Infrastructure Fixes Badly Needed!

Posted on May 22, 2021 by Dave Bradley

Image (1) St.-Paul-bridge.jpg for post 25145

According to my casual reading last week we had a major train derailment in Sibley, Iowa with somewhere around 47 rails cars dumping all sorts of chemicals on the ground, into a lake and catching on fire thus polluting the atmosphere. The original report was a collapsed bridge. Last I heard the bridge was not the cause, but it did collapse during the event.

Just a couple of days before that a similar derailment took place just north of Albert Lea, Minnesota with a similar number of cars and a similar outcome. In both cases whether I think we will find that if the aging railroad infrastructure didn’t cause the wreck, it probably made it worse. 

While these rail lines may seem off the beaten path they are part of a vital network of transportation in this country collectively called the transportation infrastructure. When one piece of this network is offline for a while it will throw much more traffic on an already overburdened system that has little leeway for downtime of any of the parts of the system.

We saw what a mess a transport stuck crosswise in the Suez Canal caused just a couple of weeks ago caused in world transportation. That was not due to an infrastructure problem. But with worldwide commerce dealing with such close times any small error can cause major repercussions. 

Now it has been revealed that a bridge on I40 between Memphis, Tennessee and Arkansas has had a major break in one of the beams for several years. So part of I40 will be shut down probably for a good long  while so the break can be fixed. This will throw a huge amount of traffic unexpectedly on another highway (most likely I55) causing delays and short tempers.

I see as I move around my local area that a few of the roads that needed maintenance for the past decade are finally getting some attention. Will they be getting some cosmetic touch ups or real fixes? Hard to think there will be the needed full repairs in most cases because more than fix roads, bridges, buildings or water lines, politicians, especially Republicans like o give out tax breaks. Especially tax breaks to those who don’t need tax breaks.

The above examples are the infrastructure damage we can easily see. America is also home to ancient sewer systems and water lines. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that most of our public building need ventilation overhauls – schools especially. With every passing year our electrical grids need upgrading just to keep running, not to get us ready for that next leap forward.

And what was made abundantly clear with the ransom ware attack on the Colonial Pipeline system, the IS (information systems) infrastructure that undergirds all our other systems from missile systems to electrical distribution to transportation is badly in need of analysis and a major overhaul to keep our necessary government and private systems from being attacked.

We need to bring our infrastructure up to snuff for today. That should be job #1. But right on its tail should be to get the country ready for the next generation of changes in our world that will be coming in a relatively short time span. Changes will be coming because of upgrades to our information structures. Changes will be coming due to climate driven needs. 

If we don’t bite the bullet finally and make a commitment to ourselves and to the future we will pay for it. We are paying for leaders in previous years refusing to step up and prepare for the future. That is why we are now facing infrastructure crises across the country in so many different areas.

Tax cuts, especially for those who put the most burden on the country’s various systems, should be looked at with scorn. Why should Iowa and local jurisdictions be building new access highways for Walmart when last I saw Walmart was paying little to no tax in Iowa? The same is true of many other major companies in Iowa.

We need all hands on deck to bring this state, and the whole country up to some baseline of infrastructure adequacy. Then we need to determine what direction the country is going and prepare the way. For instance one thing is for sure, a lot of gasoline stations will be closing and we will be needing millions of charging stations fairly soon. Can we meet that challenge?

Today we are at a crossroads. Will the US choose to lead and do the preparation needed? Or will we stay in our current stagnation where money and power aggregates to those at the top through favorable laws that give huge tax breaks to the wealthy and the political realm is fixed through gerrymandering and voter suppression?

Oh BTW. Do you remember that in 2019 Iowa was labeled as the state with the worst bridge infrastructure in the US. To meet that challenge our legislature cut taxes for the wealthy. That won’t fix the bridges, but it will get campaign contributions which will get legislators re-elected. Then in turn we will have legislators that will give out more tax returns.

I propose that Iowa at least post a little prayer on on each bridge entrance something like “O, Most Powerful, Please keep this bridge up for the next minute. Amen!” Much cheaper than fixing those bridges.

All this to say that the country needs to enact the Biden proposals now. We need to stay away from the Republican proposals that will do little more than kick the can down the road once again. 

