Upcoming Events in Cedar Rapids, Webster City, North Liberty, Elkader, Hiawatha, Maquoketa And More

Posted on October 14, 2019 by Trish Nelson

State Senator Rob Hogg

Here’s a note from Sen. Rob Hogg with lots of info you’ll want to know about.

A Defining Constitutional Moment

I read the partial “transcript” of Trump’s call with Ukraine’s President, and that alone is impeachable. I have watched as he called for other countries to meddle in our elections, and that is impeachable. I have seen his refusal to comply with Congressional requests for information and witnesses, and that is impeachable. It may be that giving a “green light” to Turkey to invade Syria, killing Kurds with whom our soldiers had been fighting and releasing ISIS fighters in the process, is also impeachable.

On a bipartisan basis, we need to stand up and say no one is above the law or is so important individually that our Constitutional process for impeachment should not go forward. This is not about undoing the 2016 election. That election resulted in Trump taking office as President and Pence as Vice President, subject to the Constitutional provisions for impeachment. It is time to impeach Trump, remove him from office, and let the Constitutional process for succession take place. Republicans should not fear President Pence. They voted for him for Vice President.

You can let Iowa’s Congressional delegation know your views on impeachment. Here are the numbers to call:
 
Senator Joni Ernst, 202-224-3254
Senator Chuck Grassley, 202-224-3744
Representative Abby Finkenauer, 202-225-2911
Representative Dave Loebsack, 202-225-6576
Representative Cindy Axne, 202-225-5476
Representative Steve King, 202-225-4426

Together, we need to stand up for our country and our Constitution, and let the Constitutional procedures for impeachment and succession go forward.

Upcoming Events

Webster City, Sunday, October 13, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. – I will be speaking about climate at the invitation of the Hamilton County Democrats at their annual soup supper and silent auction at Webster City Middle School, 1101 Des Moines St., in Webster City. Please join me if you live in or near Webster City, or if you want an Iowa climate action road trip Sunday. For more details, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/events/509665376533686/

North Liberty, Delaney Event at Moxie Solar, Friday, October 18, 11:00 a.m. – Democratic candidate for President, John Delaney, is kicking off a business start-up tour at Moxie Solar, 230 Sugar Creek Lane, in North Liberty. I’m going to see Congressman Delaney and Moxie Solar. For more details, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/events/761369727632584/

Elkader, Passport to Victory, Sunday, October 20, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Iowa’s First Congressional District Democrats are sponsoring “passport to victory” at the Johnson Supper Club, 916 N. High Street, in beautiful Elkader in Clayton County. It will feature Presidential candidates, U.S. Senate candidates, U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer, and state legislative candidates. Tickets are $25 per person. I am hoping to attend, but don’t know yet if I will be able to make it. For more details, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/events/759867801132167/

Cedar Rapids, Sunday, October 20, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. – The Linn County Democrats’ Hall of Fame is at the Doubletree Hotel and Convention Center in downtown Cedar Rapids. It will feature four Presidential candidates (Michael Bennet, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, and Amy Klobuchar) and all five Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate (Mike Franken, Kimberly Graham, Theresa Greenfield, Eddie Mauro, and Cal Woods). Tickets are $60 per person. For more details, including ticket information, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2404933059599303/

Cedar Rapids, Thursday, October 24, 6:30 p.m. – The United Nations Association is holding a UN Day celebration focused on climate change at First Lutheran Church, 1000 3rd Ave. SE, in Cedar Rapids. I hope you can join me there. For more details, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2482452615168599/

Hiawatha, Saturday, October 26, 9 a.m. to noon – The biggest faith-based climate action event in Iowa history will take place Saturday, October 26, from 9 a.m. to noon, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Parish, 1350 Lyndhurst Drive, in Hiawatha (near the Boyson Road exit off of Interstate-380). It is “Called to Climate Action” and has been organized by college students working with Iowa Interfaith Power & Light. For more details, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/events/686179585177384/

Maquoketa, Monday, October 28, 5 p.m. – I will be speaking about climate change with a group in Maquoketa showing “Paris to Pittsburgh,” the National Geographic film in which I appear, at the Maquoketa Public Library, 126 South 2nd Street, in Maquoketa. For more details, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/events/384146889127459/

Cedar Rapids, Thursday, December 12, 5 to 6 p.m. – Mark your calendars now for my annual legislative preview at the African-American Museum of Iowa, 55 12th Ave. SE. in Cedar Rapids. For more details and updates as this sate comes closer, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2495231127235570/

Des Moines Register Candidate Tracker

Keep checking the Des Moines Register Candidate Tracker. Candidate visits are usually added every day. Iowa is first in the nation because, along with New Hampshire, we do it best. Keep up-to-date at this link:

http://data.desmoinesregister.com/iowa-caucus/candidate-tracker/index.php

Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Upcoming Events in Cedar Rapids, Webster City, North Liberty, Elkader, Hiawatha, Maquoketa And More

LBJ Warned Us On Climate 54 Years Ago

Posted on October 13, 2019 by Dave Bradley

As we careen toward the “tipping point” on climate change many of our fellow citizens wonder why someone didn’t warn us long ago so we could have done something.

Someone did. And they did it relatively long ago. As we look at tipping point coming in 2030, it should make us and especially our children furious to know that in 1965 President Lyndon Johnson warned us that:

‘Within a few short centuries, we are returning to the air a significant part of the carbon that was extracted by plants and buried in the sediments during half a billion years’

‘Through his worldwide industrial civilization, Man is unwittingly conducting a vast geophysical experiment. Within a few generations he is burning the fossil fuels that slowly accumulated in the earth over the past 500 million years’

‘By the year 2000 the increase in CO2 will be close to 25%. This may be sufficient to produce measurable and perhaps marked changes in climate.’

‘The climate changes that may be produced by the increased CO2 content could be deleterious from the point of view of human beings.’

From the YouTube description:

On November 5th, 1965, the “Restoring The Quality of Our Environment” report was issued to President Lyndon B. Johnson by his science advisory committee. It was the first official government warning that burning fossil fuels might be warming the planet.

The language of the report is clear and concise, and it really makes one wonder how Americans are still debating the reality of human-caused climate change.

As the Associated Press reports, the science advisory committee told Johnson that “Man is unwittingly conducting a vast geophysical experiment.” It added that by the year 2000, carbon dioxide levels would increase enough to cause a significant change in temperatures. 

At the time of next year’s election we will have wasted 55 years doing nothing on the climate.

Last month Sam Bee told us just how a couple of very, very rich men hijacked the dialogue on climate and kept us from doing anything for decades: (9 minutes)

Posted in #trumpresistance, Climate Action, Climate Change, Koch Brothers | Tagged , , | Comments Off on LBJ Warned Us On Climate 54 Years Ago

Sunday Funday: Beware of The Dog Edition

Posted on October 13, 2019 by Dave Bradley

https://twitter.com/humorandanimals/status/1182335074391470080

I am so sick and tired of the criminals in the White House. I am so sick of the top criminal’s face. I hate his voice. I hate what he and his mob and all his enablers in congress (that means you Joni Ernst) and all his loyalists that he has appointed to the courts. I am tired of the sycophants on Fox News telling us that he is above the law. He isn’t! Or if he is we no longer have a democracy.

Therefore I am offering the friendly pooch as a cleansing agent for our collective minds. I have watched him over and over. I recommend it.

Last week was like a train with no driver careening down the tracks. Soon the crash will happen.

