Governor, Legislature ignore rising cancer rates

Iowa has the second highest cancer incidence in the country and is the only state in which rates are rising. Might this have anything to do with toxic fertilizers and weed killers being dumped in our water, leeching into our produce and permeating our air? Maybe the Iowa Legislature and our governor should look into regulating these toxins. But of course, they won’t because they don’t care about real threats to our health and welfare, instead, they are focusing on the imaginary dangers of ideologies that differ from theirs.

Their paranoia has resulted in the creation of segregated schools at taxpayer expense so their children do not have to rub shoulders with anyone different from them. They are banning books and persecuting teachers and librarians who might see value in reading books other than what they read. They continue to think of ways to bully LGBTQ children, punish pregnant women, and prosecute physicians who support women’s and LGBTQ health care.

The goal of the governor and her posse in the legislature appears to be the creation of the most right wing, conservative, restrictive society in the country that punishes anyone who sees things differently than they do. Meanwhile, Iowans are getting diagnosed with cancer at an alarming rate.

Barbara Hannon

Cedar Rapids