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Monday, November 29
Who Wants to be a Governor?
by
Trish Nelson
on Mon 29 Nov 2004 07:19 AM CST
 Who Wants to be a Governor?
by Thomas Beaumont, Des Moines Register
Nussle says Republicans have failed to galvanize the faithful
NOV 28, 2004
Republicans lost
the last two [gubernatorial] elections because the nominees' resumes
failed to inspire Iowans, [Bob] Vander Plaats of Sioux City, said.
Vander Plaats, who ran two years ago, has said he will
run in 2006. And Des Moines lawyer Doug Gross has traveled the state to
gauge a reprise of his role as the 2002 nominee.
Vander
Plaats is alone as a declared candidate. Gross and Nussle have courted
support without formal announcements. Both expect to decide by
mid-2005. Iowa Senate President Jeff Lamberti of Ankeny and state Rep.
Danny Carroll of Grinnell will also consider runs.
Whoever
emerges won't have to take on Vilsack, the first Democrat re-elected
governor since 1966. "I know I'm not running for a third term," he said
earlier this month.
(click here to read the entire story)
Friday, November 26
Iowa Litter May End Up Back in the Ditch
by
Linda Thieman
on Fri 26 Nov 2004 03:40 PM CST
 Iowa Litter May End Up Back in the Ditch
Des Moines Register
Stores don't want messy returns. Give redemption centers a chance, but if litter mounts, require grocers' participation.
Fareway [and now some HyVee stores] began telling customers at some locations [they are] no longer accepting
empties. Convenient drop-off at groceries has been a critical part of
the success of Iowa's quarter-century-old "bottle bill," which has kept
roadside ditches clean and increased recycling.
Given
some grocers' desire to get out of the return business, the state needs
to do two things: First, assure that redemption centers really are
convenient before allowing groceries to quit taking returns. And if the
reality proves otherwise, insist groceries take back the bottles. Then,
in the 2005 Legislature, open the debate on how to keep Iowa as
litter-free as possible and whether this law is still the best way to
do that.
...All
Iowa law requires is that groceries make arrangements for nearby
redemption centers to take the cans and bottles, with state approval -
a step Fareway neglected to take in some cases.
(Click here to read the complete article.)
Thursday, November 25
Iowa Gubernatorial Race, 2006: Progressive Ed Fallon Throws Hat into Ring as Sally Pederson Bows Out
by
Linda Thieman
on Thu 25 Nov 2004 02:30 PM CST
 Iowa Gubernatorial Race, 2006: Progressive Ed Fallon Throws Hat into Ring as Sally Pederson Bows Out
by Linda Thieman
Progressive State Representative Ed Fallon
(D-Des Moines) announced Wednesday that after a lengthy exploratory
campaign, he has made his decision and will formally announce in
January that he plans to seek the office of Governor of Iowa.
In the
initial two-year exploratory phase of the campaign, Fallon was able to
bring in close to $100,000 and create a grassroots organization of some
500 volunteers from around Iowa. Fallon has toured the state
extensively and believes that “my message resonates with Iowans across
the political and geographic spectrum.”
Fallon
will leave his job as Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Iowa at the
end of the year. He has been with the organization for five years.
In other Iowa news, Democratic Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson, long considered the presumptive front runner in the 2006 Iowa gubernatorial race, announced Tuesday that she will not seek the office of Governor.
12 Things Progressives Can Be Thankful For This Year
by
Linda Thieman
on Thu 25 Nov 2004 04:24 AM CST
 12 Things Progressives Can Be Thankful For This Year
by Linda Thieman
Thanksgiving can be a bit of a touchy subject in the progressive community. One
can never assume that everyone will simply gather ‘round the turkey or
the tofurkey and join in a celebration which reminds many of the
decimation of the Native American population. On the other hand,
there are many who believe that to express gratitude for the good
things we share serves to increase that abundance.
In
trying to reach a happy medium, Blog for Iowa (with much cribbing from
American Progress) has compiled a list of 12 things that we
progressives can be thankful for this year.
1) We’re thankful for outspoken leaders like Howard Dean and Dennis Kucinich who keep the progressive torch lit.
2) We’re thankful for George Lakoff and his dissection and exposure of the GOP meme factory.
