Letter to the Editor: Punitive impulse is pervading Midwestern culture

As long as I've been alive, the Midwest has been held back by its hard-headed commitment to a politics of cutting off its nose to spite its face. There's a certain naive gall to people who survived the Farm Crisis only to throw around the word 'socialism' like it's a magical slur to end all arguments. Meanwhile, our region's agricultural economy is propped up by government subsidies, but I guess that's OK and doesn't count because of reasons that remain indiscernible. Everything else that could help us might as well be issued by Stalin from beyond the grave, judging by the way people talk about it. This might shock some, but I promise the mayor of New York City is not the reason your groceries are expensive here in Iowa. Why would so many of you rather starve than see someone you perceive as unworthy eat a bite of food that you're worried they might not have 'earned?' While the Midwest looks at everyone else's plates, our side dishes have moved away, and the main course is rotting. Don't confuse cruelty for common sense or cynicism for intelligence. It's this punitive impulse pervading Midwestern culture that is killing us. Until we overcome the desire to see others punished, and until we address the ills at the root of our problems rather than acting like crabs in a barrel, we will continue to have the same issues until we have nothing left for the rest of the world to fly over. -- Michael Maxwell, Sioux City Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!