Iowa GOP’s Secret Flood Recovery Plan

Posted on April 10, 2019 by Trish Nelson

Iowa Senate Democrats:

“When will the state of Iowa respond to the historic flooding in western Iowa? So far, Republicans have rejected every proposal and offered none of their own.”

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Join The Fox Boycott

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Trish Nelson

To be delivered to Progressive, Capital One, Applebee’s, IHOP (Dine Brands), Match.com, Angie’s List, and Home Advisors (IAC Interactive), P&G, Bayer, Nestle, Nutrisystem, Liberty Mutual, Sandals, Allstate, BowFlex/Nautilus

Fox News is a malevolent and destructive force.

Not only is the network’s programming becoming increasingly extreme, deceitful, and racist, but Fox News is also functioning as Donald Trump’s personal propaganda operation. As the network helped fuel hysteria over a migrant caravan thousands of miles from the border and Fox host Sean Hannity joined Trump at a campaign rally, a wide range of leading media voices began calling for corrective action.

Financial Times U.S. National Editor Edward Luce, conservative columnist Max Boot, Hollywood Reporter Editor-at-Large Kim Masters, producer and director Judd Apatow, and many others called out Fox News’ remaining advertisers for continuing to support the network.

They all recognized the same thing: Fox News will not change unless forced. We need a persistent effort, starting with pressure on Fox News’ major advertisers to reject the network, until it actually imposes and enforces some baseline standards.

34,819 signatures. NEW goal – We need 40,000!
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Senator Elizabeth Warren On Iowa Press

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Trish Nelson

ICYMI:

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FDR’s Dreams And Today’s Campaign

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Dave Bradley

It is rather amazing that the problems that Franklin Roosevelt had solutions for nearly 80 years ago but didn’t have time to get them enacted are still the very basis of our problems today. The Four Freedoms and The Second Bill Of Rights were FDR’s proposals to address these issues. Next Friday will be the 74th anniversary of the shock of FDR’s death.

This is not a political ineptitude of Roosevelt or his party. 

This is a testament to the incredible power that Republicans have asserted over that period of time of stopping most any progress the country has attempted. In the mean time they have taken an economic system that had some balance in the distribution of resources (wealth) and have turned it upside down into a system where the top .1% reaps most of the rewards of economic advancement.

second bill of rights

With the unequal distribution of resources has been an attendant political maldistribution with political power flowing to those with economic power. We all know that the Citizens United v. FEC decision in 2010 was the capstone of making political inequality systemic. We have gone from “one man, one vote” in the Warren Court era to “one dollar, one vote” as pronounced by the Roberts Court.

Most of the Democratic candidates are returning to the classic Democratic values as first pronounced by FDR. You can bet Republicans will fight tooth and nail with every dollar can get their mitts on.

Just look what they were able to do in 2016 with their dollars. They have bought incredible gerrymandering and voter suppression that has tilted the playing field drastically to one side.

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

Sunday Funday: Incompetence Edition

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Dave Bradley


Have you ever seen a group so incompetent at governing as this current crop of Republicans? From Dear Leader who thinks windmill noise causes cancer on down to our Dear Governor who just can’t decide so she defers to the eminently qualified cancer detector Dear Leader:

Gov. Kim Reynolds, also a Republican, addressed Trump’s remarks with reporters Wednesday as well and highlighted the important role wind energy plays in Iowa’s economy. However, she declined to say whether she thinks Trump is wrong that wind turbines can cause cancer.  “That’s not my place,” she said. “You know how those things change,” she said. “One year, coffee’s good for you. The next year, coffee causes cancer.”

So drinking a cup of coffee by the windmill is suicide, but guns are safe!

We could go on and on, but we all might start crying. Good Grief I miss the competence of an Obama or a Vilsack.

