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Tuesday, May 31
John Drury: Legislative Session Nothing to Boast About
by
John Drury
on Tue 31 May 2005 03:25 PM CDT
 Legislative Session Nothing to Boast About
by John Drury
Iowa
Senate Democratic leader and potential gubernatorial candidate Mike
Gronstal was in Mason City the other day. He apparently is on a tour of
the state looking for press and support of his possible run for the
governor’s office.
He is
calling the recent legislative session “historic”, pointing out that
the divided senate forced both parties to listen to the other side. He
boasted about some of the accomplishments of the session such as more
money for schools and the legislation to reduce the number of meth labs
in the state.
First
off, it’s a sad day in Iowa when simply listening to the other party is
considered historic. And if you talk to school boards and
superintendents, they will tell you that giving them 4% allowable
growth after years of under-funding doesn’t come close to enough money
to properly fund public education. And if your school’s enrollment is
on the decline as a lot of them are, there is no new money. The meth
lab legislation is something I would have voted for but since 85% of
the meth problem comes from out of state, I would realize that we
probably haven’t even scratched the surface of the problem.
What he
can’t boast about is how the state legislature has failed to address
the “brain drain” problem. Sure, the senate Republicans got a lot of
press when they announced their no tax under 30 plan; but after being
mocked in the Op-Ed page of the New York Times they more or less
admitted it was nothing more than a gimmick and dropped the idea.
What he can’t boast about is how the state has failed to help thousands of working Iowans by raising the minimum wage. We
even heard the senate Republican leader say that he didn’t see that it
was an issue because he doesn’t know anyone working for minimum wage,
almost at the same time one legislator called the state’s workers
“bottom feeders.” Not
only did we not raise it, we sat idly by while Minnesota did the
responsible thing and raised it by a dollar to $6.15. Quite frankly,
it’s almost embarrassing to sit here and argue for a $6.15 minimum
wage. Even that falls piteously shy of a living wage.
What he
can’t boast about is that according to a recent Des Moines Register
article, the state has dropped to 49th in the nation when it comes to
public land for recreation. And even though recreation is essential to
keeping residents in the state and attracting tourists, just 2
percent of Iowa is public recreation land. According to the article,
years ago state lawmakers set a goal to have ten percent of Iowa in
publicly controlled lands. I think we have a ways to go. Only the state
of Kansas has less land for public recreation than we do. On a lighter
note, we may now have a new state slogan ... “Thank God for Kansas!”
What he
can’t boast about is how the legislature failed to listen to the
concerns of organic growers in the state before they passed the
infamous seed de-regulation bill. The legislature enacted pre-emptive
legislation that prevents local governments from regulating the types
of seeds grown in their communities or counties. Essentially, they are
now regulating de-regulation. So in retrospect, I guess that is kind of
“historic.”
What he
can’t boast about is that even though we are in a difficult budget
crisis, we somehow found money for a pay increase for state legislators.
What he
can’t boast about is how the state has failed to make it easier for
Iowans to get affordable prescription drugs from Canada. Currently,
there are only four U.S. states that openly encourage their citizens to
buy prescription drugs from Canada: Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, and
Wisconsin. Maybe the senate Republican leader doesn’t know anyone that
can’t afford to buy their prescription drugs.
If this session was truly historic, then let’s hope history doesn’t repeat itself.
Sunday, May 29
The Political-Industrial Complex, Part II
by
Trish Nelson
on Sun 29 May 2005 08:14 AM CDT
 The Political-Industrial Complex, Part II
The Prairie Progressive
by Jim Larew
In
contrast with the era of the Iowa Democratic Party’s modern rebirth,
today, in too many instances, within the same Party, the proper order
of priorities has been reversed. An emphasis on organizational
politics, and concerns about the need for money to finance those
organizations, now frequently supplants and precedes any overt
commitment to liberal and progressive core values.
This
premise—that the Iowa Democratic Party needs to re-commit itself to a
substantive progressive agenda before focusing on matters that mere
technological fixes cannot remedy—is increasingly obvious to many party
activists, particularly in light of the November 2004 election.
But this
viewpoint is not frequently spoken about by Democratic Party officials
or by candidates who seek the support of Democratic Party activists.
Indeed, apologists for the losing status quo, persons whose voices are
given disproportionate access to the public forum, too frequently
explain and excuse the sad events of November 2004 with implausible
rationales.
Some of
these apologists are themselves entrenched in a formidable, growing new
industry, an expensive phenomenon that might well be called the
“political-industrial complex.” Often acting in the
capacity as “political consultants” and “experts,” their survival
appears impervious to political defeat. Ironically…participation
in losing causes appears to provide solid credentials for the next
campaign season.
