, there are few details confirmed yet on how it would work. Will the amount of deductible interest be capped? Will the deduction be available only to those who itemize deductions on their income tax? (About 10% of taxpayers and typically wealthy individuals.) Will the standard deduction of $29,200 for married individuals filing jointly or $14,600 for single individuals be high enough that, for most, an auto loan interest deduction would have no effect on their income taxes?

There are real deductions and pretend deductions. Real deductions significantly help the taxpayer. Pretend deductions are lamely capped, punishing when tied to income, or only a dashed hope for most if lumped in with the standard deduction.

Trump recently made a comment that wealthy people understand deductions very well. Make the pursuit of wealth and the benefit of deductions open to all. Business owners. Degree owners. Auto owners. All want to strive for and enjoy the American dream.

By allowing for greater student loan interest deductions, it will bring that dream a little closer to the 40 million individuals who struggle with its burden. Even while their skills and knowledge continue to benefit our economy.

Efficiency is the American way, but some are against it

If you’re not a fan of efficiency, there’s something wrong with you. Or you’re hiding something.

That’s an easy thing for the average American to think and believe because we’ve been all in on the goal of increasing efficiency for decades.

Within the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Office of Productivity and Technology exists in order to measure how efficiently the U.S. converts inputs into the outputs of goods and services. As laborers, we are driven to be increasingly efficient.

The automobile industry produces, and consumers purchase, fuel-efficient vehicles. In 1975, The Energy Policy and Conservation Act required vehicles manufactured by 1978 to achieve 18 miles per gallon. In 2007, The Energy Independence and Security Act required average fuel economy for 2020 models to be at 35 miles per gallon. Since then, there’s been a great obsession with hybrid and electric vehicles. The government doesn’t just monitor efficiency, it mandates it.

Achieving efficiency has become part of our everyday home life, too. Modern washing machines were available by the 1940s, dishwashers by the 1950s, and microwaves by the 1960s. And, smartphones—used correctly—provide great efficiencies in managing our lives.

There have been plenty of “efficiency is good” messages over the years.

That’s why most are behind the efforts of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). According to Gallup reporting, “56% of U.S. adults agreed that the government is almost always wasteful and inefficient…that 58% of Americans are dissatisfied with the size and power of the federal government…seven in 10 Americans in 2019 agreed that businesses can do things more efficiently than the federal government…and Americans think at least half of all money spent by the federal government is wasted.”

Elon Musk, who is heading the efforts of DOGE, started with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and found: hundreds of millions of American taxpayer dollars funding irrigation canals, farming equipment and fertilizer to support poppy cultivation and heroin production in Afghanistan and likely benefiting the Taliban, millions to EcoHealth Alliance—which was involved in research at the Wuhan Lab, $6 million to fund tourism in Egypt, $2.5 million for electric vehicles for Vietnam, $2 million for sex changes and LGBT activism in Guatemala, and $1.5 million to advance DEI in Serbia’s workplaces.

The list is long and absurd. It’s easy to imagine USAID bureaucrats getting a pretty good laugh at the taxpayers’ expense. It’s almost as though these federal workers repeatedly outdid each other—just for fun—to find an even more ridiculous way to waste taxpayer money.

There are hundreds of federal agencies. This is only the beginning.

There’s just one problem.

Turns out that saving taxpayer money isn’t a bipartisan issue. Many Democratic lawmakers not only don’t want anything to do with it—they are intent on shutting down its operation.

It doesn’t make any sense. These people may have something to hide, which makes transparency even more important.

Three, ugly reasons can explain why some lawmakers desire secrecy.

They’re incompetent or lazy. In this scenario, nothing intentionally deceitful is going on. They’re just poor managers—either by intellect or choice. They either don’t possess good managerial and oversight skills or they choose not to use them. Either way, these lawmakers fail citizens by allowing free rein to bureaucracies and don’t belong in Congress.

They’re corrupt. If following the money leads to the discovery of any type of kickbacks to politicians, they’re not just lazy or incompetent fools—they’re unethical at best and criminals at worst. And although the wailing and gnashing of teeth is coming primarily from the Democratic party right now, it will not be surprising to find plenty of dishonest and corrupt Republicans as well. They all need to go.

They’re jealous. Partisanship is so rampant in the beltway that Democrats may not want to support a good and successful idea for the only reason that Republicans came up with it. That’s small-minded. With the number of big problems that need solving, it’s not a characteristic we can afford in Congress.

