Leaving CAFOs Behind

Posted on September 20, 2024 by Trish Nelson

** JFAN ANNUAL MEETING **

Is it possible to transform a factory farm into a sustainable farming operation? YES! Find out how these two farming families did that in two very different ways!

LEAVING CAFOS BEHIND
Diverse Opportunities for Independent Family Farmers

WEDNESDAY, October 2 at 7 pm Via Zoom*

REGISTER HERE

TIM, DELEANA AND CURT ROSELAND Niman Ranch Hog Farmers

TIM, DELEANA AND CURT ROSELAND
Niman Ranch Hog Farmers

TANNER FAABORG
1100 Farm – Specialty Mushrooms

What does it take for a CAFO operator to transform a farm into an independent, sustainable farming operation? Two different farming families will share their different journeys in how they accomplished this at the upcoming JFAN Annual Meeting.

TIM, DELEANA, AND CURT ROSELAND
Niman Ranch Hog Farmers

Why they first raised hogs in confinement
What precipitated the Roseland’s decision to switch to hoop house operations and what it took to do that
Benefits the Roselands and community experienced from their transition
The experience of their Army veteran son, Curt, joining the family farm
Why Curt encourages other young farmers to raise hogs independently and traditionally

TANNER FAABORG
1100 Farm Growing Specialty Mushrooms

What it was like running a CAFO as a contract grower for Iowa Select
Why the family decided to stop operating their CAFO
How Tanner inspired his family to grow specialty mushrooms and, in the process, begin rewilding the farm
How he convinced his brother, a lifelong Iowa Select employee, to join him in the business
Tanner’s vision for 1100 Farm to be a demonstration hub for agricultural diversification

PLUS:

Alicia LaPorte, Niman Ranch Executive Director, with findings of a 2019 Iowa State University report on how much Niman Ranch’s independent livestock producers contribute to Iowa’s economy.

Kara Shannon, Director of Farm Animal Welfare Policy at the ASPCA, with a brief overview and status report of the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act being negotiated in the Farm Bill that could hurt farmers like the Roselands.

An audience Question and Answer session will follow the presentations.

The JFAN Annual Meeting is free and will be held via Zoom. Registration is required and you can do that here.

Click here for more information on the meeting and speakers.

A Very Big THANK YOU to All Our Corporate Sponsors!

Aeron Lifestyle Technology, Inc.
American Choice Water
Bob Ferguson Wellness
Centered Wealth
Everybody’s Whole Foods
Frontline Print and Web
Green Building Supply
Green Gourmet
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
Poweshiek CARES
Radiance Dairy
Radiant Health Imaging
Soil Technologies Corp.
Southeast Iowa Sierra Club
The Organic and Non-GMO Report
Vastu Partners

 

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New Polling Shows Tied Race For Christina Bohannan

Posted on September 19, 2024 by Trish Nelson

Check out Bohannan’s new ad below. Donate to her campaign here.

Today, the Christina Bohannan for Congress campaign released new internal polling showing a dead heat between Christina and Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

Despite Miller-Meeks’ allies spending $1.29 million to boost her on TV, Christina has pulled even at 47%-47%. Miller-Meeks’ job disapproval (46%) has increased by 8 points since May, largely driven by non-partisan voters.

Miller-Meeks was already disliked by her own party, winning her June primary with only 56% of the vote against a challenger who raised virtually no money. Now, she’s struggling with non-partisan voters as well.

Christina has been building a strong campaign since launching, outraising Miller-Meeks every quarter and surpassing her in cash on hand.

The Normington Petts poll was conducted August 27-29, 2024 with 400 likely voters. The sampling error is plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

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In Case You Were Thinking About Voting For Trump..

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Trish Nelson


Big news. The Des Moines Register Iowa Poll shows Trump has tanked in Iowa, losing fourteen percentage points since Kamala Harris entered the race.  Now that the race appears to be somewhat competitive in our fair state, let’s review what life was like under Trump.

Of all the things, what do you think was the worst thing Trump did as president?  Let us know your top pick in the comments.  My personal favorite was the hilarious fake elector scheme.  There are so many to choose from!  Take a walk down memory lane. Watch and share this video with friends who are undecided.  And remember, the vast majority of the republican party supported him, lied for him, covered for him, and enabled him.

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Ethics Complaint Accuses Miller-Meeks Of Voting Illegally

Posted on September 17, 2024 by Trish Nelson

Ethics Complaint Accuses Miller-Meeks Of Voting Illegally

“It appears she is violating Iowa voting law by remaining registered to vote and voting in a county and precinct where she does not reside.”

In a complaint filed to the House Committee on Ethics, a constituent is alleging Mariannette Miller-Meeks has violated state law and voted illegally in multiple elections.

Iowa state law requires voters to register to vote at their primary address and vote in the county where they primarily reside – but it appears Miller-Meeks has blatantly disregarded the law.

Miller-Meeks has repeatedly registered to vote and voted in Scott County – but multiple public records, including tax records and Miller-Meeks’ own campaign forms, indicate her primary address is in Wapello County.

The complaint also alleges Miller-Meeks has violated House ethics rules by flouting state law.

DCCC Spokesperson Mallory Payne:

“Miller-Meeks will do anything to keep her seat and continue delivering for her special interest donors – even, it would appear, violating state law to commit voter fraud. Iowans know Miller-Meeks is just another DC politician who isn’t looking out for them.”

The Quad-City Times:  LeClaire resident files request for ethics investigation into Miller-Meeks’ voting address

Sarah Watson | September 12, 2024

A LeClaire resident has mailed a request for the federal Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ voting address.

The Miller-Meeks campaign did not respond to a request for comment for this article.

Iowa election law…defines a voter’s residence as “the place which the person declares is the person’s home with the intent to remain there permanently or for a definite, or indefinite, or indeterminable length of time.”

In late October 2022, Miller-Meeks changed her registration from her long-time Ottumwa address to the address of the home of a state senator in LeClaire.

According to voting records from Scott County, Miller-Meeks voted in the 2022 general election in Scott County.

Just before the June 4 primary election this year, Miller-Meeks changed her registered voting address to a Davenport apartment on Jersey Ridge Road and voted in the primary election.

According to Keuhl’s request for investigation, Miller-Meeks and her husband, Curtis Meeks, have owned 33 acres of land in Ottumwa since purchasing it in March 2003 and the couple constructed their home in 2004.

The most recent property tax statement, included Keuhl’s request, lists that Miller-Meeks and her husband received a homestead credit for the property in the past two tax periods; Miller-Meeks reported in congressional disclosure reports that she has a mortgage on her “personal residence in Ottumwa” in 2022 and 2023; and campaign contributions list her Ottumwa address as her mailing address.

“Though Miller-Meeks has been registered to vote at various addresses in Scott County for nearly two years now, the facts presented above strongly suggest that her residence — the home where she lives and the primary home where she sleeps at night — is in Wapello County,” the request states. “…Thus, it appears she is violating Iowa voting law by remaining registered to vote and voting in a county and precinct where she does not reside.”

Keuhl alleges that if Miller-Meeks provided an incorrect address for voting purposes, she violates U.S. House rules that require members to “conduct (themselves) at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditability on the House” and allows the ethics committee to deal with members’ violations of the law.

PAID FOR BY DCCC. DCCC.ORG. NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE’S COMMITTEE

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Yard Signs, Climate Actions, Workshops, Events

Posted on September 16, 2024 by Trish Nelson

Upcoming actions to share with your friends from the desk of Rob Hogg:  Scroll down to find out where to get a yard sign.

This email is to share a list of upcoming political and nonpartisan opportunities for climate action in Iowa. Now is an important time to get more involved in the way that works best for you. I hope one or more of these opportunities will work for you.

