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Thursday, February 24
Iowa to Face Federal Budget Cuts
by
Linda Thieman
on Thu 24 Feb 2005 11:00 AM CST
 Iowa to Face Federal Budget Cuts
Iowa Fiscal Partnership
Analysis: Bush Budget Whacks Iowa Services
New report projects Iowa cuts of nearly $580 million in federal spending
MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – A new report reveals sweeping cuts in services for Iowa in the budget proposed by [George W.] Bush.
A
Washington budget watchdog group, the Center on Budget and Policy
Priorities (CBPP), reports that Iowans would see cuts in federal grants
in aid of more than $577 million from 2006 through 2010, including $178
million in 2010 alone.
"The administration is hiding the effects of its budget proposals
as no administration has done in over 15 years," said David Osterberg,
executive director of the nonpartisan Iowa Policy Project. "It's pretty
hard for Iowans and other Americans to battle back on cuts the
administration won't detail. Fortunately, this new report gives Iowans
a better idea of what they're facing – and information they can use to
talk to their representatives in Congress."
While
the proposed budget details the cuts only for 2006, the CBPP analysis
uses further information provided to congressional committees to make
estimates of future cuts in several areas.
This
is the first time since 1989 that an administration's budget has not
provided information about the proposed funding levels for individual
discretionary programs in years beyond the first year.
Nationally,
[Bush's] budget would cut $214 billion in domestic "discretionary"
spending in the five years. However, only the first $18 billion of
those proposed cuts – cuts that would occur in 2006 – are identified by
the administration.
"The
pain in the budget comes mostly after 2006, with the cuts growing
deeper with each passing year," said Sharon Parrott, CBPP director of
welfare reform and income and the report’s lead author.
Among the Iowa cuts:
-- $3.7
million in 2010 in the supplemental nutrition program for women,
infants and children (WIC), $5.1 million over the 2006-2010 period and
a projected loss in number of recipients of 5,600.
-- $38.1
million in 2010 in elementary and secondary education, including
education for the disadvantaged, impact aid, school improvement
funding, and special education, $108.7 million in total projected cuts
for 2006-2010.
-- $12.5 million in 2010 for vocational and adult education, $57.6 million in total projected cuts for 2006-2010.
-- $3.1 million in 2010 for low-income energy assistance, $4.1 million in total projected cuts for 2006-2010.
-- $9.1
million in 2010 for children and family services, including Head Start,
services for abused and neglected children, and other children's
programs, $26.2 million in total projected cuts for 2006-2010.
-- A loss of rental assistance vouchers for 3,800 families in 2010.
-- $23.2
million in 2010 in [Bush's] proposed "Strengthening America's
Communities" initiative, $100.7 million in total projected cuts for
2006-2010.
"These cuts will be a new burden on the people in Iowa who can least afford to bear them,"
said Charles Bruner, executive director of the Child & Family
Policy Center in Des Moines. "It is important for Iowans and all
Americans to understand that the proposed cuts in these services do not
provide deficit reduction. Instead, they will shift costs to state and
local governments, and will be used to help pay for tax cuts that are
primarily benefiting the wealthiest Americans."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The
new analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "Large Cuts
to a Wide Range of Programs are Obscured in the Administration’s
Budget," is available at the Center’s website: www.cbpp.org.
The
Iowa Policy Project and the Child & Family Policy Center will make
federal budget information available in the coming months through their
joint initiative, the Iowa Fiscal Partnership, which is on the web at www.iowafiscal.org.
Saturday, February 19
Iowa School Board Association Should Join Anti-Bullying Effort
by
Trish Nelson
on Sat 19 Feb 2005 08:28 AM CST
 Iowa School Board Association Should Join Anti-Bullying Effort
contributed by David Leshtz
by Dr. Carolyn E. Cutrona
Ames, Iowa
All
children deserve a safe, high-quality public education, regardless of
whether they are Christian, Muslim, black, white, brown, gay, straight,
girl, boy, fat, skinny, short, tall, rich or poor. Unfortunately,
this is not yet the case for many of our children. Their reality is
filled with words like “faggot,” “dyke,” or “queer” and the constant
stress of verbal and physical harassment, sometimes just for being
friends with a kid who may be gay or lesbian. Some students are
ridiculed for being unable to afford designer clothes; others suffer
from physical appearance attacks such as “pizza-face” or “banana-nose;”
or disabilities (“Retard!”). Painful, painful stuff.
