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Friday, January 26
ICCI Voter Owned Lobby Day
by
Caroline Vernon
on Fri 26 Jan 2007 06:06 PM CST
 ICCI Voter Owned Lobby Day in Des Moines
By Caroline Vernon
Progressive Action for the Common Good (PACG)
has reserved a passenger van to transport Quad City activists to Des Moines next Monday, January
29th. We will be joining other progressive activists across Iowa in order to lobby our
state legislators on the importance of clean elections and public
financing of campaigns. Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (ICCI)
is the main organizer of this event and has already laid a lot of
groundwork around this issue. This is a price-less (pun intended)
opportunity to make a difference in the fight to reclaim our democracy.
Monday's Agenda:We will leave from the NE corner of the Northpark Mall parking lot
(near Sears) at 8:00am. This van seats 12. We have 6 open seats available and will be stopping at the Perkins restaturant in Iowa City to pick up a couple more folks so if you live in the QC area or in Iowa City and would like to join us, please contact Caroline ASAP to reserve a
seat: 563-676-7580,
carolina1961@gmail.com. Others from the QC area will also be carpooling to Des Moines.
Please wear a green shirt (representing money) and if possible, bring a
dozen or more home-made cookies along. Currently, lobbyists are allowed
to spend a maximum of $2.99 on each legislator so we would like to
bring home-made cookies to share, to represent home-made elections. If
you are willing to contribute goodies for the cause please let me know.
If you are unable to attend, but would be willing to bake some cookies,
that would be terrific! Finally, to help defray some of the cost of
renting the bus, we are asking for a $10 donation from each
participant.
Once
we get to the Capitol, we will debrief at 11am to go over our talking
points and the day's activities. At noon, we will participate in a
rally and press conference. Former Congressman Berkley Bedell, Ed
Fallon, Pam Yoakum, and Mike Connelly will all speak to the importance
of voter-owned clean elections. From 12:30 to 3pm, we will all have an
opportunity to lobby each of our state reps on this issue. We will then
plan to leave Des Moines promptly by 3:15pm so we can return home in time for
dinner, around 6pm.
CCI is expecting an estimated turnout of
close to 150 activists from around the state. I am hopeful that we can fill the remaining seats in the van. We
expect to have a bill number to lobby around by next week.
Thanks for all you do - hope to see you in Des Moines!
Caroline Vernon
563-676-7580
carolina1961@gmail.com
For more information on why this issue is so important, please read the following:
Are Political Action Committees trying to use money to influence OUR legislature?
Iowans shouldn't have to wonder.
Tell your legislators to support Voter Owned Iowa Clean Elections!
The
Clean Elections Act will help restore fairness to our elections by
allowing everyday Iowans the opportunity to run for office, regardless
of how much money they can access. Voters won't have to wonder if
large contributors are gaining unbalanced access to OUR
representatives.
The Clean Elections Act would provide a limited amount of public financing for candidates
who:
Pledge to not raise any private money for their campaigns.
Pledge to not use any of their own money for their campaigns.
Collect a set number of signatures and $5 contributions from within their own district to prove they are viable.
It Can Work!
Maine and Arizona have been effectively using the system for four election cycles and the results have been good for democracy.
More people are running for office.
More people are turning out to vote.
Candidates report spending more time talking to voters.
9
of 11 statewide officeholders in Arizona, including the Governor and
Attorney General, have been elected without taking money from PACs and
big money contributors, spending only a fraction of what is used in
conventional races like Iowa's.
We Need it Now!
Voter-Owned Elections help ensure a healthy democracy by:
Freeing candidates from the money chase and allowing them to spend all their campaign time talking with voters.
Creating a fair playing field by reducing the need to raise large amounts of money to win.
Giving
more Iowans the chance to run for office – regardless of their access
to big money or their willingness to accept PAC contributions.
Creating
a system where Iowans won't have to wonder if big contributions are
influencing votes at the capitol with their campaign contributions.
The Clean Elections Act = Voter Owned Iowa Clean Elections
Background:
A
Clean Elections Act would create voluntary public financing for state
elections. Candidates would qualify for public funding if they vowed
to raise no private money, vowed to not use any of their own money, and
collected a set number of signatures and $5 contributions from within
their district.
In a contested general election, eligible candidates who chose to use the system would receive:
$3 million for a team running for governor and lieutenant governor.
$200,000 for a candidate for attorney general.
$125,000 for a candidate for a statewide office other than governor, lieutenant governor, or attorney general.
$40,000 for a candidate for the Iowa senate.
$30,000 for a candidate for the Iowa house or representatives.
Summary:
Voter
Owned Iowa Clean Elections is a system that would free candidates from
the money chase and allow them to spend more time with voters and
constituents. The same system has been used in Maine and Arizona for
four full election cycles and has proven to be an effective way of
reducing the influence of big money on elections. 6 of 8 statewide
office holders in Arizona were elected without using any special
interest money. Voter turnout has increased by over 20%. The number
of people running for office has increased. And in the Nov 2006
Election, Governor Janet Napolitano won re-election, combining with her
challenger to spend only $2 million, compared to the combined $18
million spent by candidates in the Iowa gubernatorial race.