POLITICAL

1. Climate Voters for Harris and Walz hold a weekly phone bank on Thursdays at 5 p.m. Iowa time. Here is a link where you can connect to that:
https://events.democrats.org/event/677302/

2. The national Sierra Club is writing letters to voters in swing states to encourage them to vote. Here is a link to sign up for the letter writing training and program through the Sierra Club:
https://www.mobilize.us/sierraclubpolitical/event/669970/

3. In Iowa, I am helping organize a “meet and greet” with state legislative environmental leaders on Friday, September 27, at 10 a.m. at the Linn County Democratic headquarters, 3621 First Ave. SE, in Cedar Rapids (Town and Country Center). State Rep. Chuck Isenhart of Dubuque and State Rep. Art Staed of Cedar Rapids are scheduled to speak. These candidates (and others) need our volunteer and financial support to win and protect the environment in Iowa. For more details, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1509196750481346

4. If you would like a Harris-Walz yard sign, please order one (and get extras to share with your local Democratic Party). Here are three options:

Iowa Democratic Party ($5 per sign): https://secure.actblue.com/donate/idpharriswalzyardsign
Harris-Walz Campaign ($20 per sign): https://store.kamalaharris.com
Iowans for Harris ($29 per sign): https://www.raygunsite.com/collections/iowans-for-kamala

5. Early in-person voting begins at your county auditor’s office on Wednesday, October 16, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. I will be voting at the Linn County auditor’s office on that day. Here is a Facebook event page you can share to encourage others to vote early:
https://www.facebook.com/events/448703438032356/

NONPARTISAN EVENTS

1. Prairiewoods in Hiawatha is hosting a program, “Peaceful Energy for Renewing the Earth,” either in person or virtually, on Wednesday, September 18, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. It will feature Erin Lothes,PhD, a Catholic theologian and author of “Inspired Sustainability: Planting Seeds for Action” (2016). There is a $10 charge to attend this event. Here is a link with more details and registration information:
https://pw.retreatportal.com/events/

2. Iowa Interfaith Power & Light is holding a “faith field day” at Whiterock Conservancy at the historic Garst Farm near Coon Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday, September 21, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. There is no charge to attend. Here is a link with more details and registration information:
https://iowaipl.org/2024/08/19/grounded-and-grateful-a-faith-field-day-on-soil-and-spirituality/

3. The Iowa Environmental Council is hosting its annual conference at Drake University in Des Moines on Tuesday, September 24, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is a charge to attend this event. Here is a link with more details and registration information:
https://www.iaenvironment.org/get-involved/council-events/2024conference

4. Iowa Interfaith Power & Light is holding a workshop on “climate informed ministry” on Sunday, October 6, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the “greenest church in Iowa,” the Unitarian Universalist Society, 2355 Oakdale Road, in Coralville, Iowa. There is no charge to attend this event. Here is a link with more details and registration information:
https://iowaipl.org/2024/08/19/climate-informed-ministry/

5. Citizens Climate Lobby is holding its regional conference in Okoboji on Friday, October 11 through Sunday, October 13. The regional conference will bring together CCL members from across our region (Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota). It has expert speakers and time for getting to know people and enjoying the Okoboji area. There is a charge to attend and for overnight lodging. Here is a link with more details and registration information:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-ccl-north-wind-regional-conference-uniting-voices-igniting-solutions-tickets-954374739537

As always, let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. Together, we can safeguard our people, our property, and the places we love from the accelerating danger from climate change.

Rob Hogg (retired state senator)
2750 Otis Road SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52403
(319) 247-0223

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Sunday Funday: Cats, Dogs And Othering Edition

Posted on September 15, 2024 by Dave Bradley

From the Lincoln Project (1 minute)

One of the MAGA party’s major strategies for turning out their kind of voter is to divide the country into “us” and “the others.” One of the main strategies to use against “others” is to dehumanize people who may have differences from our norms. At the next level they often create some practices that the “others” are claimed to do that “we” would see as below humans.

So it is no surprise that some MAGA started a story that a group of “others” were eating pets in an area where these “others” had been welcomed. The purpose of the pet eating stories is to dehumanize these people, much as it has been used to dehumanize previous groups of people throughout history.

The really sad part of this tale is that so many MAGAs accepted this dehumanizing story without any verification. The saddest part is that the leader of the MAGA movement tried to give credence to this story on national TV during a massively watched presidential debate.

Scares the bejeebers out of me to think this moron may be making decisions based on unfounded rumors. That is truly, truly frightening!

9/11 slipped by almost unnoticed as the media once again focused on the presidential horse race. And the WNBA season ends next week. How did that Clark girl do?

A) DonOLD Trump suggested he believed the story of the pets being eaten because he had heard it where?