One of
Iowa’s largest and most powerful education associations - the Iowa
Association of School Boards - is resisting its members’ being required
by law to intervene to protect students from all types of harassment.
This organization opposes anti-bullying legislation that would protect
all of Iowa’s children, regardless of gender, race, religion,
disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, physical
attributes, or any other characteristic, from harassment and bullying.
Fortunately
for Iowa’s young people, the Iowa Association of School Boards stands
alone in their opposition as the rest of the education community - the
Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa State Education Association, and
School Administrators of Iowa - have gone on record stating that all
students should be protected from bullying and harassment in their
support for safe school policies, including gay and lesbian youth,
overweight youth, and youth with any other characteristic that may
trigger mistreatment.
A group
of parents, educators and concerned citizens has been working for three
years to encourage education policy makers and the Iowa Legislature to
pass safe school policies. We have approached this as a
non-political, bi-partisan issue, reaching out to both sides of the
political aisle and bringing people together on a value upon which most
Iowans can agree —that all students deserve a safe, high-quality
education. As the mother of two Iowa children, this is a value I
hold close to my heart, as I want my children and their fellow students
to have a safe place in which to learn and grow.
We need
to send a clear and direct message that Iowans believe that all
students should be protected from discrimination, harassment, and
bullying in our schools.
Sunday, February 6
IOWANS ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY AIR POLLUTION
by
Molly Regan
on Sun 06 Feb 2005 02:06 PM CST
 IOWANS ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY AIR POLLUTION PARICULATES
POLLUTED IOWA AIR
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, How I Wonder What You Are…Up Above The World So High, Like A Diamond In The Sky….That is, of course, if you can see it.
Tuesday, February 1st, 2005, was the first in a series of days that AIR POLLUTION in IOWA harmfully increased. As a result of a STAGNANT AIR MASS over the Upper Midwest including the Great Lakes, the Ohio Valley, and IOWA, alerts were sent out by the IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES and other agencies.
The associated HAZE was evident locally (Scott County) along the Mississippi River. The air just wasn't moving or churning as it normally does. When little air movement occurs, it causes stagnation and the PARTICULATES FROM VEHICLE POLLUTION, (INCLUDING AIRPLANES, TRAINS, AND OTHER DIESEL EMMITTING ENGINES) STAY PUT & CAUSE US TO COUGH AND WHEEZE.
There was also VERY LITTLE AIR TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE up to 8000 feet above the Midwest region. This limited the mixing of the air per Brian Button of the IOWA DNR. No dilution of the emissions occurred resulting in ELEVATED POLLUTION LEVELS.
"PARTICULATE MATTER is a generic term to describe MICROSCOPIC SIZED SOOTS AND AEROSOLS. Because small particles can penetrate the deepest part of the LUNGS, (this can increase) the likelihood of symptoms in sensitive individuals, INCLUDING CHILDREN, the elderly and those with heart and lung disease.
"PARTICULATES are directly released as SMOKE when COAL, GASOLINE, DIESEL FUELS AND WOOD ARE BURNED. PARTICULATES also form from CHEMICAL REACTIONS of NITROGEN OXIDES, SULFUR OXIDES, ORGANIC COMPOUNDS, and AMMONIA."
The AIR QUALITY INDEX (AQI) is a measurement of pollution. In SCOTT COUNTY on Tuesday, February 3rd it read 107 & 103 at 2 different locations. In (Cedar Rapids) it was LINN COUNTY 112 and in POLK COUNTY (Des Moines) it read 119.
The AQI is a numerical and color-coded system. A reading of 1-50 is GOOD AIR QUALITY (GREEN), 51-100 is MODERATE AIR (YELLOW), 101-150 is UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS (ORANGE), 151-200 is UNHEALTHY FOR ALL (RED), and the ultimate tiers are 201-300 (PURPLE), with 301-500 VERY UNHEALTHY/HAZARDOUS (MAROON).
So, what's a person to do? Assess your own health and those you care about. Make sure those you know who may be at risk know about the AQI. For daily updates when a POLLUTION ALERT has occurred, keep track by going to www.iowadnr.com. Look under the AIR POLLUTION section. And as always, check your behavior. Is your vehicle running at top efficiency? Do you need to even drive it every day? Do you read labels to see what ingredients may be released into the air when you are working on your favorite project or at your place of business? Nearly every line of work can be assessed and different options considered. It could save you money as well as your health.
Of course, don't forget CPR: CONSERVE/PARTICIPATE/RECYCLE
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