Of course, as voters, we’re not completely off the hook. We voted for these people, often over and over. Remember the ones who are fighting hard to stop your right for efficiency in government and boot them out of office at the next election.

It’s time for 300 million people to be respected again by Congress and federal bureaucrats—not laughed at by wasting their taxes in obscene ways.

Lazy, incompetent, corrupt, and jealous politicians and bureaucrats have enjoyed a costly run.

But the American taxpayer is in charge again.

What I learned after my first month of retirement

Something always works out. That was my lackadaisical attitude toward what life would look like after retirement.

Obviously, I’m not talking about the financial aspect. Numbers aren’t wishy-washy. They don’t lie. Financial planning, started early in your work years, dictates when you can financially afford to retire and what that economic lifestyle will look like.

Instead, I’m talking about the reality of not “punching a timeclock” anymore. And how those newly gained hours are spent.

This is where I’m perfectly fine winging it. It’s less about being unprepared and more about having the self-confidence to figure things out as I go. I have the ability to make an adjustment, if needed.

And so, I’ve been a blank canvas this past month. And this is what I learned.

For starters, there’s a difference between being deadline-driven and driven to be productive.

As a small business owner, I was hitting deadlines all the time—sending monthly statements to our charge account customers, completing payroll, filing all employment taxes on time, and even the simple deadline of keeping regular business hours.

That’s all gone.

However, there’s still a daily plan on how to make the retirement day productive and meaningful. Goals are still set on what I want to accomplish in the morning and in the afternoon. There’s just not a hard stop-deadline to it. Which means less stress. Which sure is nice.

Next, when you’ve been on the planet for six decades, you assume that you know yourself pretty well. But, in retirement, you learn new things about yourself.

My husband and I live in a large, old farmhouse. While raising our family and working, this old farmhouse did not receive the attention that it deserved. It was lower on the priority list.

I keep thinking about the movie, “Gran Torino,” and the character of Walt Kowalski played by Clint Eastwood. Kowalski is a (cranky) retired widower who ends up mentoring Thao, a troubled teenager in the neighborhood. Thao’s family insists that he work off a past transgression against Kowalski by offering to do home repair for him. In a classic Dirty Harry-style delivery, Kowalski snarls at the boy and makes it clear that a real man maintains his own property. Just one of the many life lessons he’d give the youth.

I’m pretty sure that a real woman can maintain her own property, as well. I’m not an electrician, plumber or carpenter. What I can do, though, is downsize and organize. And just general upkeep. My husband is quite handy at all trades. And there are several good contractors in the area. How we maintain our property may not look like the Kowalski way. But now that we’re retired, we have time to work on minor repair issues or to work with contractors if a project is just too big for us.

The desire to do a better job of taking care of my home is one of my “new things,” and it’s bringing unexpected contentment to my retirement days.

Lastly, I’ve learned that I don’t want to be a snowbird. Which is a surprise. Because during the work years, this topic would come up quite a bit with my fellow workers. “Just wait until we retire. We can get out of Iowa winters and spend them in Florida or Arizona!” It seemed to make perfect sense at the time.

My husband and I did immediately go on a one-week road trip to see a site that was on our bucket list. It was a great trip, but it was also great to come home again.

I guess I’ve figured out that my home isn’t someplace that I want or need to escape from for long periods of time. You can fly just about anywhere in the world, see what you want to see and experience what you want to experience, and still be home in seven or ten days. I’m good with that. While others may have a greater adventure bug, I lean toward being a homebody.

During one unusually warm and sunny late fall day, I put on my work boots, an old sweatshirt, and chore gloves. There were items to put away before the first snowfall, fallen twigs to discard from a recent windstorm, and flowerpots to empty and store. The sun cast a shadow on me and seeing my silhouette “work the land” gave me a sense of well-being. I feel a deep connection to my farm and home. It’s where I want to be.

There are lots of good things to discover about retirement, and each person will have his or her own list. Mainly, though, it’s a reward after a lifetime of work where you can continue to discover who you are as a person.

I’m looking forward to the second month of retirement.

Six ways to increase confidence in elections

President-elect Donald Trump lost the election in 2020 and won in 2024. Both election nights, though, brought the same sense of uneasiness to many Trump supporters. It wasn’t about the anticipation of who would be the victor, although each election was quite exciting. Election night is our Super Bowl of politics.

