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Co-worker spreading lies

Dear Annie: I have worked in the same office for 18 years. For many years, there were five of us in our division: three women and two men. One of the men left for a different job a year ago, and he was replaced by a woman, “Carla,” who is very difficult to work with. In fact, I’m convinced that she is a liar and a troublemaker. The only man left in our division, “Fred,” is quiet and shy but fundamentally a very kind man. He has never married, and I don’t ever remember him going on a date. He lives with his mother, goes to church and does not seem to have a lot of other ...

Bernie Sanders and the anti-people crusade

At least Bernie Sanders is an equal opportunity misanthrope. He doesn’t like rich people, and it turns out he doesn’t necessarily like poor people, either. At the CNN town hall on climate change, a questioner asked the socialist senator if he’d be “courageous” enough to endorse population control to save the planet. Sanders answered “yes,” and then, after referring to abortion rights, endorsed curtailing population growth, “especially in poor countries around the world where women do not necessarily want to have large numbers of babies.” He’s looking at you, ...

Babysitter blasts on social media

Dear Annie: I consider myself to be a self-aware social media poster. However, there is a family member on Facebook who posts her childcare needs at least once a week. She posts the day and time she needs and has said the names of the children who need a sitter. She has three children. Her circumstance is difficult as she is going through a divorce. I am not particularly close with her, but not in a bad way. I, too, have been a single mother and know how difficult it can be to find cheap, reliable childcare. There is part of me that wants to message her to tell her how unsafe it is ...

Politics as it should be practiced

Back when Richard Nixon was president, a Washington saloon five minutes’ walk from the White House named the Class Reunion was the go-to watering hole where press, politicians and real people could rub and bend elbows. To be candid, I was a regular at “the CR,” as it was called, but frankly went there more for the uniquely bipartisan conversation and good-natured needling, which were the hallmarks of the place. One very popular Class Reunion regular was a Republican who, after handling the challenging job as press secretary for the failed 1980 presidential campaign of former ...

Preparing questions for long visits

Dear Annie: Finding topics of conversation can often be difficult during long visits. Since “Grinding My Teeth” feels that this may be the last time she and her husband will visit with these in-laws, why not take this opportunity to encourage these people to talk about their lives? When they arrive, ask the in-laws if they would be willing to talk about memories from their younger years. The internet is full of suggestions of questions that will stimulate memories, so do a bit of research and type up a sheet of questions, maybe 30 or so, enough to have a question for each day. ...

USMCA is a huge win for Iowa agriculture

As a proud Iowan, I recognize the importance of agriculture in the Hawkeye State, where 85% of the land is used for agriculture and the industry supports nearly 87,000 jobs. The incredible, expansive network of farms and farm families in Iowa would not have prospered over the years without the existence of trade. When President Trump took office, he promised that he would get better deals for America’s farmers and ranchers. The new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is just that — a better and improved agreement over the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement ...