Remember the role of Fathers

 Sunday is Father's Day. 

I am not a father, so feel free to dismiss my opinion as something I don't know. 

However, I had a father. I miss him dearly every day. 

I have several friends who are fathers. I am a man. There are other people's children I have cared for in my life. I think those facts should get my foot in the door to comment on the way fathers and males are looked at these days. 

In an ideal world, as God intended, every child would have a mother and a father. 

This is not in any way an attack on single-parent homes or any other non-traditional parent/child dynamic. As long as you love the child you're bringing up, and treat them right, I'm good. 

But, regardless of these, there is still a role for fathers and their role has too often been discounted by society as of late. 

I recently attended a Marion County quarterly connect meeting about child care. This is not an attack on organizer Carla Eysink, but it was concerning that all but maybe four of us out of around 30 attendants were male. 

Fathers have just as significant a role in a child's life as any mother. Or, at least they should be. Child care is as much their responsibility as a mother's. 

That did not seem to be reflected at this meeting, led by a group of taxpayer-funded "experts" who seemed to have forgotten that fact as well. Most discussion was geared toward what a struggle it can be for moms. 

There may not have been any intentional dismissal of dads. They likely do work with more moms than dads, but it seems like if we should be funding anything as taxpayers - regarding parenting - it should be promoting more nuclear families. 

Or, at the very least, encouraging more males who make babies to truly be fathers. 

If there is to be a discussion about child care, its accessibility, costs, etc., let's bring all parents in on it. While it is traditional for the man to go to work to provide for the family, while the mom stays at home, that is not - and should not - always be the case. 

Children are supposed to be the responsibility of two parents. If there's going to be an Iowa Women's Foundation geared at helping females deal with these issues, there should be one for men as well. 

Fathers can struggle with these costs. Fathers may be looking for answers regarding the safety of their children while they fulfill other duties. 

Reinforcing the idea that dads should be equally as loving, equally as responsible for the financial and emotional support of a child should be something we do as a society. After all, the basic building block of society is the family and we should keep as many families with a mom and dad in a functional, healthy relationship, together as possible. 

It's not just about dads loving their children, but a reminder that children should be seen by men as just as much a blessing as women see them. Of course there is a responsibility for a man who creates a baby, he should be accountable, but we should focus on educating these young men - who don't realize it - that a child is much more than a financial obligation, or something you can leave with your baby mama and forget about. 

America needs strong fathers, just as much as it needs strong mothers. 

As a childless man, it saddens me that I haven't had the chance to do all those "dad" things so many others have taken for granted, or just thrown away. 

Feel grateful for your children and be proud of being a dad. If you're fortunate enough to still have him, be thankful for every single moment you get to spend with him. 

Take care of yourself and thank you for reading. 

Differing opinions at Knoxville School Board meeting

Note: I wrote this for www.marioncountytribune.com, but the site is having difficulties. Thought I'd share here, as I haven't for a while. 

Knoxville School Board President Marty Duffy called for a special meeting to be held at 6 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 2. Board Vice President Larissa Van Donselaar was unable to attend, due to a previously planned vacation. Cheri Gerdes expressed her disapproval of the way the meeting was called.

“As a board member, I wasn’t consulted at all about this time or this date,” Gerdes said. Neither were board members Dave Smith or Larry Scott. “Give me a few more extra days to rearrange my schedule.” She added that, for the subject of the meeting, every board member should be at the table.

That subject was the climate and culture of the school buildings. Duffy was led to believe that building administrators have not been accessible, due to too many meetings. He opened the board’s discussion by saying that there should be no more meetings – including those for professional development. Iowa law requires schools to provide professional development for teachers.

Moreover, Duffy was concerned that teachers – especially older teachers – do not feel valued. He gave building principals five questions to ask their staffs and report back on responses in February.

“Education today is enormously stressful. If we don’t take care of ourselves, no one else is going to,” Duffy said. Apparently, the board as a whole had not discussed climate and culture prior to this meeting.

“We have not chatted about this,” Gerdes said. “The board has not discussed this at all.”

Duffy said he did not realize the board room would have so many people in attendance. He just wanted to have a talk with administrators. The board president added that he intended to be punitive with his opening monologue and that he wanted to ensure that the atmosphere in which school employees work and Knoxville children learn was the best it could be.

