The Clean Power Plan Is Not Killing Coal

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Paul Deaton

Residential Coal Chute

We’ve known the 45th president seeks to eliminate regulations on the fossil fuel industry so it’s no surprise he announced his intention to modify the Clean Power Plan developed by President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency.

The plan was announced by the president in Charleston, West Virginia at a campaign-style rally on Aug. 21. Here’s what Al Gore, Chairman of the Climate Reality Project had to say.

Whether or not the Clean Power Plan exists makes little difference to the future of coal-fired power plants according to Taylor Kuykendall.

Regardless of executive actions, the days of coal fired power plants are numbered. Electricity produced by wind, solar arrays and natural gas will push coal out of the picture because they are cheaper. This was true when home owners replaced coal furnaces in their homes with natural gas in the 1950s and 1960s. It’s true now. Not only that, there are public health issues with burning coal. It is market conditions that will reduce coal consumption in the United States.

One assignment during my transportation career was to start a school in Boone County, West Virginia to re-train coal miners to become truck drivers. We got a one year grant from the governor’s office to train 250 people. The day we announced it was front page news in the Coal Valley Times. Along side the article about us was one indicating another round of coal miner layoffs.

I recall standing in Democratic Governor Gaston Caperton’s office watching a train laden with coal making its way along the Kanawha River. We knew the coal industry was dying then, it’s dying now, and no amount of special interest pressure on our federal government will bring it back.

Clean coal is a dirty lie and despite efforts to prop the fuel up, government should let go of it and leave it in the ground. As Gore said, “we will not be deterred” from building a stronger, clean energy economy.

Posted in 2018 Election Campaign, Climate Action, Climate Change | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Economy Right Now Not As Good As We Are Told

Posted on August 26, 2018 by Dave Bradley

 

relation of union membership to wage slippage

Union membership decline charted with wage decline

 

Louis c on democraticunderground  posted this succinct look at the US economy Thursday:

Let’s get something straight; The Economy is Not Doing That Well

“First off, the economy is proceeding with an improved GDP for only a quarter. The average person doesn’t live by the GDP numbers, they live by their own income numbers. The real wage growth is minus .2% (inflation is 2.9%, wage growth is 2.7%). And, that 2.7% wage growth is centered mostly in the urban centers of this country. Trump’s voters are seeing very little of that 2.7% and are being hurt the most by tariffs, especially in the rural counties of America. Trump country. 

I remember that Trump said he would balance the budget. Yet his military spending and tax cuts for the wealthy have increased the deficit by $300 billion annually to $800 Billion, and is expected to exceed $1 trillion by the end of the year. 

Although the stock market his increased, 60% of Americans don’t own stocks and the market only affects the average American if it crashes. The trade deficit is up, farmers are on edge, retail stores are closing down and the only beneficiaries of the huge, deficit ballooning tax cuts, are the very wealthy. By the way, where was the increase in the carry trade tax on the real parasites on Wall St.? 

Unemployment may be down, but where are the good jobs? The reason the Republicans can’t get any political traction from the economy is that there is no benefit to the average worker (unless they work in a union with a collective bargaining agreement, and that’s down to 7% of the workforce in the private sector). 

If the Republicans think the economy will save them in the mid-terms, they are sadly mistaken. The real numbers, the numbers that the average American sees in his or her paycheck, that number is not good. And with the increase in the cost of health care deductions, the average worker is worse off now than they were 2 years ago.”

This is a short and pretty realistic look at the economy at the moment. 

As the administration was celebrating a good GDP growth last quarter, many were quick to point out that those numbers were inflated by countries making purchases before the tariffs kicked in. We will have that to look forward to next quarter plus the beginning effects of the tariffs on farm products here in Iowa.

So the GDP numbers are misleading, real wages are declining, the stock market is booming but it is being artificially fueled by stock buy backs paid for by the huge corporate tax cuts and good jobs at decent wages are still not in the picture for the average worker.

Let’s add one more bit of data to the mix – consumer debt is rising and may be poised to reach an all time high of $4trillion by the end of the year. This means that Americans owe @26% of their annual income to debt. From CNBC’s website:  

  • Consumer debt has grown since 2012 and is poised to reach a new high by the end of this year.
  • Individuals are spending about 10 percent of their income each month paying nonmortgage debts including auto loans, credit cards, personal and student loans.
  • You should evaluate three key areas when thinking about managing these balances.

While their analysis doesn’t seem to indicate any red flares right now, I would caution that much of this debt is being accrued by the same workers who are seeing their real wages decrease. While the flares aren’t up yet, keep your eyes open.

Sure seems like we have been down this road before – good economy for the rich, other people are at best treading water and some are going under. Seems like we go down this same road every damn time we are foolish enough to put Republicans in charge of something as important as the economy.

