Ed on Iowa, and the article from Steven Bloom

Brad, I didn’t have this context and really appreciate you providing it. I’ve just invested an hour at work in reading the article and all I have so say is … WOW. There’s a lot to think about packed into that article. And really, I’m not sure what to think of it. My initial reaction is that I was more offended by it than Marc, but not to a great degree. And yes, there were parts of the article that were endearing to me also, made me proud to be from Iowa.

One thing that does come to mind is how easy it is to use facts to mold your perspective of history, and what “really happened” from your unique perspective. And how easy it is to let the argument distract us. Distract us from what is far more pressing and important, our future. So what does the next 25 years hold for Iowa? That’s what I would like to debate, not imposing factually based jabs on both sides of an issue about what has already happened, unless there is a usefulness in understanding how that past can help us understand what is going to happen in the future.

Iowa, the United States, and the whole world (farmers, politicians, pastors, immigrants, etc.) needs to leave the past behind and should be far more interested in the future. I know that “history repeats itself” and that much can be gained from knowing and understanding what happened in the past. But that sounds like a hardened realist history professor talking. I say we should invest less of our precious energy and time on the past – and put far more interest and focus on ensuring our future.

So what does the future look like for Iowa? Now that’s great blog material …