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Tuesday, September 7
It's GOOD to Vote Early: Get Your Iowa Absentee Ballot Here!
by
Linda Thieman
on Tue 07 Sep 2004 04:54 PM CDT
It's GOOD to  Early
Get Your Iowa Absentee Ballot Here!
by Linda Thieman
Conventional
wisdom tells us that this year, the party that brings in the most
absentee ballots will be the party of victory. And casting an absentee ballot is easy to
do since no witness or notary public is required during any part of the process.
Also,
because we're going to need so many people to volunteer as poll
watchers, it's good to bank your vote and not have to worry
about it on Liberation Day, er, I mean Election Day, November 2.
This
year, because of a new state law, there is no early time limit set for
requesting absentee ballots, so you can go ahead and do it now.
Plus, one last argument: paper ballots. No matter which Iowa county you live in, EVEN ONE THAT USES UNRELIABLE PAPERLESS, TOUCH-SCREEN VOTING MACHINES
like Clay County, by voting early and by voting on a PAPER absentee
ballot, you can rest assured that your vote will actually COUNT.
**Click here
to download your Iowa absentee ballot request form. You then send
it in to your county auditor's office at the courthouse.
**Click here to get the address of your county auditor.
Just find your county on the map of Iowa and click on the map.
Are You Registered To Vote?
If you have not yet registered to vote, click here
to download an Iowa voter registration form. According to the
information provided on the Iowa voter registration form, "the deadline
to
register to vote is 10 days before a primary or general election and 11
days for all others. You may register after a deadline, but the
registration will not be effective until after that election. A
registration form postmarked at least 15 days before an election will
be accepted for that election even if it is received after the deadline
to register to vote. Registration is permanent. After you register, you
do not have to register again unless you move."
Iowa Absentee Ballots at Record Numbers
WHOTV.com
Election
offices are getting a record number of early requests from people
hoping to skip the ballot box....Iowa's a "no excuse" voting
state. You don't need an excuse to get an absentee ballot that
allows you to vote without going to the polls, and more people than
ever before want to make sure you don't have an excuse not to vote.
...Democrats
usually lead in the absentee voting efforts. Nearly three
quarters of the requests so far in Polk County are for Democratic
voters, but Republicans are really just starting their early vote
efforts, so [Polk County Auditor Michael] Mauro figures the difference will tighten up as we get
closer to election day.
How do
other counties compare when it comes to absentee ballots? 2,100
ballot requests have been filed in Dallas County for the upcoming
election, nearly 2,200 in Warren county, and in Story County, 4,300
absentee ballots have been requested.
(more)
Iowa Legislature: Special Challenges for Today's Special Session
by
Linda Thieman
on Tue 07 Sep 2004 01:18 PM CDT
Iowa Legislature: Special Challenges for Today's Special Session
Iowa Policy Project
Job Quality, Accountability Missing from Discussions at Statehouse
DES
MOINES, Iowa – Iowa legislators need to keep job quality and fiscal
responsibility in mind [today] when they return for a special session
to restore the Grow Iowa Values Fund, two independent policy groups
said [last week].
“This
special session comes at a touchy time,” said Victor Elias, senior
associate at the Child & Family Policy Center in Des Moines. “As we
know, an election is coming, so legislators need to be careful to make
good decisions for the long term, not just whatʼs going to sound good
in a radio or TV ad in three weeks.”
David
Osterberg, director of the Iowa Policy Project in Mount Vernon, said
the proposals to be discussed need careful consideration.
“Iʼm
really concerned whether a one-day special session will address our
biggest challenges – job quality and health care,” Osterberg said. “We
just saw last week the new Census figures that show wages are down and
over 300,000 Iowans donʼt have health insurance. How can we pass a
jobs-creation program that doesnʼt make sure Iowans are paid more and
get benefits?” Elias and Osterberg
both said the Values Fund and one of the pieces of the deal – an
accelerated tax break for some business purchases – have flaws that
undermine their stated intent.
“The
Values Fund in its brief life has not performed as advertised,”
Osterberg said. “It is promoted as a way to create good-paying jobs
that raise wages in the state. It does produce some – but not as many
as it could, and weʼre talking about the use of public dollars here.
The Values Fund should not simply be reinstated in this session; it
should be strengthened, to require that the jobs being subsidized are
raising the floor of pay and benefits.”