Posted in #trumpresistance, Blog for Iowa, economic inequality, Economy | Tagged | Comments Off on The Economy Right Now Not As Good As We Are Told

Sunday Funday: Trump Loses Pecker Edition

Posted on August 26, 2018 by Dave Bradley
how the National Enquirer covered Hillary Clinton

photo credit to politico.com

Following a tumultuous week of events it looks like the current president has even lost the support of his Pecker – that is David Pecker of the infamous National Enquirer. This is a really bad time for Dear Leader to lose his Pecker as these are the times when Dear Leader needs someone out front fighting for him.

I would love to take credit for that headline, but many creative folks had already had this thought and I merely stole it. 

I would also love to take credit for this awesome picture showing how the National Enquirer and the Globe covered Hillary Clinton during the election but the credit belongs to politico.com.   

While we are at it let’s throw in this tweet from Ken Olin on Tuesday: 

Last thing for today. 

No matter how many of these lowlifes go to prison, including Trump himself, it will never make up for the injustice that was done to @HillaryClinton. The truth, which is truth: she should be the President of the United States today.

  1. WTF? What giant corporation is attempting to trademark millennial friendly three letter acronyms like LOL?
  1. What legal practice that shares it’s name with an acrobatic maneuver did Dear Leader say should be outlawed in an interview this week?
  1. Tuesday was quite a day – Manafort found guilty, Cohen squeals and what congress member was charged with multiple counts concerning misuse of campaign funds?
  1. By the end of the week the aforementioned congress member claimed he was innocent and the guilty party was who?
  1. The thugs who beat DeAndre Harris nearly to death were sentenced Thursday. What was this beating in connection with?
  1. Mitch McConnell this week killed a bill that would beef up security during what?
  1. What defining phrase from this administration to add to “alternative facts” was uttered by Rudy Giuliani on “Meet The Press” last Sunday?
  1. Dear Leader claimed that what would crash if he were impeached in an interview with Fox and Friends?
  1. Dear Leader drew a sharp rebuke from what country after he falsely claimed that there was “large scale killing of farmers” going on in that country?
  1. August 26th, 1920. What amendment to the constitution went into effect that greatly increased the size of the electorate?
  1. Michelle Wolf of White House Correspondents Dinner fame had her talk show cancelled by what network last week?
  1. For the first time in recorded history the oldest and thickest sea ice began to break up in what ocean?
  1. August 24th, 1814 British troops burned what American building, an act that Dear Leader recently blamed on Canadians?
  1. Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan died last Saturday. What country was he from?
  1. What college campus saw a protest that took down the statue of a Confederate soldier known as “Silent Sam”?
  1. What long time associate of Dear Leader was given immunity by investigators in the Cohen investigation Friday?
  1. Nabisco finally yielded to pressure from PETA and redesigned the boxes of what line of cookies?
  1. August 28th, 1963 – some 55 years ago – what famous speech was delivered to huge crowd in a sweltering Washington, DC?
  1. America’s largest supermarket chain, Kroger’s, announced it would phase out the use of what by 2025?
  1. Secretary of What? Betsy Devos is said to be considering letting school districts use federal funds to purchase what?

John Fugelsang on Twitter:

“The media keeps wondering whether DT’s diehard fans would finally bail if they heard a tape of him saying the N-word. In reality, for that to happen there would have to be a tape of him saying “black lives matter.”

Answers:

  1. P&G 
  1. Flipping
  1. Duncan Hunter, Jr.
  1. His wife. Thanksgiving should be fun in that house this year.
  1. The Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally last year
  1. This year’s elections
  1. “Truth isn’t truth”
  1. The markets
  1. South Africa
  1. 19th
  1. Netflix
  1. Arctic Ocean
  1. The White House
  1. Ghana
  1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  1. Allen Weisselberg, Dear Leader’s accountant. There is no “accountant-client privilege”
  1. Their animal crackers
  1. MLK’s “I Have A Dream” speech
  1. Single use plastic bags – 2025 seems a long way off
  1. Guns for educators

NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report)— “Michael D. Cohen decided on Tuesday to plead guilty to a host of financial crimes shortly after Rudolph Giuliani offered to be his lawyer on a pro-bono basis, Giuliani confirmed.”

 

Posted in #trumpresistance, Blog for Iowa, Humor | Comments Off on Sunday Funday: Trump Loses Pecker Edition

Iowa’s Medicaid MCOs Get Another Big Raise

Posted on August 25, 2018 by Dave Bradley

Image (2) MedicaidPrivatization-300x169.jpg for post 34454

 

The Medicaid mess that Terry Branstad created and then walked away from just got much, much worse for the end user in Iowa Friday. That end user is of course the 680,000 Iowans who rely on Medicaid for their health needs.

In announcing this huge increase the state did not say where its portion of the funds – some $103 million – would come from. 