Here we go:

  1. Even though he was born in the Bronx (NYC), Dear Leader insisted this week that his dad was born where?
  1. What most famous resident of the Ecuadorian embassy in London, England is about to be (or may have already been) removed and then arrested by British police?
  1. What radical right Republican congressman from Florida is mulling a run for the senate – in Alabama?
  1. Topping his selection of incompetent Stephen Moore to be on the Federal Reserve Board, Dear Leader mentioned what even more incompetent individual as a possible nominee also?
  1. Which Democratic presidential candidate has proposed that CEOs be held accountable for their companies malfeasance and spend time in jail?
  1. Dear Leader proposed (then withdrew) shutting borders with what country last week? This action would lead to drastic economic consequences for the US.
  1. Almost missed this a couple of weeks ago. What US official publicly called for the US to send a manned space mission to the moon?
  1. To repeat our weekly question, what is going on with Brexit?
  1. Trisha Newbold is a name in the news this week that is raising hopes among Democrats and blood pressure among Republicans. Why?
  1. New gun restrictions passed the first of three votes by a 119 to 1 majority in what country’s parliament last week?
  1. Iowa’s ridiculous privatized Medicaid system had another huge upheaval last week when what MCO (managed care organization) opted out of the system?
  1. The administration is planning to cut the number of federal inspectors for what major Iowa product by 40% starting next month?

  2. The percentage of Americans not engaging in what adult activity reached an all time high last year at a whopping 23%?
  1. Well it looks like restoration of voting rights for what group of people has failed in the Iowa legislature?
  1. What senior White House official was identified as the senior official whose security clearance was denied by career security officials?
  1. How many administration officials had security clearance denied only to have the denials overridden by Dear Leader?
  1. What rock ’n’ roll icon had successful heart valve surgery Friday?
  1. Who is Lori Lightfoot?
  1. We’re number 1! It was announced Wednesday that Iowa led the nation in structurally deficient what?
  1. The USDA announced this week that it would stop using what animals in its toxoplasmosis studies?

 @JohnFugelsang

Last month, every Republican in the House voted to make the Mueller report public.  

This week, every Republican on the Judiciary Committee voted against letting @RepJerryNadler subpoena the report so it can’t ever be made public.

Answers:

  1. Germany – maybe Dear Leader wishes his dad was a certain famous German?
  1. Julian Assange
  1. Matt Gaetz
  1. Herman Cain
  1. Elizabeth Warren
  1. Mexico
  1. Mike Pence
  1. Send your answers to Theresa May  #10 Downing Street   London, England
  1. Newbold is the career security official who blew the whistle last week on the high number of administration officials whose denial of security was overridden by Dear Leader.
  1. New Zealand
  1. United Health Care
  1. Pork
  1. Having sex
  1. Felons who have served their sentence. Iowa is one of two states where felons must petition for restoration.
  1. Jared Kushner. Massive debt was one problem which seems to have been cleared up by a foreign power.
  1. 25
  1. Mick Jagger
  1. The newly elected mayor of Chicago.
  1. Bridges
  1. Cats

Andy Borowitz:

NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report)—After praising Donald J. Trump, on Sunday, for cutting aid to “three Mexican countries,” the cast of “Fox & Friends” blamed former President Barack Obama for creating additional Mexicos during his tenure in the White House.

Posted in #trumpresistance, Blog for Iowa, Humor | 1 Comment

Thank You Once Again, Congressman Loebsack!

Posted on April 6, 2019 by Dave Bradley

dave loebsack flagFrom Candace Clement at freepress.net

Another victory for Net Neutrality! The Save the Internet Act passed its second major hurdle in Congress and could be headed to a full floor vote as early as next week. We’ve got momentum and it’s all thanks to people like you who keep speaking out. 

Rep. David Loebsack was one of the members who voted yes and stood up for internet users everywhere. Could you thank him for his support? 

Saying thanks goes a long way and it takes just a few minutes.

Click here to send a tweet to thank Rep. Loebsack for supporting the Save the Internet Act. 

Don’t use Twitter? No problem! It can’t hurt to give them a call to say thanks. Call Rep. Loebsack’s office at (202) 225-6576 to get connected. When the office picks up say:

Thanks for supporting the #SavetheNet Act. Your leadership is key — I hope you can help get your colleagues on board as this moves to the House floor. 

