On November 18, staff and residents at Vera French Pine Knoll, a residential facility for individuals with chronic mental illness, were notified that the Iowa Department of Human Services has proposed that residential facilities (regardless of the number of beds) will not be eligible to receive any Habilitation funds (federal Medicaid funds) after January 1, 2016. Without these funds, Pine Knoll will no longer be able to provide vital services to meet the needs of the residents. The current residents (currently more than 40 individuals) would have to relocate to other facilities or programs in or outside of the Davenport community. Due to the significant lack of residential placements for individuals with mental illness, these individuals will most likely be placed in the community, and may be subjected to a lack of necessary care and services. By placing an individual with mental illness at an inappropriate level of care, it can increase the possibility of hospitalization, homelessness, or incarceration, all of which potentially cost more than the current cost of allowing these individuals to remain in their "home" - which is Vera French Pine Knoll.

In less than a month and a half, more than 40 individuals - some of whom have not lived in the community for some time - will be forced out of their current home and mandated to seek alternative mental-health services. This extremely short notice does not provide enough time to relocate current residents to appropriate care settings. Therefore, these changes to Medicaid rules should not be applied. Currently, there is a lack of openings in community-based mental-health services in Davenport and throughout the state due to the limited number of mental-health providers. It is extremely important to note: The state of Iowa ranks 44th out of 50 states in the nation for mental-health provider availability. It is my belief that these immediate and significant changes are unethical and inhumane when there is already a dire lack of services. How would you feel if your loved one, diagnosed with a mental illness such as schizophrenia, was doing very well in their "home" - working, interacting with others - and they were told that in approximately 45 days they would be moving, possibly to a location quite far from their current home? They would have to quit their job and would lose all local social connections and support.

You may ask: "What can I do?" We all can have an impact on this issue, which can significantly impact individuals within our community. I urge you to advocate for individuals with mental illness in Iowa. You can make written comments on or before December 1 as follows:

• Write to Harry Rossander, Bureau of Policy Coordination, Department of Human Services, Hoover State Office Building, 5th Floor, 1305 E. Walnut St., Des Moines IA 50319-0114.

• Fax comments to (515)281-4980.

• E-mail policyanalysis@dhs.state.ia.us.

You are also welcome to attend a public hearing at the Scott County Administration Building Boardroom at 600 West Fourth Street in Davenport on Wednesday, December 2, from 1 to 3 p.m. to share your concerns.

For more information on this legislation, you can refer to "DHS Notice of Intended Action, ARC 2242C, items 24 and 25": https://rules.iowa.gov/Notice/Details/2242C and https://www.legis.iowa.gov/publications/search/document?fq=id:491097&q=habilitation#441.77.25

As Ghandi says, we all need to "be the change we wish to see in the world." I'm urging you to take action. Mental illness impacts one in four individuals; it may not be impacting you personally, but is likely impacting a coworker, neighbor, or friend.

Ashley Adams
Davenport

Which state has the highest taxes in the Midwest? Not Illinois, that's for sure.

The Illinois Policy Institute is claiming otherwise, citing "new research." But that research was actually based on tax collections from Fiscal Year 2013, when the Illinois state income-tax rate was 5 percent. Today - in Fiscal Year 2016, more than two years later - the state income tax rate has dropped to 3.75 percent. So if you look at tax collections in the first six months of this year, under the new rate, Illinois' state tax collections come out to $1,597 per person - more than $60 lower than Wisconsin's $1,661. That's just a fact.

Beyond that basic inaccuracy, that letter simply ignored some fundamental facts about state taxes - the first being that comparing state tax burdens is like trying to compare apples and mashed potatoes.

Take Indiana. Its income-tax rate is a flat 3.3 percent - which looks pretty good next to Illinois, right? But in Indiana, almost every county imposes its own income tax - which can range up to almost 3 percent, for a total income tax rate of 6.3 percent. That's a whopping 68 percent higher than Illinois!

