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ihatehogconfinements - Mon 21 Jul 2008 06:45 PM CDT
no4gman - Tue 15 Jul 2008 10:46 PM CDT
evaroberts - Tue 15 Jul 2008 01:20 AM CDT
Sam Garchik - Mon 02 Jun 2008 10:10 AM CDT
atomburke - Fri 23 May 2008 03:49 PM CDT
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Wednesday, November 8
Loebsack's Going to DC, and Other Dem Victories
by
Sam Garchik
on Wed 08 Nov 2006 10:38 AM CST
Loebsack's Going to DC
(and other dem victories)
By Sam Garchik
Dave
Loebsack ran a great, dignified campaign against a tough opponent, and did what
no other challenger could do in 30 years. He beat Jim Leach. Way to go Dave.
Enjoy DC.
Bruce Braley beat a tough opponent also, as did Leonard Boswell. Iowa now has
three Democratic Congressmen. Times are good. Thanks also to Selden Spencer and
Joyce Schulte, who ran good campaigns in tough areas.
We also have a new Democratic governor, a new Democratic Secretary of State,
and a good candidate for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture in 4 years. O'Brien ran
a good campaign about important issues, and should continue to work for the
people in the state of Iowa. We need her.
On to the Iowa House. Andrew Wenthe, McKinley Bailey, and Eric Palmer beat two
tough GOP incumbents. As did Elesha Gayman, who, at 28, is, I think,
Iowa's youngest ever female elected to the State House. She will work there
with Tyler Olson, who graduated high school in 1994. The future of our party is
in good hands. Meanwhile, Social Studies Teacher Art Staed takes over a former
GOP seat, as did Doris Kelley. Mark Nolte and Sally Vitamvas both ran good
campaigns, but came up short.
The State Senate also went well for Democrats. Rob Hogg, Bill Heckroth, and
Stacci Appel all won seats previously held by Republicans, Becky Schmitz beat
an incumbent in Southern Iowa.
More results are here, and more commentary will be forthcoming.
Monday, November 6
Beware the Attack Robo-Call from Northey
by
Sam Garchik
on Mon 06 Nov 2006 08:22 PM CST
Beware the Attack Robo-Call from Northey
By Sam Garchik (with response)
I was listening to 102.9, the top 40 station in Cedar Rapids, when the GOP attack on O'Brien came on. That's kind of a weird place to air that, I thought. Then, I got a robo call from the same old lady. So, I wanted to post this response.
Friends,
I have to respond to the vicious attacks on Denise O'Brien's family from the Republican Party. I am a farmer in Cass County, Denise's home county, and I've known Denise O'Brien for over 35 years, including in 1987 when she was fighting for family farms in Iowa and Washington D.C. I've also known Larry Harris for years and believe him when he says this is the way it was.
The accusation that Larry willfully harmed livestock is just one of many distortions by her opponents to take away her lead. Please spread the truth about this situation that happened almost twenty years ago.
Here are the facts:
In 1987, like so many farmers during the farm crisis, Denise and Larry were working off the farm to make ends meet. Larry hired a neighbor to take care of some steers and he moved them to that hired hand's farm. When Larry learned that the steers were being mistreated, he fired the farmer and took the steers into his own care. The steers were not in Larry's care when the reported neglect took place.
These attacks on Denise's family just shows the Republican Party has no shame. This is one of the many negative attacks waged by Denise's opponents in the last few weeks.
Her campaign depends on supporters like you to make sure that her vision of clean water, local control, and safe and healthy communities is not drowned by her opponent's mudslinging. Please continue spreading the word about Denise's message to help her win on Tuesday.
Sincerely,
Connie Russell
Anita, Iowa
Monday, October 30
Storm Lake Times Endorses O'Brien
by
Sam Garchik
on Mon 30 Oct 2006 08:02 AM CST
Storm Lake Times Endorses O'Brien
By the Storm Lake Times
O"Brien has her first endorsement! Also, her TV ads look great.
O’Brien is subject of lies <>
We
did not care who the next Iowa Secretary of Agriculture would be, until
we caught an ad this week sponsored by Republican candidate Bill
Northey. It attacked Democratic candidate Denise O’Brien as not sharing
“Iowa values.” It also attacks her for attending a fundraiser with
“animal rights activists” in California.