Posted in Biden-Harris, Joe Biden | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Progress Iowa Demands Records To Uncover Right Wing Influence

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Trish Nelson

Requests to Governor, Secretary of State, Legislative Services Agency, and Legislators follows claims from Heritage Action that they Wrote Iowa’s New Voter Suppression Law

Des Moines, Iowa — An advocacy group is demanding that public records be released to uncover the extent to which right wing organizations and corporations influenced Iowa’s legislative process this year.

Progress Iowa made their requests earlier today, following claims made last week by Heritage Action, an out of state, conservative group, that they “worked quietly” with the Iowa state legislature to pass a voter suppression law earlier this year.

The advocacy group is requesting that the top legislators involved in crafting Senate File 413 (SF413), legislative leaders, the Governor’s Office, Secretary of State’s Office, and staff at the Legislative Services Agency release email communications with a number of people affiliated with the group Heritage Action, in addition to other lobbyists and notable conservatives.

“Iowans deserve to know the truth, plain and simple,” said Matt Sinovic, executive director of Progress Iowa. “We’ve seen the claims, heard the denials, and now it’s time for the proof. Our voting rights were gutted this year, with Bobby Kaufmann, Roby Smith, Paul Pate, and Kim Reynolds all playing a part. But who was pulling the strings behind the scenes? It’s bad enough that they worked to take away our rights. Now we find out that they may have worked with shadowy groups to circumvent our democratic process. If our elected officials hide the truth, we can only expect out-of-state groups to take this as an invitation to corrupt Iowa’s legislative process even further. Our elected officials should be working for Iowans first.”

After Heritage Action’s initial claims, Rep. Bobby Kaufmann and Sen. Roby Smith denied that they had any contact with the organization. There is an ongoing inquiry being conducted by the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board into the matter, and ethics complaints were filed by Iowa House Democrats this week as well.

In addition to the Office of the Governor, the Secretary of State’s office, and the Legislative Services Agency, Progress Iowa submitted requests earlier this morning to Representatives Bobby Kaufmann, Pat Grassley, John Wills, and Matt Windschitl, as well as Senators Roby Smith, Jack Whitver, Brad Zaun, and Jake Chapman. Iowa code states that a good faith effort in responding to a request shall not ordinarily exceed ten business days.

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Progress Iowa is a multi-issue progressive advocacy organization with a network of more than 75,000 progressives. Year-round, Progress Iowa advocates for a stronger middle class, first-class public education, and fairness for all Iowans under the law.

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Biden’s Pro-Rural Agenda Could Win Democrats Rural Votes

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Trish Nelson

The Daily Yonder covers rural America. “We like stories — and we love facts — about the people, economy and future of rural places.”  Follow DY on Twitter Instagram and Facebook. They also have a podcast, Everywhere Radio and a Newsletter.

Commentary: Democrats Could Win Rural Votes Thanks to President Biden’s Pro-Rural Agenda. But There’s More Work To Be Done.

“To chart a path forward that could improve the quality of rural life and unite rural and urban allies, Rural Democracy Initiative, Family Farm Action, and RuralOrganizing.org joined forces to co-host a Rural Policy Summit. This virtual gathering convened rural advocates and policy experts, including organizers in Indigenous communities, healthcare advocates organizing in mountain communities, family farm advocates and rural educators in the Midwest, advocates for farm workers, and rural Black leaders from the South.

Today, we are releasing the result of that unique gathering: the 2021 Rural Policy Action Report, a comprehensive rural federal policy action agenda that reflects the wide diversity of rural people, rural needs, and rural experience.

The Report calls for action on four important pillars of specific investments, policy improvements and regulatory reforms that will improve the economy, infrastructure, and equity for diverse rural communities, including actions to:

  1. End historic discrimination
  2. Invest in rural communities, while creating millions of good jobs
  3. Rein in corporate monopolies and prioritize working people and locally owned businesses to level the playing field
  4. Build a rural economy that prioritizes community and is sustainable, not extractive…

Read more

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Beating Trump And Saving Democracy

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Trish Nelson


Action alert from Indivisible

In just the past few weeks, we’ve seen some major strides on our top democracy reform priorities. From the For the People Act and the D.C. statehood bill passing in the House to continued momentum on the filibuster, court reform, and more, our movement’s work on democracy is making a real impact on policy.

