Chuck Grassley: Broadband Killer And Corrupt Hack
Thanks to an email from a friend, I stumbled on a couple of articles that give a picture of Chuck Grassley that is probably closer to reality than the whitewashed image we get from the corporate media.
So with that, I will simply link to these articles and let you draw your own conclusions:
http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2012/01/chuck-grassley-broadband-killer-and.html
http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2010/08/is-chuck-grassley-still-capable-of_12.html
ALEC Attacks! Will Iowa Have A Voter ID Law?
I just got an email from my county party leader that SOS Matt Schultz will be following the ALEC lead and propose the Voter Photo ID bill for Iowa. This is one of ALEC model legislation bills aimed at supressing voter turnout. As many know the lower the voter turnout, the better the chances Republicans will win. That is because Democrats tend to be less reliable voters. If they can be discouraged in any way, then that lowers the possibility they will vote.
So the email contained a response from the Iowa Democratic Party:
Voter ID’s hidden costs would pile up
DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz has introduced a new voter ID bill, which would enact unnecessary barriers to voting and potentially cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
“Voter fraud is not and never has been a problem in Iowa, this latest bill is just as misguided and unnecessary as previous attempts in the state,” said Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Sue Dvorsky. “While it’s easy for Secretary Schultz to downplay the cost of this restrictive law in a press conference, he’s ignoring the hidden costs that taxpayers will needlessly be stuck with.”
During today’s press conference Schultz said there would only be a “nominal” cost for printing flyers, which would be the only method of educating voters about the change in Iowa law. This ignores the fact that similar bills have cost other states millions to implement.
In Wisconsin, for example, where Republicans passed a similar law last year, it is estimated to cost taxpayers nearly $6 million. Those costs include a substantial education program, $2 million to cover additional employees at the Department of Transportation and the cost of free IDs, and over $1.6 million to re-issue student IDs that do not comply with the new law.
Iowa would likely see many of these same costs. Under the new voter ID bill, college and university IDs are only valid if they include an expiration date, something that is not standard practice in the state and would require that IDs be updated before they are valid. During the press conference even Secretary of State Schultz admitted that he did not know how many Iowans do not have an ID to vote or how many would seek a free ID under this proposal.
Secretary Schultz also failed to address the difficulty some Iowans may have in obtaining a free ID. If someone does not have an ID already, they would need to provide identification like a birth certificate or passport – both of which would not be free – before receiving their ID to vote.
“It’s clear that there was very little thought given to the cost of this bill and its impact on voting in the state. We cannot waste millions of dollars that could otherwise be invested in education, infrastructure, or even programs to register more Iowans to vote,” added Dvorsky.
“Unfortunately, this is part of a larger campaign by Republican leaders to restrict voting and damage democracy across the country.”
IDP left out one important phrase “government agency issued photo ID.” For my disabled wife, this is a big deal if I were not available. Such IDs would need to be kept current. Since she can’t drive and the issuing offices are 30, 20, 25 and 40+ miles away it would be a major undertaking for her to keep such an ID up.
Schulz proposed this law last year and was taken to task by many Republican auditors. One such story was covered by blogforiowa last year. At a board of supervisors meeting in Cerro Gordo County, county auditor Ken Kline was asked about the bill and replied:
“He [Kline] was asked by a constituent at a Board of Supervisors meeting what he thought of the proposed law.
“Am I opposed to it? No. But what problem are we solving?” asked Kline.
He said to his knowledge, Iowa never had a problem of someone voting in someone else’s place.”
So it is a solution looking for a problem that will waste a ton of money. All this just for Matt Schultz to curry favor with the filthy rich that run ALEC and the Tea Party. Look for a companion bill to suppress student voting if this one passes.
And the funny thing is that if you have already falsified your ID, a photo is not going to stop you from voting under that false ID. So it doesn’t even solve the problem it purports to.