I will speculate here and guess that these funds will come from the overall Medicaid funds themselves. Thus the Medicaid user care will be cut and the reimbursements to providers will likely be cut also. This is only speculation on my part. Considering the state hasn’t been able to pay its bills for two years and then enacted a huge tax cut for the wealthy that will drastically cut revenues, you can bet the money won’t come from general funds.

Some excerpts from the Des Moines Register Saturday morning:

“Overall, the new contracts will give the two companies raises of 8.4 percent in state and federal money, totaling $344 million.

Critics say the shift has led to cuts in services and loads of red tape. Supporters, including Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, say it is leading to more efficient, effective care, and is saving taxpayers millions of dollars compared to what they would have otherwise spent.

Democratic legislators, who have criticized Medicaid privatization, slammed the agreement to pay the Medicaid management companies so much more. “Where are we going to get the money?” said Sen. Liz Mathis, a Hiawatha Democrat. “It’s going to take more than shaking the couch cushions to come up with that.”

Fred Hubbell, the Democratic candidate for governor, ripped the new agreements: “Iowa taxpayers are paying hundreds of millions more than promised, tens of thousands of Iowans have had their services denied or reduced, and providers across the state are being forced to close because of delays and denials in payment.”

State Senator Joe Bolkcom of Iowa City posted this statement on his facebook page:  

“The Reynold’s GOP Medicaid privatization scheme was sold to Iowans from day one as a program that would make people healthier and save money. Neither have happened.

Governor Reynolds has now agreed to fork more than $300 million to pad the bottom line of these massive out of state insurance companies. From day one we knew that this day would arrive. This is how these insurance companies have gamed the system in every state they operate in.

How much longer are we going to be suckers to this failed scheme? The November election will be the first opportunity for Iowans to voice their opinions since the decision was made by Branstad-Reynolds administration to turn a working health care system over to Wall Street companies.”

As far as I know there has been no real audit of the this privatized system to demonstrate any savings or any improvement in services. Branstad promised savings in the $250 million range, but it looks like we will be paying $1 billion to try to get that. That doesn’t make any sense. 

One last snippet from the Des Moines Register:

“The official estimate of savings to the state budget has seesawed. Former Gov. Terry Branstad initially estimated those annual savings would hit $232 million for last fiscal year. By last fall, the estimate had fallen 80 percent, to $47 million. Then the estimate jumped again, to $140.9 million in May.”

Note that these are only estimates and not actual audits. Still far below even the payments for the MCOs.

We do have a Medicaid recipient in our family. Our experience tells us that the state did a much better job  of running the system. While The Reynolds administration has sought to tie the state up in contractual obligations, we feel the best thing for the state of Iowa would be to bring the administration of program back in house. This would return money now being used for overhead to be returned to patient care.

Fred Hubbell and the Democratic state House and state Senate candidates will reset the Medicaid program back to a program that works for the end user.

And when Kim Reynolds tells you that privatized Medicaid is running well, she is either lying or a fool. Neither of those are good qualities for a Governor. 

Posted in 2018 Election Campaign, Blog for Iowa, Iowa Democrats, Kim Reynolds | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Iowa’s Medicaid MCOs Get Another Big Raise

New Ads For Candidates Axne And Finkenauer

Posted on August 25, 2018 by Dave Bradley

Cindy Axne first:

Donation page for Cindy Axne is here.

Abby Finkenauer:

Donation page For Abby Finkenauer is here.

Both of these races look to be tight but winnable. 

In the first district Progress Iowa’s Matt Sinovic notes that Republican candidate Rod Blum misleads Iowans in his new campaign ad:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 21st 2018

CONTACT: Matt Sinovic, matt@progressiowa.org 

Rep. Blum Misleads Iowans in New Campaign Ad

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA — This week, Representative Rod Blum is spending $90,000 to publish a new and misleading ad in front of Iowan voters. He claims that the Republican tax law offered a middle-class tax cut and that Rod Blum grew his business without rigging the system. In reality, the tax law increased profits for the extremely wealthy and Blum himself built his business at the cost of hardworking Iowan families: Blum profited by refusing to pay his employees overtime, avoiding Iowa state taxes, and laying off workers—all to increase his profit at Iowans’ expense. 

In response, Executive Director of Progress Iowa Matt Sinovic released the following statement: 

“After voting for a tax bill that attacked working families while increasing profits for wealthy corporations, Representative Rod Blum has the audacity to run an ad that blatantly rewrites his own business record. Blum ripped off the middle class with his vote, in order to benefit wealthy Republican donors. So let me be clear: Blum has made a living profiting off of the middle class and rigging the system for his own financial gain.

“Blum’s ad misleads voters, but Iowans will not be fooled. We deserve lawmakers who choose to defend working families— not politicians like Rod Blum who only try to profit off of us.” 

Hardly unexpected from a candidate who refuses to meet with constituents. In fact a rather humorous facebook page was created to make fun of the elusive congressman. The page is called “Cardboard Rod Blum” and the cardboard congressman goes where the real congressman fears to tread.  

In both cases these races have been rated tossup with nearly 90 days until the election. This is unusual in Iowa where we tend to reelect Republicans without ever checking their records.

Both Young and Blum are Trump supporters of the first ilk so their fortunes may rise and fall with that of Dear Leader. Lately that has been a pretty straight downward spiral. Both districts have also been highly affected by the ill-conceived tariff policies that the administration imposed that backfired with China. Farmers in both districts may be paying a heavy price for such policies.

Posted in #trumpresistance, 2018 Election Campaign, Blog for Iowa | Tagged , , | Comments Off on New Ads For Candidates Axne And Finkenauer

Robb Hogg Weekend Events

Posted on August 25, 2018 by Dave Bradley

repeal and replace the GOP

Help State Legislative Candidates

Events This Weekend With

Christian Andrews, Marie Gleason,

Dave Dawson, Vicky Brenner,

Tracy Freese and Brenda Brink

Plus the complete list of Democratic candidates seeking to flip seats or hold open seats

 Dear Friends:

I have been knocking a lot of doors, and I can tell you this: With your help, we can flip both the Iowa House and the Iowa Senate in November, and put ordinary working Iowa families first at the Iowa Legislature starting in January. With 75 days to election day, now is a critical time to put state legislative candidates in a position to compete and win across Iowa.

If we flip the Iowa House and Iowa Senate, here is what you would see in 2019:

> Legislators restoring rights for workers and supporting higher wages, not taking away rights and lowering the minimum wage.

> More funding and innovation to make Iowa’s schools the best in the country, and to provide affordable college and job training, not more tax cuts for the wealthiest and more tax giveaways for out-of-state special interests.

> Legislators working to provide quality affordable health care for all, not taking health care away.

> More support for clean energy and clean water.

> More support for safe, healthy, vibrant, inclusive, and growing communities in every county across Iowa.

If you want to help make this vision a reality, there are three things you can do now to help our state legislative candidates across Iowa:

(1) Educate Iowans about the bad things Republicans have done – to workers, education, health care, human services, public safety, natural resources, etc. – and about the good things Democrats have done and want to do.

(2) Push yourself to contribute more financially, the sooner the better, as you are able – this is a “now or never” moment for our state and our country.

(3) Volunteer for candidates who need help at the doors, on the phones, with data entry, with yard signs, and all kinds of other campaign help.

Let me know if you want my help or advice on how to get more involved.

Upcoming Events This Weekend to Help State Legislature Candidates

Here are five upcoming events around the state where you can help state legislative candidates this weekend:

Christian Andrews. Mount Vernon, Saturday, August 25 – Christian is our candidate in Iowa House District 95 against Republican State Rep. Louie Zumbach. I will be attending Christian’s fundraiser this Saturday, August 25, starting at 6:00 p.m. at 203 Old Lincoln Highway in Mount Vernon. For more details, visit:

https://www.facebook.com/events/264965160772947/

Marie Gleason, Bettendorf, Saturday, August 25 – Marie is our candidate in Iowa Senate District 47 against Republican State Senator Roby Smith. I cannot attend, but Marie is holding a canvass this Saturday, August 25, starting at 9:30 a.m. from the Coffee Hound, 3451 Devils Glen Road, in Bettendorf. For more details, visit:

https://www.facebook.com/events/2159234697664125/

Dave Dawson, Correctionville, Saturday, August 25 – Dave is our candidate in Iowa Senate District 3 against Republican State Senator Jim Carlin. I cannot attend, but Dave is holding a town meeting this Saturday, August 25, at noon, at Club Casmo, 517 Driftwood St., in Correctionville. For more details, visit:

https://www.facebook.com/events/449002108940031/

Tracy Freese and Brenda Brink, Nevada, Sunday, August 26 – Tracy is our candidate in Iowa Senate District 25 against Republican State Senator Annette Sweeney and Brenda is our candidate in Iowa House District 49 against Republican State Rep. Dave Deyoe. I cannot attend, but Tracy and Brenda are holding a canvass this Sunday, August 26, starting at 1:00 p.m. from the Starbuck’s Drive-In, 1620 Lincoln Highway, in Nevada. For more details, visit:

https://www.facebook.com/events/581534965595113/

Vicky Brenner, Winterset, Sunday, August 26 – Vicky is our candidate in Iowa Senate District 13 against Republican Senator Julian Garrett. Again, I cannot attend, but Vicky is holding a fundraiser this Sunday, August 26, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Judge Lewis House, 1145 W. Summit Street, in Winterset. For more details, visit:

https://www.facebook.com/events/450325375448943/

Please join in with one or more of these events, and check the entire list of state legislative candidates seeking seats currently held by Republicans or running in open seats (see below) to find someone to help this weekend.