Rather, it was wondering if the election results would be fair, honest, and accurate.

There’s reason for concern.

At a Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Board of Elections meeting, Democratic Commissioner, Diane Ellis-Marseglia, blatantly—and without fear of consequences—stated that she would not adhere to state election laws and intended to count unlawful votes.

The Republican National Committee immediately responded. Having deployed 100,000 volunteers and attorneys across battleground states, it was ready for any shenanigans. It sometimes takes the threat of legal action to ensure a fair, honest, and accurate vote. That’s where we’re at.

In the future, there may be weariness in fighting so hard for the truth. We may not always have the fortitude to bring in thousands of lawyers during election season just to protect the vote.

There must be a better way.

Voters do not have confidence in the election process. According to a 2024 Gallup poll, only 28% of Republicans have faith in the accuracy of the vote.

Trump will have many fires to put out when he takes office in January—reducing inflation, securing the border, and de-escalating tensions around the globe and averting another world war.

But election integrity reforms need to be a high priority, as well.

There are six ways we can restore voter confidence in our elections.

Prosecute election officials who knowingly tamper with election results. It takes many good people to run an election. The vast majority are honest, and the system keeps them that way because at least one Democrat and Republican election official work together at the precinct level. And nobody wants to start punishing these individuals if an honest mistake is made. It’s hard enough to find people to fill these positions. But when interfering with elections is conclusively proven to be willful, legal action must be taken. There may be progressive Democrats and “Never Trumper” Republicans who think they’re saving democracy by distorting the vote. But their idea of saving democracy may not be as much fun if they know they will be publicly prosecuted for their misdeeds.
Make Election Day a national holiday. It’s become that important. Give citizens every opportunity and no excuse to get to the polls on Election Day.
Make absentee voting a rare occurrence. We will always have a need for some type of exceptions to voting in person on Election Day. Military serving overseas, those traveling on Election Day, the homebound and institutionalized, and essential workers—those working in the health care field or certain service industries who must still report to work on Election Day—must be given the opportunity to vote by absentee ballot. But keep the window to only four full weeks prior to the election. That’s more than enough time for these individuals to either vote in person at the county auditor’s office or to request a ballot by mail, receive it, vote, and return by mail so that it is received by Election Day. For everyone else, the expectation is to vote in person on Election Day—especially if the day becomes a national holiday.
Use paper ballots that are hand-counted. According to TDMS Research, other major democracies—such as Germany, Norway, Netherlands, France, Canada, Denmark, Italy, United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, and Finland—hand-count paper ballots in a publicly observable way. It’s not surprising that these countries have a far higher confidence in the honesty of their elections.
Require precinct election officials to post unofficial vote counts on the state’s Secretary of State website before leaving the precinct. After ballots are delivered to the county auditor, require the county auditor to submit confirmed and official vote counts by precinct to the Secretary of State website in a timely manner. Also, submit county data for the absentee ballot results. Maintain these three data sets online. Store county absentee ballots and precinct ballots separately, in the event a recount is needed.
Lastly, to state the obvious, only adult citizens providing voter identification can be allowed to choose our governing leaders.

Prosecute bad actors, make Election Day a national holiday, make absentee voting a rare occurrence, use paper ballots only, post results immediately, and keep non-citizens from voting.

By doing this, election night will continue to be exciting without that sense of uneasiness.

We’re a bit of a sports-crazed nation, and so we understand that sometimes our team wins and sometimes it loses. We just want a fair competition.

Then—just like sports enthusiasts—voters can accept the results more easily and move forward.

Biden-Harris administration created inflation. Now Harris wants to fix with price controls

Nobody likes a price-gouger. The challenge is to correctly identify one.

When a hurricane or tornado sweeps through an area, and the current inventory of building supplies suddenly becomes 50% higher—it’s price gouging. Americans pride themselves on being self-sufficient and prepared for whatever may come their way. But nobody stocks lumber, siding, windows, and shingles in their garage just in case they must deal with a natural disaster. Building suppliers are well aware of this and may take advantage of the emergency. It’s the reason why many states have some type of consumer protection laws.

In 2018, the average resale price of a concert ticket for the Taylor Swift Reputation Stadium Tour was $157. The average resale ticket price of her current Eras Tour is $3,801. That’s more than a 2,000% increase. It’s not price gouging, though, because it’s not an emergency to see Swift perform live on stage. Rather, it’s classic supply and demand. Swift has reached superstar status. She has many devoted fans and relatively few concert venues.

Let’s talk groceries. They’ve gone up 20% under the Biden-Harris administration. If Vice President Kamala Harris wins the 2024 presidential election, she plans to fix that with a federal ban on price gouging on groceries.

Grocery stores have an average net profit of a thin 1.6%. Prices are high right now because of inflation. Inflation is high because of the current administration’s policies of unnecessarily flooding an already recovering economy with trillions of new dollars. People temporarily had more money and greater purchasing power. More goods flew off the shelves. Fewer goods remained. Prices rose for those fewer goods.

It’s classic supply and demand. Caused by inflation. Caused by the Biden-Harris administration.

Harris’ planned meddling with grocery store prices may force grocers to take a loss on some items and could cause stores to fail.

The top four grocery providers in this country make up 50% of all grocery sales. They are Walmart, Inc., The Kroger Company, Costco Wholesale Corporation, and Albertsons. If Harris’ planned price controls go into effect, the next thing that may happen is that “too big to fail” grocery chains could receive government bailout money. It’s not that big of a reach and wouldn’t be the first time that the government bailed out a struggling industry.

The grocery store business is a $1 trillion industry. Trillion—no small number—seems to be the favorite giveaway of this administration. The American Rescue Plan cost $1.9 trillion. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act cost $1.2 trillion. It’s estimated that the Inflation Reduction Act will cost about $1 trillion.

The Biden-Harris team flooded the economy with trillions of (taxpayer) dollars which created inflation. Inflation created higher grocery prices paid by consumers (taxpayers). Harris’ plan to implement price controls may create store closures and maybe even a government (taxpayer) bailout of too big to fail grocery chains.

Fiscally concerned taxpayers want off this merry-go-round, and they keep good company.

Milton Friedman, a former Nobel Prize winner for excellence in economics and author of, “Capitalism and Freedom,” stated, “Price controls, whether legal or voluntary, if effectively enforced would eventually lead to the destruction of the free enterprise system and its replacement by a centrally controlled system. And it would not even be effective in preventing inflation. History offers ample evidence that what determines the average level of prices and wages is the amount of money in the economy and not the greediness of businessmen or of workers.”

Jason Furman, a top economist in the Obama administration, concurs, “This is not sensible policy, and I think the biggest hope is that it ends up being a lot of rhetoric and no reality. There is no upside here, and there is some downside,”

And Michael Strain, director of economic policy studies at The American Enterprise Institute, adds that the state laws are typically triggered by specific emergencies and limited to certain goods for a limited amount of time. “That’s just very different than empowering Linda Kahn and the Federal Trade Commission to determine prices in a much less targeted, time-limited, or restrictive manner.”

Our parents taught us that two wrongs don’t make a right. The Biden-Harris administration caused inflation. Price controls will not fix it.

Sometimes high prices are caused by price gouging during times of natural disasters or other emergencies. We have state laws for that.

Other times, high prices are caused by inflation—the product of poor policy making.

We have elections for that.

Harris wants to be the first female president of the United States while also gutting benefits and protections for female athletes

“Masculine” is the new favorite word of mainstream media to describe Gov. Tim Walz, vice president candidate, and Doug Emhoff, spouse of current vice president and now presidential candidate, Kamala Harris. MSNBC, CNN, Time Magazine, People, and NPR have all babbled about it. Headlines from the Washington Post and The New York Times include, “Doug Emhoff, Modern-Day Sex Symbol,” and “Tim Walz’s Superpower.”

Meanwhile, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson cannot give a definition for “woman.” On this, liberal media outlets give a pass.

It’s a bit of a disconnect.

But now that these media establishments opened the door on what it means to be a man, we can finally talk about what it means to be a woman.

History was made when Harris ascended to the office of Vice President of the United States. It was the first time a woman secured that position. Now she’s running for president. If she wins, she will again make history as the first woman to do so.

Make no mistake, mainstream media will go on and on about it. Not because of her human being qualities, but because she’s a woman. It tells us that, in the political world, a person’s sex is important.

If obsessing and focusing on the sex of those running for the highest office in the land is appropriate, it seems sensible to think about it in other arenas.

