The benefits of a $30 million conservation bond

The benefits of a $30 million conservation bond

Voters in Johnson County need to be aware that one of the most important votes they cast this fall will be on the back of the ballot for the Johnson County $30 million Conservation Bond . The money from the bond would be used for acquiring public access land to help protect water quality, air quality, and natural areas. The estimated cost to a homeowner would be $7.09 per $100,000 of assessed value.

The prior bond approved in 2008 resulted in the purchase of 1,177 acres of public access land and the construction of 9.2 miles of hard surface trails throughout Johnson County. A trail user can now go from Iowa City to Mehaffey Bridge completely on trail and from Iowa City to west of Tiffin. One of the plans with some of the proposed $30 million bond money is to continue the trail from Tiffin to Kent Park, near Oxford and to connect the Solon trail to Mehaffey Bridge.

Whether you vote early starting Wednesday, Oct. 16 at the auditor’s office or you vote on election day, Nov. 5, please flip over your ballot and vote YES for the Johnson County Conservation Bond.

Sincerely,

James Trepka

Iowa City

Welcome to Iowa

If you want to live in a state with the acrid stench of manure from brutal animal confinement factories wafting across fields into your homes and your children’s lungs, then come to Iowa. If you want to fish in polluted waterways and encourage your children and dog to swim there, too, come to Iowa.

If you want rules over who you can love and who you can’t, come to Iowa. If you enjoy having reproductive rules forced upon you, then by all means, come to Iowa.

If you want your personal income taxes to support private religious schools built to brainwash the minds of children with intolerance of others beliefs and views, with fake science, and a manipulated view of history, then come to Iowa.

And if you love being represented by repressive right-wing politicians who dwell deep in the pockets of big corporations and who have made all the above possible, then by all means, come to good ole Iowa.

You betcha, I would love to move away, farther up north, I’d say. But I’m too old to go, so here I stay. Amidst the acrid stench, putrid waters, and morbid moral decay.

Mary McBee

Tama

Ask your candidates how they plan to address climate change

There are so many issues for Iowans to consider as we decide which candidates to vote for. Though human-caused climate change may not be at the top of your list of concerns, it is critically connected to the concerns on the top of most people's lists − concerns like the economy, immigration and national security.

The money taxpayers are spending dealing with fires, floods, drought and the health effects of extreme heat are taking a bigger and bigger bite out of our pocketbooks. People in the southwest are coming into emergency rooms with severe burns from hot sidewalks!

The movement of people living in equatorial regions to more temperate places is an ongoing crisis in Europe; this massive migration is one cause of worldwide political instability, and is one of the driving forces causing the U.S.'s own immigrant crisis at our southern border.

So when you ask a candidate's views on the economy, immigration or national security, ask them what their plan is to address human-caused climate change, and keep their answer in mind when you vote!

Sincerely,

Peter Rolnick

Iowa City

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: The benefits of a $30 million conservation bond