17 Comments
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Kent Zimmerman's avatar

👍

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Jim Sayers's avatar

Thank you for this great story about Reynolds’ “pick the statistics and sources that make you look good” strategy.

I always said the best job for this woman would be as permanent Iowa State Fair Queen, a position in which all she would have to do is cheerlead.

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Cheryl Tevis's avatar

Ha! I was tempted to go into the cheerleader aspect a bit more, but restrained myself! Thank you,.

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Connie Taylor's avatar

No!! Keep her away from my Fair, where we go (almost daily) to celebrate what is great about Iowa. She gets no blue ribbon from me! 🙃

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Larry Stone's avatar

Thanks for fact checking the governor, Cheryl! Her "Rah, Rah" doesn't tell the story!

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Diana  Wright: Unholy Thoughts's avatar

Thank you again for an inciteful, accurate and, sadly, sombering story. This is why we need jounalists and not thousands of self defined experts on social media.

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Dave Busiek's avatar

Outstanding, Cheryl. Thank you for setting the record straight. All politicians quote statistics that make them look good. It’s up to journalists to puncture the feel-good bubble and give readers the true facts.

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Pat Geadelmann's avatar

Thank you for calling to our attention the actual data about health care/resources/outcomes in our state! This is a wake-up call to broad generalizations offered elsewhere.

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Tim Grover's avatar

But at least "trannies" won't be playing ball against my granddaughters! Or peeing in the same bathroom as my wife!

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Dennis Goldford's avatar

People may move out of state when they read this!

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Cheryl Tevis's avatar

I hope not! There are states that are not as good as Iowa, and some of them are the southeastern winter getaway states!

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Cheryl Tevis's avatar

I hope not!

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Bob Shreck's avatar

3,522 added traffic death due to inattention? Perhaps nationally but not in Iowa. At 1% of US population 35 would be a better number

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Cheryl Tevis's avatar

Bob, yes, that is a national figure. I'm sorry – I should have made that distinction. If it's

35 in Iowa, that's still 35 avoidable deaths. A family in our school district lost their husband, father, and grandmother less than 10 miles from our home in a rural area, due to the cell phone distraction of the other driver. Both the families knew one other; so sad. They've appealed the issue to the Iowa legislature. Thank you!

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Suzan Erem's avatar

Thanks for fact-checking Reynolds, Cheryl! She's clearly getting her instructions from national where they've learned that just saying it is enough anymore, because their silos will repeat it as if it were true. It's disgusting.

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Cheryl Tevis's avatar

Thanks, Suzan. Yes, echo chambers, so they say!

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John Schmidt's avatar

Terrific column. What is the source of the stats on life expectancy?

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