Other Upcoming Events

Here are other upcoming events I will be attending:

West Side Office Opening with Lt. Gov. candidate Rita Hart, Thursday, August 23, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Join me to help open the newest campaign office at 3140 16th Ave. SW. Suite C, Cedar Rapids. For more details, visit:

https://www.facebook.com/events/837965606409425/

Canvass for Abby Finkenauer, Sunday, August 26, 2:00 p.m. Join me to canvass for our candidate for Congress from her campaign office, 1855 1st Ave. SE, in Cedar Rapids. For more details, visit:

https://events.mobilizeamerica.io/finkenauerforcongress/event/13328/

Women’s Equality Day Celebration, Hiawatha, Sunday, August 26, 6:15 p.m. I will be attending this annual celebration of Women’s Equality Day at the Kirkwood Regional Center, 1770 Boyson Road, in Hiawatha. For more details, visit:

https://www.facebook.com/events/2056621024576353/

Presentation on “America 2030” by John Delaney, Cedar Rapids, Tuesday, August 28, 7:00 p.m. I will be attending this presentation by Congressman John Delaney of Maryland at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, 410 3rd Ave. SE, in Cedar Rapids. For more details, visit:

https://www.johnkdelaney.com/event/america-2030-cedar-rapids/

Labor Day Celebration, Monday, September 3, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  I will be helping at this annual celebration at Hawkeye Downs, 4400 6th St. SW, in Cedar Rapids, sponsored by Hawkeye Labor Council.  For more details, visit:

https://www.facebook.com/events/612868595734323/

Social & Fundraiser with Art Staed and Liz Bennett, Cedar Rapids, September 17, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. I will join State Representatives Art Staed and Liz Bennett for this event at La Cantina, 5400 Edgewood Road NE, in Cedar Rapids. For more details, visit:

https://www.facebook.com/events/529593970794978/

You can find more events at my web site: www.robhogg.org.

As always, I hope this information is helpful. Together, with a renewed spirit of citizenship, we can stop and reverse the damage being done to our state and our country, and build a better future for all Iowans and all Americans.

Rob
Senator Rob Hogg
Cedar Rapids
www.robhogg.org

+++++

STATE LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATE LIST (NON-INCUMBENTS)

Senate candidates seeking seats currently held by Republicans:

SD3 – Dave Dawson (Sioux City / LeMars)
SD5 – John O’Brien (Fort Dodge)
SD7 – Jackie Smith (Sioux City)
SD11 – Sara Ramsey (Corning)
SD13 – Vicky Brenner (Indianola)
SD19 – Amber Gustafson (Ankeny)
SD25 – Tracy Freese (Iowa Falls)
SD41 – Mary Stewart, Ed Malloy (Ottumwa / Fairfield)
SD47 – Marie Gleason (Bettendorf)

Senate candidates seeking open seats currently held by Democrats:

SD15 – Dan Nieland (Newton / Altoona)
SD21 – Claire Celsi (West Des Moines)
SD35 – Todd Taylor (Cedar Rapids)
SD37 – Zach Wahls (Coralville / Tipton)
SD49 – Patti Robinson (Clinton)

House candidates seeking seats currently held by Republicans:

HD1 – Karen Larson (Larchwood / Spirit Lake)
HD2 – Ryan Odor (Spencer)
HD5 – Andrew Emanuel (Le Mars)
HD6 – Rita DeJong (Sioux City)
HD7 – Debra Jensen (Estherville / Forest City)
HD8 – Connie Price (Britt / Clarion)
HD10 – Jake Thompson (Rockwell City)
HD12 – Peter Leo (Audubon / Carroll)
HD16 – Steve Gorman (Council Bluffs)
HD17 – Jan Creasman (Onawa / Ida Grove)
HD19 – Gregg Gustafson (Adel)
HD20 – Warren Varley (Guthrie Center / Greenfield)
HD21 – Denise O’Brien (Atlantic / Creston)
HD22 – Ray Stevens (Avoca)
HD23 – Chuck Larson (Glenwood / Red Oak)
HD24 – James Uhlenkamp (Mount Ayr)
HD25 – Ryan Marquardt (Winterset)
HD27 – Richard Foster (Osceola)
HD28 – Ann Fields (Knoxville)
HD30 – Kent Balduchi (Altoona)
HD37 – Andrew Rasmussen (Ankeny)
HD38 – Heather Matson (Ankeny)
HD39 – Karin Derry (Johnston)
HD42 – Kristin Sunde (West Des Moines)
HD43 – Jennifer Konfrst (Clive)
HD44 – Kenan Judge (Waukee)
HD47 – David Weaver (Boone)
HD48 – Tim Winter (Webster City)
HD49 – Brenda Brink (Nevada / Eldora)
HD50 – Dennis Evans (Iowa Falls / Grundy Center)
HD51 – Tim Knutson (Osage)
HD55 – Kayla Koether (Decorah)
HD56 – Lori Egan (Waukon)
HD57 – Nancy Fett (Dyersville)
HD58 – Joe Oclon (Bellevue / Maquoketa)
HD60 – David Williams (Cedar Falls)
HD63 – Eric Stromberg (Waverly)
HD67 – Eric Gjerde (Hiawatha)
HD68 – Molly Donahue (Marion)
HD72 – Mindy Benson (Tama / Toledo)
HD73 – Jodi Clemens (Tipton)
HD75 – Paula Denison (Vinton)
HD76 – Ann Egley (Williamsburg / Grinnell)
HD78 – Kimberly Davis (Washington / Sigourney)
HD79 – Samantha Keith (Oskaloosa / Pella)
HD80 – Susan McDanel (Albia / Centerville)
HD84 – Jason Moats (Mt. Pleasant)
HD88 – Lanny Hillyard (Mediapolis / Columbus Junction)
HD91 – Laura Liegois (Muscatine)
HD92 – Jean Simpson (Eldridge)
HD94 – Joan Marttila (Bettendorf)
HD95 – Christian Andrews (Center Point / Central City / Mt. Vernon)
HD96 – Reenie Montgomery (Manchester / Monticello)
HD97 – Tim McClimon (DeWitt)