If the
Party’s future is to be different than its recent past, its members
must re-establish the correct order of priorities. A dedication to
fundamental liberal values must precede any grand schemes for new
campaign machineries and strategies to finance the same.
A
successful Iowa Democratic Party of the future will be infused with
progressive and liberal ideas, led by persons who are at least as
concerned about the contents and substance of our State’s future
policies as they are about getting voters to the polls on time.
Only with sound, progressive public policies can citizens hope to enter and to remain in our increasingly fragile middle class.
~ Jim Larew is an attorney in private practice in Iowa City
To read the entire article (Part II), see the Summer 2005 issue of the Prairie Progressive, Iowa's oldest progressive
newsletter, available only in hard copy for $12/yr. PP, Box 1945, Iowa City
52244. Co-editors
of The Prairie Progressive are Jeff Cox and Dave Leshtz.
 Click here to sign up for action alerts
from RapidResponse - Iowa.
Tuesday, May 24
Random Thoughts In Iowa
by
Chad Thompson
on Tue 24 May 2005 12:26 PM CDT
 Random Thoughts In Iowa
This is
one of those days where I just can't seem to focus on a single topic,
so I'll pull out my cup of noon coffee and throw out a few random
thoughts.
End of Legislative Session:
The good news here is that there was a compromise reached to pass a
state budget. The bad news: the new budget didn't really
settle anything, nor did it put us in better shape for the future.
As it
stands, there is no long term plan for educational financing, Medicaid,
IPERS or property tax reform. What we did get was some
reshuffling of bank accounts and a further drain on the reserves we do
have.
What To Do About Tobacco?:
Why is it that dealing with tobacco is so difficult? GOP Senators
struggled with the notion of "associating cigarette taxes with
Medicaid", instead pushing "higher cigarette taxes to lower property
taxes". (What happens if people smoke less?)
That, and the legislature decided that "borrowing" from that trust fund created by the tobacco settlement wouldn't have to be repaid.
Wither Newton?:
From this seat, it's difficult to tell what might happen with the sale
of Maytag, although the writing on the wall is fairly clear. What
I will predict, however: the investment group purchasing Maytag
will try to use Iowa's commitment to the Values Fund to extort a little
extra profit from the state government.
Slot Machines For Education: Back when I was a kid, one of the fund raisers that parents took seriously was General Mills' "Boxtops For Education" program.
In 2005, the best way to raise money for schools seems to be at the slot machine.
Part
of the casino's profits will go to five school districts in three
counties, with some going to Worth County students who will all be
eligible for scholarships. The rest goes to economic development and
community projects.
"This is huge for our schools," said Miller, a former classroom teacher from Northwood with three young daughters.
Do we
really want to get involved in a system that needs close regulation to
fund vital programs? Besides, sometimes the economic development
that comes with "sin industries" is not always wanted.
Fresh Produce Makes A Difference:
One of the trends that I have come to appreciate is the increasing
frequency of Farmer's Markets in the state. I think it's always a
good thing to spend some of my food dollars to support local
producers. The Leopold Center published a study that says
something this simple can make a real economic impact.
Farmers' markets not only are a great place to get fresh
produce, flowers and baked goods, they also may generate an
estimated $20.8 million in sales and more than 325 jobs for
the Iowa economy.
325 jobs
might not seem like much in comparison to other industries - but these
are 325 jobs that don't take much money to create, and 325 jobs that
won't relocate, off-shore, or disappear. For the most part, these
are also 325 jobs that are created by people running their own businesses.
That's worth supporting with a weekly visit.
Monday, May 23
Vast Right-Wing, Power-Grabbing Conspiracy Alive and Well in Iowa!
by
Trish Nelson
on Mon 23 May 2005 10:51 AM CDT
Vast Right-Wing, Power-Grabbing Conspiracy Alive and Well in
Iowa!
The Des Moines Register
GOP leaders tie filibuster to caucuses
By David Yepsen
A powerful group of leading state Republicans and social
conservatives sent a letter last week to "potential presidential
candidates" telling them, in effect, that any GOP senator with
presidential aspirations who doesn't support ending judicial filibusters will
face consequences in the 2008 caucuses.
The document was signed by Steve Scheffler, director of the
Christian Coalition of Iowa; Chuck Hurley, president of the Iowa Family Policy
Center; Edward D. Failor Sr., president of Iowans for Tax Relief; and Maxine K.
Sieleman, host of KWKY radio's "Update Today" program, which is
popular with religious conservatives.
Also signing the letter were Marlys Popma, a respected
former executive director of the Iowa GOP; David M. Stanley, chairman of the
Tax Education Foundation; and Kim Lehman, executive director of the Iowa Right
to Life Committee.
The group thanked Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of
Tennessee and Senators George Allen of Virginia, Sam Brownback of Kansas and
Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania "for their courage" on the issue."
"On the other hand, we are concerned about the two
potential candidates, Senator McCain, and from our neighboring state of
Nebraska, Senator Hagel - who have so far refused to support an up or down
vote," the group said.
(click here to read the entire article)
Take Action: Write a
letter to the editor calling for a stop to these GOP bullying tactics.
Send your letter to:
letters@dmreg.com.
It
is bad for democracy for one political party to have all of the
power. Clearly, the GOP will not rest until they do.
Please act today to stop them.
Click here to receive action alerts from Rapid Response -
Iowa
ISU Democrats' Filibuster to Enter One Hundredth Hour
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 23 May 2005 01:05 AM CDT
 ISU Democrats' Filibuster to Enter One Hundredth Hour
Group Protest Draws Attention to Danger of “Nuclear Option” in U.S. Senate
Iowa
State University Democrats, distressed over the potential violation of
Senate rules, history, and tradition by the Republican majority, will
continue their mock filibuster past the one hundredth hour in a press
conference Monday, May 23rd, at 4:34pm, outside the campus library.
These
students, joined by community members and guest speakers, are
demonstrating against the Republicans’ threat to invoke the “Nuclear
Option,” a term coined by Senator Trent Lott (R-MS) to describe a
flagrant disregard for Senate procedure, in their effort to confirm
extremist, right-wing judges.
Drew
Miller, Iowa College Democrats President, pointed to the record of the
judges as well as the rules violation. “This is a right-wing
power grab, no doubt about it,” he said. “Republicans aren’t
happy to have only 95% of their judges confirmed, even though it is a
much higher percentage than they themselves allowed President Bill
Clinton. They want to abolish historic Senate rules so they can
confirm judges who oppose Social Security, the minimum wage, and
environmental protections. Democrats are using powers
traditionally granted to the minority party to stop the Republicans’
radical anti-American agenda.”
The ISU
Democrats are joining college groups across the nation in starting and
maintaining these mock filibusters. As of now, groups from
twenty-three states have engaged or are participating for this cause.
EVENT: ISU Democrats Filibuster to Save the Filibuster 100th Hour
DATE: Monday, May 23rd
TIME: 4:34pm Hundredth Hour Press Conference
LOCATION: Parks Library Entryway, Corner of Osborn Dr. & Morill Rd., Iowa State University, Ames IA 50011
Go here to sign the Move On petition against the nuclear option. Help preserve the rights of the minority party by saving the filibuster.
Need a break from dispair? Check out the ISU Dems' filibuster blog. They're getting a little punchy!
Saturday, May 21
Iowa Media Reform Group Up and Running!
by
Trish Nelson
on Sat 21 May 2005 12:58 PM CDT
 Iowa Media Reform Group Up and Running!
Introducing:
IOWANS FOR BETTER LOCAL TV
Blog for Iowa would like to announce the formation of a group of citizen-activists, Iowans
for Better Local TV. Check out their
brand new website at www.IBLTV.org.
IBLTV is a group of concerned citizens fighting the negative
effects of media conglomeration on local communities in Iowa. Part of IBLTV’s mission is to raise awareness
and educate Iowa communities on
the dangers to democracy and the harm done to people when local broadcast
stations are owned by huge corporations.
Some of the problems resulting from corporate ownership include: views tend to be one-sided, reflecting
corporate interests and opinions, not those of average Iowans; disappearing
local news coverage; loss of civility in the public discourse; and programming
which in general does not serve the public interest but instead serves the
company’s interests and political agenda.
IBLTV is concentrated in eastern Iowa,
but would like to expand. If you live in
a community in Iowa within a
broadcast area of a local TV station owned by a remote corporation (hint,
hint..), contact us at feedback@IBLTV.org.
We will be happy to give a
presentation to your group about
the corporatization of our local media, the harm it causes our
communities, and what you can do about it.
Find out more by coming to our next meet-up, Tuesday, May 24, 6:30 pm at the Iowa City Public Library, Meeting Room B.