B) The pet eating supposedly took place in what city?

C) Fox News went crazy over what they saw as a slight when Transportation Secretary Pete Buttiegieg failed to invite Tesla to a “tailpipe conference.” Why was Tesla not invited?

D) What did VP Harris do at the very beginning of the debate that threw Candidate Trump off?

E)  What annual national observance seemed to fade into the background in the aftermath of the previous night’s presidential debate?

F) A court in Washington cleared the way for betting to happen on what last remaining untouched aspect (by betting) of American life?

G) What current squeeze of MAGA presidential candidate DonOLD Trump started the social media rumor that VP Kamala Harris’s earrings were earphones?

H) What major singing star drove a huge amount of younger people to register to vote in the days after the debate with he endorsement of Kamala Harris?

I) In real world political maneuvering, MAGAs moved closer to causing what to happen at the end of September?

J) Several public buildings in what city had to evacuate due to threats stemming from disinformation spread by MAGA presidential candidate Trump during the debate?

K) In Nashville, Tennessee what major rock star stopped a suicide attempt when he talked a woman out of jumping off a bridge?

L) Here we go with the private equity vulture capitalism. What major discount retailer will be almost wholly devoured by Nexus Capital Management in a chapter 11 bankruptcy?

M) Which Major League Baseball team is closing in quickly on the record number of losses for a season? (The record is 120 by the 1962 Mets)

N) As if this company doesn’t have enough problems they are now facing a strike by machinists in their home plant in Seattle, Washington?

O) When asked by VP Harris what Trump’s health care plan was, Trump responded by saying he had what?

P) What country quickly noted in response to a debate remark by Candidate Trump that they are over 50% renewable energy and is shutting down coal and nuclear plants?

Q) VP Harris’s mention of what ancestral group in Pennsylvania prompted a swelling of pride in what European country?

R) Polaris Dawn was something that caught the public’s attention for a few minutes last week. What was Polaris Dawn?

S) Last week started much as many weeks start anymore, with a mass shooting. In what state did a shooter start firing at cars on I-75 last Saturday night?

T) As we enter the candy time of year, the price of what commodity used in many candies, has more than doubled this year

“When you see Trump with Putin, as I have on a few occasions, he’s like the 12-year old boy that goes to high school and meets the captain of the football team. ‘My hero!’ It’s really creepy.”   – Malcolm Turnbull, 29th Prime Minister of Australia

Answers:

A) television

B) Springfield, Ohio 

C) The conference was about pollution coming from the tailpipe. Tesla has no tailpipe

D) She walked to his podium and shook hi hand

E) 9/11 remembrances

F) betting on elections

G) Laura Loomer

H) Taylor Swift

I) shutting down the government. Candidate Trump has already called for a shutdown

J) Springfield, Ohio. Buildings included city hall and schools.

K) Bon Jovi

L) Big Lots

M) Chicago White Sox – may hit it next weekend

N) Boeing

O) “Concepts of a plan”

P) Germany

Q) Poland. Harris mentioned the 800,000 Americans of Polish heritage in Pennsylvania

R) the first private spacewalk mission by SpaceX

S) Kentucky. The shooter is still at large

T) chocolate – many factors including a severe drought in west Africa

Politics aside, America saw a man who has no business being near the levers of power. Simply put, he’s crazy. – Stephen King

{if Stephen King says Trump is crazy, believe him}

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Should He Step Aside?

Posted on September 14, 2024 by Dave Bradley

tip of the hat to democraticunderground.co m

It’s deja vu all over again, as Yogi supposedly once said. Seems like we went down this path once before about three months ago. A party leader coming off a really bad debate performance that raises questions about their ability to fulfill the job they are aspiring to. In that case it was Joe Biden as the party leader coming off a bad performance.

That is pretty much where any similarity ends. DonOLD Trump gave a horrible performance the other day. When the same happened to President Biden a few months ago America woke up to calls for Biden to step aside the next morning. Those calls then snowballed into a national obsession within a few days. Among those calling for Biden’s stepping aside included many well known Democrats and media outlets.

Here we are just a few months late with a national party candidate coming off a really bad performance and the national media is not calling for him to step aside, nor are any in his party calling for his removal. 