Gerdes said that begins at the top, where the board of elected representatives for the district sit. If the climate is not right, it’s the board’s fault.

“I think you should be worried about us,” Gerdes said. “We’re a team, Marty.”

Duffy opened the floor to discussion. Northstar Elementary Principal John Keitges said he believes the climate and culture in his building is great.

“Culture and climate, I think, is tremendous,” Keitges said. He went on to say that meetings are held to discuss ways to improve learning, explore opportunities for collaboration and discuss concerns teachers may have about students. There are bad things that can happen at Northstar on a daily basis, and there are limits to how the staff can handle it. Meetings also allow staff to share frustrations and work them out. But overall, Keitges said, “I have zero concerns for culture and climate.”

Gerdes added that, since being notified about the meeting (Iowa law requires at least 24 hours’ public notice.) she had spoken with members of the community, including students. She heard no negative feedback regarding the climate and culture of the school buildings.

“If there’s any indication, the children are happy shows we must be doing something right,” Gerdes said.

Upon receiving the agenda for the meeting, the Tribune reached out to Knoxville Education Association (teachers’ union) spokesman Matt Heston. When asked if those in the union, and the bargaining unit overall, were happy, Heston replied, “The KEA is encouraged that the board is talking with the administrators about climate and culture within our schools.” He did not specify what changes he would like to see. Not all teachers are members of the KEA. As Iowa is a right-to-work state, union membership is not required to be part of the bargaining unit covered by KEA’s negotiations with the board.

Heston was also in attendance at the meeting. When the discussion turned to the possibility of a survey being distributed to gauge the climate and culture of the buildings, Heston said he hears the negative. He also believes that the most honest survey results would come from anonymity. Staff may fear reprisal if they express opinions unpopular with administrators and the board.

“My perception on the whole is that things seem to be going in the right direction,” Scott, a former teacher, said. “Things are going kind of like the way I’d like to see it go.” He added that there are a “few rough spots” that should be addressed.

One concern Smith mentioned was a lack of “space” at West Elementary. When children have an outburst, it can make others in the room uncomfortable. Smith, another former teacher, echoed the opinion that older teachers do not feel valued.

“As an older teacher, they tend to speak out more,” Smith said. “For that reason, I think they get targeted.” He believes the frustration is widespread, about “three-quarters”.

Business Manager Craig Mobley said that 57 percent of teachers in the district are in the bottom lane of the salary schedule. The organization of the salary schedule puts certified staff in different lanes, based upon their level of education. Each year, their loyalty and longevity are rewarded with pay increases. Teachers who work in Knoxville longer are paid more. Discussion turned whether or not the board should search for more teachers with Master’s degrees. Superintendent Cassi Pearson reported that the average number of years current teachers have worked in Knoxville is 13.

Duffy had stated earlier in the meeting that Pearson had told him a firm could handle a survey for $10,000. Pearson clarified by saying that a district in which she had worked previously spent around that sum several years ago. Costs may vary.

“I’m sick to death of paying professionals when we have professionals,” Scott said.

Duffy said he just wanted to start the conversation. He wants things to improve to better serve children with special needs.

Following the meeting, Keitges said he believes in his building – and the district – children’s needs are always first, followed by the system and then the staff. At Northstar, there is a strong culture with a staff that values professional development because they are lifelong learners.

“I think it is a small number of staff that don’t like their job on a daily basis,” Keitges said. He admits everyone has bad days. He sees his role as one to guide and trust them to do what’s best while providing appropriate support.

The Tribune will have a separate story regarding how the district handles challenging children, including the restrictions placed upon teachers by the Iowa Legislature.

The ten worst Presidents

President's Day was earlier this week, and I put up a Facebook post, offering up my ten favorite and my ten least favorite Presidents in the history of our magnificent country.

An old friend of mine from high school, challenged me to expound on my reasons for my rankings in a blog post. It sounded like a good idea, so here we go. I have to keep these pithy to (hopefully) hold your interest. 

Here are my least favorite, with 10 being slightly less intolerable to the utter worst President in the history of the United States. 