Iowans for Better Local TV (IBLTV)
“ Working to bring civility and public service back to local
broadcasting”
Click here to receive
action alerts from Rapid Response - Iowa
Ottumwa Lagoons Among Iowa's Most-polluted Bodies of Water
by
Linda Thieman
on Sat 21 May 2005 04:46 AM CDT
 Ottumwa Lagoons Among Iowa's Most-polluted Bodies of Water
by Carly Schuffler, KTVOTV3.com
Why wait for Bush to destroy the nation's water with sewage dumping? Iowa is already doing it!
(Ottumwa) The lagoons add beauty to Ottumwa's parks; but look a little closer, and you may be surprised at how dirty they are.
"They are among the worst in the state that are in cities," said Ottumwa City Administrator Steve Rasmussen.
Several factors contribute to the lagoon pollution. Possibly the most-obvious source of pollutants is the city's combined sewer overflows.
"All storm water, all waste water, both domestic, residential and
commercial, industrial goes into one pipe, and when the sanitary sewer
is overloaded it'll overflow into, in this case, the Ottumwa lagoon,"
said Ted Payseur of Veenstra and Kimm, Inc.
Believe
it or not, raw sewage discharge in the lagoons isn't the biggest
problem. Chlordane, a dangerous pesticide outlawed in the 80s, is in
the water, in the silt and in the fish.
"This
insecticide gets into the environment and ends up settling in the
sediment in the lagoon and unfortunately it's half life is decades
long," said Payseur.
Also high levels of nutrients, like phosphorus and nitrogen, trickle in from farm fields and fertilized lawns.
"In the
case of the Ottumwa lagoons, Kettle Creek which comes in kind of north
has about a 2,300 acre watershed and of course there's a great deal of
land outside and some of this has ag contributions," said Payseur.
Nitrogen
levels will drop once Ottumwa's sewers are separated, but the DNR has
placed the Ottumwa lagoons on a list of impaired properties and
initiated a total maximum daily loads (TMDL) process for the city to
watch and improve lagoon water quality.
"There's
no quick fix for this; the DNR's TMDL process is a process whereby the
community will move through a long process to fix it. If we make sure
it doesn't get any worse, and work gradually to make sure it gets
better, we'll get there. We will succeed at this," Rasmussen said.
(Source)
Friday, May 20
Iowa Farm Fields Increase Dead Zones, Starve the World's Seas
by
Linda Thieman
on Fri 20 May 2005 03:48 AM CDT
 Iowa Farm Fields Increase Dead Zones, Starve the World's Seas
by Janet Raloff, ScienceNews.org
Caused almost exclusively by human
activities, massive oxygen-starved waters, called "Dead Zones," are
developing along the world's coasts and are becoming increasingly
common and recurrent
For
many years now, an annual dead zone has developed in the Gulf [of
Mexico], beginning as early as February and sometimes lasting until
mid-fall. This zone — water where the oxygen content is so low that
denizens can't survive — tends to leave no surface clue.
There's no mystery as to what triggers this annual hypoxic zone,
as the oxygen-starved region is formally termed. Into the Gulf of
Mexico, the Mississippi River deposits water that is heavily enriched
with plant nutrients, principally nitrate. This pollutant fertilizes
the abundant growth of tiny, floating algae. As blooms of the algae go
through their natural life cycles and die, they fall to the bottom and
create a feast for bacteria. Growing in unnatural abundance, the
bacteria use up most of the oxygen from the bottom water.
Dead zones tend to develop in quiet, deep water a few km offshore.
Typically, they appear where a river spews rich plumes of nutrients
into water that's stratified because of either temperature or salinity
differences between the bottom and the top of the water column. If the
water doesn't mix, oxygen isn't replenished in the lower half.
...Sixty-eight large, persistent, and recurring dead zones spanning the
world's seas were reported for the first time during the 1990s. . .
. On March 29, [2005], the United Nations Environment Program . .
. concluded that there are [now] some 150 recurring and permanent dead
zones in seas worldwide.
...Fully oxygenated waters contain as much as 10 parts per million of
oxygen. Once oxygen falls to 5 ppm, fish and other aquatic animals have
trouble breathing. Sharks begin vacating areas with 3 ppm of oxygen,
while most other fish can hold out until about 2 ppm. Sediment dwellers
that can't leave a hypoxic zone begin dying at around 1.5 ppm.
...When spring rains scour farm fields as far upstream as
Minnesota and [Iowa,] spilling huge quantities of nitrogen
into the Mississippi, it's only a matter of weeks before the oxygen
concentrations in the Gulf begin to respond. "Once a decline starts, it
goes from about 5 [ppm] to close to 0 in about 7 to 10 days," [says
Nancy Rabalais, an aquatic ecologist with the Louisiana Universities
Marine Consortium in Chauvin].
(Click here to read the complete article.)
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