edited by: Art Smith,
Iowa Editor
Hunger in Iowa 
By: Ed Failor, Jr., President of Iowans for Tax Relief
Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Iowa taxpayers were dealt another crushing blow last week when the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Services Division announced the state is facing a budget gap totaling more than one billion dollars. This number [...]
Today’s portrait comes from my friend 2LT Scott Hendrickson, who I met during the Basic Officer Leader Course (II) in April of this year. Scott and I were in the same 9-man squad all the way from BOLC II to IBOLC, almost 5 full months of training time together. Scott [...]
There has certainly been a great deal of discussion about litmus tests and Party Leaders supporting (or not supporting) Republican Candidates. Here in Iowa, the Pocahontas County Central Committee is working on amending their constitution to direct the committee to:
... reject a nominee we find to liberal ...In a [...]
My obligatory post on President Obama’s speech (transcript here) last night at West Point since I’ve blogged on this before. It’s about time. His approval rating has taken a beating on his handling of Afghanistan I still can’t believe that he [...]
This Christmas season, think about distributing some of your income to local businesses. The 3/50 Project is a concept that I like very much and I think is easy for people to get a handle on and get behind.
It goes like this:
What three independently owned businesses would you [...]No, really, that's what Iowa Senate Republican leader Paul McKinley said in a meeting on Tuesday with journalists from the Des Moines Register.
County government has gotten so desperate for tax dollars that they are taxing cemetery ground this year!
We zoned off about one acre in 1996 for a family cemetery and have not been assessed taxes on the half that is not fenced since - until this year! When I asked the [...]
By Ed Failor, Jr., President of Iowans for Tax Relief
Iowa taxpayers were dealt another crushing blow last week when the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Services Division announced the state is facing a budget gap totaling more than one billion dollars. This number estimates the amount by which state spending will exceed [...]
It’s been a rough couple months for the president, and what has been perceived in some quarters as hesitation on his part over Afghanistan has added to his problems. When it comes to Afghanistan, just 35% say the president is doing a good or an excellent job while 41% give [...]
The Iowa Electronic Markets has opened a Congressional control prediction market, giving traders the opportunity to predict the party alignment of Congress after next year's mid-term elections.
Three markets are open on the Congressional control market. In two of them, traders can buy and sell contracts that will predict whether the [...]
Mann's Mad Money by Paul Chesser
Since watching the Climategate scandal explode a week before Thanksgiving, debris from the mushroom cloud has rained upon the earth, and there are hints that some folks (other than me and my fellow climate realists) are getting curious about how the alarmists are [...]
Hello. I’m sending a copy of a statement I made earlier today on the Senate floor. I point out the major flaws in the way supporters of Senator Reid’s health care bill are spinning a new analysis of the health care bill’s impact on insurance premiums. It says a lot [...]
Like as for all global warming issues, Paul Chesser is on top of Climategate
What does Senate Environment and Public Works chairwoman (I assume she doesn't want to be called "chairman") Barbara Boxer call Climategate?
"You call it 'Climategate'; I call it 'E-mail-theft-gate,'" she said during a committee meeting.
By Mike Thayer
Johnson County Supervisor Rod Sullivan, a liberal, a cog in the local Democrat machine, loves big government. He thinks government is inherently good, he's even said so!
From one of his blog posts on Sullivan's Salvos he wrote, "... I frequently take this opportunity to [...]
Michael Kiernan
Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Michael Kiernan has called for Senate Republican Leader Paul McKinley to apologize for his comments about children with special needs.
McKinley made the comments Tuesday in a meeting with The Des Moines Register.
Here’s the statement Kiernan just released:
State Sen. Paul McKinley [...]
As is now well-known, Maurice Clemmons, the alleged killer of four police officers in Washington state, was once serving a 90+ year sentence in Arkansas, when Governor Mike Huckabee commuted his sentence. Today, Huckabee had this to say:
"I take full responsibility for my actions of nine years ago. I [...]
You can’t expect unbiased coverage on MSNBC of President Obama’s speech on Afghanistan last night at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY.