10. Harry S. Truman - First of all, he fell into the role after the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. I am bothered by the fact he gave the order to drop the nukes on Japan. Yes, it helped end World War II, but he still nuked a country. It couldn't have been an easy decision and chances are anyone in his position would have done the same thing at the time. But I also take exception with his decision to nuke Japan, while choosing to only contain the Soviet Union and usher in the Cold War. That, and he was a big supporter of big government regulations. 

9. Jimmy Carter - Mr. One-Term, worst American economy, gas pump line and energy crisis personified. He was just an utter failure as President, though I have much respect for Carter as a man and all of the work he has done for Habitat For Humanity and other charities. 

8. William Howard Taft - I don't like the fact he was one of the first to use his power to prop up foreign nations. He was big on propping up Latin America and tariffs. 

7. Andrew Johnson - Johnson took over when Abe Lincoln was killed. Lincoln recognized the need for freedom for everyone, which is one of the many reasons he went through with the Civil War. However, Lincoln also knew that the North and South needed each other to be the more perfect union America was intended to be. Therefore, I believe had he not been killed, he would have worked to bring the South back into the fold without the vindictiveness Johnson showed. That, and Johnson was the first President to be impeached. 

6. John Quincy Adams - This is perhaps the earliest example of the swamp we know today. I have a great deal of respect for his opposition to slavery, but clearly he was also one of the first career politicians and one who benefited from his father's legacy. That, and his contested election tainted his presidency. 

5. Bill Clinton - Another impeached President. As disgraceful as his presidency was, full of accusations of sexual misconduct and other accusations regarding how he got to where he was, it is what he has done after he got out of office that really bothers me. The Clinton Foundation, in my opinion, is corrupt and was intended as nothing more than a money launderer for making Bill and Hillary richer while selling favors from the top levels of the United States government. 

4. Franklin Delano Roosevelt - The New Deal and his three terms in office are both as anti-American as one can imagine. I don't like his radical ideas of socialism and wealth redistribution that both parties seem to embrace today. His thought that government can solve all of the country's woes just emboldened those who don't appreciate America's fundamental values of freedom, capitalism and independence. 

3. Woodrow Wilson - The original progressive who wanted to thoroughly expand government into every aspect of American lives. He did lead the country through World War I and signed the act of Congress that gave women the right to vote (which he opposed women's suffrage for many years prior to that until it became more popular in his party) but he also formed the League of Nations - a predecessor to the disastrous United Nations of today - the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Reserve. Both put America on a path to an economy weakened by regulations and devalued currency. 

2. Lyndon Johnson - Not only was the man a big racist, but he also oversaw the creation of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. These three unsustainable programs have become a massive burden to taxpayers and health providers, while providing very little relief and support to those who utilize them. Restrictions placed on patients who are enrolled in these government health care programs provide added inconvenience to those who are already struggling. Providers are not fully reimbursed for the true costs of their services utilized by patients on these programs either. None of these messes would have been created without the man who took over for the assassinated John F. Kennedy.

1. Barack Obama - Obama is the worst President this country has ever known. I could write a few posts explaining my reasons, but I'll give you the wide view. First off, he doubled our nations debt in eight years. The media gave him a pass at every would-be scandal, including attempts to undermine the Second Amendment by smuggling guns to Mexico through Fast and Furious, delivering billions of dollars in cash to Iran in the dead of night, failing to stand behind the youth of Iran when they revolted against the Mullahs who rule that country, his close relationship to Russia, his Marxist viewpoint, his devotion to a minister who uttered the phrase "GD America", his work to skirt American law by willingly allowing his Secretary of State to use an unsecured server, Obamacare...I could go on, but you get the point. He was a terrible President, I'm glad much of his legacy has been erased and I wish him the best in his true aspirations of a career in Hollywood.

Part two of this, in which I explain my choices for the best Presidents ever, will be coming soon. 

Take care of yourself and thank you for reading. 

Dad, watch my heartbeat

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller recently had a surrogate announce that he would not defend the state's "fetal heartbeat law", signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds. In the letter, signed by Solicitor General Jeffrey S. Thompson, it is stated:

"Pursuant to Iowa Code section 13.3, Attorney General Tom Miller has

disqualified himself from representing the state in litigation challenging the recently

enacted Senate File 359, the fetal heartbeat bill. The disqualification is based on the

Attorney General's determination that he could not zealously assert the state's position

because of his core belief that the statute, if upheld, would undermine rights and

protections for women."