We are one vote away from passing this bill in the House and this will be the moment where the cable and phone lobby does everything it can to try and put the brakes on the bill. Saying thanks to the people who vote the right way is critical to making sure our representatives stay on the right side of this issue — and it lets them know that we see them when they do the right thing.

Thanks and onward,

Candace and the rest of the Free Press Action team

Let us hope that Iowa’s other Democratic congress members (Abby Finkenauer and Cindy Axne) will join Congress Member Loebsack and vote for net neutrality on the floor of the House next week.

 

cindy axne

Congress Member Cindy Axne

 

Abby-Finkenauer-for-Congress

Congress Member Abby Finkenauer photo: millennialpolitics.com

 

 

 

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Forums As The End Of The Session Approaches Plus Issues

Posted on April 6, 2019 by Dave Bradley

find a forum near you

Voter Suppression, Huge Judicial Appointment Process changes still in the mix.

Once again we access infonetone.org    for the weekly list of forums. As usual the list is by date and time. When you find a forum you wish to attend click on the city for the specific location.

04/06/2019 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM Legislative Forum – Prairie City

04/06/2019 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM Eggs & Issues – Emmetsburg

04/06/2019 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Legislative Coffee – Grinnell

04/06/2019 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Legislative Forum – Muscatine

04/06/2019 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Legislative Coffee – Council Bluffs

04/06/2019 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Town Hall – Hinton

04/06/2019 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Legislative Forum – Johnston

04/06/2019 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM Legislative Coffee – Waukee

04/06/2019 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM Cracker Barrel – Dubuque

04/06/2019 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM Legislative Forum – Ottumwa

04/06/2019 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Office Hours – Clive

04/06/2019 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Legislative Forum – Onawa

04/06/2019 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM Legislative Forum – Newton

04/06/2019 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Legislative Forum – Oelwein

04/06/2019 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Town Hall – LeMars

04/08/2019 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM Coffee with Marti-Des Moines

04/09/2019 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM Legislative Forum – Johnston

04/12/2019 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Office Hours – Ankeny

04/12/2019 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM Legislative Lunch – Ankeny

04/12/2019 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM Legislative Forum – Waterloo 

ISSUES:

Health Care Disrupted for 425,000 Iowans

Last Friday, Governor Reynolds announced UnitedHealthcare is leaving Iowa’s managed care program. Since they currently manage 70% of Iowans on Medicaid, it means 425,000 Iowans will have their health care disrupted again and our most vulnerable could be faced with life or death situations.

Medicaid privatization has been a disaster since day one and it keeps getting worse. Medicaid privatization is not saving money for Iowa’s taxpayers and it is not resulting in healthier Iowans. It isn’t working for patients or providers and the Governor and GOP lawmakers still refuse to fix the problems.

Some Democratic lawmakers have a plan to end Medicaid privatization and prevent another health care disruption for Iowans.  First, the most vulnerable Iowans who need long term assistance (LTSS) would move back to fee for service to guarantee they get the care they need.  Second, Medicaid privatization would end on June 30 and the Governor and lawmakers would be forced to work together to develop a system that actually improves access to health care. But Republican lawmakers have blocked debate on the proposals. 

We believe it’s time to make health care affordable and accessible.  But we can’t do it without your help. Can you take a minute and sign this petition?  We need Iowans to weigh in and help build pressure at the Capitol.  It’s the only way we can force Governor Reynolds and Republican lawmakers.  Please sign and share with your friends and family.

Sign Petition To End Medicaid Privatization. Every Iowan’s name should be on this petition!