A
Clean Elections Act will allow every day Iowans to run for office
without having to worry about raising large amounts of money. Phase I
of CCI's "Money and Elections in Iowa" study shows that the majority of
money given to candidates is coming from PACs. Challengers are at a
huge disadvantage, needing to raise $65,000 to be competitive in a race
for the house and $100,000 to be competitive for the senate. And as
campaign spending has gotten out of control, campaigns have gone south.
The Clean Elections Act would limit unnecessary spending by placing
contribution limits on donors. The Clean Elections Act would also
require Media outlets to file reports outlining who is paying for
political advertisements, curbing the explosion of negative
advertising.
For the cost of $5 per voter, Iowans could know for certain
that their elected officials are working to address the needs of all
Iowans, and not have to wonder about where all the money comes from.
For around $10 million a year, our state elected officials would have
the chance to focus on ideas and meeting their constituents, not
chasing down the combined $32 million spent in the Nov. 2006 elections.
Tell your legislator today: "Iowans want Voter Owned Clean Elections!"
Friday, December 8
IPP Report on Fixing Healthcare in Iowa
by
Caroline Vernon
on Fri 08 Dec 2006 06:54 PM CST
IPP Report on Fixing Healthcare in Iowa
Iowa Policy Project senior research consultant Colin
Gordon has issued a new report for the IPP, “Prescriptions and Placebos: Fixing
Health Care in Iowa.”
To view the report,
see:
<http://www.iowafiscal.org/2006docs/061127-health-full-format.pdf>
To
view the executive summary,
see:
<http://www.iowafiscal.org/2006docs/061127-ifp-HC-XS.pdf>
To view the news release,
see:
<http://www.iowafiscal.org/2006docs/061127-hc-release.pdf>
Below are links to a couple of the many media reports published or aired
about Colin’s report:
WHO Radio: Health Care Rx
<http://www.whoradio.com/pages/news/local/index.html?feed=121648&article=1533529>
Quad-City
Times: Expanded access to health care urged <http://www.qctimes.net/articles/2006/11/28/news/state/doc456bc72f883e8374742544.txt>
In the Cedar Rapids Gazette, James Lynch reported that Gordon
“recommended ... that Iowa lawmakers scrap the ‘piecemeal’ approach they’ve used
in recent years if their goal is health care coverage that is affordable,
accessible and maintains a high level of quality.” From his
story:
‘‘Our health
care financing system does not work, and it’s understandable that state
legislators see a need to step in,’’ said Gordon, a senior research consultant
for the Iowa Policy Project and co-author of the report — Prescriptions and
Placebos: Fixing Health Care in Iowa — for the non-partisan Iowa Fiscal
Partnership. ‘‘They must be careful, however, to take a long-term view and not
miss the underlying problem of spiraling health care
costs.’’
Previous efforts have encouraged
employer-based coverage through tax credits, small-employer purchasing pools,
mandates for large employers and other ideas, said Gordon, a historian who
wrote ‘‘Dead on Arrival: The Politics of Health Care in Twentieth-Century
America.’’
On their own, these proposals
represent a fragmented approach to the problem that would do little to expand
coverage or increase affordability, and could actually make things worse, he
said.
‘‘I really think that trying to patch
up employer-based insurance is like moving furniture into a burning house.
It guarantees double-digit inflation and rising uninsurance into the future,’’
Gordon said.
We
encourage your review of this new report as the Iowa General Assembly prepares
to return to the Statehouse in January.
Best regards,
Mike Owen
Assistant Director
The Iowa Policy Project
(319)
338-0773 Iowa City
(319) 643-3628 West
Branch
ipp@Lcom.net
Friday, December 1
Elesha Gets BFA Focus (**Update 12/1**)
by
Sam Garchik
on Fri 01 Dec 2006 11:37 AM CST
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.
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?
Sunday, March 5
FEBRUARY LEGISLATIVE FORUM/PART B
by
Molly Regan
on Sun 05 Mar 2006 03:36 PM CST
 FEBRUARY LEGISLATIVE FORUM/PART B
As promised, I am giving a second report on the Senators' and
Representatives' Legislative Forum held at St. Ambrose University,
Davenport, IOWA, which took place Saturday, February 25th.
A question from a young man, Andrew, drew applause from many in the
audience. He wanted to know, especially from the Republicans,
what was going to be done in the state of IOWA regarding
bullying. Andrew said gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender
persons (GLBT's) are not given the same protections as "other minority"
groups. He wanted to know what was going to be done to protect
him and others of the GLBT group.
First to respond was Rep. Jim Van Fossen (R), "…they (school
administrators) all say there is a bullying policy in place, and is
this something that the state of IOWA needs to get involved?…We try to
allow the school boards to set their own policies on hours, numbers of
days that they're working…" Take a stand here Jim, take a stand.
(((It is going to be so sweet to see your opponent, the articulate
ELESHA GAYMAN, take you to task on so many issues, including this
one.)))