This was not always Miller's stance. In 1990, he sought the Democratic nomination for Governor, to challenge incumbent Terry Branstad. 

According to a May 28, 1990, New York Times story, the fact that Miller was then pro-life was a cause of concern for Iowa Democrats. 

"The National Abortion Rights Action League has jumped into the Iowa governor's race with a vengeance, vowing to defeat Attorney General Tom Miller, one of three major candidates for the Democratic nomination and the only one who opposes abortion," wrote Robin Toner. 

During that gubernatorial primary, Miller was facing banker John Chrystal and then-Speaker of the House Don Avenson. Both of these men had professed their support for "a woman's right to abortion." 

The Abortion Rights Action League endorsed Avenson, who went on to secure the party's nomination. Avenson lost to Branstad in the general election. 

Ever since this loss, Miller has changed his tune on abortion and has aligned with his party to be "pro-choice". Miller is also up for reelection in November. If reelected, it will be for his 10th non-consecutive term in office. I don't know if his change of heart will impact anyone's vote, but I just wanted to let you know. 

Iowa law requires the Attorney General to offer a qualified alternative if he or she is disqualified from defending the state in a case. Miller has endorsed the Thomas More Society to fulfill this role. 

This law firm has previously offered its services to defend the law pro bono. Chuck Hurley, with the Family Leader , told me that the firm sent a letter to Rep. Steve King's office indicating that it would be willing to fight for this law, all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Martin Tannen is the lead attorney on this case, someone whom Hurley deems "a trustworthy guy." 

While Iowa's new abortion restrictions have reignited the embers of a fire that will likely never be fully extinguished, it serves as a good time to have an open discussion about abortion. 

Years ago, I wrote a column saying there are three people who should be represented in the discussion of any abortion. Obviously, the mother, the unborn child and the father. The argument for paternal rights has not always been strongly presented. 

Dara Purvis wrote in a 2015 Penn State Law article that discussed this issue. It stemmed from the new topic of IVF and embryos, and whether or not men who donated sperm to them had any rights to it. Purvis writes that many of the legal arguments for fathers' rights have stemmed from a man trying to have dominion over a woman. 

"The (Supreme) Court has never ignored or rejected male expectational parental interests altogether.
Second, abortion decisions make clear that the pregnant woman’s bodily autonomy is the dispositive
concern in an abortion decision, and trumps any expectational father’s claims," Purvis wrote.

She went on to write that, "In 2005, an NYU professor published an op-ed in the New York Times
arguing that '[i]f a father is willing to legally commit to raising a child with no help from the mother he should be able to obtain an injunction against the abortion of the fetus he helped create,' but immediately faced vehement public criticism.25 In the 2009-10 legislative session, about a dozen Ohio state legislators sponsored a bill that required a doctor to secure written informed consent from the father of a fetus before terminating a woman’s pregnancy, making the first violation a misdemeanor and subsequent violations felonies. The bill, however, never progressed out of committee."

So, do fathers matter?

In Hurley's opinion, the worldview that led to the Roe vs. Wade decision was very anti-man. He believes the whole abortion mentality is very feminist and not too concerned about men.

"I think we've probably erred in not saying that more," Hurley said. He added that when men have petitioned the courts to speak up on behalf of their unborn children, they have been ignored or their cases removed from consideration.

"The judges and the culture have both said this is about a woman and her doctor," Hurley said. Logical arguments can be made regarding a father being involved in the discussion, but as Hurley said, "Logic does not prevail."

Numerous cases have stated that abortion is a fundamental right - one which only adheres to the mother, not the father.

In my opinion, fathers should have equal rights to their unborn children. Can a woman produce a baby on her own? Obviously not, so should she be the only one who decides whether or not the child should be born?

I'm not unsympathetic to the struggles pregnancy can bring a woman. It can create challenges for their personal and professional lives, they incur additional medical expenses, they may face societal scrutiny, they face financial challenges of missing work due to a birth, their bodies go through changes from which they may never recover - and I'm sure many more issues arise that I did not name.

