2019
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Michael Bennet’s Education Plan Is More Than An Appointment
Much like Jay Inslee became the preeminent voice in the Democratic Party on climate change, Michael Bennet of Colorado has presented himself as the leading expert on public education. He spent yesterday in Iowa at a series of education-related roundtables and policy roll-outs, drawing on his experience as the former superintendent of the Denver Public…
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Joni Ernst-Backed Tax Cuts Benefited The Rich, Iowans Protest
Tax March Iowa and its supporters protested Senator Joni Ernst and the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in front of the Neal Smith Federal Building in Des Moines at noon Thursday. Before the protest, Tax March Iowa Director Sue Dinsdale edited a letter Ernst had sent her about the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.…
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The Problem With Steve King’s Toilet Sink Water Claim
A video that Steve King put out of him drinking from a water fountain mounted on the back of a toilet bowl went viral Wednesday afternoon. The video, which has been viewed more than two million times, was shot at a border detention facility in late July. He didn’t release the video until yesterday, stating,…
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Union Workers Not Forgotten In 2020 Candidates’ Climate Plans
Union workers haven’t been forgotten when it comes to 2020 Presidential candidates’ plans to combat climate change. Good-paying union jobs were included in many of the Democrats’ proposals and discussions during last night’s marathon CNN forums. Elizabeth Warren said one of the reasons she likes the Green New Deal so much is because it not…
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Unlikely Allies: California And Iowa Look To Cleaner Ethanol
The Midwest can help save our planet’s natural resources with responsible farming practices. Presidential candidates have hinted at it with their plans and speeches in Iowa, but it’s not something we should gloss over as pandering; it’s a real possibility. Leaders from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), a major influencer in how markets nationwide…
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It’s Wrong To Ban Fair Visitors For Speaking Up
This year’s Iowa State Fair received spotlight attention from coast to coast, thanks in large measure to the presence of just about everyone with an itch to be the next United States president. The Iowa Tourism Office could never afford all of the glowing imagery of Iowa and the fair that was sent around the…
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New Wave Of Trump Judges Await Senate After Recess
When the Senate is back in session next week, they’ll resume debate and confirm more federal judges put forth by the Trump Administration. Before the August recess, senators pushed 12 judges through the nomination process and onto seats in federal district courts across the country. Now, 22 more district court judges have been nominated. District…
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Ernst: Need To “Sit Down Behind Closed Doors” For Social Security Fix
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst said at a recent town hall meeting in Emmet County that politicians should “sit down behind closed doors” as a way to avoid public scrutiny when discussing was to fix Social Security policy. A video clip of Ernst this past Saturday at a school in Estherville shows the Republican senator responding…
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Following My Grandmother’s Activism Led Me To Julián Castro
Letter to the editor from Eliseo Flores of Des Moines, a recent graduate from Grandview University and summer intern for Julián Castro. Photo of Flores and his grandmother. “There is no substitute for hard work.” I remember these words ringing in my head throughout my childhood. As I grew up seeing these words in action,…
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I Support John Delaney Because He Shows Up
A letter to the editor from Susan Wulf Osvald of Exira, Iowa. No other person running for president has spent as much time in Iowa as John Delaney. He made his second visit to Audubon County, one of Iowa’s smallest in population, when he came to Exira, my hometown, for a picnic and policy discussion…
