The Iowa caucuses shouldn’t matter so much

Iowa shouldn’t matter so much

Step 1: Win over Iowans | Sept. 23

I’ve been wondering for years how a small, atypical state like Iowa receives such an oversized role in picking the leader of the free world. With a population of just over 3 million, Iowa ranks 30th among the states, it’s more agricultural and significantly less urbanized than the nation as a whole, and on an ethnic-racial basis, Iowa’s population is 91 percent non-Hispanic white, compared with about 63 percent nationally.

Former Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz put things in proper perspective years ago when he noted: “Without that massive media boost, prevailing in Iowa would be seen for what it is: an important first victory that amounts to scoring a run in the top of the first inning.”

Still, some candidates will drop out of the race if they have a poor showing there because their message failed to resonate with “the American people.” Using Kurtz’s baseball analogy, a candidate dropping out of the race because of a poor showing in the Iowa caucus is the equivalent of giving up your dream to play in the majors because you were booed by some folks in AA ball. Don’t get me wrong: Iowa is a great place. I went to school and lived there for many years. But it doesn’t represent a cross-section of the nation, and Iowans would be the first ones to tell you so.

Joseph Brown, Tampa

And a child shall lead them

Teen activist blasts world leaders | Sept. 24

Environmental activist Greta Thunberg, of Sweden, addresses the Climate Action Summit in the United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters. [ JASON DECROW | AP ]

If our members of Congress had 10 percent of the gumption of Malala Yousafzai or Greta Thunberg, American values as expressed in our Constitution would flourish. Instead, we have problems balancing our budgets, maintaining our environment, providing quality health care and ensuring a safe and meaningful education to our children.

Renee Campion, Tampa

Better health worldwide

The Global Fund

We thank Rep. Charlie Crist for meeting with the St. Petersburg chapter of RESULTS, a citizen’s advocacy organization, to discuss the Global Fund, an international financing organization that provides vital resources to at-risk regions, and for co-sponsoring the congressional resolution to unlock more funds. Since the fund’s inception in 2002, an estimated 27 million lives have been saved in countries where it invests. This includes a 37 percent, 50 percent and 60 percent decrease in tuberculosis-, AIDS- and malaria-related deaths, respectively.

While these numbers are a testament to what the Global Fund has been able to accomplish, we still lose about three million lives every year in deaths related to these diseases. Time is of the essence, as donors for the Global Fund will gather next month in an attempt to fulfill the $14 billion investment required. We genuinely thank all the Florida members of Congress who have co-sponsored the resolution. Your contributions mean more than you can imagine, as the success of the Global Fund is instrumental in achieving our global health goals.