  1. Alexei Leonov died Friday in Moscow. In 1965 Leonov became the first human to do what (then) incredibly amazing feat?
  1. What Republican governor came out in support of an impeachment inquiry Friday?
  1. The shocking, huge story of the week was The Chosen One announcing troop withdrawals from what Middle East country?
  1. What group of people without a home country were very badly affected by that decision?
  1. What nearby country is taking advantage of our withdrawal by launching attacks on the aforementioned homeless group of people?
  1. The mayor of what midwestern city demanded a security deposit to pay police overtime for a campaign event for the Chosen One?
  1. An Appeals Court panel voted 2 – 1 that the Chosen One must turn over what records to the House committees investigating him?
  1. October 14, 1964 – 55 years ago – what American civil rights leader was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?
  1. Super Typhoon Hagibis is hitting Tokyo this weekend. What huge typhoon hit almost the exact same area just a little over a month ago (Sept. 9)?
  1. Ginger Baker died last week at age 80. What was Mr. Baker most noted for?
  1. As the UN goes into its new session, what country has been identified as the largest delinquent in its annual dues?
  1. In fear of starting forest fires with electric sparks because of vegetation dryness, PG&E shut power off to millions in what state?
  1. Who claimed to have “great and unmatched wisdom” in a tweet last week?
  1. Who was chosen by Iowa House Republicans as the new Speaker-elect this week?
  1. October 14th, 1947 – what ear shattering event took place for the first time?
  1. Senator Lyndsey Graham said he will ask Republican senators to sign what in an attempt to derail impeachment?
  1. Which Democratic presidential candidate has threatened to boycott next week’s debate?
  1. What US Representative Matt Gaetz said that impeachment is a “kangaroo court” and Chair Adam Schiff is who?
  1. Yom Kippur saw an attack on a Jewish synagogue in what country?
  1. Three scientist shared the Nobel prize in Chemistry for their work on what now ubiquitous component of the wireless age?

David Lazarus

God, I’m tired of hearing how Republicans privately want to get rid of Trump but won’t say so publicly for fear he’ll ruin them with a tweet. If you’re that big a pussy, you have no business in public service.

Answers:

  1. Leonov was the first man to walk in space
  1. Larry Hogan of Maryland
  1. Syria
  1. The Kurds
  1. Turkey
  1. Minneapolis
  1. His last 8 years of tax returns
  1. Martin Luther King
  1. Faxai
  1. He was a rock and roll drummer most noted for his time with the band Cream
  1. The US – we are $1 billion delinquent
  1. California
  1. The Chosen One
  1. Chuck’s grandson Pat Grassley
  1. Chuck Yeager flies past the speed of sound
  1. A loyalty oath.
  1. Tulsi Gabbard
  1. Captain Kangaroo.
  1. Germany
  1. The lithium-ion battery

Jeremy Newberger:

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner made so much money the past two years, while working at the White House, they could buy a million Hunter Bidens. 

Posted in #trumpresistance, Humor | 3 Comments

Race In The Heartland

Posted on October 12, 2019 by Dave Bradley

Image (1) Iowa-Policy-Project.jpg for post 20566

A new study by the Iowa Policy Project and other policy groups in the Midwest study the progress of race relations in the Midwest since the high water mark of Civil Rights action in the 1960s. The findings show progress is sorely lacking.

Thursday the Iowa Policy Project in conjunction with Policy Matters Ohio, COWS, and the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) issued a major work studying how race is treated in the Midwest along with policy recommendations to address the perceived problems.

Midwesterners seem to feel that the area’s emphasis on individual achievement helps to make citizens of the Midwest less focused on racial differences that seem to be more sharply evident in other areas of the country. Like most assumptions this assumption falls apart under scrutiny.

The report on Race in the Heartland is authored by Colin Gordon of the Iowa Policy Project. Using objective measurements to take a picture of where the Midwest lands in relation to the rest of the country Gordon and associates frequently finds that the Midwest falls quite short. 

Here are a few paragraphs from the executive summary that give readers insights to the detailed study that follows.  

“A half-century removed from the high-tide of the civil rights movement, progress on racial equity has slowed or stalled on many fronts. Nowhere is this more starkly evident than in the twelve states of the Midwest region, where racial disparities in economic opportunity and economic outcomes are wider than they are in other regions, and policy interventions designed to close those gaps are meager. Race in the Heartland: Equity, Opportunity, and Public Policy in the Midwest examines the roots of those racial disparities, documents their extent and impact, and proposes a range of policy solutions. 