We support Denise O’Brien for the job, based on that stupid and dishonest ad.
It’s
time to put a stop to the lying. Denise O’Brien is a farmer, former
president of the National Family Farm Coalition, a wife and mother, a
lifelong resident of Cass County in western Iowa, hard-working,
pleasant, dirt under her fingernails type of person. At that
fundraiser, O’Brien was promoting Iowa pork which was served at the
supper! Now how does that jive with the animal rights code-words?
We
don’t know what Northey means by Iowa values, but by our definition he
lacks them. Chief among Iowa values is honesty. The sort of dishonesty
Northey displayed in that ad disqualifies him from state office. He
knows better.
Vote for O’Brien, and put a stop to the sort of rubbish put out by the likes of Northey.
Monday, October 16
Denise O'Brien for Iowa's Secretary of Agriculture
by
Sam Garchik
on Mon 16 Oct 2006 07:46 PM CDT
 Denise O'Brien for Iowa's Secretary of Agriculture
By Jim Dean, DFA
This is the word from DFA! They have chosen O'Brien as one of their featured candidates.
Democracy for America supports fiscally responsible, socially progressive candidates at all levels of government. That's why we are supporting Denise O'Brien for Iowa's Secretary of Agriculture.
http://www.deniseobrien.com/
Denise has been an organic farmer and farm activist for over 30 years. She and her husband ran a dairy farm for 20 of those 30 years. During this time Denise became interested in agriculture policy that promotes the family farm. She has helped start several progressive programs to fight corporate influence in farming. In the 1990's she lunched the Women, Food and Agriculture Network -- an organization that supports women in farming.
Support Denise O'Brien
Denise's experience over the past 30 years has prepared her to step forward as a leader in Iowa. When elected she will work to create more opportunities in farming. She wants to reduce the influence of industrial agriculture -- which has a serious impact on family farms and prevents young farmers from entering agriculture. Denise will work with local farmers to clean up the water. This essential resource needs to be protected and preserved. She will also work to boost the local economy by promoting locally owned renewable energy operations.
With your support, Denise can win her campaign and bring progressive values to the Secretary of Agriculture's office. Please visit her website and help her in any way you can.
http://www.deniseobrien.com/
Sincerely,
Jim Dean
Chair
Thursday, September 21
Change is in the Air - 29th Annual Harkin Steak Fry
by
Caroline Vernon
on Thu 21 Sep 2006 12:39 PM CDT
 Change is in the Air - 29th Annual Harkin Steak Fry
By Caroline Vernon
I can’t tell you how excited I was to finally be able to attend a Harkin Steak Fry. For the past two years, since I became politically active, I was never able to make the trip. Traditionally, the Scott County Democrats always fill an entire bus with eager democratic activists, hungry to hear the voice of strong leadership (as well as a sizzling steak or two). This year was no exception. Since there was no room on the bus, an extra dozen of us pooled our resources and rented a passenger van to make the trip. It rained the entire time we were on the road -- we just knew we would end up getting drenched From what I gathered from some of our Steak Fry veterans, rain has also been a part of the annual tradition so we expected it, but as soon as we were about 20 miles outside Indianola, the sky opened up, the clouds dispersed, and the sun smiled down upon us the rest of the day. This was a very good omen
Many of us were there to represent the Wake-Up Walmart campaign, so we met up with the national team, donned our new t-shirts and headed for the food. It was very good, although, at first, I was wondering how I was going to cut my steak with a plastic butter knife but it was surprisingly tender and succulent There were so many folks at the tables, we had to split up to find a seat. No sooner I sat down, Tom Harkin, Barack Obama, and Chet Culver walked up and sat down at the reserved table nearby. What I witnessed from that point on is hard to describe. Folks were squeezing in all around them. They hardly had any elbow room to eat. Everyone was eager to get up close and personal. The Press Corps had at least 2 dozen microphones hanging over their food -- I guess they wanted to listen to them chew or something. I was dumbfounded by the fact that folks would not just let them eat their food in peace since there was plenty of opportunity to speak to them afterward. The day had just begun.