3) We’re thankful that the Democrats finally broke the stranglehold that the destructive neocons had on the Iowa Senate.
4)
We’re thankful that the Green Party’s Cobb/LaMarche campaign has used
their legitimate position on the Ohio ballot to pursue the proper
course of action for an Ohio presidential recount.
5) We're
thankful for Jon Stewart for using comedy to highlight the essential
truths – about the media, politicians, and – especially - Tucker
Carlson.
6) We're thankful for California's trailblazing on stem-cell research.
7) We're thankful for Rush Limbaugh, Bill Bennett, Jack Ryan, and Tom DeLay for helping us understand conservative moral values.
8) We're thankful for Costco, for showing Wal-Mart that you can offer rock-bottom prices without paying rock-bottom wages.
9) We're thankful for Canada, for picking up the slack and providing affordable drugs to America's seniors.
10)
We're thankful for Republicans like Senators Dick Lugar and Chuck Hagel for putting principles over partisanship.
11) We're thankful for Air America for taking on conservative talk radio…and winning.
12) And
last but not least, we are very thankful for the policy wonks who read
the fine print of the omnibus and stopped the turkeys in Congress from
reading our income tax returns.
And a personal thank you to Trish Nelson for stepping up to the Blog for Iowa plate and doing such an outstanding job.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, November 24
DFIA Gathering Honors Kennedy’s Legacy
by
Linda Thieman
on Wed 24 Nov 2004 02:39 PM CST
 DFIA Gathering Honors Kennedy’s Legacy
By Linda Cook , Quad City Times
Thanks to Molly Regan, DFIA Makes the QC Times!
“My call
is to the young of heart, regardless of age,” the candidate said Sunday
afternoon. The young man at the podium referred to a new age of
technology, and “new breakthroughs in weapons of destruction.”
The
politician was John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and the speeches, which were on
videotape, were viewed and discussed by a dozen adults and three
children Sunday afternoon when Democracy for Iowa held a tribute to
JFK. Democracy for Iowa, inspired by the presidential campaign of
Howard Dean, is a political action committee dedicated to supporting
fiscally responsible, socially progressive candidates at all levels of
government.
Discussions,
led by Molly Regan, of Princeton, Iowa, centered on Kennedy’s tenure as
president and his role in history. The event was at the United Steel
Workers of America Local 105 hall in Bettendorf.
While
the event was scheduled near the 41st anniversary of Kennedy’s
assassination, which [was Monday], the thrust of the program was not his
death, but his legacy.
(Click here to read the complete article.)
Monday, November 22
Vilsack Drops Bid for DNC Chairman Job
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 22 Nov 2004 03:31 PM CST
 Vilsack Drops Bid for DNC Chairman Job
by Thomas Beaumont, Des Moines Register
However, Vilsack IS still in the running for current Governor of Iowa for the next two years, we hear
Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack withdrew his name today from the list of candidates for chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
Vilsack,
in a statement issued shortly before 1 p.m., said he was honored by the
support he had received for the post, but wanted to focus on his Iowa
agenda as he enters the final two years of his second term.
"The
next two years present a unique opportunity to expand on important
accomplishments for Iowa's children and families and to rebuild Iowa's
economy," Vilsack said. "These challenges and opportunities require
more time than I felt I could share. As a result, I will not be a
candidate for DNC chairman."
Vilsack,
who will be his party's senior Democratic governor next year, is
chairman of the Democratic Governors Association and was a finalist to
be 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's running mate this
year.
(Click here to read the complete article.)
Saturday, November 20
Fourth Straight Month of Job Growth for Iowa
by
Trish Nelson
on Sat 20 Nov 2004 06:49 AM CST
 Fourth Straight Month of Job Growth for Iowa
The Iowa Policy
Project
Unemployment Rate at
12-Year High as Growing Numbers Seek
Work
MOUNT VERNON, Iowa [Nov. 18, 2004] -
Iowa posted its fourth-straight monthly increase in nonfarm jobs in October as
growing numbers of Iowans sought work in an economy that remains in a sluggish
recovery.
October figures from Iowa Workforce
Development (IWD) also showed the fourth-straight monthly increase in the
unemployment rate, from 4.7 percent to a 12-year high of 4.8 percent, but Iowa
economists said the increase could be due to growing numbers of people in the
labor market.