And while it's true that people in Illinois pay more in income taxes, per person, than people in Missouri, there's a very good reason for that: We make more money. The average per-capita income in Illinois is $29,666 - above the national average, and substantially higher than the Missouri per-capita income of $25,649. So if you want to move to Missouri and pay less, remember that's because you're likely to make less.

Then there's the huge issue of comparing Illinois' regressive flat income-tax rate with our neighboring states' progressive rates. In Wisconsin, people in the highest income bracket pay a top rate of 7.65 percent. Iowans pay almost 9 percent on taxable income over $68,000. And people in Minnesota pay a hefty 9.85 percent on taxable income of $154,951 and above.

Here's the real point: When you start cherry-picking statistics on state tax rates, you can prove just about anything you want. The real task is figuring out the best, fairest way for a state government to raise the revenues necessary to pay for the services that its people demand. And you can't develop smart, effective tax policy based on a misleading, simplistic, and out-of-date chart.

But if you could, I'd choose one from the Tax Foundation (that same place the Illinois Policy Institute cited) that ranked the combined state and local tax burden in every state. Illinois comes in at number 13 - compared with Wisconsin, which had the fifth-highest tax burden in the nation.

Elizabeth Austin, Vice President for Policy & Communications
Innovation Illinois

I don't know how many public officials or candidates have ridden the Davenport buses recently, but they should. I did recently and learned a lot while talking with the drivers and the riders. More was learned when discussing the problems with other Davenport citizens who don't take the bus.

If we want to make Davenport thrive, improvements must be made. I've already begun working on a public-private partnership for heated bus shelters. However, the hours and days have to be expanded. Some people haven't taken jobs because of the limited transportation. I know some ministers who'd be happy to see new faces at the services. Meanwhile, stores and entertainment centers would see a boost in sales, and Davenport would see more revenue from sales taxes.

Nearly 5,000 people ride daily. That is a lot of commercial activity.

We know the City of Davenport wants to attract young professionals and has steadily been improving the downtown area partly with that intent.

There are great minds in this city. Let's use them to find solutions. We have the money if we use financial resources smartly. Perhaps Scott County and Rock Island County can team up for a regional transportation authority.

We need a public transportation system that will take people from where they live to where they work and where they want to spend time. The bottom line is that we have a good system now, but we can and must make it better.

Bob Babcock
Davenport

Upon reading your article "What Next for the Blues Fest?", here are my thoughts:

First, in the early years, the Blues Fest mainly booked local and area acts. Many good musicians rehearsed for hours to give excellent performances for very small compensation. There was no admission at the gate, the festival bands pleased the crowds, and, thanks to selfless musicians and organizers such as Jason Stuart (now of Cobalt Blue), the thrill was definitely there.

Then the fest grew, and many more-expensive national acts were booked, thus replacing most of the local acts. At some point, a local band pretty much had to win an Iowa Blues Challenge to be accepted as a Blues Fest act. Most of the good performance times (later in the day) were given to the national acts. Featuring more local blues musicians and bands would definitely be in alignment with the Mississippi Valley Blues Society's charter of fostering education and keeping the blues alive. So why not book more local acts, but pay them better for their efforts and support?

It is never wise to spend more than you are bringing in. So why not scale back? Make the fest a day shorter until it builds. Many excellent and supportive local musicians that have been edged out of the festival could be resentful. It may not be easy to win back their support and participation, but it's worth a try. Let's begin by hiring and even honoring local musicians such as Jason Stuart who helped build the Mississippi Valley Blues Fest.

Every article I've read concentrates on the negative effects of weather, flooding, and lax fundraising. Yes, these are important, but as restructuring of the fest occurs, others factors need to be considered.

The thrill may be gone, but just for now.

