[Tall-Corn] Mary McGee Letter to Editor in Sunday Des Moines Register

[Julie McCullough]

On Mon, Feb 27, 2023 at 6:17 PM Bob Ray via Tall-Corn <tall-corn at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

> Go Mary. Nice job. See folks, this is how it is done.
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> Bob
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> *From:* Tall-Corn <tall-corn-bounces at nfbnet.org> *On Behalf Of *David C.
> Hammel via Tall-Corn
> *Sent:* Monday, February 27, 2023 5:30 PM
> *To:* NFB of Iowa Internet Mailing List <tall-corn at nfbnet.org>
> *Cc:* David C. Hammel <dhammelia at aol.com>
> *Subject:* [Tall-Corn] Mary McGee Letter to Editor in Sunday Des Moines
> Register
>
>
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> *Changes to Department for the Blind would be harmful*
>
> Usually, smaller government means more efficiency and fiscal
> responsibility than large government. Once in a while, when planning
> government realignment, legislators do harm to some of the people they’re
> trying to help by consolidating administrative agencies. This is one of
> those times.
>
> I'm a retired attorney who’s lived in downtown Des Moines for almost 50
> years. I’ve practiced in my own firm, worked for an insurance company and a
> bank, and worked as an independent contractor serving as a policy analyst
> at the Iowa Department for the Blind.
>
> I write because House Study Bill 126 and Senate Study Bill 1123 with
> Division 13 as currently drafted, if passed, will be bad law, pure and
> simple.
>
> I’ve been a blind Iowan all my 67 years and I’ve greatly benefited from
> the services I’ve received from the Iowa Department for the Blind, an
> executive branch agency. We blind Iowans have an amazing history because
> Dr. Kenneth Jernigan left us a marvelous gift: a codified right to a voice
> in the services, which can make or break our hopes and dreams of career and
> lifestyle, that the Department provides. Our present Commission for the
> Blind structure grants us the opportunity and responsibility to ensure that
> the person directing the agency knows about blindness, cares about services
> to blind people, and will always be duty-bound to defend and support the
> interests, well-being, and success of our minority group, regardless of
> political affiliation.
>
> If these bills become law, our Commission for the Blind will be composed
> of optometrists, fully-sighted 'experts' who’ve never lived blind, friends
> of the governor’s staff, and campaign supporters who know nothing of
> blindness and don’t care about services they’ve never needed. Blind people
> are the experts on blindness. We know what services we want and need. I
> zealously oppose Division 13.
>
> I’ve paid state and federal taxes for many years; thus, I’ve been paying
> my elected officials to make wise decisions. The future of true equity and
> full inclusion of blind people in our state depends on their doing so now
> in the Iowa House and Senate. If they fail to decide this matter wisely,
> they will disregard and ignore a minority group of Iowans who will remember
> and vote accordingly.
>
> *— Mary McGee, Des Moines*
>
>
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Brilliant letter, Mary!
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