Sure enough, after they had their fill of that USDA Iowa corn-fed beef (and all the fixins’), the three of them started working the crowd. The energy all around was electric! I knew it was going to be an incredible challenge withstanding the crowd in order to get a word with any of them, but as soon as I saw an opening I squeezed into it and found myself 2nd in line behind a reporter from CNN who was asking Senator Harkin what he thought about Obama being there, that sort of thing. Once it was my turn, I first thanked Senator Harkin for all of the good work he has done through the Americans with Disabilities Act. I then shared with him my personal experience of transitioning from disability while re-entering the workforce after a decade long bout with rheumatoid arthritis. I told him that after 10 years of being flat on my back, I finally found a drug treatment that gave me a whole new lease on life. Unfortunately, the cost of the drug is about $3,600 a month, but I was able to qualify for enrollment into the Patient Assistance Program which made it possible for me to get the drug directly from the pharmaceutical company at very little cost. Since then, I have improved steadily and as of last November, have re-entered the workforce. Here’s the catch, now that I am working, I run the risk of no longer qualifying to receive my medication. Without it, I will surely end up right back where I was 2 years ago - flat on my back. Senator Harkin was very compassionate and told me he thought the only way to address this issue is by changing the law in order to realistically assist those individuals who are transitioning. Given the make-up of our current legislature, there is obviously no hope of that happening, unless, of course, the Democrats manage to take back Congress (I hope you are all out there working hard to make this happen).
I next spoke with gubernatorial candidate, Chet Culver, asking him about the state of our environment, citing EPA emission reports which indicate that many counties in Iowa are in the top ten of the most polluted in the nation. Chet promised that once elected, he would do everything necessary to clean up our water and address corporate polluters by implementing stiffer fines and penalties. He said, “If they are going to pollute, they are going to pay.”
Unfortunately, I did not have the stamina necessary to withstand the pressure of the crowd while trying to get an audience with Obama. After being stepped on several times, I finally gave up on that idea. What a trip! It was about that time that all of the Congressional candidates took to the stage followed by Governor Vilsack who spoke on behalf of all them, before introducing Chet Culver.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day and everyone seemed to be in top form. Chet told us he wants to be the “people’s governor,” providing the people of Iowa with a positive vision for the future. He said he has a plan to make Iowa the renewable energy capitol of the world. Chet cited three keys to victory that he calls on all of us to do between now and November 7th; volunteer your time, post yard signs and bumper stickers, and get out the vote!
Chet then introduced Senator Harkin who took to the stage, welcoming everyone to the 29th Annual Harkin Steak Fry. I tell ya, it was like a crescendo from there on. Tom Harkin is the salt of the earth. I really enjoyed listening to him. I know Obama is a rock star, but as far as I’m concerned, Tom Harkin is “the rock.” He was warm, witty, enthusiastic, and yet serious – all at the same time. According to the Library of Congress, Senator Harkin holds the record for defeating more Republican incumbents than anyone else in the history of this country. That speaks volumes!
The Senator talked about moving Iowa forward and cited the single most important thing we can do as Iowans to promote progress is by electing more Democrats to the Iowa House and Senate. He thanked all of the candidates and sitting legislators for their commitment and dedication. Tom said he’s known Chet Culver since he was a little boy, joking that yes, Chet was once little. Tom mentioned he was proud to have also served with Chet’s dad and has been a close friend of the family for many years. Senator Harkin said he believes Chet has been the best Secretary of State in Iowa’s history.
The senator then directed his attention to the current administration and said, “The president just doesn’t get it, there is no virtue in staying the course if the course you are on is headed over a cliff. There is no virtue in being strong and wrong.” He spoke about how George Bush has squandered all of the good will from around the world that came as a result of 9/11. He said, “Bush has given the Iraqi government a blank check, payable with the lives of our American soldiers and marines.” He said Republicans are not only wrong about Iraq, but they’re wrong here at home. Tom said, “It’s wrong for the President to veto stem cell research that has so much promise to heal people, it’s wrong to block any increase in minimum wage for 9 years, it’s wrong to privatize social security and that’s why we need a Democratic Congress to stop them from doing it!”