Today, we’re taking it back to classic Indivisible with a deep dive into the status of some of our top democracy provisions, where we’ve made progress, and where there’s still work to be done. Spoiler alert: we’re going to ask you to support our work to get these bills across the finish line. If that’s all you need to hear, click here to donate to Indivisible right now, or read on for more on how we’re thinking about our chances.

For the People Act

The Good
Bottom line: Growing sense of urgency helps build support for a Senate floor vote.

The sense of urgency behind the For the People Act (also known as S. 1) is palpable. With hundreds of disgraceful voter suppression bills being introduced and passed in Georgia, Arizona, Texas, Florida, New Hampshire, and more, the salience of the reforms in the For the People Act has never been greater. And continued GOP attacks on the broadly popular reforms in this bill are making our case for us — as Republicans introduce more bad legislation, the need for transformative reform is getting clearer and clearer.

We’re expecting S. 1 to come to the Senate floor in the coming weeks — which means we have to keep building urgency, driving calls to key senators, and watching developments on the Hill and across the country as they happen.

The Bad
Bottom line: Risk of senators getting distracted.

With the Biden Administration’s American Jobs and Families Plans released, many members of Congress are fighting their hearts out for the strongest recovery measures they can get. These plans to get the country back on track post-COVID-19 can’t wait. Unfortunately, we’ve got ample evidence that Congress struggles to do more than one thing at a time. Without much time to spare, we have to ensure that senators move on the For the People Act, and fast — even while they’re fighting to win a robust and inclusive recovery

Also recently, the Senate Parliamentarian ruled that the budget reconciliation process (see our resource for more on what that means!) can potentially be used multiple times to bypass the filibuster on legislation. This could be great for removing barriers on economic-related policies, but it still doesn’t help us move democracy reform — and it could distract senators by weakening their resolve for reforms like eliminating the filibuster.

We’ve built strong momentum for the For the People Act over the last few months, and we know that defeating it is one of McConnell’s and the GOP’s top priorities. That means making calls, running ads, building toolkits, hosting virtual and safe in-person events, and more is all going to be necessary to win this one — and we need your help. Click here  to support our For the People Project to pass S. 1 and other key democracy reforms and fund all our work this year.

Filibuster

The Good
Bottom line: Pressure from Indivisibles leads key senators to go public with their support for democracy reform.

Indivisibles’ work on the filibuster has gone a LONG way. Only a few years ago, our talk about the filibuster sounded super wonky and on-the-margins; now, fueled by anger at GOP stalling tactics, this arcane Senate rule is in the news frequently. Indivisible groups’ activism has even led to new anti-filibuster commitments from previously supportive or undecided senators, like Bob Casey in Pennsylvania.

With continued pressure on folks like John Hickenlooper and Kyrsten Sinema, we’re keeping this Jim Crow relic on the front burner and making it clear that as long as it remains in place, our top priorities remain at Mitch McConnell’s mercy.

The Bad
Bottom line: Manchin’s public reluctance on the filibuster could slow momentum — even though we believe Manchin himself remains movable.

As you might have seen, Joe Manchin wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post a few weeks ago about his stance on the filibuster. The headline — “I will not vote to eliminate or weaken the filibuster” — sounds bad, but that’s actually not why this is down here in the “bad” section.

The content of what Manchin wrote isn’t actually new, just a rearticulation of stances he’s already taken. And given his previous statements in support of reforming the filibuster, where he lands at the end of all this remains to be seen. But media coverage about his op-ed has made it sound like this is the final nail in filibuster reform’s coffin. While we know that’s not true (we’ve won so-called “unwinnable” fights before!), these defeatist attitudes could put a damper on activist energy. That’s why it’s on us to prove that we can organize to win this fight.

The filibuster is built into everything we’re working to accomplish this year — with this tool in his back pocket, Mitch McConnell can delay or defeat nearly all of our top priorities. That means the community engagement and activist work our organizers are supporting, the outreach our policy experts are doing, and all the messaging it takes to keep the filibuster front-of-mind are crucial to all our plans. We need your help: donate today to enable all our democracy reform work and every advocacy priority we’re fighting for.

