Returning to my home in Iowa from a recent trip to my hometown of Iron Mountain, as I crossed the Mississippi River into Iowa, I noticed the welcome billboard with the latest state slogan, “Freedom to Flourish.” It gave me pause. Ultimately, it made me sad as I thought about it — Freedom for WHOM to flourish? Given our and other state’s recent history of stripping our freedoms and ever-increasing government involvement in and restrictions on our choices and everyday life, who exactly has the FREEDOM to FLOURISH? NOT the following people and institutions: NOT women, NOT immigrants, NOT LGBTQ+, NOT all religions, NOT the homeless, NOT those with disabilities, NOT public schools, NOT libraries — the list is long and incomplete …

Please vote thoughtfully and with consideration for returning FREEDOMS to ALL Americans, so we may all FLOURISH.