Trump and Reynolds gave us a false choice

As the Gazette ran dual articles on Christmas highlighting national and local crises of food security, employment and eviction, one must wonder: what is our government doing to help citizens in need?

When the pandemic first reached the U.S., Republican leaders like Donald Trump and Kim Reynolds painted a false dichotomy between public health and the economy. They argued that basic measures to control the virus, such as mask and social distancing mandates, were not worth the economic toll.

More than half a year later, we now see clearly that public health and the economy do go hand in hand: our country's failed response to the pandemic has lead to job losses and bread lines not seen since the Great Depression. Rather than take responsibility, our leaders in Congress bicker over pork barrel spending while Gov. Kim Reynolds sits idly on the state's reserve accounts.

When will we hold our leaders accountable for this generational failure?

Peter Mosher

Iowa City