Letter of the day: Who made Iowa the king (or queen) maker?

Last update: September 27, 2007 - 7:53 PM

Please help me understand something. Our country is allowing the following state to determine the two parties' presidential front runner:

• A state with 1 percent of the population, which is 91 percent white (not including Hispanics) compared to 67 percent nationally.

• A state with 89 percent of its land classified as farmland.

• A state whose population will be shrinking by 2030.

• A state with five U.S. representatives.

• A state that is below the national average of college graduates with a bachelor's degree or higher (21 percent vs. 24 percent).

• A state with its No. 1 industry as agriculture.

The state is Iowa.

How did we get here?

BARB DAVIES, BURNSVILLE

Recent Letters stories

Readers Write for Monday, Sept. 28 - September 27, 2007

Readers Write for Monday, Sept. 28 - As the health care reform debate has brought to light the many egregious practices of the health insurance industry, one would think Congress -- the supposed protector of the public welfare -- would have shut it down. Nope. Sen. Max Baucus' latest offering continues to center on the health insurance industry, which, after all, spent $263.4 million (from premiums we paid) January through June to insure that each legislator had six lobbyists dancing in attendance. More

Comment on this story | Be the first to comment | Hide reader comments

New ideas for the public sector

THERE'S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME to create a more efficient Minnesota. Facing large budget deficits at the state, county and local levels, Minnesotans are seeing with new clarity that the public sector must adapt to new economic realities. Only the smartest, most strategic reinvention will ensure that our tax dollars are spent on the best programs and services. Read more

About Opinion Exchange

Opinion Exchange is produced by the Editorial Department, which is dedicated to hosting the discussion on a range of issues of interest to Star Tribune readers online and in print. In its new format, it's our hope that Opinion Exhange will create a more dynamic dialogue between Star Tribune readers and the Editorial Board. Many individual posts will be written and signed by members of the Editorial Board and will reflect their own opinions. Daily editorials will continue to represent the institutional voice of the newspaper and be researched and written by the Editorial Department, which is independent of the newsroom.

Subscribe to RSS|Learn more about RSS