But Chris Matthews referring to West Point as the enemy camp… really?
Setting new lows in journalism, way to go Matthews. And MSNBC [...]
Currently, the governor said he is required to submit a state budget by the end of January based on projections set by the state Revenue [...]
The New York State Senate this afternoon defeated a bill that would legalize gay marriage. Gay marriage advocates have seen some success in 2009, after Iowa in April became a state where same-sex marriage was legalized via a state supreme court ruling. But [...]
A review of Iowa’s tax credits has been extended by a week to give departments more time to conduct a comprehensive analysis, Gov. Chet Culver announced today.
Culver, last month, ordered a review of 30 state tax credit incentives in the wake of a criminal probe into Iowa’s film program, a [...]
Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City has agreed to pay the federal government $400,000 to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by inflating charges for heart patients’ care.
The settlement resolves allegations that Mercy inflated charges for Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare and Federal Employees Health Benefits Program heart patients [...]
Turning out to be junkie week QCI-ders... here's a few more things... because I know you're jonesing for some more randomnous.
Ken Blackwell says General Casey should be demoted for worrying more about the death of diversity at Fort Hood than the 14 murder victims. A great video about the global warming hoax. Then, a judge expands social security benefits those who were conceived after the death of [...]
The departure of Gov. Chet Culver’s campaign manager is a minor blip, the governor told reporters today.
Culver, a Democrat preparing to seek re-election next year, said Andrew Roos’ announcement Tuesday that he was leaving the campaign after less than three months was normal.
“Look, it’s very common, whether public sector or [...]
Just had another chat with Alisha Karr of Barnes & Noble Booksellers, who is riding herd on the process of getting set for Sunday’s appearance by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to sign copies of her best-selling “Going Rogue: An American Life.” Karr laid out [...]
By DONNELLE ELLER
deller@dmreg.com
All of Iowa’s 99 counties would be able to decide how they tax businesses and residents, under a proposal from group representing Iowa chambers.
The Iowa Chamber Alliance said today the Legislature should give local leaders and voters a chance to decide how they should be taxed.
“Iowa should explore [...]
A Democratic tax reform proposal that failed to pass during the 2009 session is supported by a majority of Iowans, according to a poll conducted by Selzer and Associates.
The poll, commissioned by the non-partisan Iowa Fiscal Partnership (IFP), found that 63 percent of those polled favored changes to Iowa’s [...]
By PETER HUSSMANN
Nearly 80 percent of those filing appeals to this year's state-ordered valuation increases on residential, commercial and ag land properties in Jasper County were successful, county assessor officials said today.
Jasper County Assessor John Deegan said the four-member county Board of Review concluded its work Monday on the 968 petitions [...]
Story County Treasurer Dave Jamison and Dyersville Mayor Jim Heavens have announced plans to challenge Democratic state Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald.
The pair of Republicans will face off in a primary for the chance to take on the 28-year incumbent.
Jamison lives in Ames and was first elected as Story County [...]
State Rep. Phyllis Thede, a Democrat from Bettendorf, won a seat in the Iowa House last year.
Now her husband, Dave Thede, a Republican who recently became a Democrat, is now seeking a seat in the Iowa Senate.
Dave Thede, a 55-year-old teacher, is challenging [...]
A spokesman for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Roxanne Conlin said accusations that the campaign is strong-arming elected officials for their endorsement are ridiculous.
“We expect ludicrous allegations from Republicans, but not Democrats,” Conlin spokesman Mark Daley said.
The claims were made Monday by Democrat Tom Fiegen of Clarence, who joins Conlin and [...]
As a hard working klown trying to make an honest living making spoiled kids laugh over a Casey’s pizza party, I know a good joke when I see one. This one is a doozey.
We have all heard by now about the “Purity Test” that has [...]
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley said did not agree with his Oklahoma colleague Tom Coburn’s comment Tuesday that Medicare cuts proposed in the Senate health care bill would lead to earlier death for seniors.
