Editorial: Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

Madigan has denied wrongdoing, and he blasted formation of the panel as a political stunt.

We don’t hold out much hope that the committee, rarely used and made up of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats, will take any action. It requires a majority to do so. But we do think it’s important for lawmakers to send a message that nobody is off-limits. The agreement with federal prosecutors struck with ComEd is pretty damning, and ignoring it – as, frankly, a lot of Democratic lawmakers have so far been willing to do – would be a dereliction.

Thumbs Up ... to the Trump administration for approving individual disaster assistance for Scott County to help homeowners, renters and businesses recover from the Aug. 10 derecho wind storm. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced on Tuesday the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved the county for help, which will include assistance for housing, personal property replacement and medical expenses. Cedar County also was approved for assistance.

Reynolds had asked for help for 27 counties hit by the storm, but only 11 received approval.

Thumbs Down ... to Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, for her comments about the death toll due to the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this week, Ernst told a group in Waterloo that she was "skeptical" of the number of deaths, which now top 180,000.

According to The Courier newspaper, Ernst even suggested that health care providers are manipulating the death figures they report in order to get more money.

"These health care providers and others are reimbursed at a higher rate if COVID is tied to it, so what do you think they’re doing?," she said to the audience.

Ernst's remark came in response to a person in the audience who said he thought the number of deaths were overcounted, according to the newspaper.

Later, Ernst walked back her remarks, saying, "over 180,000 Americans have died because of covid-19."

We don't know why Ernst would make her original statement, but it plays into conspiracy theories that abound right now.

The fact is, medical and public health experts believe the number of deaths due to the pandemic have been under-reported.

In an election season, and especially on social media, distortion is a very real threat to controlling this virus. We urge all politicians to fight misinformation, rather than fuel it.

Thumbs Down … to National Railroad Equipment’s decision to close its facility in Silvis, where 40 to 50 people are employed. The company announced last week it is moving its operations in Dixmoor, Ill., Silvis and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to its home base of Mount Vernon, Ill., and Paducah, Kentucky. The company said the move will take place over the next few months and improve its production capacity and lead times.

We are sorry to see this. It was only a couple years ago that the company was talking about expanding operations in Silvis, where there is a long history of railroading.

Thumbs Up … to Iowa State University President Dr. Wendy Wintersteen, who reversed the decision to hold the Cyclone football team’s home opener in front of as many as 25,000 fans. The decision to move forward with the Sept. 12 game with thousands of people congregating even as the Ames area is in the midst of a huge outbreak of coronavirus cases, stoked outrage around the state and drew national attention.

The athletic department said Wintersteen came to the decision after taking in the reaction from the community.

We earlier expressed our doubts about the original decision, but we know that it is not easy for organizations to make these choices as they try to maintain some sense of normalcy.

In our own community, organizations are working with public health officials to find ways to navigate these waters. In so many cases, the answers are not clear cut. The decision to go or not depends upon some very specific circumstances.

We would note that St. Ambrose University and Augustana College have begun in-person classes, but only after putting into place coronavirus protocols they say address practically every aspect of college life.

These new mitigation measures are difficult but necessary to control the virus's spread. And in some cases, they have led to some unpleasant action. Craig DeVrieze, a spokesman for St. Ambrose, said that it has even had to send some students home for breaking the rules.

We know the virus is going to be with us for a long time, so we respect the organizations that are taking seriously their responsibility — and that are flexible enough to reexamine those choices when the need arises.