Author Archives: Paul Deaton

January 6: Meadows Edition

With last night’s indictments of former President Donald J. Trump, handed down by a grand jury comprised of 23 ordinary citizens, a number of unnamed co-conspirators were mentioned yet not included in the indictment. The focus on the biggest fish … Continue reading →

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I Swear It’s Not Too Late

RAGBRAI is finished, sweet corn is coming in, tomatoes are ripening, and home gardens and farmers markets are going full bore. Dinner may consist of a thick slice of tomato, steamed green beans, and boiled sweet corn. It’s life in … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Hidden History of American Democracy by Thom Hartmann

Is democracy the default state of humanity? In The Hidden History of American Democracy: Rediscovering Humanity’s Ancient Way of Living, author Thom Hartmann presents the case that democracy is our default state, overcome only by the intrusion of dictators, popes, … Continue reading →

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Writing In Public In Iowa

My first letter to the editor of a newspaper appeared in the Quad-City Times on Dec. 30, 1974. I had just returned to my home town from Europe after college graduation. I did not like the culture I experienced in … Continue reading →

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Jobs Aren’t The Issue

The overlooked part of President Joe Biden’s remarks about the January jobs report is this, “As my dad used to say, ‘A job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about your dignity.’” Make no mistake that Democrats … Continue reading →

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Beware the Chaos of This War

Beware the Chaos of This War by Ed Flaherty One of the defining characteristics of war is chaos. The war between Ukraine and Russia is approaching the end of its first year, and it has been horrendous and chaotic. Each … Continue reading →

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Changing Iowa And Its Public Schools

Iowa Democrats took a shellacking during the 2010 general election for U.S. Senate. We ran Des Moines attorney Roxanne Conlin against incumbent Chuck Grassley in a historic campaign. Grassley won 718,215 votes to Conlin’s 371,686. In an email to supporters … Continue reading →

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Holiday Politics

What went wrong for Democrats in the 2022 midterm election? A lot. How do we fix it? The first reaction, and I believe the wrong one, is to throw the bums out. I like Ross Wilburn, Iowa Democratic Party chairman … Continue reading →

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Update on Iowa CO2 Pipelines

While driving to the Democratic office in North Liberty after a shift of door knocking, I passed a seemingly endless line of black tank cars waiting to be loaded with ethanol or corn syrup in Cedar Rapids. That Iowa’s vast … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Farming | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Book Review: The Hidden History Of Neoliberalism

Thom Hartmann’s latest in the Hidden History Series, The Hidden History of Neoliberalism: How Reaganism Gutted America and How to Restore Its Greatness, is scheduled for release on Sept. 13. Well-written and timely, it takes a deep dive into neoliberalism … Continue reading →

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