Bill Watch  

Below is a list of bills we’re tracking this session that may be of interest to you.  As session continues, we’ll be updating this list for you to keep you up to speed on the legislative process and take action.
Bad Ideas from GOP Lawmakers
Bill # Bill Description Current Status Take Action
SJR 21 Constitutional Amendment banning abortion in all cases Senate Floor Contact your lawmaker
SF 523 Personhood bill House Human Resources, Passed Senate Contact your lawmaker
SF 237/HF 503 Politicize judicial branch by allowing GOP to appoint all judges Passed Senate, House Floor Contact your lawmaker
SF 508 Religious exemptions, license to discriminate (similar to North Carolina) Senate Floor
SF 547 Vouchers for private schools/home schools Senate Floor
HF 636 Allows concealed weapons in weapon free zones, courthouses, and public/private workplaces House Floor
SF 588 Reinstates the death penalty Senate Floor
SF 307/HF 438 Repeal the state inheritance tax House Ways & Means/Senate Floor
SF 575 – HF 692 GOP voter suppression bill Senate Floor
SF 583/HF 669 Sunshine tax, end solar energy industry in Iowa Passed Senate; House Floor Contact your lawmaker
Democratic Bills: Improving Life for Everyday Iowans
Bill # Bill Description Current Status Take Action
HF 135/SF 156 Fixing Medicaid Privatization House/Senate Human Resources
HF 383 Investing in public schools beyond rate of inflation House Education Committee (GOP passed another record low investment in public schools)
HF 147/SF 176 Restoring the rights of Iowa workers House/Senate Labor
SF 107 Protect the wages earned by employees Senate Labor
HF 109/SF 117 Reasonable accommodations for pregnancy/child birth House/Senate Labor
SF 72 Affordable housing/revitalizing old homes Senate State Government
HF 91/SF 247 Raise Minimum Wage House/Senate Labor
SF 104/HF 221 Expand Medical cannabis use House Public Safety
HF 129 End GOP voter suppression/voter ID law House State Government
HF 501 Help working families with high cost of child care House Human Resources
Signed In to Law
HF 306 Low funding for public schools Passed House and Senate; Signed by Governor
SJR 18 Eliminates Background Checks; allows guns on college campuses, state fairgrounds, school buses Passed House & Senate; Must approved by Legislature in 2021-2022 to put to people for a vote

Let’s be honest, the only bills that have a chance of passing are that batch of bad bills from the Republican Party. All are onerous, but the particularly onerous are:

  1. The voter suppression bill aimed directly at Johnson and Story Counties. They may as well have named it the suppress the votes in the University counties bill. (Now HF 692 I believe)
  1. The personhood bill (SF 523)
  1. The overhaul of the judicial appointment process (SF 237 HF 503) 
  1. The tax aimed at solar energy, to help out one special utility interest and delay switching to renewables (SF 583 HF 669). Talk about working for special interests!
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Loebsack Co-sponsors Reauthorization of Violence Against Women Act

Posted on April 5, 2019 by Trish Nelson

Loebsack Statement on House Passage of the Violence Against Women Act of 2019

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement today after the House passed the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act of 2019 (VAWA). The bipartisan legislation that passed today is a robust, five-year extension of the bill, which expired in February after it had been reauthorized on a short-term basis since September of last year. The bill now heads to the Senate for its consideration. Loebsack is a cosponsor of the bipartisan, comprehensive reauthorization.

“I am pleased the House has acted to pass a long-term extension of the Violence Against Women Act that includes many needed provisions to help keep women and families safe. We must ensure that all women, children, law enforcement agencies, state and local government and community organizations have the education and resources necessary to help protect against violent crime. I strongly urge the Senate to take up this critical legislation to ensure that survivors of domestic and sexual violence do not lose access to the care and supportive services they need.”

H.R. 1585, Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019, includes:

Vital new investments in prevention:

  • Increases the authorization for the Rape Prevention & Education Program (RPE) to $150 million a year from $50 million a year and specifically includes prevention of sexual harassment to its authorized uses. Demand for programs funded by RPE has skyrocketed with the #MeToo movement and the national focus on campus sexual assault, and a corresponding increase is critically necessary to meet the need of communities.
  • Reauthorizes and updates the critical SMART Prevention Program to reduce dating violence, help children exposed to violence, and engage men in preventing violence.