What a great example of how the national media treats Democrats much differently from MAGAs. With the Democratic Party we have the press acting as the founders had hoped as they cast a critical eye on those in power and those seeking power. The press was expected to be a firewall of sorts against those seeking to become oligarchs or dictators.

In the press’s relationship with the MAGA party and especially with its leader, DonOLD Trump we seldom hear criticism of any kind. His rants and crazy statements (for instance about immigrants) are carried by the media without correction or fact checking. Seldom are policies from the Trump administration analyzed. 

The Trump administration so totally screwed up the pandemic response that it has been estimated that as many as a million more Americans died than should have. Yet we seldom hear any analysis of this. Nor do we hear about how badly the economy was screwed up after Trump. 

Lack of good solid analysis allows distorted reports from corporate media to become the go to stories on this recent history. As the old saying goes, nature abhors a vacuum and in this case a lack of reality from trusted sources allows the lies and distortions to fill in. The vacuum.

Had Joe Biden or even Kamala Harris put up such a gawd awful performance Tuesday, the corporate press would have been knives out Wednesday morning calling for a removal. As it was Trump the corporate media was pretty docile.

With that as a basis, what becomes of the MAGA movement and its barely disguised internal war with the old Republican Party after this coming election.

Should DonOLD win, expect a purge of dissidents. Now they can’t expel people, but they can make it uncomfortable. And I doubt that those former Republicans who came out for Harris would hate to be part of a party whose goal is to destroy our government.

The Cheneys, people like Joe Walsh and just recently Alberto Gonzalez and perhaps 25% of the once Republican Party will be looking for a home. I know not where that is, but it probably will not be the Democratic Party. Will they continue to fight to take their party back? It would be hard if the president was working to clean out his party.

Should Trump lose, will corporate media finally quit following him? Or will they continue to give trump the huge platform he has had for a decade? Will they will follow his expected claims of a rigged election just as they do now? Will corporate media give some time and credence to opposition inside the now very divided Republican Party?

One of the things we have learned is that courage is in very short supply among the MAGAs. Where are the leaders standing up against Trump? Outside of a few voices they are non-existent. Which should give voters real concerns about voting for such cowards. 

How can you vote for someone to be a leader in the future when they have failed so miserably at perceiving and doing something about a real threat to our democracy in DonOLD Trump. Voting for a Republican or a MAGA even at the county or state level is giving approval to this cowardice.

 

 

 

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Medicare Advantage – Republican Fail

Posted on September 14, 2024 by Dave Bradley

Why I Would Never Choose Medicare Advantage (16:45 but well worth the time)

After the hooping and hollering of the election season is done then comes the real work of governing. One of the most divisive of issues is health care. One of the biggest reasons is race. MAGA and their intellectual predecessors – Republicans and earlier Southern Democrats – refuse to “give” anything to the “others” in this society.

The “others” in this society are basically anyone who isn’t white and male. So that means blacks, women, Latinos and Asians and Pacific Islanders. One of their other criteria is that somebody make a profit, a big profit if possible, on health care.

So as I was listening to some NPR radio out of Minnesota – sort of a hobby of mine to listen to radio around the country – I heard a short story that a hospital system in Minnesota will quit taking a specific Medicare Advantage (I so hate that name) because their payment rate is so low and often very late if at all.

This is something that has been happening across the country for about a year or so. Medicare Advantage companies, just like their for profit cousins, makes money when they don’t pay for what should be covered services. 

This leaves the client with a bill at a time in life when their income is probably limited and their options to contest the bill are limited. Whatever service they got had been pre-approved and then the insurance company reversed their approval.

From Health Care Innovations  we get the story that is being repeated more and more frequently across the country:

The trend of health systems ending relationships with Medicare Advantage plans continues, with Essentia Health informing patients that, due to excessive prior authorization requirements and denial of care, it will no longer will serve as an in-network provider for Medicare Advantage plans administered by UnitedHealthcare (UHC) and Humana, effective Jan. 1, 2025.

Duluth, Minn.-based Essentia Health is an integrated health system with 14 hospitals serving patients in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. It says that UHC and Humana delay and deny approval of care for its patients at more than twice the rate of other Medicare Advantage plans. This can cause unnecessary hardships for many Essentia patients, it claims.

