Instead of banning TouchPlay machines and exposing the state to the inevitable and substantial claims for damages, perhaps the Legislature should have simply required a prominent truth in gambling notice on each machine:

Truth in Gambling Notice:

We take 33 cents of every dollar bet. If you play enough, there is no chance of winning – none at all! To those of you stupid enough to play anyway, the state of Iowa and this establishment thank you!

The following excerpt was part of an “angry” letter to The Des Moines Register regarding the Legislature’s consideration of eliminating taxes on pension income.

“I am a senior citizen and want my retirement income exempt from state taxes. All of my peers with whom I have discussed this issue agree with me. We worked all our lives and paid taxes on all our income. Now is not the time to tax it a second time.”

Considering that pension contributions are not included in taxable income and almost all traditional IRA contributions are deductible, I’m not sure where the double taxation argument is coming from unless her tax preparer was a complete idiot. As to the other argument, I checked with my friends who pay income tax, and none of them want to; those who own real estate all expressed the opinion that they don’t want to pay property taxes either; and, finally, those who buy things are sick and tired of paying sales tax.

People should focus on government cost – not taxes. It is more productive than essentially arguing that your neighbor should pay more so you can pay less.

As we all read almost daily in the newspaper, salaries for college basketball and football coaches are going through the roof. Despite all of these extra dollars across the board, the overall record of coaches in Big Ten and Big 12 league games remains 50 percent wins and 50 percent losses. It is rumored that just a little more money might be enough to break through the basic mathematical principles involved and all coaches will be above average.

Just a Passing Reincarnation Thought:

Perhaps congressmen come back as third-generation trust beneficiaries. It is hard to believe that their strong sense of entitlement and ability to blow through money could be learned in only one lifetime.

Soon after Napoleon defeated the Mamelukes and occupied Egypt in 1798, he let it be known to the Egyptians that he and his army were willing to adopt Islam and renounce the Catholic church. This played favorably to the Egyptians, but on reflection the army was of the opinion that circumcision and a ban on alcohol were too high a price to pay.

Napoleon’s offer faded into history, and by 1801 the French had been expelled. The ideas of others to bring peace to the Middle East over the past 200 years have not fared much better.

Mike Nelson is a senior vice president at Iowa Savings Bank in Carroll.