The senator then talked about the Bush-Nussle budget that will drop millions of kids from the Head Start program, and includes the largest cuts to education in 28 years. Tom shared a recent incident when he was talking with a gentleman about the Republican’s trickle-down economics to which the man replied, “Trickle down? Heck, I haven’t had a drop - at this point I’d settle for a heavy dew!” The senator said the budget also provides less funding for our veterans. He became solemn for a moment before saying, “I’ll tell you what folks, if you want to get your guts torn out sometime, just go out to Walter Reed hospital like Barack and I have done and visit with some of those injured service men and women out there.” He said many of them have brain injuries which are now the signature injury of the war because of the IEDs and the way they explode. Senator Harkin called the administration cold-hearted for cutting funds allocated to the Brain Injury Traumatic Center at Walter Reed Hospital. Tom said it was funded at $14 million dollars last year, the Democrats wanted to increase it this year but the Bush-Nussle budget cut it to $7 million - they cut it in half! Senator Harkin said, “We may have different ideas on the when and what about Iraq but there is one thing that we better stand four-square on, when those veterans come home they’re going to get every ounce of healthcare and support they need to fulfill their lives!” The crowd really went crazy after that comment. Right on Senator Harkin!
Our good Senator then welcomed keynote speaker and rising Rock Star of the Democratic party, Barack Obama. Barack expressed his gratitude and admiration for Senator Harkin, thanking him for his steadfast commitment to his state, his country and to the values that propelled into public office in the first place. He also thanked Governor Vilsack for his leadership - he said that folks in Illinois are watching and are proud to see what Iowa has been doing.
Barack expressed his belief that some people go to Washington with the best of intentions, but after a while they find themselves representing Washington to their constituents instead of representing their Constituents in Washington. He said it’s a hard thing to resist because it’s easy to get comfortable and become institutionalized - it’s easy to forget why you went there in the first place. He said we have a lot of work to do all across the country, citing everywhere he goes he gets a sense that people are wanting change. He said there is a certain anxiety about the future and although he found that folks still dream big dreams, they have a sense that their leaders have forgotten how. Speaking of change, during most of the speeches, I happened to notice 4 large, beautiful, Monarch butterflies that kept panning above the crowd - flying back and forth. The stage was set in front of a big red barn that had a huge American flag serving as a backdrop. Almost all of the speakers were talking about change - One of the Monarchs fluttered up on stage and became part of the scenic backdrop. I thought of this as another good omen since butterflies often represent change and total transformation. Won’t that be great!?
Previously a community organizer, a civil rights lawyer and a law professor, Obama shared an account of the first time someone asked him to run for office when a seat in the Illinois state house had opened up and he said he did what every wise man does when confronted with such a decision, “I prayed on it.... and I asked my wife. And after consulting those higher two powers I decided to get into the race!” That comment was certain to score points with all the women in the crowd!
On the night before the general election in his race for the US Senate, he was at a rally getting ready to speak when staff came up to him and asked if he would come back stage to speak with a woman who had traveled far to see him. He agreed to do so and when he went back stage the woman said she had already voted for him via absentee ballot. She told him to keep up the good work and they had a nice little chat. What was remarkable about the woman was that she was born in Louisiana in 1899 – her name was Marguerite Lewis. She was 105 years old. Barack said he thought about everything she had said to him. He thought about all the changes she has seen in her life -- how she had seen women win the right to vote, how she had seen the first world war, the great depression and then a second world war. She had seen her brothers, uncles, and cousins returning from yet another war and still sitting in the back of the bus. She had seen how FDR lifted America out of it’s fear, lifted millions out of poverty and provided millions with opportunities written through the GI bill. She saw how he made sure that seniors had security in their retirement, and that veterans were fully cared for. She saw how unions helped an entire middle class build itself throughout the heartland and saw immigrants travel from distant shores in search of the idea called America. He thought about how Marguerite Lewis, despite the circumstances of her birth, believed in the same idea - how she believed it with all of her heart and all of her soul. She had seen all this progress taking place -- Obama reflected on how she had decided at some point it’s going to be her turn; that America will one day also bring her into the blanket of it’s protection. And then she saw a glimmering light of hope on the horizon, the civil rights movement. Marguerite understands that in America, we don’t settle for quality for some, or opportunity for a few -- we don’t settle in America. Everyone has an obligation not just to ourselves but to each other -- she understood that. Barack said whenever he’s feeling cynical he thinks of Marguerite Lewis. He said if Marguerite isn’t cynical given everything she has seen, then he has no right to be cynical. He then addressed the crowd and said if any of us start feeling cynical we’ve got to remind ourselves that our parents, our grandparents, and great grandparents have overcome much greater challenges than the ones we face today, although he made it clear that we face real challenges in America today - we are truly at a crossroads in this nation.