But do all of these challenges trump a child's right to live? Do any of them trump a father's right to say, "I want my child."

Don't get me wrong, I realize there are many men who fail to live up to their obligations. In my opinion, the Iowa Legislature got it wrong when it chose to punish the doctor who performs an abortion even after a heartbeat is discovered. They should focus legislation on holding men accountable for their sex lives.

If you impregnate a woman - whether she be your wife, girlfriend, one-night-stand, whatever - you need to be a big boy and do what you can to provide for the child you produced. If you're man enough to engage in intercourse with a woman, you need to be man enough to be a father. Financially, emotionally and in every other sense.

Too many absent fathers have led to too many problems in our state, and our country. It needs to stop. The responsibility of birth control is a two-way street, and there are many ways for one to prevent a pregnancy.

Guys, let's wear protection if you're not ready to be a dad. Girls, birth control is not entirely your responsibility, just as the future of the life growing inside of you should not be solely your decision.

Take care of yourself and thank you for reading.

American Priorities

  I enjoy professional sports as much as the next guy. I've been a fan of the National Football League for most of my life. I'm even willing to look past a lot of the nonsense, drama, etc., that is all too often associated with the league these days.

  In this day and age when much of the talk around professional football involves players kneeling during the National Anthem, it's hard not to make one think about the priority and importance we give these men who have athletic talent. Though many of us find the anthem protests disrespectful and inappropriate, there are many other things done that demonstrate how skewed our priorities are.

  Listening to "Football Night in America" tonight, I heard mention that a player who has already missed a few games this season was reported to have a sore foot. Said player, in just the few hours between the end of the game and the beginning of "Football Night" had already had an x-ray and received a diagnosis. Because his foot was sore.

  This just left me wondering, if the person involved was an American veteran, would he or she have had an x-ray so quickly? How long would he or she have to wait to be seen? If we're going to put this level of importance on the health of one group of Americans, shouldn't it be those willing to fight and die to protect our nation and our freedom?

   I know the reasons why; the player is a multi-millionaire athlete playing in a multi-billion-dollar business on a team that has invested a large sum of money in his ability to play to make millions in ticket, merchandise and other sales. This is not a knock on capitalism. I love capitalism, it is truly the best economic system known to man. But it just seems to me that adjustments should be made when it comes to providing health care.

   The topic of veterans' health care pops in and out of the media quite often. Myself, I don't think it remains there as much as it should. When my journalism career was full-time, I spent a great deal of time and effort covering veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs. What became clear to me is that the VA, despite having several good people with great intentions working within the system, is too bloated a bureaucracy to truly serve vets and our country.

   A recurring theme I often heard when covering the VA was that its goal is to put more of its allocated dollars into veterans' health care. It is my opinion that the American health care system, as well as every veteran, would be better off if the VA's focused was on helping vets in other ways, while putting the bulk of veterans' health care back into the private sector. We could save billions by eliminating the overhead and bureaucracy of the VA if we just let vets choose which doctors they see where.

  The value of one's life should not depend on who is paying that person, or the role you play in the world. The professional athlete has seemingly unlimited access to the necessary healthcare to not only survive, but thrive within his or her industry. Why wouldn't we, as taxpayers, want the same thing for those who fight for us?

  While a team's ownership, or the league, have invested in the professional athlete to get the best performance out of them, we have done the same thing. We have invested in our national defense, the technology, the equipment and the training of our service members. My hunch - which I have neither investigated nor confirmed - is that we do care for these men and women while they are still actively enlisted, but why should that change when they leave? Do professional athletes lose their outstanding health care when they retire?

    I really don't know the answer to that. I just know how ridiculous and shameful it seems to me that there are waiting lists - including secret waiting lists created by bureaucrats to protect their own interests - for our warriors doing actual battle to protect us while a guy who can run fast in meaningless competitions can see top doctors on the spur of the moment.

   Take care of yourself and thank you for reading.
 

My friend Perry Bell

There are just certain special people in the world that you are grateful you had the chance to meet. I had not only had the pleasure of meeting one of them, I had the privilege of working alongside him for over a decade.

