Trump Insults WWII Veterans With Defense Of Neo-Nazis

On By rick-smith

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Many believed that the defeat of the Nazis in World War ll would consign them to the dustbin of history. However, Trump’s tepid condemnation of the “Unite the Right” Nazi chanting groups this week was taken as a direct endorsement by white nationalist and white supremacist supporters. They see Trump’s equivocation on who was responsible for the violence in Charlottesville as support for their racist and hateful agenda. Trump is intentionally insulting the sacrifices that millions of American veterans made to defeat the Nazis in WWll. Over a quarter […]

Indivisible Iowa Responds To Simon Conway’s Bizarre Attack

On By prynard

Yesterday Simon Conway of I Heart Radio’s WHO AM 1040 irresponsibly posted screenshots from an Indivisible closed Facebook group.  The post contained member names and profile pictures and had to be edited to contain the disclaimer, “UPDATE: Any threats of violence will be removed and the poster banned from the page. Period” after Conway’s supporters posted death threats on the post to members of Indivisible.     Indivisible Iowa and Action Iowa issue the following statement: In the days following the events in Charlottesville, our non-partisan groups began productive discussions on the removal of Confederate memorials in the state of Iowa. […]

How “Job-Killing Regulations” That Trump Hates Actually Save Lives

On By randy-evans

Don’t come knocking on my door looking for support for the Trump administration’s latest effort to get rid of what the president likes to call job-killing regulations. Why? I will answer that question, but first let me tell you about my brother-in-law, Jim. He grew up in Cedar Rapids. He served in the Army in Vietnam and received his business degree from the University of Northern Iowa. Jim was never someone who shied away from hard work. He was always thinking about other people and their needs before he would think about himself. In Vietnam, helicopter gunships were an important […]

Radio Host Simon Conway’s Attempt To Smear Democrats Backfires Immediately

On By prynard

Conservative WHO Radio host Simon Conway thought he had a big scoop today, “exposing” Iowa Democratic activists’ conversations in a private Facebook group about a Confederate monument in the state. His attempt to demonize Iowa citizens quickly backfired. Calling it a “MUST READ,” Conway posted a story on WHO Radio’s website that predicted that liberal activists were about to cause trouble, calling up visions for his rightwing audience of violent vandals. “It looks like some people want to bring trouble to Iowa,” Conway wrote. “We have very little in the form of Confederate monuments, but the one put up in […]

Reynolds’ Budget Mismanagement Leading To 41% Tuition Increase

On By rick-smith

The University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld proposes to raise resident undergraduate tuition by seven percent each year for the next five years. That follows Iowa State’s interim President Ben Allen’s identical recommendation of seven percent each year for the next five years. The plan calls for the base tuition to raise from $7,486 to $10,537, amounting to about a 41% over the next five years for Iowa college students attending Iowa and ISU. That is on top of the five percent increase approved for this fall. Governor Reynolds said Tuesday that Iowa families can’t afford that large an increase. However, she […]

Todd Prichard Bows Out Of Gubernatorial Race

On By prynard

State Representative Todd Prichard withdrew from the Democratic primary for Iowa Governor today, his campaign announced. Prichard was one of the first candidates to form an exploratory committee back in March. He will instead run for reelection to his Charles City-based house seat in 2018. “It has been an honor to participate in the Democratic Party’s primary for governor over the last few months,” Prichard said in a press release. “I am humbled by the support I have received across the state. However, my responsibilities to my family, the Army, my constituents, as well as my small business must take […]

Jim Mowrer Looks To Hold Paul Pate Accountable For Uncounted Votes

On By prynard

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate never really paid a political price for the 5,842 uncounted votes in Dallas County in the 2016 general election. Jim Mowrer plans to change that. The veteran and past congressional candidate kicked off his bid for the Democratic nomination for secretary of state the other week, focusing his early messaging on criticism of the Dallas County mess. “The Secretary of State, the man in charge of our elections, didn’t count nearly 6,000 votes,” Mowrer told Starting Line recently. “And I have seen first-hand the cost of our freedom and our democracy, and it is […]

Draft Dodger Trump Doesn’t Mind Sending Others To War

On By rick-smith

Why are Republicans so unwilling to speak up as this President with no military, no diplomatic and no elective office experience is recklessly making threats of imminent war with North Korea? His record shouldn’t give anyone confidence that he has a clue as to the appropriate or traditional diplomatic methods to avoid war. This President chose to avoid military service during the Vietnam war with a questionable draft-deferment based on note from his doctor. Then he lied and claimed to have been given a high draft number rather than a medical deferment. President Trump played football, tennis, squash and golf […]

Congressional, Sec. of State Dems Make Pitches At Wing Ding

On By prynard

Democratic activists from across Northern Iowa and beyond gathered in Clear Lake Friday night to hear Democratic candidates and leaders speak… and speak… and speak some more. 22 candidates, elected officials and leaders in all took the stage to address the crowd of about 400 attendees in the historic Surf Ballroom, interspersed with award presentations to local activists and various skits. The event moved along at a decent pace, however – many of the candidates in the crowded primary fields have gotten accustomed to giving short stump speeches. Seven gubernatorial candidates, six congressional contenders and both secretary of state candidates […]

Iowa’s “Black Gold” Is Washing Away

On By rick-smith

Iowa farmers’ greatest asset is their soil. It’s the amazing productivity of Iowa’s soil that makes our state the agricultural powerhouse in feeding the world. The fertility and yield potential of Iowa topsoil has earned it the title as Iowa’s “black gold.”  Yet, Iowa Republicans don’t want to discuss the undeniable truth that Iowa’s black gold is washing away at ten times the rate of replenishment. Republicans love to brag that they are the true conservatives. How can these self-proclaimed conservatives refuse to acknowledge the disappearance of Iowa’s greatest natural resource? Safeguarding Iowa’s soil should be priority number one for […]