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Dear Friends,

After my comments in Sunday’s Des Moines Register editorial, which further exposed the murky waters of legislative compensation, I’ve gotta be giving Kim Pearson a run for her money in the “Most Popular Former or Current Lawmaker Among Fellow Lawmakers” contest. The editorial points out concerns I first raised in 1992, including how lawmakers:

— Hide much of their salary in “per diem” and “constituent service” payments.

— Avoid paying taxes on most of this money.

— Pay legislative leaders as much as $60,000 – $75,000 per year.

The Register’s editorial concludes with a call to action: “It is not right, and the Legislature should change this next year.” Yeah, they should. But anyone wanna bet an apple pie they won’t?

Meanwhile, the revolution that rocked Cairo, Tripoli, Madison, and Manhattan wound its way up to the Brooklyn Bridge this weekend, into the loving and arresting arms of the NYPD, and onward to cities across America. The mainstream media is only beginning to pick-up the story, which grassroots and social media networks have tracked from the git-go.

Monday, after a conversation with Sue Dvorsky, head of the Iowa Democratic Party, we’ll talk about the latest developments in the “Occupy Wall Street” revolution.

Tuesday, Frank and Kim Spillers with BE WUCA join us to talk about the power of attitude when it comes to accomplishing anything of substance in life, whether it’s helping ignite a social change movement, launching a successful small business, succeeding in the classroom, or taking charge of one’s personal health and well-being. “BE WUCA” stands for “Be Welcoming, Understanding, Comfortable, and Appreciative.”

Wednesday, attorney Jim Larew discusses a climate-change angle not often considered. There are plenty of climate-change deniers out there, but the insurance industry is a true believer. That’s been made clear by their rate hikes and policy changes. But if you think all these natural disasters mean insurance companies are losing money in big payouts to victims, think again. Angel Robinson, the consumer advocate with the Iowa Insurance Commission, also joins us for the conversation.

Thursday, Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie is our guest. There are so many directions this conversation could go I don’t even want to begin to tell you what to expect. But let’s not waste too much time on potholes, street lights and barking dogs.

So, tune in at 98.3 WOW-FM and online. You can download the Fallon Forum as a podcast, too.  And don’t forget to visit The Fallon Forum website at fallonforum.com.  Thanks!

Ed