Tim Urban

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell seems to be reneging on his pledge to bring bi-partisan criminal justice reform to the floor of the Senate for a vote during the lame duck session. It is ironic that Senator Grassley is complaining about McConnell’s so well-established duplicity. Grassley, as lame-duck chairman of the Judiciary Committee, can…

As the Republican Congress wraps up its “Tax Reform and Jobs” bill, the committee and floor debates provide a stark contrast on how the two parties see the state of the economy and the role of government. The Republicans argue that allowing “hard-working taxpayers to decide how to spend their hard-earned money is preferable to…

The Business Record described two projects that will receive the maximum of “brownfield” and “grayfield” Iowa Income Tax Credits. Brownfield credits are for sites that have “real or perceived environmental contamination” and Grayfield credits are for “vacant or blighted sites.” “A $40 million conversion of the 104-year-old Midland building at 206 Sixth Ave. from an…

My wife, Toni, and I just returned from a trip that included a tour of a geothermal plant in Iceland. It is the third largest geothermal plant in the world that uses super hot water from deep wells to drive steam turbines. It is one of seven such facilities in Iceland and generates 300 megawatts of…

The State of Iowa is again chasing a major employer for more jobs using massive tax incentives.  The lure of 4,000 automobile manufacturing jobs with a new Toyota plant has Iowa Economic Development officials salivating to compete with Texas and Mississippi that could require a package costing state and local taxpayers over $500 million. At the same…

Each week Congressman David Young sends out a “60 Second Survey” seeking the opinion of those who read his weekly newsletters. He should be commended for seeking feedback from constituents, but virtually all of his surveys are bogus or – at best – disingenuous. Last week he stated, “If people – as many have wished – get their way…

Guest post from Tim Urban Donald Trump captured the anxieties of middle America with the theme  MAKE AMERICAN GREAT AGAIN. America is already a great nation, but not for all Americans. President Obama and candidates Sanders and Clinton built their campaigns around minorities, immigrants, women and LGBT Americans. We assumed that these groups would outvote the…

During the Presidential debate, Donald Trump repeated his contention that massive job losses have been lost in Ohio and Michigan due to bad trade deals with Mexico and China. “Bigly” losses. His appeal to “working class white male voters” is premised on their displacement from work. Before the March primaries, Ohio Gov. John Kasich boasted…

Terry Branstad joined the Tea Party with his reelection. It is apparent that his relentless effort to scale back government has a hidden agenda—not to keep public spending under control, but to move state dollars from the pockets of state workers to big business. A recent Des Moines Editorial, “Corporate Welfare Run Amok,” cited a…

I received a mailer from Congressman David Young with a four-page description of potential frauds and scams that Iowans should avoid. It was very informative until I noticed that it was a “Public Document. Official Business” and not a campaign mailer. Congress has availed itself of many benefits at taxpayers expense including “franking” privileges. A…