Barack shared that all across America, people are struggling because they sense that in a new globalized world we have given away our power, our communications, and changes in technology, not only to our competitors, but to those who seek to destroy our way of life. He said people are feeling anxious because they see the possibility that maybe their children won’t do as well as they did, recognizing that our children are going to have to compete with folks not only in our own communities, but with communities all over the world. He said, if we don’t make sure we’re preparing our children, we may be the first generation in a very long time in which our children inherit an America that is a little bit meaner and a little bit poorer than the one we inherited from our parents. And that’s not acceptable.
I don’t think there was an issue that he didn’t address. He said it all comes down to strong and honest leadership. Barack quoted Newt Gingrich - someone he doesn’t normally quote, but he shared an instance where folks were asking Newt, given all the problems the Republicans have had managing the country, the economy, the war in Iraq, what do you think is going to happen in this election? Newt responded, “If I was advising the Democrats in this election, I gotta admit I would just use two words to campaign; those two words are “had enough.” Barack then told the crowd, “I don’t know about you, but I think ol’ Newt is on to something, because I’ve had enough!” He then went through the litany of misplaced priorities and bad policies brought about by this administration and the Republican Congress. The crowd was on their feet the entire time!
Barack also talked about the importance of having hope. He said the challenge we have in this election raises the question, what are we going to do to be involved and be engaged in order to make sure that we have a brighter future for our kids? He asked, what are each of us going to do, not just here in Iowa, but all across the country to capture that sense of hope that has been lost over the last 6 years – and what are we going to say yes to? He said it’s not enough just to say no to Bush and this Republican Congress. He said the Democrats have to be the party of opportunity. We need to create an education system of life-long learning for every single child in America so they can compete all across the world. He said we have to say yes to the idea that we must invest in science and technology. He also said we need to stop giving tax breaks to companies that send jobs overseas and to invest in those companies that stay right here at home. I know that's right! If companies aren't going to invest in America, America shouldn't be investing in them.
In closing, Senator Obama told the crowd, "It’s time for everyone to kick off their bedroom slippers and put on their marching shoes!" After listening to all of the wonderful speeches, I felt like running out to get a trumpet and a baton to match my shoes!
Tuesday, September 12
Factory Farms are NOT above the Law! Take Action Now!
by
Caroline Vernon
on Tue 12 Sep 2006 05:46 PM CDT
 Factory Farms are NOT above the Law! - Take Action Now!
By Caroline Vernon
Friends,
As many of you know, Scott county in Iowa and Rock Island county in Illinois are both within the top ten of the most polluted counties in the entire nation! In Rock Island county, as an example, the worst polluter was IDP, a slaughterhouse (according to the most recent reporting of emissions data; EPA 2003 - www.scorecard.org).
To think that our city and state leaders want to put ANOTHER slaughterhouse in Rock Island county is alarming! How can anyone ignore the current state of our environment? Why is it OK that we are so polluted? At the very least, we owe our children a clean and healthy environment. At this point, we are failing them miserably!
Instead, we see our hospital systems growing exponentially along with our rate of diseases. Are we just to accept that we are to become a community of "managed illnesses?" Why are we not focusing on what is causing the steady increase in cancer rates, growing incidents of auto-immune disorders and record cases of asthma in our children? Personally, I can't even imagine what it is like to be unable to breathe - we cannot continue to allow this to happen to our children!
Granted, there are many factors that contribute to what ails us but we are all creatures of our environment and cannot escape the inherent cause and effect associated with our relationship to the earth. As occums razor states, all things considered equal, the simplest explanation tends to be correct. I know a simple truth: "You only get out of it what you put into it" -- If we are dumping our waste (of all kinds, including industry emissions) and spewing it out into the countryside (land, air and water), what do we really expect to get out of that? If we truly reap what we sow, what do we really expect to reap from this?
