Opinion | Should Iowa or South Carolina Go First?

To the Editor:

Re “Democrats to Iowa: Get Misplaced!,” by Artwork Cullen (Opinion visitor essay, Dec. 12):

Perhaps, simply possibly, Mr. Cullen is revealing extra about the issue with Iowa than something in regards to the Democratic Occasion when he complains that the Democrats’ proposed new main schedule is about as much as “dump the Iowa caucuses into the ditch.”

It does no such factor, in fact; it merely deprives the Hawkeye State of its assured gatekeeper standing on the head of the road. Mr. Cullen’s self-righteous huffing that “discarding Iowa will not be a good way to fix fences in rural America” appears to counsel that he feels that in some way his state is learn out of the Union if it isn’t allowed to talk first when presidential main season rolls round.

New Hampshire, which holds the very first primaries, has an analogous angle. Neither state’s place on the electoral calendar was inscribed in stone, however you’d by no means comprehend it from their champions’ zealotry on this situation.

Personally, I’d favor to see the order of the primaries and caucuses reshuffled earlier than each presidential election. That approach, at the least Iowa could be at or close to the entrance at the least a number of the time, however one of many smaller, whitest states within the nation wouldn’t get to fireplace the race’s beginning gun each time. Absolutely Iowans can discover one thing else about their state to be happy with.

Eric B. Lipps
Staten Island

To the Editor:

Artwork Cullen’s critique of the Democratic Nationwide Committee’s proposal to place South Carolina forward of Iowa on the nominating calendar is misguided. Democrats haven’t dumped “the Iowa caucuses right into a ditch.” Quite, they’re contemplating main with a state with voter rolls that higher symbolize Democratic voters and the nation as an entire.

Mr. Cullen argues that variety has an opportunity in Iowa, citing Barack Obama’s victory over Hillary Clinton on the caucus. However an overwhelmingly white voters selecting a various candidate will not be the identical as a various voters having its say within the course of.

Rural states like Iowa have challenges, however they don’t want symbolic assist like holding the Iowa caucus first. As a substitute, they want actual options, such because the Inflation Discount Act, which offers subsidies for renewable vitality tasks that may carry financial vitality to rural areas.

John Horsch
Oakland, Calif.

To the Editor:

Artwork Cullen’s essay was remarkably self-serving. Iowa goes first by custom, which provides a rural, largely white state outsized significance.

I get that Iowans need to maintain onto their place, however why ought to the remainder of the nation take cues from this one state? It’s time to maintain nationwide primaries, all on the identical day. Let everybody within the nation vote, on the similar time. This has the facet advantage of shortening the ridiculously lengthy main season.

Katherine Jo Glaves
Seattle

People and Wildlife: The Messages Are Combined

To the Editor:

Re “My Mom Has Two Sons: Me and a Squirrel” (Op-Doc, nytimes.com, Dec. 5):

What a pleasure to get up to such a young video of a lady responding to an deserted new child creature in her yard. Her son, Tom Krawczyk, is a gifted videographer whose apparent professionalism captured each his mom’s humanity and her concern for a wild animal’s future.

Presently of yr, particularly this yr, it’s a balm to witness such a poignant gem as this, reminding me of all that’s contemporary and good on this planet and that this kind of intimate connection, wherever we discover it, is the last word therapeutic.

Marjorie Herman
Hamilton, N.J.

To the Editor:

I used to be pissed off by the blended messaging in The Instances about how you can finest take care of wildlife. The Dec. 5 Op-Doc a couple of girl elevating a new child squirrel as a member of the family is heartwarming, however sadly has the potential to noticeably mislead viewers.

It counters the wonderful recommendation present in a chunk by Margaret Renkl (“Wildlife Rescue Heals the Human Coronary heart,” Opinion visitor essay, Dec. 7) in regards to the significance of wildlife rehabilitation facilities.

The accountable — and authorized — factor to do when encountering orphaned or injured wildlife is to put the animal with an authorized wildlife rehabilitator.

Dwelling-raised animals can undergo from dietary deficiencies or just could not survive a well-meaning novice’s assist. Animals that change into acclimated to people have been recognized to assault their caregivers or strangers who don’t perceive their pure behaviors.

Their instinctual response to potential predators may additionally be compromised. (On this video, the squirrel was pals with a cat.) Probably the most compassionate response is to place an animal’s care into the arms of somebody who has the tutorial coaching to finest assist their survival.

Kim Bailey
Nashville
The author is a retired metro parks naturalist.

To the Editor:

Re “Wildlife Rescue Heals the Human Coronary heart”:

Though it was heartwarming to learn in regards to the usually heroic efforts of wildlife rehabilitators in serving to injured and orphaned animals, I can’t assist fascinated with all of the ways in which different, much less compassionate people intentionally inflict hurt and torture on our wildlife.

The indiscriminate trapping and snaring of wolves, the barbaric wildlife-killing contests that also happen in lots of states and all types of leisure trophy searching mirror an indifference to the struggling of our nonhuman kinfolk, who like us worth their lives, attempt to deal with their households and have each proper to share this earth with us.

Mary Anne Ericson
Portland, Ore.

The Many years-Lengthy Wrestle for Reasonably priced Little one Care

To the Editor:

Re “The Little one Care Disaster Has Been ‘Pressing’ Since ’86. Simply Ask Cosmo,” by Jessica Grose (Opinion, nytimes.com, Dec. 7):

I learn Ms. Grose’s glorious article with a way of déjà vu — the extra issues change, the extra they keep the identical.

In 1982, a bunch of pals and I began a day care middle on the Higher West Aspect as a result of there have been few choices for full-time working dad and mom.

We managed to obtain assist from a non-public basis to assist us arrange the little middle, secured area in a rundown synagogue, and based one of many first Jewish all-day youngster care facilities in New York Metropolis. We named it Yaldaynu, Hebrew for “our youngsters.” (I’m happy to say it’s nonetheless working.)

It’s unhappy that 40 years later, my daughter, a kind of first kids, and now a mom, nonetheless doesn’t have high quality, reasonably priced day care choices for her daughter.

When will the U.S. do what a lot of the remainder of the West does and supply high quality reasonably priced youngster care for his or her residents? Why is that this not even on the agenda of pressing our nation is going through?

Now’s the time for Cosmo, which ran a canopy story on this situation in 1986, to place it again on the quilt, and for politicians, companies and nonprofits to take motion.

Jeanne B. Kes
Albuquerque