Des Moines Register

Dick Galloway never wanted to tear down those atheist-sponsored signs on metro buses. He wanted to answer them.

I support health-care reform that will give the consumer options and real competition in the insurance market. The top five health-insurance providers in the United States made $80 billion in profits in 2008.

The Oct. 31 editorial about the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act raises some important questions, but does not offer an alternative to solve the urgent problem of long-term care financing.

The Register’s Oct. 31 editorial on the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act provisions of health-reform bills rightly points out that long-term care is an important issue that must be fully examined in the health-care reform debate.

Michael Zuckerman claims Iowa’s English-only law "has shut the electoral door on many of its citizens by prohibiting the secretary of state from handing out non-English voter registration forms." This Oct. 29 guest commentary in the Register was merely another attempt to give illegal immigrants the right to vote. This is the exclusive right of legal citizens.

The caption over Michael Zuckerman’s column in the Oct. 29 Register, said, "English-Only on Election Day Blocks Basic Right To Vote." How can that be?

If you lose your job and your former employer disputes your claim for unemployment benefits, the state will conduct a fact-finding hearing that is confidential. But if the decision is appealed, the information goes to a hearing before an administrative law judge - and your case becomes public.

I wonder how many Iowans think about the origins of the blue crabs, oysters or striped bass they may eat in a Des Moines restaurant. I, originating from within the ballpark of the Chesapeake Bay, have thought about this often. It all came back to me when I read of the oyster-shucking contest in an Oct. 9 Register article.

Most people remember a favorite educator who inspired them, but it’s likely every student, parent and colleague who knew Jan Drees felt that way about her.

On a recent airplane flight, my seatmate learned I work at a college, and he began grumbling about the high cost of higher education. "Look around your neck!" I wanted to snap, noticing his Bose headphones.

A grand total of 1,078 high school students will perform later this month at the 63rd annual All-State Music Festival in Ames.

Tom Quiner’s analogy of government intervention on auto insurance is severely flawed. Auto insurers do not insure repairs, only accidents. Consumers buy new cars all the time.

Besides "getting revenge for 9/11," can anyone tell me why we’re in Afghanistan?

When the Iowa Department of Public Safety determines which troopers to lay off to comply with budget cuts, I nominate Michael Current, who shot and killed his Elkhart neighbor’s Labrador retriever ("Worried Iowa Trooper Kills Neighbor’s Dog," Nov. 3).

Fox News is complaining about the White House "declaring war" on its news team. The White House merely observed what is obvious to any intelligent observer: Fox News is about as fair and balanced in its coverage of current events as a Bobby Knight review of the referees after a game he had just lost.

I note that President Barack Obama has lifted the immigration ban against people with AIDS/HIV.

The author of "Be Realistic in Mideast Negotiations." (Oct. 27 letter) is perhaps unaware that our government criticized and voted against approval of the Goldstone Gaza War Report by the U.N. Human Rights Council. The United States recognized that the Goldstone Report is unfair to Israel and lenient with Hamas - which it identifies as a terrorist group.

I just read the Oct. 26 Register article about Des Moines trying to charge Randy Thompson, a local man who fixes faded headlights, for placing his signs around town - resulting in thousands of dollars in fines if he is convicted. The charges are extremely unfair, preposterous even.

I was a big fan of Paul Harvey, especially his "The Rest of the Story" segment. Here is a contribution for the rest of a story in regard to Max D. Isaacson’s Oct. 26 letter to the editor. He pointed out that a person purchasing an electric golf cart could get a tax credit.

Last summer, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined who should receive the H1N1 vaccine when it became available - including who should be given highest priority if there were limited doses. They made their decisions based on studies that found older people were less likely than younger people to be infected. And state and local health agencies use the federal government’s recommendations to dole out shots and nasal mist.