Readers sound off on Iowa issues: July 14, 2026
Farmer woes:
“I wanted to share a frustrating and heartbreaking story that shows the reality of what Iowa farmers are going through right now. The owners of Garden of Paradise (a local organic farm) just posted a devastating video update. Their hard work was completely wiped out by neighboring pesticide drift. You can watch their firsthand account here.
This hits incredibly close to home. Even though I live in Waukee, my family eats organic fruits and vegetables. When a local grower’s entire livelihood is destroyed like this, it stops being just a farming issue—it becomes a personal problem for Iowa consumers who want clean, local food. As the farmers say in the video, ‘the only thing that’s going to change this is legislation.’
I know the Starting Line covers the real issues affecting everyday Iowans, and I think your readers need to see this story so we can start demanding accountability from our state legislators.” — Heather U., Waukee [NOTE: Thanks for the tip! I’ll feature the farmer, Shad, in a video this week.]
Iowa egg company price fixing case:
“Yeah I hate people who take advantage of situations.” — Charlotte R.
Who’s got a plan?
“Is either Gov candidate offering a real fix 2 federal healthcare cuts? Interesting to hear what’s going down with clashes among the labor unions and against the Dems in CA, but more interesting that there doesn’t seem to be any real plan for an Iowa fix to the federal healthcare cuts, or have I missed something? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-next-the-shakedown-artist-behind-cas-billionaire-tax/id75089978?i=1000775608003” — Dirk F.
How your pets fare on the Fourth:
“Fireworks are annoying to our kitties.” — Len G.
Zach Lahn a Kansas native:
“Click heels 3 times.” — John K.
“I’d vote for Kermit the frog before I’d vote for any Democrat…” — Mark L.
“Fuck you people I am a proud REPUBLICAN SO GO TO HELL. YOUR KIND IS WHY YOU WILL NEVER SEE A DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT AGAIN. GROW UP” — Sandra W.
What rightwing media is telling them about us:
“Take your anti America and stuff it—take me off our email list.” — Linda A.
“Why are [redacted] asking me for money? If your house were on fire, I wouldn’t walk a cross the street to piss on it. How bout you send me some of the money you have stolen from me so you could [redacted]? Typical liberal, always want to fund your useless causes with someone else’s money. CRAWL BACK INTO YOUR HOLE! [NOTE: Larry sent another email a couple days later:] Move to North Korea and live out your dream life and leave Iowans alone. Politically you seem clueless, idealistic, and beyond any hope of any kind of redemption.” — Larry S.
“So, you are a commie. You may want to read ‘Man is Wolf to Man.’ A little Russian history would help your perspective. Then [Mao]’s ‘Little Red Book’ — a great starter for killing 20 million+ of your countrymen. As you may have guessed, I am confused on how you thought it was ok to send me your tripe; however, now that I know your organization, I will be more aware.” — Gregg L.
Newsletter feedback:
“Yet you are out of New York.” — Andrea R. [NOTE: That’s the address for our company, COURIER, at the very bottom of each email. Iowa Starting Line staff lives all around Iowa. I’m in Waterloo!]
“This appears to be no more than a dem blog. Is that true?” — Stan H. [NOTE: Here’s Iowa Starting Line’s history, from our founder, Pat Rynard.]
“Please cancel my account immediately. Not sure where it got started anyway … I’m afraid this may have been started as a scam.” — Marilyn B. [NOTE: BRB, gonna ask Pat if this was all a long con….]
“This is [redacted]. Why are you sending me your idiotic information? Go color your hair and figure out which bathroom you are supposed to go in” — Chris V.
“Get your head out of you Gash.” — Rex M.
“How about you send me $26” — berkkan03
“I had that anti-war poster during Vietnam. I belonged to the group ‘Another Mother for Peace.’ My generation lost so many to that war. Now I have 4 Grandsons. War scares me…still.” — Mary R., Des Moines
Books you’re reading:
“Wanted to tell you about [two more] books I checked out from Carnegie-Stout:
‘Presidential Seclusion: The Power of Camp David‘ by Charles Ferguson is an outstanding look at the vacation getaway for our Commander in Chiefs. Ferguson was the Camp’s chaplain and historian for over three years and the stories he shares taught me countless things from how it originated during FDR’s administration to how much each following President liked and used it. Truman thought it had too many trees but the camp grew on him. Ronald Reagan visited almost every weekend. You all have heard of Air Force One. Well, I learned that during George W. Bush’s administration there was was a Golf Cart One roaming around Camp David. That made me happy. In the introduction, Ferguson mentioned this was his first book almost as if he was apologizing for his inexperience. It was silly of Charles to worry about as he is a gifted writer and this book deserves all the attention it receives.
“Honestly, I checked out ‘Black Out Loud:The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to ’90s Sitcoms‘ by Geoff Bennett because I wanted to take four books home. I wasn’t sure how much this white guy from Iowa could relate to the subject matter. But I now appreciate it as one of the best books on the entertainment industry I’ve ever read. Absolutely incredible.
I learned so much. From how black comedians from 100 years ago were expected to perform in blackface (Jesus Christ) to the roads performers such as Redd Foxx and Dick Gregory had to take to stardom to Flip Wilson and Bill Cosby having groundbreaking television shows to the megastars who were Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy to the popularity of 1990s shows such as ‘In Living Color.’ Bennett has been blessed with incredible writing talent and presents the good and bad in every performer personally and their highs and lows professionally. This white boy from Iowa is grateful to have read this book.”