House candidates seeking open seats currently held by Democrats:

HD9 – Megan Srinivas (Fort Dodge)
HD70 – Tracy Ehlert (Cedar Rapids)
HD83 – Jeff Kurtz (Keokuk / Fort Madison)
HD99 – Lindsay James (Dubuque)

Posted in #trumpresistance, 2018 Election Campaign, Blog for Iowa, Rob Hogg | Tagged | Comments Off on Robb Hogg Weekend Events

Back To School With State Senator Joe Bolkcom

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Paul Deaton

State Senator Joe Bolkcom

By State Senator Joe Bolkcom

Where did the summer go! Time is moving on! The signs of a new school year are everywhere! Good luck to all our students getting back to school! We have our work cut out for us to continue to improve our schools and support of teachers!

Turning Iowa Schooling into Career Success

Iowa continually has the best high school graduation rate in the country, with more than 90 percent of students graduating on time.

That’s one of the stats highlighted in the annual Kids Count Report.

This is good news that we need to build upon by ensuring Iowa students are getting the preparation they need to take on the opportunities that await them. However, the report also tells us Iowa ranks 46th in the number of people ages 25 to 34 that have earned a degree beyond high school.

We must do better. Iowa businesses say their biggest problem is getting enough qualified workers to fill job openings, and 70 percent of Iowa’s workforce is projected to need education or training beyond high school by 2025.

Republican budget cuts to higher education have forced increases in tuition, cuts to financial aid and program offerings, larger class sizes and other challenges that make it more difficult for Iowans to further their education and job training after high school.

Student debt is already among the biggest problems facing our state, according to an Iowa Poll earlier this year. When they finish college, 68 percent of Iowans are in debt.

It won’t get better any time soon unless we act. In fact, Iowa State University is seeking to raise tuition seven percent each of next five years.

Affordable college and job training is critical to growing our economy, and we can make it happen when we Put Iowans First.

Three Ways Iowa Schools Do More with Less

This fall, students are returning to schools that have faced ongoing budget cuts. Iowa has seen record-low investment in K-12 education under Republican leadership over the last several years.

While state revenues grew by 4.9 percent over last year, funding for schools went up just one percent. Yet Statehouse Republicans approved a $62 million tax cut for millionaires in 2019, almost double what they added to K-12 funding for this year.

While most schools have been forced to scale back because of misplaced Republican budget priorities, I’m proud of the way educators are innovating and stretching their dollars to boost student learning.

Here are three examples:

Sharing – Since 2008, many Iowa schools have shared some staff and administrative positions, including superintendents, business management, human resources, transportation and maintenance. The state provides financial incentives to schools that opt to share positions. Ultimately, the schools and the state save money while boosting educational excellence. Last year, 230 districts got state incentive money to share administrators. It promotes good working relationships between neighboring school districts and helps smaller schools meet students’ educational needs with limited resources.

Flexibility – Schools are taking advantage of opportunities for flexibility in how they use funding to more effectively meet unique local needs. For example, some schools need to focus more on programs to help kids stay in school and on track to graduate, while others may need to purchase safety equipment for sports or use available funding to cover student lunch debt.

AP coursework – A Des Moines Register story this summer highlighted how Iowa schools increasingly use Advanced Placement coursework to up the rigor and expand learning opportunities in their classrooms. While many students take AP courses to earn college credit, those who don’t pass their AP exams still gain a lot by tackling more complex material that prepares them for problem solving in college and on the job. Iowa City has three schools doing a lot with AP coursework: West Senior High School, Regina High School and Iowa City High School.

