Category Archives: BFIA

Blog for Iowa Talks Politics

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Paul Deaton

Blog for Iowa Talks Politics On Monday October 11, Blog for Iowa participated in a panel discussion on a new local access television program called “Talking with Yale Cohn.” Host Yale Cohn included Paul Deaton from Blog for Iowa and … Continue reading →

Posted in BFIA, Local Events, Main Page, Media Bias | Comments Off on Blog for Iowa Talks Politics

Waning Republican Enthusiasm in Iowa

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Paul Deaton

Waning Republican Enthusiasm in Iowa by Paul DeatonWhen I read James Q. Lynch's October 1, 2010 post at easterniowagovernment.com, my reaction was immediate and negative. The headline, “Republican Voter Numbers Surge” conveys the impression that there is something new going … Continue reading →

Posted in BFIA, Main Page, Media Bias, Media Reform | Comments Off on Waning Republican Enthusiasm in Iowa

Bruce Braley Shares our Values

Posted on September 21, 2010 by bfiacarolinevernon

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Bruce Braley Shares our Values By Caroline … Continue reading →

Posted in BFIA, Bruce Braley, Bush Tax, Calls to Action, Clean Elections, Congress, Corporate Greed, Education, Election Day Registration, Energy, Environment, Health Care & Medicare, Iowans for Voting Integrity, Jobs, Main Page, Progressive Community, Sustainability, Veterans | Comments Off on Bruce Braley Shares our Values

The altruism in economics

Posted on July 20, 2009 by bfiacarolinevernon

The Altruism in Economics


Standard economic theory states that people are interested only in
their own material gain. But new insights from behavioral economics
show that altruism rather than avarice is our primary motivation.

Jeremy Mercer –  http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=3716


It was evolutionary biologists, with their penchant for field
observation, who started to explore the question in an empirical
manner. It began with Charles Darwin, who was amazed by the cooperation
among bees; moved to William Hamilton, who studied altruism among
rabbits; and went on to include Robert Trivers’ work on sharing among
vampire bats. Once altruism was established in the natural world, the
same analytical eye inevitably turned toward the human sphere.


In 1973, a landmark experiment was conducted at blood banks in Kansas
City and Denver. It was inspired by the “crowding out” theory of
British social researcher Richard Titmuss, the idea that people perform
certain tasks, such as donating blood, for the common good, but that
their motivation would be “crowded out” if they were offered a
financial reward. The two blood banks were ideal testing grounds
because both had “willing” files bearing the names of previous donors.
For the experiment, a control group was sent the typical letter
… Continue reading →

Posted in BFIA, Corporate Greed, Jobs, Labor, Main Page, Progressive Action for the Common Good, Progressive Community, Sustainability | Comments Off on The altruism in economics

Sam Garchik Leaves Blog for Iowa

Posted on September 18, 2008 by bfialindathieman

Dear Readers:Two and a half years ago, I took over from Linda Thieman as Editor of Blog for Iowa. Since then, Democrats have taken over the House of Representatives, Howard Dean has become chair of the Democratic Party, and one … Continue reading →

Posted in BFIA, Main Page | 1 Comment