Joni Ernst Blames The Corp, Not The Climate, For Iowa Flooding

On By rick-smith

In a May 5th guest article in the Des Moines Register, Senator Joni Ernst blamed the Army Corps of Engineers for lack of timely warning prior to the epic Missouri River flooding. She claimed we need better communication and warning about potential flood risk. Ernst’s call for more communication is in sharp contrast to her refusal to engage in the debate about the cause of these extreme weather events. Iowa climate scientists have been warning for years about the increasing flood risk to Iowa. Iowa now ranks fourth in the nation in the number of floods since 1988. With record-setting […]

Iowa Student Activists Raise Voices For Climate Action

On By rick-smith

Certain issues reach a political tipping point when timing, events or actions captures the public’s attention. One of the reasons that action on climate has skyrocketed to the top of the Democrats’ priority list is the actions of the world’s youth. In March, over one million students held climate strikes in over 123 countries calling for urgent climate action. In April, another climate activist group, the Extinction Rebellion, nearly brought London to a standstill with nearly ten days of protests. Student groups are active in promoting the New Green Deal in cities across the country. The Sunrise Movement, a group […]

Cindy Axne Boosts Funding For Iowa Flood Relief

On By rick-smith

Congresswoman Cindy Axne successfully pushed through Congress an additional $3 billion in disaster relief for Iowa and the Midwest. Both the House ($14.2 billion) and the Senate ($13.5 billion) passed hurricane disaster relief bills in January. However, the bills have been held hostage by Trump due to his objection to money designated for Puerto Rico. The relief package has been on hold for months while the negotiations over Puerto Rico funding have continued. Axne promised in her campaign for Congress that she would use her sharp elbows to aggressively promote Iowa – a reference to her history of playing high […]

Free Speech Is Sometimes Uncomfortable

On By randy-evans

The First Amendment isn’t long, but it certainly packs a lot of angst into those few words: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Most Americans embrace these concepts that are important foundations for democracy in the United States — although there are times when these freedoms make us uncomfortable. One of those times was in 1978 when the American Civil Liberties […]

Hatch: How Democrats Can Message On Medicare For All

On By jack-hatch

In Iowa in 2009, the Democratic legislature and governor created a new system that resulted in Iowa having the highest percentage of children covered by health insurance than any state. It allowed children up to age 25 to stay on their parent’s family policy. It required medical providers to share medical records and we created a “hub” to allow providers to mechanically achieve it. It allowed each patient to declare a “medical home” so preventive care would be better coordinated and medical emergencies would be more available. This was all accomplished before the enactment of the 2010 Affordable Care Act […]

What You Do With Your Money Tells Us Something

On By randy-evans

When you drive down Columbia Street in Bloomfield, you will roll past two lessons on selfless giving. Both of those “lessons” are wrapped in one important building, the Bloomfield Public Library. More on the library’s lessons in a moment. All of this is pertinent to our discussion today because it seems as if Beto O’Rourke, one of the flood of Democrats who want to be our president, never really grasp the lesson about the importance of giving that many of us have learned. O’Rourke is wealthy, both by Davis County standards and by Washington, D.C., standards. The nonpartisan Center for […]

Republicans’ Unconstitutional Attack On The Attorney General’s Independence

On By rick-smith

Republican legislators’ attack on Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller is an unconstitutional power grab. Not only is this action a betrayal of basic constitutional principles, it will likely cost taxpayers millions of dollars in lost settlements. In addition, this legislation insults the decisions of Iowa voters that have made Miller the nation’s longest serving Attorney General. He was reelected in 2018 with a historic endorsement of 76.5% of Iowa voters. That super majority percentage demonstrates Iowa voters have total confidence in Miller as their chief legal officer. The Republican legislation would require Miller to ask permission from the governor, Executive […]

Democrats Gather This Weekend To Address Rural Issues

On By rick-smith

Cracking the rural code by finding a successful message is essential to Democrats’ future elections.  It’s not only critical in Iowa, but in much of the so-called red flyover country of the heartland. Iowa Democrats understand that they can’t win majorities in the Iowa House and the Senate or statewide elections without finding a message that appeals to rural voters. They are making serious efforts at rural outreach and that begins with determining the needs of the voters in these areas. Local Democrats will hold a Reaching Rural Voters Forum this Saturday, April 27, 9:00 am to 12:00 in Stuart, […]

Broken Promises: GOP Attempts End Run On IPERS

On By rick-smith

Do you recall all the Republican promises about protecting Iowa Public Employee Retirement System (IPERS) during the Hubbell/Reynolds campaign in 2018? Democrats warned repeatedly that Reynolds and the Republican legislators couldn’t be trusted. Nevertheless, Reynolds and her Republican legislative buddies vowed over and over during that campaign that they would never touch IPERS or the Iowa Police and Firefighters Retirement Fund (411) this year. It was very difficult for Democrats to believe them since Senator Brad Zaun introduced legislation on the first day of last year’s session to replace IPERS and 411 with a 401-K plan. But, they all claimed […]

Republican Statehouse Emboldened To Move Further Right

On By rick-smith

Iowa Democrats expected the Republicans in the Legislature would continue their far-right agenda in 2019. Following the experience from the 2017-18 session, Democrats anticipated more of the same this year. The Republicans didn’t disappoint. They didn’t moderate their radical, take-no-prisoners scheme to impose their one-party rule on Iowans. Having taken control of the Iowa Senate in 2016 and reelected Governor Reynolds in 2018, they have been emboldened to move even further to the right. The specific Republican-sponsored bills define a broad ideological assault on good government, basic democratic principles, public education, worker rights and the environment. It’s a continuation of […]