Like sports. Just like in the political world, a person’s sex is an important piece of the conversation in the sports world. It means something.

But the Biden-Harris administration wants it to mean less. It is actively trying to change Title IX protections for girls and women—legislation that created equal high school and college sports participation opportunities for the female sex.

The original text of “Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972” states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance…”

Clear and straight-forward language.

The Biden-Harris administration wants to muddy that language and redefine sex by adding the words, “gender identity.” New text reads, “A recipient institution that receives Department funds must operate its education program or activity in a nondiscriminatory manner free of discrimination based on sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity.” In other words, a man who identifies as a woman would be able to compete with women in college and high school sports, share locker rooms and showers with women, have access to female bathrooms, and strip women of scholarship opportunities.

Men are physically stronger and faster than women. This is not a statement of weakness. It’s truth-telling. It’s Biology 101. When men who identify as women compete with women in sports, women will lose. The 1972 law prevented this from happening. Because of the current administration’s meddling with Title IX, women will be denied benefits and protections that this law once provided.

It’s unfair and unjust.

The Pew Research Center conducted a survey in 2022 on the 50^th anniversary of Title IX. Unsurprisingly, a majority stated that competing in sports had a positive impact on their health, confidence, and self-esteem. The next generation of female athletes deserve to discover the good things that come from fairly competing in sports, too. It might even help develop leadership skills that will take them all the way to the White House.

Certainly, all people can benefit from competing in sports—including transgender people—but it cannot come at the expense of female athletes. Perhaps a third division is needed where men who identify as women can compete with other men who identify as women.

In high school and college athletics, too many women are losing to men identifying as women. It sure seems like a no-brainer to address and remedy this situation.

People make mistakes. Wise people learn from them. If wisdom is a necessary trait for the presidency, Harris must show she has it by reversing her call to redefine sex to include gender identity in Title IX.

Harris wants to be known as the first female president of the United States while also gutting Title IX benefits and protections for female athletes.

There’s no way to connect the dots on that one.

Help stomp out cancer through Relay for Life

A cancer survivor once said that every day for 364 days a year, she tells herself, “Today, I don’t have cancer.” And she lives the entire day with the freedom that thought brings. She works, spends time with family and friends, and laughs. She makes plans. Those kinds of days are quite liberating to someone who has been through a surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, powerful medications, experimental drugs, or all of it.

The reset takes courage.

And then there’s Day 365—the checkup appointment. The worry that she successfully stuffed away all year emerges again. But a good report brings relief. And she again looks forward to the next 364 days.

It’s on this day, especially, that we’re in solidarity with her. Perhaps we’ve never had to grapple with a cancer diagnosis. And we’ve lived life with much freedom this year, and the years before it. But we know there’s no guarantee of being cancer-free for our entire lives. Just like cancer survivors on checkup days, we’re hopeful for continued good health.

Good reports are on the rise in the crusade to cure cancer.

The American Cancer Society confirms this in its 2024 report. Although the cancer incidence rate has slowly increased, the cancer death rate has declined by about another 2% over the last ten years.

More people are being diagnosed with cancer. Fewer are dying from it. Cancer is throwing more at us, but we’re better at effectively treating it. This is especially true when considering the early years of cancer treatment. The five-year survival rate of all cancers in the 1960s was about 30%. Now, it’s nearly 70%.

Even without all these statistics, we can see the truth in increased cancer survival rates in our own communities. We all know someone who received a devastating diagnosis, only to come through it with restored health.

Lifestyle choices and early screenings help. For the most part, we can choose to engage in healthy habits and to complete early detection screenings that are available to us. However, these two things—although extremely helpful—do not stop or cure all cancers.

Cancer is a clever disease that can only be outsmarted by research. For most of us, it’s a little too late to choose cancer research as a career choice. Fortunately, many others have answered that call.

The American Cancer Society supports these research doctors with funding. It is currently providing nearly a half billion in grants to study and help eradicate these cancers: blood, brain, breast, cervical, colon, head and neck, kidney, lung, melanoma, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, sarcoma (soft tissue) and childhood cancers. It provides another $43 million in research dollars to study other cancers not listed here.

Money does make the world go round, after all.

This is one of those times that, individually, our actions have little impact. But by pooling our time and resources together, we can attack the awful history of cancer and rewrite the odds.

