For months, Ashley Hinson refused to join a bipartisan push in Congress to release the Epstein Files. Despite being one signature away from forcing a vote on the release, Hinson chose to block it. There was no obvious reason why she delayed efforts to bring Epstein’s crimes to light, and her refusal to release the files sooner delayed justice, transparency and accountability for Epstein’s many victims. Her excuse was victim protection, yet dozens of their names were still released.
We have learned that, at the time, Ashley Hinson was quietly accepting tens of thousands of dollars from billionaires linked to Jeffrey Epstein, individuals mentioned hundreds of times in the files. It appears that Hinson is trying to please her wealthy donors by cutting their taxes in Congress, while we all have to pay more for gas, groceries, and healthcare.
A bought-and-paid for politician by the Epstein class is the last thing Iowa needs right now. We need someone committed to fighting for Iowans — not their billionaire donors who only care about getting their taxes cut at our expense.
If Hinson is willing to taking money from billionaires linked to Epstein, what might she be willing to do in the U.S. Senate?
Jo Ann McNiel, Cedar Rapids
As someone who has been impacted by Spondyloarthritis, I know first-hand that our country needs to accelerate progress and improve lives by directing increased funding for NIH or NIH NIAMS spondyloarthritis research.
3.2 million people in the USA have a Spondyloarthritis disease. They were likely born with a genetic susceptibility. Spondyloarthritis is a chronic, painful type of arthritis that starts as a child or young adult, is too often life long, and for many of us leads to permanent damage to the spine and disfigurement. The overall economic burden associated with arthritis is $300 billion annually (2018 CDC public health research). To put this into perspective, the annual economic cost of arthritis surpasses that of tobacco-related health effects, cancer and diabetes.
I ask that people join me to make Spondyloarthritis research funding one of our legislative priorities. We know early treatment helps, yet on average Spondyloarthritis is misdiagnosed for 7-10 years closing the window for optimal outcomes. We have a couple of effective treatments — often very expensive — that are making a difference for some of us. Innovative discoveries are being made in the lab, and additional funding and focused efforts are urgently needed to quickly advance these discoveries.
I hope that I can count on the support of others to ensure that those fighting to stay active and productive have more options and hope for a brighter future.
Joanie Shevel, Storm Lake
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here