February 2017

While frustrated Democratic activists and voters are vowing to unseat Republican legislators in 2018 for their recent votes, an earlier test for the party out of power looms in 2017: municipal races. City councils, mayor’s offices and school boards will be on the ballot in September and November of 2017. And though many races are technically…

Yesterday the Republican controlled Senate Labor Committee passed the most devastating blow to the rights of public service employees in over 40 years.  Republican Senator Jason Schultz, R-Schleswig, who managed the bill opened the hearing by claiming this devastating change is necessary because it’s a “Different world and a different Iowa.” He claimed wiping out…

Guest post from Jack Schuler I am an atheist who was raised Catholic. The sermons and homilies that I heard growing up don’t stick with me anymore, except for one. I remember it clearly. I was sitting in the stands of the gymnasium of my Catholic high school for an all school mass, an event…

On Tuesday the Republican Senate silenced Senator Elizabeth Warren during a hearing for Senator Sessions’ nomination as Attorney General.  Majority Leader McConnell claimed Senator Warren violated the decorum of the Senate by simply reading a letter from civil rights icon Coretta Scott King. Meanwhile, Republicans make lame excuses as President Trump lies with impunity. Have…

On the same day that Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate finally revealed his “election integrity” bill that aims to make it harder to vote in Iowa, it was revealed that the Dallas County Auditor had left 5,842 ballots uncounted in the November election, 13% of the total votes cast there. In a bombshell story…

If you don’t have as much income as you thought, you need to reduce the amount you spend. In a nutshell, that’s the situation Iowa finds itself in as the fiscal year goes on. Recently, the Iowa General Assembly voted to cut $118 million in spending to account for less-than-expected revenues. The state universities are…

Republican legislators are moving swiftly on their just-released bill that would make vast changes to Iowa’s collective bargaining law. The House will fast-track the bill through both a labor subcommittee and the full committee today. The Senate brings it up in subcommittee today and will hold their full committee vote on Thursday. Legislators on both…

After Republicans rode a wave of working class frustration into national and state office in 2016, some of those blue collar voters might expect legislators in Iowa to go to work on their behalf. Instead, this Iowa legislative session has been marked by numerous attempts from the new all-Republican majorities to undermine working people’s wages. One…

As the race for Democratic National Convention chair enters into the final stretch in February, many branches of the party are hosting forums with the seven major contenders. The national party’s Disability Caucus plans on hosting a virtual forum this upcoming Sunday, February 12th, at 7:00 pm CST. Former Iowa Senator Tom Harkin and former California Senator…

At a public hearing today of the Iowa House Education Committee, members of the public voiced their frustration over yet another year of inadequate school funding. Last week Republicans rammed through a bill in one day in the Iowa Senate that provided only a 1.1% increase in school funding for 2018. The measure is now…