Osterberg
noted a report in July for the IPP by University of Iowa professor
Colin Gordon, who found three general problems with the fund:
■ The
wage and job thresholds are too low in the rules governing the fund –
so low that the program is as likely to bid down local wages as it is
to raise them.
■
Loopholes in the rules make it too easy for the board to make awards to
firms that will pay dismal wages, or create too few jobs.
■ There
is little accountability to assure recipients will abide by
requirements for future wages, job creation or job retention. Osterberg
said the new Values Fund legislation should assure that rules
implementing it will be stronger, to correct deficiencies cited by
Gordonʼs paper.
“We have to take out the wiggle room,” Osterberg said. “We
shouldnʼt be allowing our tax dollars to encourage jobs that actually
lower the average wage in a county, which is what happened with the
first Values Fund award, to Wells Fargo.”
Elias
said one of the tradeoffs in the deal between the governor and
legislative leaders for the special session – the so-called “bonus
depreciation” tax writeoff for businesses – will not stimulate the Iowa
economy, and should be tailored so that it doesnʼt hurt cash flow for
the state. “At least the way this has been presented, the writeoff will
apply to half of the cost of purchases made from September 2001 through
the end of this year,” Elias said. “That
means businesses will get a tax break for decisions they already made,
so it really is not an incentive, but a windfall. In tight budget times
in Iowa with serious cuts in services, itʼs hard to defend a windfall
giveaway of up to $70 million.”
Elias recommended four steps to encourage fairness, accountability and revenue savings with this proposal:
■ Do not make it retroactive.
■ Limit the amount any one filer can claim ($500,000).
■ If no
limit is imposed, make any claim above a certain amount ($500,000 for a
filing period) an open record, with Department of Revenue reporting on
those making claims and the sizes of their claims.
■ Simplify filing for small businesses, so they are not disadvantaged vs. larger competitors with more accounting resources.
These
changes would help address important challenges in Iowa's job climate.
The state has not recovered from the 2001 recession, with the latest
government figures reporting the state down 28,000 jobs from March
2001. That net figure reflects both jobs lost and gained, with separate
research indicating a net loss of job quality as well.
Iowa's
job increases generally have come in industries that are less likely to
offer health-care benefits; job declines generally have come in
industries (manufacturing) that are more likely to offer those
benefits. Further, Iowaʼs median income is falling. According to the
Census, Iowaʼs median income fell 6.5 percent, or about $2,900, from
1999-2000 to 2002-03.
In fact,
the Census reported last week that the number of uninsured in Iowa grew
from 246,500 in 2001-02 to 303,000 in 2002-03, or from 8.5 percent of
Iowans to 10.4 percent. These growing ranks of uninsured are due to a
decline in employer-provided health-care benefits. According to the
Census, 67.3 percent of Iowans had employer-provided health benefits in
2001-02, with that average falling to 65.4 percent for 2002-03. That
1.9-point drop matches the increase in the proportion of Iowans
uninsured.
Reports on these topics are available at the Iowa Policy Project website, www.iowapolicyproject.org.
Teachers Arrested at Cedar Rapids Bush Event
by
Linda Thieman
on Tue 07 Sep 2004 07:50 AM CDT
 Teachers Arrested at Cedar Rapids Bush Event
by Joel D. Miller
Sat, 4 Sep 2004
Dear Democrats & Democratic Supporters:
Yesterday (Friday) was a sad day for democracy and education in Cedar Rapids.
Our First Amendment rights (see attached email to Lt. Okonek of the CRPD) were trampled on.
And the "Education pResident's" campaign event resulted in:
Two (2) Cedar Rapids School teachers being arrested:
Four (4) Cedar Rapids schools being closed for the day:
Two (2) Cedar Rapids schools closing early; and
Two (2) day-care centers closing early.
Overall,
five (5) of 350 protesters were arrested. I believe all five were
standing on a public street outside of the secure area when
arrested. I believe all five were peacefully protesting as were
all of the protesters.
The
Labor Day weekend is upon us. If you've been waiting to get
involved, now is the time. We have less than 60 days to get
Democrats and Democratic-leaning supporters to register to vote.
And then to vote early.
Regards,
Joel D. Miller
Chair - Linn County Democratic Party
Vice Chair - Second District Democratic Central Committee
P.S.
My sources from inside the Bush event indicated the size of the crowd
to be 5,000-7,000 - not 15,000 as reported by some media sources.
-----------------------------------------
Saturday, September 04, 2004
To: 'OKonek, Steven M.'