But Grassley stopped well short of criticizing his fellow Republican, attributing the comment to a debate environment
that [...]
Newton Independent
Jasper County senior citizens have until Dec. 31 to open enroll into new plans for Medicare health and prescription drug coverage and Skiff Medical Center is trying to make residents aware of a free program that may help residents make the best decision for their individual situations.
The Senior Health [...]
Newton Independent
Rock Communications in Newton is adding a new, high-tech web press to its local production facility, a move the company says will add to its printing capabilities.
Graphic Arts Online reported that installation of the six-color Goss M600 heatset web began at Rock's Newton facility in November with the new [...]
On Tuesday, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, who wears his Iowa farmer status on his sleeve, let loose again with a barnyard reference similar to one he used in March.
As a guest on C-SPAN’s Morning Journal, the Republican was answering the question of a caller on the cable television public affairs [...]
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Candidate Francis Thicke Exclusive BFIA Interview - Part III
Despite the reality of the world around him, Governor Chet Culver always seems to find a way to be optimistic when talking about the condition of the state or his campaign. When the state ended the FY 2009 budget year with a $161 million deficit, Culver remained [...]
I'm a Rush 24/7 subscriber, and I generally listen to at least the first 15 minutes of Limbaugh every day. I like the ability to access the content any time I want.
Listening tonight while coding, I hear Rush tell me - plead with me - that there are differences so' [...]
Forwarding Mike Huckabee’s response:
‘I Take Full Responsibility’ for Granting Alleged Cop Killer Clemency – by Mike HuckabeeThe nation was stunned by the senseless and savage cold-blooded murders of 4 young police officers in Lakewood, Washington. Whenever a police officer or soldier is killed, I [...]
Brent Oleson over at his well-written and insightful The Marion Contrarian blog recently wrote on the proposed litmus test (or purity test) that will be presented at the Winter meeting of the Republican National Committee in Hawaii. The proposal lists 10 points with the [...]
Today, my friend Christian Fong suspended his campaign for governor.
On July 9, 2009, I resigned my position as a member of the State Central Committee in order to publicly support Christian's campaign. I did so because I saw in Christian, a man [...]
And as Commander-in-Chief, I have determined that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan. After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home. These are the resources that we need [...]
Grassley gets the nanny state:
GRASSLEY: For the first 16 years I made $3,000 every other year as a state legislator. Now do you expect me to live on $3,000 every other year? No I was a factory worker for 10 years and I was a farmer for that period [...]
SIOUX CITY, IA. -- Republican candidate for governor Bob Vander Plaats issued the following statement this morning in response to Cedar Rapids businessman Christian Fong’s decision to suspend his candidacy for the 2010 GOP gubernatorial nomination:
“I’ve grown to appreciate Christian’s grace, wit and intelligence during the [...]
DES MOINES, IA. -- Republicans have laid out a detailed agenda for the 2010 legislative session. Republicans have had over $300 million in state savings on the table since last spring and today Leader Paulsen offered more ideas to save taxpayers money. In fact, with only a little over a [...]
The Iowa City and Coralville Police Departments would like to announce an exciting new crime prevention program available to area businesses. The Iowa City and Coralville Crime Free Business Programs are dedicated to improving the relationship between the Iowa City and Coralville business community and its police departments while improving [...]
IOWA CITY, IA. -- A new agenda has been posted for the upcoming meeting of the Public Art Advisory Committee on Thursday, December 03, 2009. The meeting will begin at 3:30 PM ( Lobby Conference Room, City Hall ).
Yesterday, the Iowa state employee union approved the agreement offered by Governor Culver for a short-term employee pay reduction for the next seven months instead of laying off over 750 workers in Iowa.
Ed Failor, Jr., President of Iowans for Tax Relief, said today, "Governor Culver and the state employee unions" [...]
The head of Government Motors (formerly known as General Motors) has *resigned* under pressure from the White House. Translation: He got fired.
Frederick 'Fritz' Henderson was put in place as CEO by Obama back in March after the President fired former CEO Rick Wagoner. Can you say, "In violation of the Constitution?" Yes you can....
