Author Archives: Paul Deaton

2018 Iowa Legislature In Review

Spirit of Citizenship 2018 2018 Legislature in Review By State Senator Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids Find bills at http://www.legis.iowa.gov More Damage to Iowa’s Working Families, Health Care, Women’s Health, Seniors, Students, Public Safety, and Natural Resources After the devastation … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 Election Campaign, Iowa Democrats, Iowa Legislature, Iowa legislature 2018, Rob Hogg | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Importance of American Freedom

by Ralph Scharnau Freedom is the central tenet of how we view ourselves individually and as a nation.  It is embedded in our history and language.  Simultaneously it has been contested in debates and dissents in Congress, in political books/essays/editorials, … Continue reading

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Why Stop Denuclearization at North Korea?

(From Physicians for Social Responsibility which has a small but vocal footprint in Iowa). Responding to citizens everywhere who yearn for peace, political leaders in South Korea, North Korea, China and the United States staged a flurry of diplomatic activity … Continue reading

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Iowa’s Medicaid Toothache

I worked as an admissions clerk at the University of Iowa Dental Clinic after graduate school. We saw patients from all around Iowa — wealthy patients with private insurance, indigents with limited means, and everyone in between. Anyone who came … Continue reading

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A Blog For Iowa Independence Day Post

Independence Day is an American holiday if there is one. A group of military veterans discussed participation in a local Independence Day parade via email. A member made this post: I will not participate in the July 4th parade. This … Continue reading

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Republicans Are Bad At Law Making

Last Friday the Iowa Supreme Court overturned the 2017 law requiring a 72-hour waiting period before a woman could have an abortion. Here’s the money quote from Chief Justice Mark Cady, writing for the majority: “The state’s capacity to legislate … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 Election Campaign, Iowa legislature 2017, Iowa legislature 2018, politics, Progressive Community, progressive values, Republican Policy, womens rights | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Republicans Are Bad At Law Making

Veterans Condemn Trump’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ Immigration Policy

Veterans For Peace strongly condemns Trump’s ‘zero tolerance’ immigration policy, the imprisonment of children, and criminalization of undocumented immigrants. Our immigration laws and enforcement tactics have long been at a crisis point and we are now witnessing even more draconian … Continue reading

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There Is A Family Dairy Farm Crisis

Things are bad when the coop sends the suicide hotline number with the milk payment. Milk prices are currently about $15 per hundred weight while cost of production at family farms is more than $22 per hundred weight. Like so … Continue reading

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Morning Coffee, Climate Change And The 2018 Midterms

I first drank coffee in the Army… on top of a hill… during the dead of winter… from a mermite can. Steam rising from the lid proved irresistible when ambient temperatures were below zero and we had just slept on … Continue reading

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Preserve The Iran Deal

The 45th president doesn’t like the Iran Deal. He campaigned against it. He begrudgingly certified Iran’s compliance with it after his inauguration. As additional 90-day certification periods passed, he didn’t. Neither did he move to end it. With the installation … Continue reading

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