2014 » Page 2 of 8 » Lynda Waddington

17Nov 2014 by Lynda Waddington

Property tax breaks on the backs of ballplayers?

Gazette Column

The squeeze is on, and it might be a home run. Or not. The petition placed online by Iowa City Girls Softball sounds the alarm. “The property tax reform passed by the state legislation in 2013 could cost Iowa City $37 million to $52 million in lost property tax revenue over the next decade,” the petition reads. “The City Council has charged our Parks & Recreation Department to come up with a cost recovery effort that will supplement this lost revenue. Currently, the Parks and Recreation Department is seeking approximately $25,000 a year from Iowa City Girls Softball. We need your support to tell the City Council and the Director of Parks & Recreation not to charge ICGS for our use of Napoleon Park. ICGS cannot operate a sustainable organization and be a revenue…

16Nov 2014 by Lynda Waddington

FBI latest gov agency to use press

Gazette Column

When the videotape of journalist Daniel Pearl’s brutal murder was released in 2002, it was handed to an undercover FBI operative posing as a journalist. The move was ironic because Pearl’s captors originally said they believed the Wall Street Journal editor was actually a CIA agent. Weeks before Pearl became a hostage, Editor & Publisher speculated on the risky and widespread use of journalist “covers” overseas, after Taliban defectors said they were approached by intelligence officers in Afghanistan pretending to be journalists. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a total of 1,082 media members have been killed since 1992 (the first year statistics were kept). Of those killed, 715 were murdered, a quarter of them in the Middle East and mostly in Iraq since 2003. Long before these statistics, however, if we are to…

10Nov 2014 by Lynda Waddington

It’s a privilege to invoke racism

Gazette Column

Something ugly has happened in Eastern Iowa. Cornell College’s Black Awareness Cultural Organization (BACO) has been hosting a weeklong awareness campaign on individual differences. The campaign, called Privilege Week, was intended to unite the student body and community, but has endured racist comments on social media and vandalism of promotional materials. Some continue to believe discussions of privilege are designed diminish personal achievement or amount to little more shaming of those who have historically benefited from privilege. The idea that some members of society have additional roadblocks along a path to success is, of course, a reality we understand. But many of us are also raised to believe that “good” choices result in “good” outcomes, and that everyone has the same opportunities to make choices. The latter is not always true and…

09Nov 2014 by Lynda Waddington

Time for a clearer message

Gazette Column

Voters like to pride themselves on sending messages through the ballot box and, most of the time, such messages are easily received and understood. Just ask Todd Akin or Anthony Weiner. But when voters send murky or mixed messages, prevailing voters have the added responsibility of clearly articulating their wishes. This needs to happen in Johnson County. In the fall of 2012, the spring of 2013 and now, again, in the most recent general election, a majority of Johnson County voters have told officials to go ahead with plans related to the historic courthouse. Officials have twice had a majority say a new jail and courthouse addition should be constructed. On Tuesday, an even larger majority gave their blessing to a sole courthouse annex. The path forward should be clear,…

03Nov 2014 by Lynda Waddington

Looking ahead as election craziness nears end

Gazette Column

Rejoice, fellow Iowans. We’ve outlived the seemingly never-ending stream of political nastiness that attempted to hijack our lives — not to mention our mailboxes, streetscapes, televisions, Web browsers and radios. If you, like me, have found shelter from the murky deluge in books and podcasts, now is the time to roll back the rock and re-enter the world anew. Fair warning: We’ve missed the best of the fall colors, and it’s quite a bit colder out there. No matter who garners the most votes on Tuesday, the candidate signs will soon come down or be covered by snow. And, much to the abject joy of our Opinion Team, letter writers will consider fresh topics. Television ads will once again offer clear pictures of people’s faces and soundtracks less suited to…

02Nov 2014 by Lynda Waddington

‘Sit down, shut up’ is no strategy

Gazette Column

I’m fairly sure Southern heritage has me genetically predisposed to scrappiness. I love a good debate and have sometimes purposefully taken on the role of Devil’s Advocate just to stir the pot and increase discussion. In fact, I used to carry a handmade sign, “my dog urinates on the carpet,” which I used to gain access to a variety of demonstrations. It’s amazing how many people never read the sign of the person next to them, and what they’ll divulge to a stranger. What I’ve learned during these excursions is people don’t generally stand up because they have nothing else to be doing. They are there because they feel some deep-seated connection to an issue or want to bring added awareness. Their motivations are born of a certain level of…

27Oct 2014 by Lynda Waddington

Think LOST stinks? Hold your nose, blame lawmakers.

Gazette Column

No one wants to pay more taxes, but sometimes it really is the best of the bad options. When Johnson County voters flip their ballots this November, they’ll be asked if they are willing to increase sales tax by a penny for each dollar spent. If your gut instinct is similar to mine, the pencil will immediately gravitate toward the “no” oval. Sales taxes are among the most regressive rate options for revenue generation. Because they are levied at a flat rate, and because spending as a share of income falls as income rises, sales taxes inevitably take a larger share of income from low- and middle-income families than they take from those in higher income brackets. In other words, all saved income is exempt, while all spent income is…

26Oct 2014 by Lynda Waddington

Questions piling up for Joni Ernst

Gazette Column

Joni Ernst seems to be disrespecting quite a few folks. You may have read in our U.S. Senate endorsement that Ernst, Republican candidate for the office, “failed to make time in her schedule” to meet with the Editorial Board at The Gazette. But while Ernst staffers merely strung us along, never agreeing to a meeting time or openly refusing the invitation, we learned Thursday morning Ernst reneged on her promise to The Des Moines Register. She also snubbed The Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, the Quad-City Times and the CBS television affiliate in Sioux City. Even more await an answer. She did meet with the board of the Sioux City Journal and, according to Bloomberg Politics reporter David Weigel, the Omaha, Neb. World-Herald as well. I’ve not heard chatter from the Nebraska interview, but there was noise…

20Oct 2014 by Lynda Waddington

Voter ID still bad for the masses

Gazette Column

Some folks didn’t take kindly to my calling voter ID laws a scam in last Sunday’s column. So, in their honor, this week I’d like to add a few more words. Let’s start with “racket” and “fraud.” The necessity of early deadlines for physically printed content, and the 24-hour news cycle combined with Internet availability, often means that a Sunday column, written Thursday or Friday, will not contain information from the days in between. This was the case for my column last week, when I discussed a GAO report on the stifling impacts of voter ID laws. After the column was completed, a federal decision was made on Wisconsin’s voter ID laws. The U.S. Supreme Court ruling was especially interesting because its earlier dissent was written by 7th Circuit Judge Richard Posner, a Ronald Reagan…

19Oct 2014 by Lynda Waddington

Get some skin in the game

Gazette Column

How’s cynicism working out for you? Perhaps it is ill timing that during 2014 election mega millions racing across televisions, radios, computer screens and roadsides, I’m hoping Eastern Iowans are willing to set aside cynicism and work for the betterment of all. Yet, apathy has significantly stained our communities, and hasn’t resulted in positive outcomes. In few places is this more apparent than in our justice system. In Johnson County, however, there is an organization attempting to turn the tide. But, without your help and your neighbor’s help, prospects are diminished. [caption id="attachment_1579" align="alignleft" width="500"] Opening remarks at a community discussion on racial disparities in youth systems were delivered by Sara Barron, co-chairwoman of the Johnson County Disproportionate Minority Contact Committee, at the Coralville Public Library on Wednesday, Oct. 15,…