Tags: Matt Schultz, soter suppression | 
No Comments »
Occupiers To Retake Peoples Park
Occupy action alert from Ed Fallon
Dear Friends,
I have important, breaking news to share with you:
In response to the decision by City of Des Moines officials to no longer allow Occupy Des Moines to remain at Stewart Square, we will re-occupy Peoples Park (E 7th and Locust) on Sunday, January 29. We’ll meet at Stewart Square Park (E 14th and Grand) at 2:00 pm and march to Peoples Park. Then we’ll hold a General Assembly at our indoor headquarters on the third floor at 504 E Locust.
If you were among the 500 people at the first Occupy Des Moines General Assembly at Peoples Park on October 9, please come. If you weren’t, please come. To reclaim our country from corporate and political corruption, this movement must grow. There have been disagreements, as there are within any movement for social and political reform. Let’s put those behind us as we march back to where things started and plan the next steps.
The City of Des Moines has been reasonable to work with. I wish all public officials took the Occupy Wall Street movement seriously. Unfortunately, as Governor Branstad demonstrated on October 9, he not only chose to ignore the legitimate grievances we raised, he even denied us our right to air those grievances in a public space. We’re willing to give Governor Branstad a second chance, exactly 15 weeks after 35 of us were arrested at Peoples Park.
As a next possible step in redeploying the “occupation” and maintaining pressure on national banks that have acted both unethically and illegally, Occupy Des Moines members are engaged in ongoing discussions about how best to assist individuals who are at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure. Stay tuned for more on that.
Spread the word! And PLEASE GO TO THE FACEBOOK PAGE we’ve created to promote this event. Sign up to attend. Share it with others. Let’s speak with one voice that we expect the grievances of the Occupy Wall Street movement be taken seriously. Thank you.
Ed
Are You Eligible For Earned Income Tax Credit?
BFIA readers, according to Rep. Dave Loebsack, there were many Iowa families who were eligible, but did not receive the EITC last year. Let’s help our congressman spread the word to our fellow Iowans about this savings. Please pass this on.
January 27, 2012
Dear Friend,
I know family budgets are tight right now, and, having been raised by a single mom, I know what it’s like to worry about paying the bills, especially this time of year. I wanted to send you this short message on Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) awareness day to make sure you’re aware of this tax credit that could save Iowa families money.
The EITC can put up to $5,751 in the pockets of eligible taxpayers (for example, those with earnings under $40,964 for a married couple with two children) with the simple check of a box. In 2011, over 200,000 Iowans claimed the EITC, receiving an average of about $2,000 each. Despite this, 20 percent of eligible taxpayers did not receive their EITC in 2011. That is why I have attended EITC events in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City to raise awareness. I volunteered at these events to help local residents fill out and file their federal income tax returns. If you believe you may be eligible for the EITC, click here to find out more or click here to find a free file site near you.
I hope you will join me in getting the word out about this important tax credit.
Sincerely,
Dave Loebsack
Iowa’s Second District
Everything You Need To Know About How To Start Your Own Community Radio Station
In December of 2010 the House and Senate passed the Local Community Radio Act by voice vote in both chambers. Reps. Dave Loebsack (D) and Tom Latham (R) were co-sponsors of this important legislation. President Obama signed the LPFM act into law on January 5, 2011.
For everything you need to know about how to apply for a LPFM station in your community, here are some links.
Start a Radio Station – Prometheus Radio Project
Pacifica – How to Start a Community Radio Station
FCC Report Vindicates Community Radio, Again
Prometheus Radio Project prometheusradio.org/fcc-report
On January 5, the FCC released a long-awaited report on the economic impact of low power FM (LPFM) stations on their full-power commercial neighbors. The FCC’s report was required by the Local Community Radio Act, in a provision that had long been requested by commercial broadcasters fighting against the expansion of community radio. As expected, the 100+ page study revealed that LPFM stations do not cause harm to other stations.
In the words of the report, “the presenceof LPFM stations has no measurable effect on the economic performance of the average full-service commercial FM station.”