  1. A Troubled History:

We trace the origins of racial inequality in the Midwest to the deep imprint of racial segregation, which concentrated the regions’ African American population in relatively few urban counties—and then erected a forbidding architecture of residential segregation within those urban settings. In turn, the historical arc of economic opportunity saw African Americans flock to new opportunities in the industrializing Midwest in the middle years of the last century, and then be disproportionately hit by the deindustrialization that followed. 

  1. A Legacy of Inequality

Taken together, these historical patterns of segregation and uneven economic opportunity—alongside continuing patterns of discrimination—yielded a legacy of deep and lasting racial disparity and inequality. Race in the Heartland draws on a wide array of data sources to document these disparities— highlighting both the yawning gap between black and white outcomes or opportunities, and the exceptional or outlying position of the Midwestern states on these metrics. 

We examine not just conventional economic outcomes (wages, incomes, poverty rates), but other dimensions of opportunity and security including wealth, health outcomes, homeownership, and incarceration. For each of these, we calculate both the gap and ratio of black to white outcomes, and the relative position of the Midwestern states among their peers from other regions. Almost without exception, we find wide gaps or disparities across the Midwest. And we find Midwestern states crowding the bottom ranks of any state-by-state comparison. “

Thus the study begins. What follows is a detailed look at what the current picture is and how the Midwest evolved to this state. The very short of the current picture is that it is not good.

Gordon ends the study with detailed policy suggestions to address the inequalities that were found. This would be an excellent read for anyone in a policy making role whether in government, education, industry, non-profit or religious work. 

Given that our society tends to react to day-to-day issues rather than doing real long term planning my guess is that unfortunately this study will be ignored. It really should be mandatory reading especially for those in the legislature or on city councils.

Once again the Iowa Policy Project has produced outstanding work that deserves to become part of the discourse for for policy.

Posted in Iowa Policy Project, Racism in America | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Race In The Heartland

The Sonnyside

Posted on October 12, 2019 by Dave Bradley
secretary-perdue-swearing-in

Sonny Perdue sworn in as Secretary of Agriculture

As with much else in the current administration the Department of Agriculture seems to be spending more time on window dressing and presentation than on actually doing work that would help their constituents. Considering that Iowa’s main industry is agriculture and that industry is suffering greatly specifically due to decisions of the administration we should pay attention when the Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, does something.

So I ran across a story on yet another case of putting more dressing on the window while ignoring the real problems of real farmers.

Remember that Sonny and his cohorts have brought Iowa the tariff wars with China that tanked soybean prices, the move of the department’s scientists to Kansas City causing the loss of some great talent, telling family farmers that small farms will fail and causing a huge drop in the use of ethanol by allowing oil companies to make gas without ethanol and basically creating farmer welfare that has already cost taxpayers more that twice what the automobile companies bailout cost.

With this string of hits it is certainly not too surprising that their latest venture is a podcast starring the very incompetent Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Sonny Perdue himself called “The Sonnyside Of The Farm.” As Mother Jones reports on this venture:    

What do you call a white guy babbling platitudes? If you thought “a podcast,” have I got a new audio product for you. Sonny Perdue, former bumbling governor of Georgia and current bumbling secretary of the US Department of Agriculture under President Donald Trump, has launched The Sonnyside of the Farm. The podcast’s literally corny USDA landing page promises that Perdue will hold forth with guests on “issues facing America’s farmers, ranchers, producers and foresters today.”

From that description, you might expect to hear about Trump’s trade war with China, which has tanked soybean prices and inspired the administration to deliver $28 billion (and counting) in cash handouts to farmers, more than double the total price tag for the previous administration’s auto industry bailout. Or about the fury of corn growers at the administration’s recent ethanol policies. Or maybe even the climate chaos that has roiled farmers from the Midwest to the Southeast this year.

