Democrats could bring back local control

Reading Adam Sullivan’s column of July 25, “Are Iowa Democrats tired of losing yet?,” you might wonder, “Why elect any of them?”

I believe he largely answers his own question in his last paragraph, when he says Democrats could at least nominate someone who believes in something besides not being a Republican. You might well think that’s enough, given the GOP’s performance over the past years. Well, unless you’re a fan of useless wars, cozying up to dictators while alienating virtually all of our allies and killing thousands of Americans because an ignorant president downplays the seriousness of a pandemic and foments an insurrection trying to get his fanatical followers to illegally overturn an election.

On the state side, having Democrats in power might mean a return to the local control that Republicans once espoused. Maybe your local school board could once again run its system to fit its situation. Hopefully, we’d have representatives who would actually make voting easier, ensure women’s rights and stop loosening the state’s already ridiculous gun laws. Maybe your county commissioners would have a say in whether or not another large confined animal operation is in the best interest of the county’s citizens.

A change in representatives could bring a government that governs, rather than rules.

Jerry Chilton

Cedar Rapids