The governor has repeatedly made statements attempting to show human interest in Iowans, but her actions show otherwise. More than 2,000 Iowa nursing home residents have died from Covid, even more have been infected and now must deal with long-term effects that continue to threaten their lives.

The governor called these deaths “unfortunate”, apparently the best response she could come up with while doing little to protect these vulnerable and defenseless citizens. She has continually failed to ensure that enough testing is being done, and enough data is being published so the public can shape their behavior and responses appropriately. She has deliberately failed to fill the empty seats of the Iowa Board of Health blocking them from carrying out intelligent and educated health/safety precautions for the whole state.

After allowing the pandemic to wipe out as many elderly dependents as possible she then took the political step of impeding the voting rights of the elderly, the disabled and anyone who has mobility challenges in getting to the polls. I guess we should be grateful that she didn’t hand out infected blankets like early American colonists in their attempt to wipe out the local natives — a lesson that would be highlighted in her new curriculum, which denies the teaching of racism’s debilitating effects on our society.

This governor would rather schools spent time target shooting than teaching social studies. And though she claims, “children are our greatest asset,” her refusal to allow districts to protect their children and teachers from a deadly disease has made them her next target for political gain. Again, she is refusing to protect the most vulnerable and least defensive members of our society.

Several Iowa counties have recently passed ordinances to become “sanctuary counties” — not to provide a safe place for human lives, but to protect the gun owners. We live in a state that is more committed to protecting weapons than children and without the necessary funding to make schools a safe place from disease or bullets, parents are having to make the hard decision to either keep their kids in school or keep them safe at home.

Since the governor has offered up the public school funding so her supporters can send their children to any school of choice, perhaps these tax dollars should also be available to each parent who chooses their keep their children home to protect their health and safety.

As a former high school teacher, I saw students leave the state, then return later to raise their families. My advice today: Run for your lives! You might be her next target as the only thing that truly matters to this governor is her campaign supporters. Her lack of attention to the seriousness of Covid illustrates her willingness to put politics before the lives of Iowans.  Covid has become her weapon of choice to control, dictate and depoliticize those who oppose her plans for future election to what — governor, vice president, senate?

Jeanine Redlinger

Lone Tree, Iowa