Subject: Protest Area
Dear Lt Okonek:
I hope you are having a peaceful day.
I am very disappointed in your lack of communication to me and your officers!
On
Wednesday, you told me a location could not be designated for
protesters. I specifically asked you if we could meet at the pool
house. You indicated we could - it was outside the secure
area. The next day (see below), you reneged.
On
Friday, the day of the event, your officers proceeded to tell us we
could not stand still on the south side of 42nd - that we had to keep
moving. Then told us we could only pass one time between Golf and
Council on 42nd. Then told us we could not walk on 42nd between
Golf and Council. Then told us we could protest on the west side
of Council at 42nd.
When I
talked to 2 officers posted at Golf on 42nd - neither knew of a protest
location. I talked to a short haired, blondish, female officer at
the entrance to the event - she did know of a protest area and
passively tried to radio you. I called 911 to ask them to patch
me through to you - they declined and knew of no protest area. I
asked Sgt Prachar for the designated area - he didn't know. Yet, Sgt
Prachar knew the entire park was rented for the event. You had to
know the park including the pool house was included in the rental when
you talked to me on Wednesday. Why didn't you tell me on
Wednesday?
I find
it interesting that all of the Bush attendees were first entering the
event on the sidewalk on the north side of 42nd and then they were
redirected to the sidewalk on the south side at the same time we were
banned from the sidewalk on the south side. Did the "private
party" who rented the park also rent the whole street?
I
understand the need for security as I have a degree in police science
and 5 years experience in law enforcement. I also know that you
were sworn to uphold the Constitution and you have an obligation to
safeguard the rights of citizens exercising their right to peacefully
assemble and demonstrate.
You and
your officers erred on the side of security yesterday instead of
striking a balance between security and democracy. That error
haunts me. I hope it haunts you and every law enforcement officer
on the scene.
Yesterday was a sad day for democracy in Cedar Rapids.
Joel D. Miller
Chair - Linn County Democratic Party
-----------------------------------------
From: OKonek, Steven M.
Thursday, September 02, 2004
To: JoelMiller
Subject: RE: Bush Protest Planned
Thanks,
As I
said plans do change. The pool house will be designated as being
in the secure area. There will be plenty of law enforcement to
direct demonstrators to a location suitable for demonstrators.
The entire park has now been designated a secure area. There will be a location for your demonstration.
-------------------------------------------
From: Joel Miller
Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2004
To: OKonek, Steven M.
Subject: Bush Protest Planned
Lt Okonek,
Per our conversation yesterday, I'm sharing the email I sent to Democrats in Eastern Iowa.
Fyi,
Joel D. Miller
***********************************************************
PEACEFUL PROTESTERS WANTED AND WELCOME!
Protest Bush's Post Convention Campaign Stop in Cedar Rapids.
Join us
at 2pm on Friday, September 3rd, at the Noelridge Park Pool (aka
Noelridge Aquatic Center) on 1248 42nd Street NE in Cedar Rapids.
Traffic
will be extremely congested and parking will be limited so plan
ahead. Make your own protest sign and bring it with you.
Better yet, make two and bring one to share with another protester.
For additional details, call the Linn County Democratic Party's office at 319-362-6275 or reply to this email.
P.S.
Why did the "education president" pick a location for a rally which
causes 4 schools to close for the day, 2 schools to close early, and 2
day-care centers to close early? How many workers are going to
lose wages because they have to pay for additional childcare and/or
have to miss work to stay at home with their school children?
Dismal Turnout Greets Cheney in Clear Lake
by
Linda Thieman
on Tue 07 Sep 2004 04:34 AM CDT
Dismal Turnout Greets Cheney in Clear Lake
Sharpshooters on the water tower in Clear Lake protect
the faux V.P. from the lack of a crowd yesterday.
by Linda Thieman
Pseudo-vice pResident Dick Cheney dropped by Clear Lake yesterday
afternoon to try to round up folks to work on behalf of the Bush/Cheney
ticket. A tiny Republican crowd gathered to briefly hear Cheney
throw some red meat their way while everyone else living in the area
appeared to intentionally stay away from the major inconveniences of
barricades and road blocks. The normally bustling streets near
the barricaded area were quiet and parking for the event was
exceedingly easy to find.