Larry Huntley
Local Blues Fest participant and fan of the blues

Just a few words to express my enjoyment of Ms. McCarthy's recent article. I couldn't agree more with what was said. My only regret is being not sure what to do about it. While Ms. McCarthy has pushed in the past for people being more involved with the political process and learning more about what's going on, I can also see where time commitments for work and family severely limit many for participating as much as they would like or could like. The economy is not anywhere near as good as some would think. I feel we're financially suppressed on purpose to make it that much harder to watch over our interests in government. My only suggestion would be to stop watching political ads and the news and start looking for alternative parties and candidates. I know this is not always easy, but I believe the vote is the only real recourse citizens have to promote real change. And that will change when and if they go to an all-digital voting system. Hackers are getting into everywhere. It's all but impossible to keep them out. Our elections will be become completely meaningless.

I could go on and on, so don't get me started ... . Or maybe it should be that more people should get started.

Thanks again for being at least one honest source of information.

Terry Hansen

After reading your article about Iowa's gas tax, I thought of one thing the article never mentioned. If the tax shortfall is bad now, it will get even worse as electric cars such as the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf gain in popularity. I feel that the owners of these vehicles are cheating the state, as well as those who own gasoline-powered vehicles.

Instead of tax breaks, electric-vehicle owners should pay a surcharge on their registration. This way, everybody will pay their fair share of maintaining the infrastructure, as I have done with every car I've owned since 1972.

Pete Hess
Davenport

Like most people, I was stunned to hear about the Edward Snowden incident and PRISM. That whole story was like an upside-down Escher painting. Snowden eventually immigrated to one of the most totalitarian, repressive nations on the planet. Isn't that just the craziest thing?

The disclosure of federal eavesdropping was a revelation that certainly grabbed our attention. Just think: At this very moment my every keystroke is being monitored. And if I get a phone call the NSA might find out that Maria wants to get back together again, but just for tonight.

Seriously? I could give a damn about Big Brother. The government can read my mail for all I care. The Snowden affair was compelling news, yes, but the only people who should really be concerned are terrorists and drug dealers. Possibly the governor of Illinois.

Open Letter to the Scott County Board of Supervisors:

Recently you decided to delay the public hearing on the request by Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) to build a fertilizer-manufacturing facility in close proximity to Walcott from August 2 to August 28. The reason given for the change of date was to give OCI more time to produce a full presentation and to arrange for more company officials to attend the hearing. This is very accommodating of you.

How much time will OCI be given for this presentation - half an hour, a whole hour? Conversely, how much time will individual citizens be allowed to speak - two, possibly five minutes? Will the citizens of Scott County be given an extra four weeks, as OCI has, to make a studied rebuttal to its presentation? This would only be fair.

After the resignation of the Reverend Keith Ratliff as the president of the Iowa/Nebraska Conference of the NAACP, which followed the National Board's decision to support gay marriage as a civil right, I have been asked by several members of the media if I intend to stay on as education chair for the Iowa/Nebraska Conference of the NAACP.

I do not mean to diminish the issue, but over the past few years, the advocates of marriage equality and the opponents of same-sex marriage have, through their actions, asserted this is the only issue that matters.

Period.

As education chair of the Iowa/Nebraska conference of the NAACP and as a former director of the Des Moines School Board, I have witnessed Iowa's academic crisis, especially the urban academic crisis, worsen to a near state of emergency. Yet, most Iowans remain ignorant of the important data and proposed solutions to these solvable problems while the body politic and the media refuse to report, and at times, even acknowledge the severity of this crisis.

Congress passed and in December the president signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes indefinite detention of U.S. citizens without due process.

Upon quick inspection, it violates the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The Founders must be screaming from their graves.

Iowa Senator Charles Grassley voted for it.

Federal court Judge Katherine Forrest issued a preliminary injunction that bars the government from enforcing section 1021 of the NDAA's "Homeland Battlefield" provisions that permits indefinite military detention of U.S. citizens.

At his Eldridge town-hall meeting, I asked the senator if he was aware that a federal judge overturned a portion of legislation he just voted for.

He was not.

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