Welcome to 20-20.  We have a new year to mess up!  We like new beginnings.  We envision the opportunities that await us.  We see a bright, shiny road  ahead of us leading into the future.  For now at least we can put aside the anxiety  and insecurity that has crept into our lives in recent years.  Technology has accelerated the uneasy feeling that everything that matters is … [Read more...]

Occasionally, something really good appears on social media. Here’s a letter to the editor that recently appeared on Facebook attributed to Steve Garrington of Davenport, as he described his thoughts on the pilot of a plane he was on. He described watching the pilot enter the cockpit and thinking to himself how odd it seemed to be putting his life in the hands of someone he … [Read more...]

Here’s a basic truth about people who make decisions on public policy: they rarely have all the facts they want. Over the years, I’ve sat in countless meetings in which, after we’d reached a sticking point, someone said in exasperation, “Well, what are the facts?” We’d all look around the room because, no matter how much information was already on the table, a key fact that … [Read more...]

In the September 16, 2019, issue of the Fillmore County Journal, I wrote a commentary titled “One Moment, Please... A population crisis.” In that commentary, I said, “We need to work more diligently to sell our communities as the best place to live and raise a family.” I talked about how we need to promote what we have to offer in order to grow our population.  We have … [Read more...]

So I got some more feedback on my last column, a column where I asked you, the reader, why we aren’t working less hours with better healthcare and more time for leisure despite massive improvements in technology and productivity... and some folks seemed to think that meant I wished I was rich instead, even trying to pull out the Bible to shame me into accepting that nothing … [Read more...]

Much of human behavior is petty4; the most powerful person in the world tweeting nasty things about a 16-year-old environmentalist. Some of it is nonsensical; believing in an imaginary friend with magical powers. Some of it is disconnected from reality; denying the evidence of climate destruction.  I believe in freedom of speech and religion and I would defend anyone’s right … [Read more...]

Every year, our award-winning newspaper team seeks to create more interactive experiences for our readers.  We want to provide more value for our readers and participating businesses. We have members of our team attending newspaper conferences and coming back with ideas.  Our challenge is always committing the time and energy to implement something new into our already busy … [Read more...]