Perry Bell was born in West Virginia, but his true hometown is Knoxville, Iowa. A standout athlete in wrestling and football - including contributions to the team's last undefeated season in 1975 - Perry went on to college across the Des Moines River to Pella's Central College. There, he continued to wrestle and do what he does best - make people smile and feel good about themselves.

Perry Bell is pictured interviewing
Knoxville football coach Eric Kellar.

After college, Perry chose to stay in Knoxville and tell the stories of Marion County athletes. For over 30 years, he has continued to do so for newspapers in Knoxville and Pella.

"A commitment of over 30 years to the communities in Marion County is telling," Iowa High School Athletic Association Spokesperson Bud Legg said. "One doesn’t stay that long unless they genuinely care for the people." 

Of all people, Legg should know. He and Perry have been acquainted for over 20 years, including the 16 1/2 Legg has been with the IHSAA.

It's easy for one to get to know leaders of the boys' high school sports agency when you're responsible for covering six schools. Perry routinely covers Knoxville, Pella, Pella Christian, Melcher-Dallas, Twin Cedars and Pleasantville sports. Each sports season offers the opportunity to cover at least two to three teams per school. The athletes at these schools, over the decades, have made numerous trips to the postseason - with Perry Bell in attendance at as many games, matches, meets, etc., as he possibly can.

Juggling all of these communities and sports cannot be an easy task for anyone, but Perry has found a way. As a testament to his fame - but moreover, his dedication to the young people of Marion County - nary a sporting event passes in which he does not take a few moments to speak to officials and other adults whom he has covered in the past.

They remember him, and he remembers them, as well as the school they attended. This man has too many "buddies" to count.

Each season, Perry takes part in the Iowa Newspaper Association's All-State Selections Committees. Oftentimes, he leads the room full of sportswriters to help narrow down and determine who truly are the best of the best in Iowa high school athletics.

"He is always reliable and prompt with media requests for our state events and informs me of various little insights on the teams he covers and that I can share with other media," Legg said. "His soft-spoken and hardworking ethic makes him popular not only with us but his colleagues. His reporting mirrors his personality – honest, positive, straight-forward."

Marion County has been blessed with countless talented athletes over the past 30-plus years. Perry fights for each and every one of them to get the honors they deserve, all the while not being bullish. He respects the talent of all Iowa high school athletes and has the eyes and ears to recognize who truly deserves the honor. Nevertheless, there are many athletes who have gone on to bigger and better things with Perry's support - including several current Iowa Hawkeyes.

"His professional and ethical manner  in which he covers his teams and individuals is at the top of the list in his profession," Legg added. "He does not dally in opinion on social media/Twitter about things he may disagree with, rather he picks up the phone or sees me in person to express his concerns. I have never seen in bring an undue amount of attention to himself. Rather his story and words are his bond with coaches, athletes and schools. What higher compliment can you give a writer?"

Perry Bell is pictured on the sidelines of Knoxville's historic
Ken Locke Stadium. 

When it comes to honoring athletes, Perry recognizes that there is more to the quality of the individual than an ability to run, catch or hit. The content of a student-athlete's character is just as, if not more, important to Perry when offering his support. This is further evidenced as he is one of the founders of the IHSAA's Ed Thomas Award, given to the athlete who exemplifies all of the qualities you'd want a young man graduating high school to display.

Covering sports for six high schools in community newspapers would be enough of a challenge for any sports writer, but one cannot overlook that Perry continues to cover sports at his Alma mater, Central College, and the "Sprint Car Capital of the World", the Knoxville Raceway.

He's never said it, but it's been my observation that he sees covering the college and the raceway as further opportunities to make friends. Walking through a Central crowd, or the pits of Knoxville Raceway with Perry is like hanging out with a true celebrity.

Everyone knows him. Everyone likes him. Everyone wants to shake his hand, and he does. What is most striking is joining him during the Knoxville Nationals, when the pits are full of drivers - drivers who have literally raced around the world and amassed legions of fans - who walk up to Perry with a smile, greet him by name and shake his hand like an old friend. Granted, Knoxville Raceway is the Mecca of sprint car racing, but how many local, community sports writers have been able to cultivate relationships like that with people they see maybe twice a year?