"There's mixed news in these
numbers, just not enough to be celebrating or to be alarmed," said Elaine
Ditsler, research associate for the Iowa Policy Project (IPP). "We have to keep
a long-term perspective in viewing monthly job numbers, and despite some recent
gains, we still are well off pace for a recovery from a 3-year-old
recession."
IPP Executive Director David
Osterberg noted the one-month growth of 5,100 in the labor force number, to
1,635,100 in October which also is up 26,700 from 1,608,400 a year
earlier.
"When people are looking for work, it's
a sign that they have growing confidence in the economy, and that is helping to
drive the higher unemployment rate. More than the monthly numbers, the important
thing to understand is that our economy needs to deliver quality jobs for those
people," Osterberg said. "We still have not gotten back to where we were in
March 2001, when the last recession started. I'm looking forward to the day when
I don't have to say that."
The 3,300-job increase
in October follows a 900-job increase in September, and leaves the job number
8,200 above the October 2003 figure. The latest job figure, however, remains
19,300 jobs behind the March 2001 number, at the start of the last
recession.
At 4.8 percent, Iowas unemployment
rate is up from 4.6 percent in October 2003, and is at a post-recession peak,
compared with 4.7 percent last month and in July 2003. The Iowa unemployment
rate has not been this high since July 1992.
The
largest single increase for October came in trade and transportation employment,
with an 1,200 increase that offset a 500-job decline in September. Manufacturing
rose by 400 jobs in the month, and while it as its highest level in the year, it
is 25,200 below the March 2001 level, a decline of about 10 percent. Education
and health services fell 200 in October and government employment fell by
600.
Key numbers following Thursday's release
from the state:
- The unemployment
rate rose from 4.7 percent in September to 4.8 percent in October. In October
2003, the rate was 4.6 percent.
- The labor force rose over the month from 1,630,000 to 1,635,100
people working or looking for work. The figure is up by 26,700 from a year
earlier.
- Total nonfarm employment
rose from 1,451,600 to 1,454,900, an increase of 3,300 jobs.
- The nonfarm employment number is
up 8,200 from October 2003, but is 19,300 below the level of March 2001, at the
start of the last recession.
- From
June 2003 to October 2004, 44,200 jobs were supposed to have been created in
Iowa under the federal Jobs & Growth tax cut; that plan has fallen 24,600
jobs short in Iowa. To meet the goals of that program, Iowa would have to gain
15,100 jobs in November and again in December, in comparison to the 3,300
increase in October.
IPP reports about job and
income trends are on the web at www.iowapolicyproject.org. The Iowa
Policy Project is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization based in
Mount Vernon.
Friday, November 19
Toxic Acid Dribbled Across Iowa
by
Trish Nelson
on Fri 19 Nov 2004 07:53 AM CST
 Toxic Acid Dribbled Across Iowa
The Des Moines Register
Rail inspectors missed 250-mile toxic leak
A train that dribbled toxic acid across more than half of Iowa [last week] went unnoticed by a safety net of government agencies and
railroad inspectors whose job is to prevent such incidents.
It wasn't until hours after the faulty Union Pacific Railroad tank car
left Cedar Rapids that it was spotted Saturday night in a Council
Bluffs rail yard with a black substance pooled beneath it. Half the
tank's phosphoric acid had drained.
Federal and state officials say the 3,973-gallon leak over 250 miles
was a rare occurrence and posed only a minor threat. Phosphoric acid
can cause skin burns or internal irritation if swallowed.
Still, environmentalists say, the incident is troubling because the
state is a major rail and highway route for dangerous materials such as
gasoline, industrial solvents and nuclear waste.
"This is a wake-up call," warned Jane Magers of Earth Care Inc., a Des
Moines advocacy group that opposes the shipment of nuclear material.
"We are way over our heads in allowing this stuff to be transported. There is no way to assure safety."
Davis, the Union Pacific spokesman, said an employee spotted the
leaking acid at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, [November 6]. State and federal agencies were
notified. Council Bluffs firefighters built a dike around the leaky
tank car to contain the liquid.
"By 1:30 a.m. Sunday, we had the railroad police dispatchers contact
all the county sheriff offices between Cedar Rapids and Council
Bluffs," he said.
(click here to read the entire story)
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