Apparently,
having the formerly-popular faux V.P. drop in for a ten-minute rant was
a GOP response to a recent newspaper article that quoted Democratic
Iowa Senate Minority Leader Mike Gronstal saying that his office was
targeting the Iowa Senate seat of Republican incumbent Thurman
Gaskill. Bringing in the big guns is an interesting move,
seemingly replacing actual campaigning, which Gaskill appears to be
avoiding like the plague. This would also seem to be a
questionable strategy since, because of redistricting, Gaskill is known
to only 40% of the registered voters in the district and doesn’t seem
to want to get to know any of them at all.
Gaskill’s opponent, Democrat John Drury
of Swaledale, had a press conference planned with labor leaders for
yesterday afternoon near the site of Cheney’s very short speech.
Drury issued the following statement:
Good afternoon and Happy Labor Day! Thank you all for coming. I am John Drury and I am running for Iowa State Senate District 6.
I
invited you here today to talk about the direction the current
legislature has taken the state. I also want to talk about the upcoming
special legislative session scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. tomorrow
morning. This session has been called to reach a compromise between the
governor and the legislature over the Iowa Values Fund. Ironically,
this compromise that follows so closely on the heels of the national
holiday that celebrates the American worker is actually anti-worker. I
have said it before, this election is not about right or left, it is
about right and wrong. This compromise is just plain wrong!
Despite
what they say at home, Thurman Gaskill and this legislature have
pursued an economic development strategy that provides no promise of
new jobs or recovery in rural Iowa. They have also reduced their
commitment to providing adequate funding to K-12 schools, especially in
rural areas.
This is
a double whammy to rural Iowa: with no commitment by Thurman Gaskill
and this legislature to good jobs and good schools, where is the hope?
I am
offering hope because I am committed to providing a significant boost
in spending specifically targeted to rural economic development and to
ensuring that our schools - all Iowa schools - have the funding and
tools necessary to lower class size, increase teacher quality and boost
student achievement. This is our hope for a better future in Iowa.
Instead
of making a long-term commitment to rural economic development and to
our schools, Thurman Gaskill and this legislature has focused its time
on efforts to reduce rights for injured workers, strip away the rights
of people to sue if they are injured by faulty products, and reduce the
rights of Iowa consumers - all under the ruse of something they like to
call "regulatory reform." This is bogus. It is a hoax. It is
anti-worker. And it is anti-growth.
The
special session of the Iowa legislature on Tuesday is a great example
of why we need change - big time change in the statehouse. After
killing the Iowa Values Fund and other successful job-creation programs
with their lawsuit, Republicans are threatening to kill the Iowa Values
Fund unless the governor also agrees to swallow some proposals that are
bad for workers and bad for Iowa families.
I support the governor on many things, but I DO NOT agree with him on this issue.
But the
real blame is on Thurman Gaskill and other legislators who are hell
bent on hurting workers and families. They would rather approve a tax
cut for big insurance companies instead of reducing class sizes and
increasing student achievement. They would rather debate for hours
about cutting workers rights instead of increasing the minimum wage.
The real shame is that Thurman Gaskill and many others in the legislature are NOT listening to Iowans!
If they
had been listening, they would know what a true compromise looks like.
There are two bills that will be considered tomorrow. The Values Fund
bill provides up to $100 million to fund already promised projects.
Unfortunately, it does not recreate the long-term structure of the
fund. This is unfortunate. The state of Iowa was experiencing
momentum with this strategy and we now seem determined to bring this to
an abrupt end all because of partisan politics. While it’s unfortunate
that the current legislature can’t see the importance of a long-term
strategy for economic development, I would still recommend passage of
this bill and leave the long-term strategy to the new legislature.
The
second bill includes several changes to the workmen’s compensation
system that are simply unacceptable. If passed, workers will lose
important protections under our present workers’ comp laws. It also
gives corporations a $70 million tax break. This tax break would allow
corporations to immediately and retroactively deduct expenses that
would otherwise have been deducted over a period of several years.
Handing out this $70 million provides no new economic stimulus. A true
compromise perhaps would be to give corporations these tax breaks but
to not make them retroactive. That would at least spark economic
activity.
Tomorrow’s
compromise is nothing more than a present for businesses at the expense
of workers. I told you it was ironic coming right after Labor Day.
I
promise that as your next state senator, I will listen to your
concerns. I will work hard in Des Moines to make North Iowa a better
place to live, work, and raise a family.
Please support my campaign as we work together for a better Iowa.
Click here to visit the Drury for Iowa Senate website.
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