Author Archives: Paul Deaton

Is The IPERS Cake Baked?

Posted on July 25, 2017

The Cedar Rapids Gazette was sitting on the break room table last week at the home, farm and auto supply store, open to an article about IPERS, Iowa’s public employee retirement plan. Written by Matt Sinovic of Progress Iowa, the … Continue reading →

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Toward A New Electorate

Posted on July 24, 2017

Sunday my spouse and I took the public library poster she made to the fairgrounds where the county’s seven libraries have a booth for the fair which runs Monday through Thursday this week. We parked outside Building B, went in, … Continue reading →

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Democrats In McConnellville

Posted on July 21, 2017

Mitch McConnell must miss Harry Reid and Barack Obama. Without their foil he’s got no one to blame but himself for failing to craft a legislative agenda to support the Republican president. He tries to blame Democrats but it falls … Continue reading →

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Trump – Six Months In

Posted on July 20, 2017

It’s been difficult to get a grip on our 45th president. His first six months in office have been so different from previous Republican presidents there is no comparison. An inability to relate to this president — on any level … Continue reading →

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Act On Climate — Scary Edition

Posted on July 19, 2017

You may have seen David Wallace-Wells’ New York Magazine article titled, “The Uninhabitable Earth.” It’s a scary article with frightful truths circulating on social media. Half truths according to Michael E. Mann, director of Earth System Science Center at Penn … Continue reading →

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Social Security Runs Out! (In 2034)

Posted on July 18, 2017

Last Thursday the board of trustees overseeing Social Security released its 2018 projection. 61 million beneficiaries — retirees, disabled workers, spouses and surviving children — will get an increase in monthly benefits. The forecast increase is 2.2 percent or about … Continue reading →

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New Format, New Era For Blog For Iowa

Posted on July 17, 2017

We hope readers enjoy the new Blog for Iowa format, which went live July 13. We joined the broader WordPress Community for ease of administration, use, and platform stability. While we join millions of WordPress bloggers we hope our Iowa … Continue reading →

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Organic Food’s Sticky Wicket

Posted on July 17, 2017

When people think of local food, most have seasonal sweet corn and tomatoes in mind. That hasn’t changed much in years. The quest for good-tasting food that does no harm has also been around for a long time. Organic food … Continue reading →

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Exiting Paris – Not The End Of The World

Posted on June 5, 2017

We survived U.S. failure to ratify the Kyoto Protocol to limit greenhouse gas emissions and will survive if Republicans drag us out of the Paris Agreement after the 2020 general election, as was announced June 1 in Washington, D.C. Make … Continue reading →

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Waiting For Trump On Climate Action

Posted on May 30, 2017

While in Europe, Pope Francis and the G7 leaders bent President Trump’s ears about climate change. The Pope presented a copy of Laudato Sí, On Care For Our Common Home, his encyclical on consumerism, irresponsible development, environmental degradation and global … Continue reading →

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