D.C. Statehood

The Good
Bottom line: The bill’s progress has already made history — and we’ve got solid grassroots engagement on our side.

Despite early worries that statehood was on the legislative back burner, we’ve seen real movement here. From Republicans making fools of themselves with nonsensical arguments in House hearings to the passage of the bill on the House floor a few weeks ago, we’ve got both the narrative high ground and genuine legislative momentum on our side.

And Indivisible activists across the nation are rallying around the cause — just check out all the photos groups have sent in with their 51-star flags! With outspoken advocates in already-represented states and D.C. alike, the amount of media and movement engagement on D.C. statehood is outstanding.

The Bad
Bottom line: Danger of being sidelined until it’s too late.

The first hurdle for D.C. statehood: getting national leaders to treat it like a priority. Statehood for D.C. — a majority Black and brown city — is a racial justice issue, it’s an issue of voter suppression, and it’s an issue of equal representation. It’s absolutely a part of the fight for a better, more participatory democracy. Yet many Democratic leaders give top billing to the For the People Act, and either off-handedly mention statehood as a nice-to-have bonus or even worse, don’t mention it as a critical democracy reform at all. But we don’t have much time to make D.C. the 51st state: even though we’re going to fight like hell to keep our Democratic trifecta next year, history tells us that trifectas are fleeting. We need to do as much as possible to fix our democracy with the majority we have — that means acting now on D.C. statehood.

What It’ll Take to Win

The integrity of our democracy is at stake as Republicans continue to work to undermine it. Luckily, Indivisibles have everything we need to fight back — people power and activist know-how. From planning events and making calls to sharing social media posts and writing letters to the editor, Indivisible volunteers are making waves on all the biggest democracy issues.

And we’re here to support those efforts every step of the way — with policy expertise and continually updated resources and toolkits, with calling and texting tools, with ads to get the word out, and more. We know a better democracy is possible, and we know it’s what the people deserve. We’re here to make it happen. And we need your help to do it: click here to donate to support our For the People Project for democracy reform, pass our top priorities, unrig our democratic system, and fund all our work this year.

If you’ve saved your information with ActBlue Express Lane, your donation to Indivisible Project will go through immediately:

All the things we’ve accomplished in just a few months is nothing short of incredible. Indivisibles are pushing new representatives and the old guard alike to be bigger, bolder, and more inclusive than ever before. That means it’s not time to rest on our laurels — it’s time to fight even harder because we can already see the impact we’re having, and we don’t have any time to lose. Let’s go win this.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team

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Senator Zach Wahls Schools GOP On Bipartisanship

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Trish Nelson

Watch the video or read the text below.

Zach Wahls, Senate Democratic Leader, addresses the Republican rejection of bipartisan policing reform in Iowa:

Mr. President, colleagues of the Senate.

We’ve been having this debate for a while here today, but we all know that this debate really got underway last June.

And in a way it’s been going on for much, much, much longer than that.

But last June, Democrats and Republicans came together. We promised that this was the first step. We promised that we would keep working in a bipartisan way.

Today, Senator Boulton offered an amendment that would have made this bill bipartisan. Maybe we could have gotten a unanimous vote coming out of this chamber to show the people of Iowa that Democrats and Republicans are on the same page when it comes to public safety.

We could have done that. Senate Republicans could have followed the governor’s lead, could have proposed a compromise. There were some real bipartisan agreements over in the House. We could have followed their lead.

And it’s no secret that law enforcement groups have been frustrated throughout this entire process. The groups that represent people across the state who work in law enforcement have been working tirelessly to find that bipartisan compromise. but Senate Republicans wouldn’t take ‘yes’ for an answer, Mister President.

So today we have an amendment that is going to continue to make this a partisan issue, rather than one that we can build consensus around.

Today we have an amendment before us that is not going to move the state forward on racial justice or public safety. as we just heard from the Senators from Polk and from Senator Kinney.

So, Mr. President, I urge a “no” vote on Amendment 3208. Let’s go back to the drawing board. Let’s find some real compromise. Let’s keep our promise to the state of Iowa and I’ll let Senate Republicans break that promise.