K-12 Opportunities Expand Outside the Classroom

Over the last decade, schools across Iowa have expanded learning and teaching outside the school building. Providing real-world work experience as part of academic curricula brings together schools, businesses and organizations to educate our youth.

The idea of infusing entrepreneurship into education has spurred much enthusiasm. It can equip students with the skills they need to succeed in today’s turbulent economy.

Entrepreneurship isn’t about thinking up a new or complicated business. It can be as simple as babysitting, yard work or dog walking. Going through the process of treating money-making activities as a business gives students valuable life experience in organizing paperwork, registering an entity, and getting a business license and tax identification number.

Apprenticeships for high school students are also gaining popularity as a way to address Iowa’s workforce needs. This summer, Iowa introduced a High School Registered Apprenticeship Playbook to help guide employers, schools and students through the process of implementing a local program. The combination of classroom instruction and on-the-job experience allows students to gain skills and learn about career opportunities, while helping businesses find and train the right people to fill their job openings.

Closing Labor Center: One More Attack on Iowa Workers

In July, University of Iowa officials announced—without warning or input—that they were closing seven centers and cutting funding for others. Among those slated to close is the Labor Center. To many, this is just another attack on workers led by Republicans in the legislature and the administration.

The Labor Center, established in 1951, provides direct education for more than 2,500 Iowa workers across the state each year. These workers learn about health and safety laws, anti-discrimination laws, workers compensation laws and leadership skills that they can share in their workplace and community. The Center also serves as a resource on labor and employment law for faculty and students.

While UI has touted the closing as part of an effort to put more resources into student education, the money saved will be kept by the College of Law, and the University will lose almost $1 million in federal grants as a result.

Public hearings throughout the state are allowing Iowans to speak up on the Labor Center’s value to workers and communities. You can also contact UI administrators directly to ask them to reverse course and continue the Labor Center’s mission.

In addition, Iowans are encouraged to attend the Board of Regents meeting on Sept. 12 and 13 to make their voices heard.

To find a Labor Center public hearing, sign the petition and get contact information for UI officials, go to saveourlaborcenter.com.

~ State Senator Joe Bolkcom (D-Iowa City) is an Assistant Leader and ranking member on the Appropriations Committee. He also serves on the Human Resources and Ways & Means committees, as well as the Health & Human Services Budget. This post was excerpted from his Aug. 20 legislative newsletter.

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Iowa Democratic Veterans Caucus Shunned

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Paul Deaton

The Author with Veterans the Iowa State Fair Veterans Day Parade, Aug. 17, 2009.

The 2018 midterms are going to be a pisser and nothing indicates the bitter intensity of the upcoming electoral contest like publicly shunning the Iowa Democratic Veterans Caucus.

Whether or not there should be a veterans caucus, and a state central committee seat for veterans, is an open question. So few people participate in this caucus — and there are tens of thousands of Democratic veterans — the Iowa Democratic Veterans Caucus is not representative of any but a select few veterans’ views. That’s a problem.

However, thanks to the Reynolds administration, which ejected the group from participation in the State Fair veterans day parade, there may be a renewed interest in the caucus. The Iowa Democratic Party has certainly been more interested, making political hay out of the public shunning. The IDVC itself has been fund raising with twitter posts over the brouhaha.

Any veteran should know what I posted on twitter:

Truth be told EVERY veterans group that was at the parades I participated in had a political axe to grind. The idea veterans parades are apolitical is bunkum.

If we are going to shun veterans groups from the State Fair veterans day parade for political affiliations, let’s start with the American Legion which has a registered lobbyist in Des Moines.

I’ve written many times about being a veteran and this rings true today:

When I left the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry, and the Robert E. Lee Barracks in Mainz-Gonsenheim, Germany, I returned my service revolver to the arms room and never looked back. It was with a sense of duty, family tradition and adventure that I had entered the post Vietnam Army. My enlistment was finished, I resigned my commission and like many soldiers turned civilian, my main interest was in getting back to “normal,” whatever that was.

Many veterans are Iowans and it was wrong for the Reynolds administration to begin politicizing the State Fair veterans day parade. She attempted to dodge responsibility, but how is that possible for a sitting governor?

I thought I’d gotten back to normal after my military service. Thanks to this Republican government I need to talk more about my time in the military and the Democratic values so many of my colleagues then held. It’s something I’d much rather let lay, but in an election where everything is politicized, to walk away from it would be neglecting my own responsibilities. That’s something a soldier rarely does.