But in Sonnyside‘s maiden voyage, dropped a week after the House of Representatives announced an impeachment inquiry against Trump, the secretary mostly dispenses with the ag talk. His first guest is neither farmer, nor rancher, nor producer, nor forester. Rather, she is Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a career political operative now openly contemplating a run for Arkansas governor, best known for her stint as Trump’s extremely loyal press secretary. Perdue and Sanders chatted in Little Rock, and it’s worth a listen:

<<snip>> (podcast is in the article at the Mother Jones link above)

Then the two get down to business: lavishing praise on Trump, who they paint as a gruff but big-hearted leader who “loves this country” (Sanders) and “has an amazing instinctive ability to make decisions” (Perdue). Sanders makes the case that the self-evident virtues of Trump’s adult children demonstrate his greatness. They have all enjoyed “tremendous individual success” apart from their father’s business and political exploits, she insists, and yet they have “sacrificed” their personal interests to serve his administration, because they “believe in their dad, believe in their country, and want to see great things continue to happen through his leadership.” That sentiment inspires Perdue to marvel about just how much Trump “loves America.” He continues: “He doesn’t apologize for America, and that inspires me as a citizen, as a United States citizen of the United States of America—you can question the way he does things from time to time, but you cannot question his love for this country.”

About what you would expect from an incompetent bureaucrat inside an incompetent and bumbling administration whose only direction is to show unfailing loyalty to the narcissistic leader that gives little thought or care to the consumer of this tripe – America’s and Iowa’s farmers.

We need a new administration to reverse the policies that are killing our famers and we need to send Sonny back to where he can do little harm.

 

Posted in #trumpresistance, 2020 election campaign | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Michael Moore Interview With Ari Melber

Posted on October 11, 2019 by Trish Nelson

Michael Moore wins the Oscar for “Bowling for Columbine” 2003

A pet peeve I have is when Democrats slam other Democrats publicly. Okay, maybe I’ve done it once or twice on a very small scale.

I’m a big fan of Michael Moore, have read all of his books and have seen all of his movies. I think he has a brilliant mind.  I started paying less attention to him when he got into criticizing Democrats seemingly every time he got on the TV.  I wasn’t hopeful about this appearance before I decided to tune in, but I was pleasantly surprised. Michael had some advice for Biden and the Democrats, and delivered it in a way that was actually helpful, not in a way that only serves to make people overly cynical about Democrats.

Not that they are perfect.

Anyway, I recommend this 15 minute interview of Michel Moore by Ari Melber. It reminded me of the youthful Michael Moore with the creative energy and fighting spirit – the guy that wrote the hilarious Stupid White Men and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation where he makes the case that men are no longer necessary, and the classic documentary, Roger and Me in which he chases down GM CEO Roger Smith for closing all of the auto plants in Flint, Michigan.

The segment with Ari is hopeful and what Michael said was not what I expected him to say.  There is a surprise super-fun ending you won’t want to miss if you are of a certain age.  Enjoy.

Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Trump, DeVos And The Assault On U.S. Public Education

Posted on October 10, 2019 by Trish Nelson

by Ralph Scharnau

President Trump and his Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have put privatization of our public schools at the center of the national school debate. They both clearly make expanding so-called “school choice” their top education policy. DeVos labeled traditional public schools as a “dead end” and Trump’s inaugural called them part of “American carnage.”

The Trump administration wants to create a national voucher program by diverting federal funds from public schools. Secretary DeVos’s animus toward public schools finds expression in her opposition to some policies, regulations, and initiatives that are designed to support all children. This leaves behind low income and minority students who are disproportionately punished or sent to special education classrooms.

Most Republican lawmakers embrace the anti-public-school agenda of the President and the Secretary. Deceptive terms like “Tuition Tax Credits,” “Tuition Savings,” or “Opportunity Scholarships” seem inviting. But these schemes almost always, directly or indirectly, result in less money for public schools and more for private schools or other education ventures.

Teachers, students, and neighborhood/community activists have organized to secure adequate funding and demand action to protect our public schools. They want to equalize school funding for rich and poor districts. This means increasing the largely stagnant K-12 public school funding. It also means ending the drain on public educational funds when they are diverted for other purposes.

The monstrous concentration of wealth in this country has resulted in segregation by income, race/ethnicity, and geography. National funding and local taxes primarily benefit white affluent school districts, leaving other schools with fewer resources and greater needs.