Services for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking:

  • Reauthorizes key grants for programs providing services to the victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
  • Includes improvements in the grant program that provides services to the victims of domestic violence and sexual assault who have disabilities.
  • Makes improvements in the grant program that provides services for the victims of domestic violence and sexual assault who are older Americans.

Enhanced tools for law enforcement to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and to make our communities safer:

  • Reauthorizes the critical STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors) grants and allows the grants to be used to develop law enforcement tools and protocols for preventing domestic violence homicides.
  • Reauthorizes grants to improve the criminal justice response to domestic violence, focusing on implementation of offender accountability and homicide reduction.
  • Authorizes pilot programs focused on increasing community safety by looking at alternative and community-based methods of survivor safety and perpetrator accountability.

Housing protections for survivors:

  • Includes protections for survivors in federal public, subsidized, and assisted housing.
  • Reauthorizes critical collaborative grants to increase the long-term stability of survivors who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

Supports for survivors who need assistance rebuilding financially:

  • Increases the authorization for the National Resource Center on Workplace Responses, which assists the victims of domestic and sexual violence.
  • Protects employees from being fired because they are survivors of sexual assault or domestic violence.
  • Protects survivors’ eligibility to receive Unemployment Compensation.

Strengthening the health care system’s response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking:

  • Reauthorizes key grants to strengthen the health care system’s response.
  • Broadens the reach of these grants to develop services to address the safety, medical, and mental health needs of survivors, while maintaining the grants’ local focus on providing funds to state domestic and sexual violence coalitions.

Protecting the Office on Violence Against Women:

  • Protects the Office on Violence Against Women in the Department of Justice (DOJ) from being de-emphasized, merged, or consolidated into any other DOJ office.
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Protecting Our Columns Of Democracy

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Trish Nelson

Nicholas Johnson reads from his book Columns of Democracy at Prairie Lights in Iowa City March 30, 2019. photo: Trish Nelson

Nicholas Johnson is a hero of everyone here at BFIA.  Over the weekend we attended a reading of his new book at Prairie Lights book store in Iowa City.  Scroll down to the video below to view the entire reading and discussion.

In his new book, Columns of Democracy, Johnson identifies the five columns as the independent judiciary, the independent media, voting, education and libraries. He argues that it is not enough to fight for policies and issues. The fight must also be to save the institutions that are the columns of democracy. If the columns of democracy are weakened or dismantled, he argues, we will not be able to either save the planet or create fair and humane public policy.  “Democracies can correct policy mistakes. They can’t correct destruction of their Columns of Democracy.”

“Democracies are under attack in many countries including our own. Wannabe dictators feel threatened by democracies’ existence. Their destructive efforts are abetted by democracies’ citizen apathy. This book examines the institutions, the “columns” that support democracy. They include such institutions as independent media, K-12 and higher education, respected, independent judges, accessible voting systems, and public libraries. These institutions support both an active citizenry and meaningful checks on executives’ abuses. This book calls Americans to action – with suggestions. It also contains the author’s “columns” – an example of citizen use of the column of democracy called media.”

###

We got our autographed copy of Columns of Democracy at Prairie Lights but it is also available on Amazon.

Follow Nicholas Johnson on Facebook, Twitter, and nicholasjohnson.org/

Interview by Ursula Ruedenberg at KHOI 89.1 FM Ames, Iowa https://columnsofdemocracy.com/2018/11/09/khoi/

 

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National Day Of Action Thursday #ReleaseTheReport

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Trish Nelson

MoveOn.org Rapid Response action alert

https://act.moveon.org/

We are calling for a National Day of Action on Thursday, April 4, to demand that Attorney General William Barr #ReleaseTheReport if he fails to meet the deadline set by Congressional leaders of Tuesday, April 2.

Barr has offered an alternate timeline for a redacted version of the report—but we deserve the full report and Congressional leaders and the American people expect it now.

Find an event near you and RSVP to join the local action.

FIND RAPID RESPONSE EVENTS

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