What does this say about the broader impact of LPFM stations? Although they have a neutral effect on other stations, the report includes several conclusions about the positive impact stations have in their communities. The authors note that “LPFM stations appear to be much more likely to carry a variety of programming genres than full-service commercial FM stations.” Instead of subscribing to a single common format, most community radio stations include one or sometimes many genres of music and talk that are otherwise unavailable.
Measuring listenership is difficult because most LPFM stations are located outside the markets rated by Arbitron (though this will change with the passage of the Local Community Radio Act). However, for the LPFM stations that are rated, the report found that many achieved high values of what’s called Time Spent Listening (“TSL”). This rating “suggests that the popular LPFM stations tend to attract a small but loyal fan base, which tunes in for long periods of time and/or switches stations less frequently than the average full-service station listener.”
For community radio producers and supporters, these conclusions will be no surprise. But it’s helpful that the FCC’s own research supports the common-sense notion that community radio serves a greater diversity of listeners and needs than do commercial stations.
To inform the report, Prometheus submitted the results of our LPFM survey data on stations financials as well as earlier formal comments to the FCC. The authors extensively cite both our filings, even referencing what we think is the main point: “Prometheus argues that the premise for the study is flawed because the Commission’s goals would be well served if LPFM stations are providing competition to the radio industry and because incumbents do not have a right to be protected from competition.”
After all, even if LPFM stations did present an economic threat to their neighbors, wouldn’t this be cause for celebration, as commercial stations would be forced to better serve their communities in order to retain listeners? As we noted in our comments, the FCC should not be in the business of protecting incumbent broadcasters from new ones.
The study also mentions our argument that many LPFM stations are reaching new listeners who are otherwise unserved by local media, meaning that stations don’t necessarily draw listeners away from other stations, but rather increase radio listenership in general. For many of us, commercial radio isn’t worth listening to, because it doesn’t reflect our local communities, our language, our politics, or our culture. Expanding community radio may actually increase the viability of FM radio as more people find a reason to tune in.
Tags: community radio, FCC, LPFM, media reform | No Comments »
Iowa Legislators Need To Hear From Public
G** advocate groups and the NR* are pushing a new law in the Iowa legislature. HF *** would make it even more ok than it already is for someone to kill someone as long as they feel threatened (even if it turns out later that they weren’t actually threatened).
The law is opposed by law enforcement who argue it will increase rather than decrease crime.
According to Lonny Pulkrabek, Johnson County Sheriff:
“The goal for shall issue was more law abiding citizens getting permits to carry. Mission accomplished. The unintended results were more non-law abiding citizens carrying weapons. Mission accomplished. Many people with criminal records are flocking in to Sheriff’s Offices to get permits. Now the NRA and [g**] advocates are going to give the criminals a new tool. It is called “stand your ground.” A great way to get by with murder. Kill someone, no witnesses, therefore report to the police you felt threatened, that makes it justified now and no criminal or civil sanctions.
The legislators need to hear from people on this. The NRA will continue to put an enormous amount of pressure and $$$ into Iowa on this issue.
Tell them vote NO on stand your ground legislation. The law already gives you protection.”
According to the Des Moines Register/reasonable force opposed by law enforcement:
House File 573 is being supported by the subcommittee’s chair, Rep. Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley, (whose family also happens to own a g** store). Siding with Windschitl were fellow subcommittee member Clel Baudler, R-Greenfield, and National Rifle Association lobbyist Christopher Rager.
Polk County Attorney John Sarcone argued that domestic abusers, gang members and others, could find cover in the new law. “Unfortunately … it’s going to increase the level of crimes,” said Steven Foritano, a bureau chief for the Polk County attorney’s office. “It’s a bill that asks for the escalation of violence and not the de-escalation of violence.”
Siding with the Polk County prosecutors in opposition to the law were police and sheriffs’ representatives, the trial attorneys’ lobby and Des Moines Rep. Rick Olson, the lone Democrat on the subcommittee.
Legislators need to hear from the public on this.