Thank you, Mr. President

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Time To End 100 Years of Meatpacking Worker Abuse

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Trish Nelson

Prairie Dog

Published with permission from the Summer 2021 issue of  The Prairie Progressive, Iowa’s oldest progressive newsletter. The PP is  funded entirely by reader subscription,  available only in hard copy for $12/yr.  Send check to PP, Box 1945, Iowa City 52244. Click here for archived issues.

by Fred Gerr

The US public’s appetite for meat is well known. More than 130 billion pounds of beef, pork, and chicken are processed in the US per year. To support this demand, the meatpacking industry employs just under one-half million workers, predominantly in the Midwest and Southeast. As is often the case with dangerous and physically demanding work, persons of color and persons born outside the US are over-represented among meatpacking workers. Many observers believe that employment of undocumented foreign workers has been a common practice in the industry.

The hazards of industrial-scale meat processing have been known for more than a century. In 1906, Upton Sinclair wrote, “There are learned people who can tell you that beef-boners make forty cents an hour, but, perhaps, these people have never looked at a beef-boner’s hands” (The Jungle). In 1987, the New York Times noted that meatpacking “remains today the most hazardous industry in America.” Physical hazards experienced by these workers include forceful and repeated exertions with the hands and arms, heavy lifting, and sharp cutting tools. As a consequence, they experience chronic and disabling disorders of muscle, tendons, nerves, and joints as well as lacerations and traumatic injuries.

For those unfamiliar with meatpacking, the sheer mass of meat handled by workers may be surprising. If each worker handled just once each pound of meat produced in the US, then each worker would manipulate 339 pounds of meat per hour. Repetitive movements are also common with workers performing up to 24,000 knife cuts per day. “Live hang” workers can lift 30,000 pounds of poultry per day manually lifting chickens onto the processing line. Unsurprisingly, meatpacking workers experience high rates of injury and illness. The US Department of Labor reported that meat processing workers experienced lost work time injuries at twice the rate of other industrial workers. University studies have found rates of musculoskeletal illness and injury even higher than those reported by the DOL.

How is it possible that the world’s richest and most technologically advanced nation has such high rates of preventable injury and illness in a major industry? Isn’t OSHA supposed to protect workers from known hazards? In fact, in the late 1990s, OSHA developed a standard to reduce ergonomic hazards. The OSHA Ergonomics Program Standard was issued in 2000 “to address the significant risk of employee exposure to ergonomic risk factors” and represented an important regulatory step in the effort to prevent ergonomic injuries. However, in March 2001, President George W. Bush signed a joint resolution of Congress disapproving the Ergonomics Program Standard enacted less than five months earlier.

Given the long history of weak protection of meat processing workers from occupational injury and illness, it is no surprise that these workers are also poorly protected from new health threats. The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 among meatpacking workers illustrates such failure. As of October 2020, 24% of meatpacking workers were infected with COVID-19. In comparison, 2.8% of workers in non-meat food production were infected. Two responses by the federal government to the pandemic likely contributed to its disproportionate impact among meatpacking workers. First, in April 2020, the White House issued an executive order preventing the closure of meatpacking plants (regardless of infection rate). Second, OSHA recommended, but did not require, voluntary compliance with COVID-prevention guidelines. OSHA’s limited response to COVID-19 has been criticized as ineffective. For example, after Iowa OSHA fined a meat processor less than $1000 for alleged COVID-19 related violations, the ACLU of Iowa and others filed a federal complaint against Iowa OSHA claiming that it failed to fulfill its legal obligation to protect workers during the pandemic.

While other US industries with physically demanding and hazardous working conditions (e.g., the garment industry) have moved production to developing nations with lower living standards and weaker worker protections, such off-shoring of meatpacking is not feasible. This has led some worker health advocates to conclude that US meat producers have instead imported the employment conditions of developing nations to their US facilities. Such conditions, including low wages, poor protection from termination, weak regulatory protection, and an inability to exercise worker rights has been described as precarious employment. Depending on political orientation, it may be possible to conceptualize precarious employment as a form of economic inequality, worker exploitation, or even class struggle.

All workers, including those employed precariously, are entitled to a workplace free of known health hazards. No worker should have to sacrifice their health for employment. The fact that meat processing workers are predominantly persons of color and foreign-born is another example of our failure to remedy longstanding inequality. Strategies to limit the harm caused by precarious employment include support for organized labor rights, a livable minimum wage, meaningful protection from retaliation of workers who report occupational injury or illness, ensuring that occupational safety and health regulators fulfill their legal obligations, and immigration reform to protect undocumented workers who report unsafe working conditions.