That’s where the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life comes in. Just as a relay team has four members competing in a race, Relay for Life has four components that thread together in its quest to beat cancer. At each event, a community comes together to: celebrate cancer survivors, acknowledge the important role of caregivers, honor and remember loved ones, and accept free-will donations that will go on to fund critical research.

Cancer is a formidable enemy. But there are over 2,000 Relay for Life events held throughout the country every year, and its participants are equally determined.

There are many good causes to support. Sometimes, we wonder if we’re really making a difference.

This effort, though, is working. Survival rates continue to climb.

But we won’t cross the finish line until a cancer cure for all is made possible.

Attend your community’s Relay for Life and help stomp out cancer.

Chickasaw County, Iowa, Relay for Life

Sponsored by:

Lawler Lions Club Relay for Life Committee

& New Hampton Relay for Life Committee

This year held at:

Highland Park (Hwy 24), Lawler, Iowa

Sun., Aug. 4^th, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Live Music – Bring a lawn chair.

Food Available

$10 Luminaries Available

Throughout the event: Short reflections from three individuals who’ve journeyed with cancer.

All proceeds go toward the American Cancer Society.

Additional Event Benefiting the American Cancer Society

4 Person Best Ball Golf Tournament, Sponsored by Lawler Lions Club

Jackson Heights Golf Course

Fri., Aug. 2^nd,10:00 a.m. Shotgun Start

$200 per team plus cart rental.

Free-will lunch provided.

Contact Laurie at 319-240-9300 or Mary at 641-210-9871 for more information.

Consistently support small businesses

During Tom Brady’s epic Patriots Hall of Fame speech, the greatest-of-all-time quarterback stated that you didn’t have to be special to be successful. He listed other more meaningful traits such as being determined and being willing to put in the work.

But the first adjective he used was “consistent.” Brady noted that being consistent is something most people aren’t, and it’s an impediment to success.

Consistency, doing something over and over again, might sound boring. But as the hall of famer noted, it’s a game changer.

What’s interesting is that the idea of consistency works on both sides of the success equation. Professional athletes and their fans need each other. Football fans consistently supported Brady because of the level of excellence he brought to the game. The idea can be applied to a small business, too. It must bring its “A” game every day, but it still relies on consumers to consistently choose its product or service.

Unfortunately, sports and business don’t always work the same way.

According to Investment Property Exchange Services (IPX1031), a leading business and real estate exchange company, 81% of consumers would like to give more dollars to small businesses but can’t pass up the convenience of big-box retailers. The result is that only one in five support small businesses often or consistently.

There are good intentions. And then there is what we really do.

Small business owners deeply appreciate their regular customers. I understand that gratitude first-hand. I just retired and closed a local, independent repair shop that had operated for the past 17 years. Every oil change, mount and balance, alignment, and vehicle repair was all appreciated, but it meant more when it was coming from a regular. My small business had a good run but now that its run is over, it feels more important than ever to reach out and support other small businesses.

Again, there are two sides to this relationship. First, small businesses must provide quality services and products in order to earn your business. Then, consumers might consider if their needs can be met by local establishments before heading straight toward big-box retailers or other corporate conglomerates.

Challenge yourself to not let a week go by without spending your dollars in at least one small business. Once you start looking for them, they’re pretty easy to find.

The Center for Rural Affairs makes some of these recommendations: Seek out local farmers markets. They’re a great place to find fresh produce and you’ll be supporting small farmers. Independent bookstores will keep all the hot titles on their shelves but often carry local or regional authors as well. Craft breweries keep dollars in the hands of local owners. Main street clothing boutiques offer unique buys that are also affordable. Home goods and décor shops will typically feature the products of local artisans and crafters. Mom and pop restaurants and bars depend on local traffic to keep their doors open. And smaller service-oriented businesses can sometimes offer faster service than larger, regional companies.

According to the Chamber of Commerce, small businesses account for about 64% of all new jobs created in a year. That’s a lot of families who are counting on you. As you’re reading this, have you visited a small business yet this week? If not, consider getting to one. And the next week after that. And the next.

Small businesses have a failure rate of 50% within the first five years. There are many reasons why a business may fail that quickly. One thing that will always help is consistent consumer support.

Turns out you can’t be a great quarterback without consistency. And you can’t expect small businesses to thrive without consistent consumer dollars either.