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Jeff Sessions Is Overworked

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Paul Deaton

Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, 1937-38 term. Sitting, from left to right, Justices Sutherland and McReynolds, Chief Justice Hughes, Justices Brandeis and Butler. Standing, left to right, Justices Cardozo, Stone, Roberts, and Black. Photo Credit – Getty Images

Poor Jeff Sessions seemed overworked at an event in Des Moines last week. Sessions is the 84th Attorney General of the United States and apparently a snowflake.

In a room full of judges and lawyers Sessions assailed the judicial branch of government for obstructing the 45th president’s agenda, according to an article in the Aug. 17 Cedar Rapids Gazette. Executive branchers seem to believe their agenda is the only important part of governance and all others should bow down in obeyance.

The flurry of executive orders, proclamations, memoranda, nominations and appointments issued by this president have created a massive workload to hear Sessions tell it. That’s not to mention the lawsuits filed to protect citizens from the troop of marauding grifters the Trump cabinet has proven to be.

Sessions enumerated concerns about his health and some anxiety:

“I may have withdrawal symptoms when this thing is over. The constant criticism kind of wakes you up in the morning. ‘What are they going to say today,’” Sessions was quoted as saying in the Gazette article. “I’ve got lawyers, 100,000 people in the Department of Justice who represent all these federal agencies with all their millions of employees and I’m expected to know everything that’s happening. And when it doesn’t get right, they’re going to put me in jail. That’s kind of sometimes the way I feel about it.”

Poor peanut. Being attorney general is hard.

The 2016 general election was as much about the judiciary as the executive branch. Not only did the Republican Senate obstruct the nomination of Merrick Garland to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Obama, the current president will appoint two and maybe more associate justices cut from a conservative mold. In addition, the administration is populating the federal judiciary with judges vetted for conservative views. Even if the current judiciary favors Democrats, Trump’s minions are working to change that.

There is a long tail on the process — it will be no relief for the attorney general.

Perhaps most telling in the Trumpian storm of executive orders and deregulation is on Aug. 16, a federal judge “issued a nationwide injunction against the EPA’s delay of the 2015 Water of the U.S. rule, which extended federal safeguards to 2 million miles of streams and 20 million acres of wetlands, securing the drinking water of more than 117 million Americans,” according to Huffington Post. WOTUS has been the bane of regulation for U.S. Senator Joni Ernst who has been resisting it since first proposed during the Obama administration. Not so fast General Sessions. more work for you to do. There are laws on the books and the judiciary said in this case you and your boss have to follow them.

I don’t know what people do under pressure in Alabama where Jeff Sessions was born. However, Democratic President Harry Truman has some advice: “If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.”

Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III should quit whining and get to work. If it’s too much, resign. Some Alabama peckerwood that reveres his namesakes would no doubt welcome him back. Many of us are already working toward a replacement in 2021.

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Newspapers Are Working – So Subscribe

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Paul Deaton

Solon Economist – 2016

Despite significant decreases in staff and other expenses, many newspapers crank out stories relevant to our daily lives.

For example, Jason Clayworth and Brianne Pfannenstiel published a full-page article about Democratic gubernatorial candidate Fred Hubbell’s tenure at Younkers in the Gannett newspapers on Monday. I don’t know how many people will read the article but the fact newspapers crank out copy for Iowans addicted to politics says something positive about the fourth estate, even if having to re-litigate the quotes attributable to the Iowa GOP is somewhat annoying.

Also on Monday, the Cedar Rapids Gazette had front page, above the fold coverage of 2020 Democratic presidential candidate John Delaney’s completion of a 99-county tour of Iowa. Delaney won’t likely be our next president but having the field to himself gives him name recognition he won’t be able to get once more Democrats jump into the presidential race.

I’m told newspapers run non-political stories as well.

Blog for Iowa encourages people who read newspaper coverage on line to subscribe. Without paid readership advertisers won’t buy ads. Without revenue, newspapers will cease to exist. If newspapers cease to exist… well that would be a much different bag of cats. In fact, I predict cats and dogs is all you will read about. While personal, funny, sad, and sometimes delightful, a story about pets is not news.

There may be no saving larger newspapers. As we’ve seen in our county, large news organizations are consolidating, and local coverage has been stripped from daily ink. Instead of getting the Iowa City Press Citizen, most people here read the Cedar Rapids Gazette because of its breadth and depth of coverage. There isn’t even a Sunday edition of the Press Citizen here, and the opinion page runs only a couple of times a week. Team Gannett produces valuable coverage, but it is not local. It is not enough.

Small, local papers with subscriptions of a thousand readers are doing well in Iowa, so if your community has one, spend the nominal annual fee and subscribe. It’s a great place to start and coverage of city council, school board and community activities is second to none. Even though your large local paper may be on the decline, subscribe. I prefer digital so I don’t have to recycle the newsprint. But either way would be better than the alternative.

Thomas Jefferson is reputed to have said, “Were it left to me to decide if we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

Just imagine what our lives would be like with government but no newspapers. Subscribe.

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