It is time to end 100 years of neglect and abuse of our meatpacking workers.

—Fred Gerr, MD, is a retired professor of occupational and environmental health who lives in rural Johnson County.

 

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How Did Sweden Do?

Posted on May 16, 2021 by Dave Bradley

hat tip to democraticunderground.com

Remember a year ago or so when Sweden took a different course from most of the rest of the world and decided to open their society up and let the pandemic run its course with little intervention. They kept schools and businesses open. How did this experiment with their citizens lives work out? 

Mark Sumner at dailykos.com did a followup on the Swedish experiment and the results were simply stated, bad. Pretty much what was predicted happened.

Fortunately, for the purpose of comparison Sweden is one of four fairly similar states in Scandinavia. The other Scandinavian countries – Norway, Denmark and Finland – did try to mitigate the disease with remote schooling, business closures and lockdowns. Therefore he could use the four states to compare rates of infection and death.

In a concluding statement Sumner looked at the comparisons and noted that Sweden’s experiment cost Sweden the death of over 14,000 extra citizens. 

As the medical journal The Lancet made clear, once that new wave of cases was underway last December, deaths in Sweden had reached a level 4.5 to 10 times higher than its neighbors.

This difference between Nordic countries cannot be explained merely by variations in national cultures, histories, population sizes and densities, immigration patterns, the routes by which the virus was first introduced, or how cases and deaths are reported. Instead, the answers to this enigma are to be found in the Swedish national COVID-19 strategy, the assumptions on which it is based, and in the governance of the health system that has enabled the strategy to continue without major course corrections.

Sweden needlessly threw away the lives of 14,000 citizens to test a theory concocted by a libertarian think tank that put a patina of respectability over a policy of doing nothing. But of course, Sweden did hold out through the year with a GDP growth of 1.2%, which was … exactly that of Norway, but slightly better than Finland. All worth it then.

What was the title of that Daily Kos article on Sweden back in April 2020? Ah … “Sweden has been conducting an experiment with its citizens’ lives, and it’s time to stop.” Only they didn’t stop. And now Sweden and the United States are the neighbors. Not on the map, but on the list of nations that did worst in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Don’t expect things in Stockholm to get better soon. While Our World in Data shows about 27% of the Swedish population has been vaccinated, the capital has been roiled by a whole series of anti-vax/anti-lockdown protests as the government attempts to take belated action. And, just to make that echo even louder, the largest of these protests was called “The Protest for Freedom and Truth.” As The Local reports, protesters carried signs reading “the mass media is the virus,” “Covid-19 was planned,” and, “The pandemic was invented.”

Sad that some governments chose to carry out their somewhat scientific experiment on living populations. Like the US, Sweden’s experiment proved to be a major failure.

Posted in Blog for Iowa | 1 Comment

Sunday Funday: Mask Or No Mask Edition

Posted on May 16, 2021 by Dave Bradley

Hey! A new Randy Rainbow!

Well, the CDC made an announcement Thursday that only the non-vaccinated among us need to wear a mask. Yeah, like that’s going to happen! Those folks aren’t wearing masks now. They have spent most of the last 15 months ignoring science. What would make the CDC believe they would wear masks now?

But the announcement was that those of us who are vaccinated no longer need o wear masks. Call me a skeptic, but with the number of cases exploding in India and most of the rest of the world far from having any kind of control over the virus, my personal view is that the virus has plenty of places and opportunity to mutate to a state that can elude the vaccines. Then that mutated super virus can work its way back to the US. Therefore I will stay masked except when pretty much alone outdoors and in my own house.

We are far from being in a situation where we can throw caution to the wind. We only have around 50% of adults vaccinated which leaves fertile ground for mutations in this country also. The current vaccines are not a 100% shield. For those who do not believe in evolution, watch closely as the coronavirus is evolving daily to continue to thrive. It cares not about our miracle drugs – those are just another hurdle to jump.

As for me I shall remain masked and socially distanced.

A) In a cowardly voice vote, US House Republicans removed what member from their leadership team?