Perry is a standout professionally because of his big heart, but it is his life away from the job that truly captures what a special person he is. Besides being a tremendous friend, he is a loving husband to Lisa; brother to Kathy; "Papa" to his Little Bear, Jasmine, along with fellow grandchildren Abigail, Caitlin and Madison. Sitting across a room from him, seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter coming from him when he is interacting with all of them provided only a small taste of what I am sure is a life away from the ink that is full of love and joy.

The number of lives Perry has touched is as immeasurable as the impact he has had on Iowa athletics. All I know is that it is a blessing to call him my friend, and I'm sure there are many more who feel the same way.

Increased loads decrease road life

On Sept. 18, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation that lifted weight restrictions for truck traffic on roads in the state to make it easier for farmers to transport corn, soybeans, hay, straw, and silage. The weight limit on Iowa roads for a semi truck is 80,000 pounds. With the proclamation, the restriction is now at 90,000 pounds.
Over the past several years, we in Iowa have been hearing about the deterioration of our roads and bridges. It was only July when the Iowa Department of Transportation released a map detailing the poor condition of most of Iowa's bridges. A national research group has said Iowa has some of the worst rural roads in the nation.
This made me want to find out if there is a correlation between heavy truck loads and the condition of our rural roads. I sought out Marion County Engineer Tyler Christian, who had plenty of answers.
"Any increased loading on county roads is just going to accelerate the deterioration of the pavement," Christian said.
Putting load restrictions on roads dates back to the 1960s, when the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) devised a way to calculate load limits. What resulted was the establishment of the Equivalent Single Axle Loads (ESAL) system, to provide a standard for nationwide load limits.
An 80,000-pound load on five axles is typically 2.39 ESALs per axle. The 90,000-pound load on the same number of axles is 3.8-4.0. While the number of ESALs may increase only slightly, the actual damage done to the road can increase by 60-70 percent, according to Christian.

“That can always vary, too,” Christian said. “The damage done to the pavement increases significantly more than a linear factor than what the load increases.” 

To put it simply, the heavier loads decrease the life of a road's pavement. Trucks within the usual weight limit already put a strain on highways, as a single 80,000-pound truck traveling over a highway once causes the same amount of damage to the pavement as 800 passenger vehicles. 

Trucks are something county engineers have just dealt with, as it is also very important to Iowa's economy to allow the easy transportation of goods - including harvested crops. Other states are looking into increasing their load limits, but the difference here is that Iowa roads have not been designed to handle the heavier loads. 

The number of miles of road a jurisdiction is responsible for can affect every aspect of design and maintenance. For instance, Christian's Secondary Road Department is responsible for 850 miles of road within Marion County's borders. Because of the volume of miles to be maintained, county roads cannot be built to the same standards as interstate highways. 

Funding for county roads comes primarily from the State's Road Use Tax. This tax was increased in 2015 by 10 cents, much to the chagrin of many Iowans. Of the amount of tax collected at the state level, 24 percent is allocated to counties. It remains the largest source of funding for counties, who also receive a small amount of property tax collected from properties not within an incorporated city's borders. The fund this money goes into is known as the Rural Services Basic Fund. 

"I think the formula they have in place now works well," Christian said. 

In all, Christian's budget is around $7 million. However, there are still many Marion County roads that rely on gravel. Each year, $1.5 million is budgeted to meet gravel needs. 

"Heavy trucks absolutely play a factor in how much rock we purchase," Christian said. The County has a rock report, which tracks how much is used on a certain road over time. There are definitely parts of the county that have required more rock than others. 

"Traffic volume is our baseline, and we adjust from there," Christian said. Roads can also be affected by drainage, soil conditions, heavy trucks and other factors. 

Damage by heavy trucks is easier to locate on gravel roads, versus pavement. Pavement issues can take years to surface. Typically, the County likes to get 40-50 years of life out of pavement if it can. 

Christian added that, beyond being secure in the fact that ESALs increase and damage is done, it is difficult to quantify how much damage heavy loads cause. There is no way to really tell what kind of an effect the weight restriction being lifted will have, but there is no doubt that the governor's decision will negatively impact rural Iowa roads.