Clean water, human dignity, and the duty to protect our neighbors

This year I broke down and bought a Reverse Osmosis system. I'm a single mom, and don't have a lot of extra money, but given our growing cancer rates, I wanted my son and I to have clean, nitrate and PFAS-free drinking water.

I have a duty to keep my family safe from chemicals in the water. I also believe my Rep. Mariannette Miller- Meeks has a duty to keep Iowans safe by looking out for our health and well-being, not wealthy special interests.

Her track record this year tells a different story. She failed to stand up to corporations willing to contaminate our waters by voting for the PERMIT (to pollute) Act.

Additionally, I'm surprised at her complacency as ICE is deployed to kidnap and disappear people who have broken no laws and are our neighbors, friends, and fellow humans.

Finally, regular health care and access to it is a no-brainer. Yet before leaving Washington, Miller-Meeks led the charge on a health care bill that does nothing to address ACA premium tax credits, raises costs for lower income people, and undermines protections for preexisting conditions.

This holiday season, Rep. Miller-Meeks reminds me more of Scrooge than anything else.

Melissa Silver

Iowa City