Often teachers face crowded classrooms caused by soaring enrollments and decreased funding. Teacher and student morale, academic and social development suffer with large class sizes. In an ideal world, class size would be capped at 15 to 20 students. Yet many classrooms regularly exceed 30 students, and it is not uncommon to have more than 40 students in a single class.

Teacher wages, moreover, are appalling. Teacher pay has been largely stagnant since the mid-1990s and even declined compared to other professions. In about half the states, the average teacher makes less than a living wage with some even qualifying for public assistance.

When teachers come together to improve their salaries, hours, and working conditions, they are often met with hostility by Trump and his conservative minions. We need administrators and laws that recognize the right of all workers to unite to advance their own interests. This means respecting teachers’ right to form and maintain unions.

Head Start is the primary federal preschool program for children living in low-income families. The program aims to narrow educational inequalities by providing matching funds to community programs that provide preschool, healthcare, and nutritional services to children living in poor families as well as increasing their cognitive and language skills Despite study after study confirming the importance of Head Start, the Trump administration wants to cut funding for the program.

Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Trump, DeVos And The Assault On U.S. Public Education

The Corruption Of America By Fox News

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Trish Nelson

Rupert Murdoch/Wiki

Kevin Rudd,  former prime minister of Australia, published an article last year in the Sidney Morning Herald,  Cancer Eating the Heart of Australian Democracy. It was about the damage Rupert Murdoch’s media empire has done in Australia.  After citing other contributing factors, Rudd had this to say about Murdoch.

“But on top of all the above, while manipulating each of them, has been Rupert Murdoch – the greatest cancer on the Australian democracy.

“Murdoch is not just a news organisation. Murdoch operates as a political party, acting in pursuit of clearly defined commercial interests, in addition to his far-right ideological world view.

In Britain, Murdoch made Brexit possible because of the position taken by his papers. In the United States, Murdoch’s Fox News is the political echo chamber of the far right, which enabled the Tea Party and then the Trump party to stage a hostile takeover of the Republican Party. In Australia, as in America, Murdoch has campaigned for decades in support of tax cuts for the wealthy, killing action on climate change and destroying anything approximating multiculturalism.

The same thing is happening in the United States via Murdoch-owned Fox News, also conservative talk radio and now Sinclair Broadcasting.

We have to start taking this problem more seriously.

In the video below Thom Hartmann and Kurt Eichenwald of Newsweek discuss the problem. If you don’t have time to watch or listen to this 15 minute video, here are a few highlights.

The GOP starts scandals on whoever is leading in the polls.  They make the Democrats out to be as corrupt as they are.  They literally just make stuff up. It gets disseminated through the mainstream media. Most people aren’t paying close enough attention to get past the headlines so any lie that gets discussed in the media will be perceived as fact by millions.  They don’t pay attention long enough to listen to the information that exposes the lie.

The GOP feeds their arguments through Fox News and political reporters pick it up. It takes a lot of information to say “this is nonsense,” so a lot of reporters are just saying “Congressman X is saying Y.”  Consequently, regular media keep perpetuating the lies.

“The corruption of America by Fox News. Republicans know they can literally say anything. The Murdoch family literally holds the future of United States in their hands.”

Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Corruption Of America By Fox News

UI Student Activists Confront President Harreld On Coal Power Plant

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Trish Nelson

Students chant “no more excuses!” on coal, demanding action from U of I president Bruce Harreld on ending the coal plant’s contributions to carbon-dioxide emissions.  Check out more videos on Blog for Iowa’s YouTube channel. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Posted in #trumpresistance | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Local Sinclair Broadcasting Stations Are Airing Anti-Impeachment Propaganda

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Trish Nelson

Hard to imagine how anyone could watch these clowns and believe a word they say, but that’s where we’re at.

Contact your local Sinclair-owned station. Here is a list:

KDSM (Des Moines), KGAN Cedar Rapids, KFAX (Iowa City/Dubuque), KPTH and KMEG (Sioux City), KTVO (Ottumwa).


Sign up for this FB group:  Hogwash! Fighting the Iowa Rightwing Propaganda Machine 

Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged , | Comments Off on Local Sinclair Broadcasting Stations Are Airing Anti-Impeachment Propaganda