Click here to find your legislator
Click here to contact your legislator
Himaliowa Haiku
Himaliowa haiku
by jonshu
In Butterfly Morning
we Rise UP
and
FLY
AHO!
Happy Chinese New Year
In this Year of the Dragon
2012
Jonshu
This Week On The Fallon Forum: Should Democrats Count The GOP Votes?
Monday – Thursday from 7:00-800 pm, join us for the fusion of politics and civility at 98.3 WOW-FM and on-line at 983wowfm.com. Call (515) 312-0983 or (866) 908-TALK to participate in the conversation. If you miss the show, you can hear it as a podcast and please help support local progressive talk radio with an online donation or by check to PO Box 13421, Des Moines, IA 50310.
Dear Friends,
If Iowa is to retain its first-in-the-nation status in the presidential nominating process, this year’s caucus debacle demands dramatic action. An edgy, decisive plan is needed, and I’m happy to announce that I have it. Here’s a step-by-step guide to the impeccable logic behind my thinking:
1. Ballots were unable to be counted in 8 of 1,774 Republican precinct caucuses. That’s a failure rate of .045% — unacceptable when dealing with something as important as voting, or caucusing, or electing delegates . . . or whatever it is we do here in Iowa to help pick the leader of what used to be called, charmingly, “the free world.”
2. Presumably, precinct chairs and/or secretaries counted the ballots in each precinct, with interested (often suspicious) rank-and-file caucus goers looking on.
3. The chair and secretary were presumably Republicans at all precinct caucuses. All but one, that is . . .
4. That’s right. As previously reported, Republicans in Des Moines 66 elected this former Democratic legislator as caucus secretary. I was a registered Republican for all of 60 minutes before I got to count ballots (and money!). There were no errors in the vote tally in Precinct 66 (and every red Republican cent was accounted for too, in case you’re wondering).
5. Therefore, since the error rate among Republicans counting votes is an unacceptable .045% vs a spotless performance among Democrats counting votes, I call upon Matt Strawn, chair of the Iowa Republican Party, to immediately announce to the world that, beginning in 2016, only Democrats will be allowed to count ballots at Republican precinct caucuses.
And given the extent to which Presidents Reagan, Bush I and Bush II ran-up the federal debt, it might not be a bad idea to keep Democrats in charge of managing the federal till as well.
That said, we have some great conversation brewing for you this week. And I hope you’ll not only tune-in, but call-in — everyone but Frank, that is.
Monday, Charles Goldman and I read tea leaves as we attempt to find meaning in the craziness of the recent South Carolina primary. We’ll also talk about SOPA and PIPA. And no, SOPA and PIPA aren’t characters in a new Disney film.
Tuesday, we talk with Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development, about the $809 million in state money that has gone to just 50 companies over the past seven years. Debi and I are unlikely to agree on whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, which should make for some provocative conversation.
Speaking of being unlikely to agree, also on Tuesday, Dave Williams, President of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, will gab with me about the State of the Union address, which airs live at 8:00 pm central time.
Wednesday, we talk nuclear power, and Sonia Ashe of the Iowa Public Interest Research Group joins us. Apparently, even the Iowa Utilities Board is raising concerns about MidAmerican Energy’s proposal to soak rate-payers with the cost of building a new nuclear power plant.
Thursday, Speaker of the Iowa House, Kraig Paulsen, is our guest for the opening segment of the show, which will focus on matters before the Iowa Legislature this session, obviously.
So, tune in at 98.3 WOW-FM and online. You can download the Fallon Forum as a podcast, too. And don’t forget to visit The Fallon Forum website at fallonforum.com. Thanks!
Ed
- Schultz Raises Dead Voter Scare Again
- Repubs Stage Crime at NH Polls
- Wondering About GOP Caucus Count
- Judge Fires Voting Machine Investigators
- Globe-Gazette Decries “Cheap Shot” from SoS Schultz
- Voting By Email Is Foolish
- Congratulations, Iowa
- Auditors Study Photo ID
- Iowa’s Best Criminals
- Voter ID Violated by Indiana SoS