B) Representative Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde stated during a House Oversight Committee hearing that what was little more than a “normal tourist visit”?

C) As an incentive to get people vaccinated, Ohio is offering what with a vaccination?

D) What US Representative with little to do tried to start a fight with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the halls of the US Capitol Wednesday?

E) The age for Covid vaccination has been lowered to what for the Pfizer vaccine?

F) May 15, 1972 – 49 years ago today. What presidential candidate is shot but not killed in Laurel, Maryland?

G) Mother Jones released a video showing a spokesperson for what organization bragging about their role in state by state voter suppression laws?

H) This is the halfway point of the severe weather season in Iowa. How many tornadoes has Iowa reported so far this year?

I) A gas shortage in the eastern US was caused by what?

J) This shortage caused people to hoard gas. Among vessels people put gas in for storage included what flimsy item people get at grocery stores and Walmarts?

K) In Iowa, Governor Reynolds showed her loyalty to business by cutting what benefit to workers?

L) May 17, 1954 the SCOTUS announces one of the most momentous decisions in its history, declaring what illegal in public schools in the case of Brown v. Board?

M) When you’ve got it, flaunt it. What multi-multi-billionaire announced he is building a billion dollar yacht?

N) No Show: What hall of fame quarterback owes the state of Mississippi $600,000 he was paid for speaking engagements that he did not show up for?

O) In the race for crazy Republican state laws, Michigan may have taken the lead with a law that would force what group of people to register with the state and carry a $1 million fidelity bond?

P) And the set fades to dark: What Hollywood biggie announced she would end her daily talk show after 19 years?

Q) What continuing world hot spot heated up even more this week as members from both sides were injured and killed?

R) May 17, 1792: Two dozen merchants and brokers meet under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street in NYC to establish what?

S) A bridge on I-40 between what two states has been shut down when a possible serious crack was found?

T) 47After 2 years of legal wrangling what former White House counsel will testify behind closed doors to House Democrats?

DAILY REMINDER: Donald Trump killed over a half-million Americans and led an armed attack against our nation’s capitol. – Tea Pain

Answers:

A) Liz Cheney

B) The Trump inspired attack on the capitol January 6th

C) A ticket in a million dollar prize lottery

D) Marjory Taylor Greene. 

E) 12 years

F) George Wallace

G) Heritage Foundation sub group Heritage Action

H) 2 – a normal tornado season has 50

I) A ransomware attack on Colonial Pipelines computer systems

J) Plastic bags OMG!

K) An extra unemployment insurance benefit of $300/ week

L) School segregation based only on race

M) Jeff Bezos former CEO of Amazon. 

N) Brett Favre. The money came from the Mississippi welfare money

O) Fact-checkers

P) Ellen DeGeneres

Q) Israel and the Gaza Strip

R) The New York Stock Exchange

S) Tennessee and Arkansas

T) Former White House Counsel Don McGahn

Trump, a guy who’s never won the popular vote, twice impeached, rated the worst president ever, serially corrupt, a traitor, rapist, racist, gave the GOP a perfect out on Jan 6. They could’ve easily just turned the page. But instead they said, “Nope, we’ll stick with him.” – David Rothkopf

 

 

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Governor Or Overseer?

Posted on May 15, 2021 by Dave Bradley

For Immediate Release: May 11, 2021

Contact: Ivy Beckenholdt, ivy@progressiowa.org

Gov. Kim Reynolds: Heartless

Des Moines, Iowa – Progress Iowa Executive Director Matt Sinovic issued the following statement in response to Governor Kim Reynolds announcing that Iowa will end its participation in federal pandemic-related unemployment benefit programs, which as of April, benefited about 33,000 Iowans:

 “Most Iowans believe in helping neighbors in times of crisis. This decision is absolutely heartless.”

 “The Governor is putting her corporate pals ahead of Iowans in our time of need. And this is hardly the first time. She has made it easier for landlords to evict tenants, turned down resources to protect kids in schools, and bungled the state’s response to the pandemic.”

 “Too many Iowans are out of work because of the crisis the Governor made worse. And now she has the audacity to cut off a life line when we need it most, because her millionaire and billionaire backers demand it.”

 “Her priorities are completely backwards, and far too many in our state will suffer as a result.”