Andrew said, "Kids now use 'gay' in a slang term as something
bad. We don't go around saying: 'That's so black. That's so
Asian. That's so Jewish.' We don't do that…I'm just wanting my
officials of the state of IOWA regardless of party to do something to
insure my rights as an American citizen."
When asked by the senior Rep. Jim Van Fossen what rights Andrew himself
did not have that he, Van Fossen, had, the young man's answer was that
he lost his job. He was "actively and maliciously sought out for
being a homosexual."
Senator Joe Seng (D-Davenport) said he was on the Davenport city
council when they passed a law regarding no discrimination on credit,
housing, and employment. He said we (Democratic legislators) are
working on getting a law standardized. Although, Sen. Seng said
he was not sure the Republicans were working on one. "We're
working to try to get a statewide anti-bullying bill. I am.
I think it's needed." He thanked Andrew for coming forward
with his concerns.
But it was Representative Jamie Van Fossen (R-Davenport) who really
seemed out of touch. He said he didn't understand the problem
after Andrew had described being fired from his job for being gay and
for nearly being run off the road 5 times by the same individual just
because he was gay. Andrew said he learned that the IOWA hate
crime law does nothing to protect him as a gay person.
So, for Rep. Jamie Van Fossen not being more aware, more in touch, more
inclusive-thinking about this, well, I guess it's time to step aside
and let someone govern who does. Step down Jamie, step down.
Though this episode has nothing to do with environmental issues, please still take time to CPR…CONSERVE/PARTICIPATE/RECYCLE.
Friday, January 27
Elesha Gayman of DFQC Named DFA Rising Star
by
Linda Thieman
on Fri 27 Jan 2006 04:44 PM CST
 Elesha Gayman of DFQC Named DFA Rising Star
Elesha Gayman, a member of Democracy for the Quad Cities, has been named to the Democracy for America Rising Star list.
Elesha,
former Dean Delegate to the Democratic National Convention, is running
for the Iowa House of Representatives in District 84. Elesha's
dedication to her community inspired her to enter the non-profit sector
as a grant writer, fundraiser and volunteer. Now, she is running to
bring new energy to the Iowa State House.
Click here to read Blog for Iowa's in-depth profile of Elesha written by Caroline Vernon.
Click here to visit Elesha Gayman's campaign website.
Click here to visit DFA's Rising Star page.
Tuesday, November 22
ALTA'S LEGISLATIVE WORKSHOP
by
Molly Regan
on Tue 22 Nov 2005 04:00 AM CST
  ALTA'S LEGISLATIVE WORKSHOP
Saturday, November 19th saw about 30 folks assemble for informal,
informative discussions with IOWA elected officials. Our own
DFQC's ALTA PRICE organized the event held at the Bettendorf Community
Center. It was a chance for concerned citizens in the area to
speak in small groups to one elected official at a time.
Senator Frank Wood (D-Eldridge), Representatives Cindy Winckler
(D-Davenport) and Ed Fallon (D-Des Moines/ gubernatorial candidate), as
well as our own Ms. Elesha Gayman, former DEAN DELEGATE to Boston and
candidate for House Representative were in attendance. Representative Joe Hutter
(R-Bettendorf) was also present. We divided into small groups and spent
about ½ an
hour at a time laying out our concerns on the need for adequate health
care
coverage, education matters, election reform, corporate reform,
environmental hazards and other issues.
The first ½ hour saw Senator Wood listen to fair labor challenges while
in another room, Rep. Winckler heard from attendees on their views to
strengthen educational spending.
Later, Senator Wood listened as several of us in our group of about 10
voiced our dissatisfaction with the Master Matrix that is implemented
by the Department Of Natural Resources. It is a permit that has
44 questions that must be answered by anyone across the state wanting
to build or expand a CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operation) above a
certain number of animal units.
Many of us seated that day felt the Master Matrix is flawed and does
really not give a county "local control". It just gives each
county's Board Of Supervisors the opportunity to be part of the
permitting process if that Board has so agreed every January for the
past 3 years to do so. One of our messages to Senator Wood is
that there needs to be discussion about this again.
Even though many legislatures are 'farmers', that term applies to
numerous types of land/animal workers. Many still are small to
medium family farmers, while others are FACTORY RUN INDUSTRIAL ENTITIES
that like to be under the wide umbrella of the term 'farmer'. So,
we would like to see consciousness raised regarding the impact on
children's health from the excessive hydrogen sulfide and ammonia
created by the CAFO's. We would like to see that more is done to
promote the use of methane produced by cattle lots, but not necessarily
promoting large lots, though. Jerry Neff, president of the Sierra
Club suggested we envision a long-term plan for gradually segregating
problem areas and searching for a better way to raise animals.
We also talked about the bottle bill and that it needs to be revisited
to include milk containers, water bottles, and other beverage holders.
Some large grocery store chains and bottle distributors oppose a change
unless it would be to do away with bottle deposit all together.
We will be following the progress of the Legislature after it convenes
in early January. This November get-together was well worth our
time because it was OUR list of items directly given to the Senator and
Representatives that we feel are imperative for consideration during
the new year.
Don't forget: CPR…CONSERVE/PARTICIPATE/RECYCLE
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