It's a terrible thing what we are doing to oursleves in the name of the almighty dollar-- in the name of "jobs" for our communities. There are some who say, hey, we should be lucky these companies come to our town to offer us jobs. I say, how ridiculous it is that we have to sell out our physical, mental, and emotional well-being (not to mention our soul) on behalf of our financial livelihood - or so we say... the irony is, workers and others, particularly our children, will continue to get sick and pretty soon won't even be able to work which will result in no livelihood at all! So much for reaping the fruits of our labor!
I am asking all of you to continue to raise this dialogue. Write letters to the editors, contact our elected leaders (county, city, state) and ask them, "why is it OK to continue doing "business as usual" regardless of the harm it causes our environment and ourselves?" If enough pressure is brought to bear, we can simply decide to do things differently-- indeed, far better. We are truly capable of inventing our way out of this mess if we have the collective will to do so! Where there is a will, there is a way. It's our choice. In the mean time, I call on our elected leaders to reconsider how we are now choosing to invest, in order to establish a sorely needed balance between good stewardship of our environment and good economic development for our communities. Our children's future depends on it!
From Food & Water Watch
www.fwwatch.org
Fields of manure that burn for months. Contaminated drinking wells and rivers. Manure “lagoons” that overflow and kill millions of fish .
These are just some of the problems caused by the huge amounts of manure found on factory farms. Environmental and health problems are the inevitable results at these operations, which create enormous amounts of waste that cannot be absorbed by available land. And yet, some members of Congress are trying to pass a terrible bill that would exempt factory farms from prosecution under the Superfund law (CERCLA). Superfund is designed to protect the public from hazardous waste, and to hold companies accountable for pollution violations.
Act now to write to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is considering exempting manure from Superfund in a bill called HR 4341, and tell them to vote no on sweetheart deal for polluting factory farms.
Thank you,
Audrey Hill
food(at)fwwatch.org
Friday, July 14
Iowa Blog Roundup
by
Sam Garchik
on Fri 14 Jul 2006 10:32 AM CDT
 Iowa Blog Roundup
By Sam Garchik
Lots to say. Campaign season is in full swing, so here we go with the events and notes around the state:
District 1
There is a champagne brunch to honor women on July 22nd at the Teutonic retreat formerly known as "Jumers Castle Lodge," in Bettendorf. It starts at 10:30. Tix are $35, and the money goes to Elesha Gayman. You can email her at elesha@eleshagayman.com to make a reservation.
Meanwhile, Elesha was interviewed on the DailyKos. Here's what she said out her plans for office:
"A good 75% or more of people I have talked to have been impacted by a young person they know leaving Iowa. So immediately they have found a way to connect with me and my message. But if young people leaving Iowa are the problem our solution is in three major areas.
- We must work to create and bring quality jobs to Iowa.
- We must work to make health care affordable to all Iowans.
- We must work to remove the cost barriers around higher education."
District 2
State House races are heating up in District 2 as well. Mark Nolte (89) is hosting a series of volunteer meetings on Sunday at 5:00 and 7:00 PM. He lives just South West of Iowa City, Off Highway 1, ½ mile west of the 218 overpass. You can get there by turning north on Kitty Lee Rd and going .75 miles. They are are the green house with the big yard sign on your right. You can park on the West side of Kittle Lee Rd if the driveway is full.
Clara Olsen (79) is also making waves in the second district. She will join supervisor candidates Esther Dean, Wayne Shoultz and Tom Furlong and our next United States Representative, Dave Loebsack this Sunday when the Muscatine County Democrats ride a trolley in the annual county fair parade. Line up for the parade begins at 1PM at the Muscatine County fairgrounds on the south end of West Liberty. Parade kicks off at 2PM.
Speaking of Loebsack, the campaign has put together a "What's Jim Done," page to let you know just how in step with the GOP Leach is.
And thanks to Iowa underground for showing me this: the Gazette dropped Ann Coulter, proving again they are the best paper in the state.
Final notes from the second: Hungary on Monday in Iowa City? Eat at Thai Flavors, 340 E. Burlington. 20% of the day's profits go to the JC Dems.
District 3
This Saturday, from 9:30 AM to 1200 PM, at the Des Moines Central Library, there will be a public nonpartisan discussion of why people fail to vote or don't become politically active and may not be passing our democratic traditions on to our youth. Join the Conversation!
The event is sponsored by the Des Moines Public Library, Iowa Partners in Learning, and the National Issues Forums Institute.