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Progress Iowa is a multi-issue progressive advocacy organization with a network of more than 75,000 progressives. Year-round, Progress Iowa advocates for a stronger middle class, first-class public education, and fairness for all Iowans under the law.

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Comment:

This was just the most recent of Reynolds unilateral moves. As mentioned above, the Governor made it easier for landlords to evict tenants. On national TV a couple of weeks ago, she tried to make a good program from the federal government to catch corona virus pikes in schools early on seem like a boondoggle. Her decisions hurt Iowans daily, especially those in poorer end of the income scale.

Anymore, Reynolds seems more like an overseer from an unfriendly colonial power than a governor for Iowa. In a way she is an overseer for the Republican Party making sure that Iowa is signed up for the latest in Republican crazy laws: permitless open carrying of guns, transgender shaming laws, voter suppression, and suppression of teaching reality in American history. 

Why did she cut off the extra unemployment insurance benefits? I don’t know, but my guess is to starve folks into accepting minimum wage jobs from her corporate buddies.

Here is a 3 minute video from Mother Jones discussing how the Heritage Foundation pushed through voter suppression in states especially Iowa:

Posted in Kim Reynolds | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Governor Or Overseer?

Voice Vote Hides Cowardice

Posted on May 15, 2021 by Dave Bradley

We Need To Know How Our Representative Stands – For or Against The Big Lie?

hat tip to democraticunderground.com

Wednesday morning The Republican Party made a show of one of the biggest acts of cowardice this democracy has seen in a long while. In order to shut Congresswoman Liz Cheney up, they needed to remove her from the leadership ranks of their party. But they couldn’t do it in the light of day as democracy dictates. They had to do it in the dark behind closed doors so that no one could see who were among those putting the proverbial shiv in Cheney’s back.

Cheney’s sin is that she is standing up to the would be dictator of the US, Donald Trump. Instead of following the rest of her party down the path of supporting what has become known as the “Big Lie” – that Trump actually won the 2020 election but it was stolen from him – Cheney has decided to follow the truth. This has gotten her into hot water with her party in the US House.

But Party leader Kevin McCarthy learned a few months back that having a vote to remove Cheney in open view of as democracy says he should can be hazardous to getting what you want. Too many GOP representatives apparently knew how a vote against someone for speaking the truth would look back home. So they voted to keep Cheney because voters would see their votes.

Thus McCarthy changed the rules and made the process not even a real vote, but a voice vote behind closed doors. That way those of us in the unwashed throngs will never know and I assume never be told, how our representative voted. So cowardly. I have submitted a question to Miller-Meeks office to ask how she voted. I do not expect a response.

If I did get a response, how could I ever verify what the office said. Try to ask others in the room? Besides, admitting to a vote one way or another would piss off one side or another. If she admits to voting to oust Cheney she will piss off those who believe Cheney’s telling the truth is fundamental to how democracy should work. To replace Cheney with someone who will undermine democracy by supporting the Big Lie and undercutting election integrity is a sin and the sinner should be removed from office.

On the other hand, if Miller-Meeks admitted to supporting Cheney that will piss off the pro-trumpets who deeply believe that despite all evidence somehow their hero had the election stolen from him. They couldn’t possibly vote for someone who wasn’t a true believer like they are. 

Thus I don’t expect a reply. If I do get a reply I expect the answer to be unclear so that it will be nearly impossible green an answer. McCarthy put his party onto a lose-lose situation and about their only way to try to not look bad either way is to ignore questions concerning this vote. Sort of an implicit lie I would call it.

Calling it an implicit lie makes me think that this is perhaps the first time I have ever said that the congress member from Iowa’s second district might be lying. The congress members that I am thinking of are Jim Leach and Dave Loebsack. These guys were honest as the day is long.

That is not to say I agreed with what they said. I certainly had problems with the policies Jim Leach stood for. Yet he didn’t lie. Loebsack never did either. In the world of divisiveness spawned by the so-called Reagan Revolution, this was unusual. It is sad to see that this district may become yet another district where lies and misleads become the norm.

Here is a little minute and a half video from Meidas Touch showing what the now Trump Party is devolving into:

Posted in #nevertrump, Republican hypocrisy, Republican Policy | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Voice Vote Hides Cowardice