So since Obama bought [...]
Being a governor is a tough job. Mike Huckabee is taking all sorts of heat for his decision to commute the sentence of Maurice Clemmons who shot and killed four police officers in Washington, and was killed today by a [...]
Gov. Chet Culver's campaign manager said today he has resigned, citing personal reasons for leaving the Democrat's re-election bid after only three months.
Andrew Roos, who was hired in September to manage Culver's re-election campaign, said he had decided to [...]
Employees of The Des Moines Register must take a mandatory one-week furlough during the first quarter of 2010, according to a memo sent to staff by Register Publisher and President Laura Hollingsworth and obtained by the Iowa Independent.
The furloughs were ordered by the Register’s parent company, Gannett Co. Inc. They [...]
DES MOINES – The manager of Gov. Chet Culver’s re-election campaign has left the position, saying it is for personal reasons.
Andrew Roos had been in the position since September and said his departure from the campaign is effective immediately.
“The break is totally friendly,” Roos said in an interview. [...]
Troy Price, a spokesman for Gov. Chet Culver, issued a statement today, saying Republicans failed to offer solutions during an online interview with The Des Moines Register.
Josie Albrecht, a spokeswoman for the Iowa House Republicans issued the following response:
“Republicans have laid out a detailed agenda for [...]
Daughter Kayla and I watched multiple episodes of "Scrubs" on Monday night to prepare for the season premiere of the new season tonight. But "The Watcher" explains that this isn't your father's "Scrubs"--and the new cast just isn't as funny.The Register listed the wrong time for when television coverage begins tonight for President Obama’s speech on Afghanistan. Coverage starts at 7 p.m.
[...]
One of the first people to enter the race for the Republican Party nomination for the 2010 Iowa gubernatorial position was Cedar Rapids insurance executive Christian Fong, who hails from Underwood in western Iowa. Fong was the only thirtysomething in the field and he made his [...]
"The message was right, and the vision remains unclouded. Commitment to the Iowa Dream means that while practical financial hurdles may prevent" [...]
From a press release he sent out today:
Christian Fong, Republican gubernatorial candidate announced that effective today he will suspend his campaign for Governor.
“Today, I announce the suspension of my campaign. From this time forward, we will not be actively campaigning for the Republican nomination for Governor. [...]
Troy Price, a spokesman for Gov. Chet Culver, issued the following statement about statements made today by House Republican Leader Kraig Paulsen and Senate Republican Leader Paul McKinley during an interview with The Des Moines Register.
See the video replay here. More news coverage of the meetings with both Democrats [...]
Newton Independent
Springboard Engineering in Newton will receive $150,000 in federal funds to finance research on a clean energy innovation project, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, announced in a press release today.
The funding comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Specifically, the press release notes, the funds will be used [...]
Gov. Chet Culver’s campaign manager said today he has resigned, citing personal reasons for leaving the Democrat’s re-election bid after only three months.
Andrew Roos, who was hired in September to manage Culver’s re-election campaign, said he had decided to step down before Thanksgiving and that Culver did not ask him [...]
The Sioux City Journal reports that State Rep. Wes Whitead, D-Sioux City, will not run for another term from House District 1 in 2010.
The Journal says that Rick Mullin of Sioux City has filed papers to run for the Democratic nomination and that Whitead says Mullin would [...]
By PETER HUSSMANN
There's a $75,000 question out there that's getting little public attention but most certainly has not gone unnoticed by the Newton business community, especially to those involved with the Newton Development Corporation.
In 30 short days, one of the NDC's major funding streams - if not its biggest - [...]
Although it might be difficult to imagine talk of potential health care reform and climate change legislation getting bumped from the nation’s front pages, the foundation for the next partisan cage match is already being built — and Iowa’s own U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley is getting in on the ground [...]
The past two years perhaps no Republican politician in America has had more of an impact on the political landscape than former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.
John McCain may have won the nomination, Mitt Romney may have the money, and Sarah Palin has the star [...]