To RSVP or register, E-mail Committee Chr. Virginia Varce: virv@juno.com For more information, call David Wilkinson, Chr. at Iowa Partners in Learning (515) 471-8054
If your looking for something to do on Monday in the Mighty Third, you've come to the right place.
Start early at 8:00 AM in Tama at the Anti-FDMA rally, corner of West 3rd and Siegal St. If you want to camp overnight, contact Cheria Anderson at 641-691-7039. She's at 225 1/2 West 3rd Street, just up the block from the rally.
After the rally, you can drive to Des Moines to check out Evan Bayh, who is speaking at the Pappajohn Center at 1200 Grand Avenue in Des Moines at 1:00 PM that day.
Save your energy because that night, the Progressive Coalition in Central Iowa is meeting at the Des Moines Senior Center on Forest Avenue and MLK Parkway at 7:00 PM. Vern Naffier has been working on this for a while, and although I can not attend, I look forward to receiving a digest and posting the results to the blog.
• The national debt is growing faster than the economy, which is an unsustainable course.
• Talk of "cutting the deficit in half" is disingenuous. It ignores the probability that half a deficit is where the progress ends, and that's not good enough. Long-term projections show the budget never coming into balance under current fiscal policies.
• The annual deficits are far worse than they appear. The true deficit in the government's operations this year will be $473 billion, not the reported $296 billion. A surplus in Social Security revenue makes the deficit appear smaller. When the baby boomers retire and the Social Security surplus disappears, the true magnitude of the deficits will hit home. Nothing is being done to prepare for that day.
• Now, when the economy is growing, the government should be running a surplus, not piling up record amounts of debt. Borrowing should be reserved for when it is really needed, in bad times, not squandered during good times.
• Tax cuts do not pay for themselves, and there is no painless way out of the fiscal mess.
District 4
I would love for some folks in the fourth to send me stuff on what's going on up there. I know Edwards is coming to speak at your Wing Ding, but I'm looking for more details on campaigns. Email blog2@democracyforiowa.comwith info. Thanks
District 5
Steve King knows how to put together an electric fence. And he thinks immigrants are animals. And his ancestors are from where?
In other news, his efforts for Enlgish Only ballots was stopped. Over 238 members of Congress have more sense than him.
Statewide
Thanks to Political Forecast, who reads Cityview, we now see what's on the Republican Platform:
"In the meantime, the state's Republicans met a couple of weeks ago and, among other things, wrote a new platform. Since we couldn't find mention of it in The Des Moines Register, Civic Skinny rises again to public service by providing some highlights: The Iowa Republican platform would eliminate the U.S. Department of Education; speaks harshly of homosexuals; opposes any minimum wage; favors school prayer and the teaching of creationism; opposes the teaching of sex education; favors English as the official language of the state; opposes the Kyoto treaty; opposes "ethnic history" months in school systems; opposes no-fault divorce; wants marriage defined as exclusively between a man and a woman; opposes a protected class based on sexual orientation; favors drilling in the Arctic national wildlife preserve; opposes the bottle bill; opposes "all forms" of affirmative action; favors the death penalty; opposes amnesty for any illegal immigrants; supports a barrier along the entire length of the Mexico-U.S. border; opposes issuing driver's licenses or providing medical, welfare, or educational support for illegal immigrants and their dependents; favors the right to carry a concealed weapon; supports the repeal of state and federal hate-crimes legislation; supports the reversal of Roe v. Wade; opposes embryonic stem-cell research; opposes euthanasia; opposes abortion; opposes a cigarette-tax increase; favors eliminating the income tax and the Internal Revenue Service and imposing, instead, a consumption tax; opposes the use of tax dollars to support the entertainment and the arts; and commends the "outstanding representation" of, among others, Steve King... among other things."
Meanwhile, Denise O'Brien is getting chunks of money from both Gov. Villsack and . . . Mark Warner. He gave her 10k. It's great for Denise to have the money, for sure. Does this mean that Edwards and all the other folks now have to match it? Thanks to Political Madman for this update.
Finally on to the humor.
Buzz Lightyear continues to deny any link to Jim Nussle's campaign, particularly in the wake of Nussle's poor report card.
And can you believe the guy running this ad should have been our VP? Senator Lieberman, have you no shame at last?
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