“Like many other health systems, we have been re-evaluating our participation in Medicare Advantage plans that place added strain on our patients by too often denying or delaying their care,” said Cathy Cantor, M.D., M.B.A., Essentia’s chief medical officer for population health, in a statement. “This was not a decision we made lightly. The frequent denials and associated delays negatively impact our ability to provide the timely and appropriate care our patients deserve. This is the right thing to do for the people we are honored to serve.”

Physicians for a National Health care Policy (PNHP) ran a story on this last fall.  

Medicare Advantage provides health coverage to more than half of the nation’s seniors, but a growing number of hospitals and health systems nationwide are pushing back and dropping the private plans altogether.

Among the most commonly cited reasons are excessive prior authorization denial rates and slow payments from insurers. Some systems have noted that most MA carriers have faced allegations of billing fraud from the federal government and are being probed by lawmakers over their high denial rates.

“It’s become a game of delay, deny and not pay,” Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of San Diego-based Scripps Health, told Becker’s. “Providers are going to have to get out of full-risk capitation because it just doesn’t work — we’re the bottom of the food chain, and the food chain is not being fed.”

In late September, Scripps began notifying patients that it is terminating Medicare Advantage contracts for its integrated medical groups, a move that will affect more than 30,000 seniors in the region. The medical groups, Scripps Clinic and Scripps Coastal, employ more than 1,000 physicians, including advanced practitioners.

One reason to bring this up right now is that we are moving into the annual Medicare sign up period. The Advantage plans offer lots of baubles with. Their programs, but the basic package is unsound and filled with pitfalls. The most important pitfall is that they may not pay for a service leaving the client (you) stuck with a huge medical bill.

Medicare Advantage (did I mention I hate that name?) is a product of the George W. Bush presidency and a Republican dominated congress that essentially took our money and handed it to the privatized insurance companies. The insurance company’s goal is to make money, not your health.

So as you get inundated with Medicare schemes this fall you have been warned that Medicare Advantage

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Keep Democratic Momentum Going In Iowa

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Trish Nelson

JoCo state reps Adam Zabner-Amy Nielsen-Elinor Levin-Dave Jacoby

Don’t forget to attend this great event in Johnson county today. Here is the info. from State Rep. Adam Zabner.  Also, link here to listen to a 15-minute conversation on Iowa politics 2024 with Leader Konfrst and Paul Deaton.

Are You Feeling the Momentum? 

Democrats across the country and Iowa are feeling fired up! With just 8 weeks left until election day, it’s our job to make sure that Democratic campaigns are ready to go. Join our four Johnson County House Democrats and Leader Jennifer Konfrst this Friday to help support Democrats running for key seats in the Iowa House.

You are Invited To Join

Johnson County State Representatives

Adam Zabner

Amy Nielsen

Dave Jacoby

Elinor Levin

In Welcoming

House Democratic Leader

JENNIFER KONFRST

Friday September 13th

6:00pm to 8:00pm

North Ridge Pavillion

2250 Holiday Rd. Coralville, IA 52241

Food, drinks, and family-friendly activities!

DONATE

 

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Barn Sign Madness!!

Posted on September 12, 2024 by Trish Nelson

Sharing a note from my state senator, Janice Weiner –

Here’s my long-promised update, plus information on what we need to pick up seats in the State Senate.

First off, I want to say THANK YOU for making the barn signs possible and allowing Democrats to start to define themselves again all around this state!

Thanks to you, we designed and printed “Iowans Want Public Dollars for Public Schools” and “Iowans Demand Reproductive Freedom” signs. They are out with candidates and county parties all around the state; they are being used on floats in parades in towns small and large; and they are being planted along busy highways and county roads.

You did that. Together, we are making a difference across this state.

We also handed the design off to our candidates running across northern Iowa, where there is huge opposition to carbon capture pipelines, and people want their property rights respected. They have put up signs that say: No Eminent Domain for Private Gain. It’s about meeting people where they are.

Now – how we win State Senate races:

1. We have three seats we must defend. Of those, Senator Giddens in Cedar Falls has the toughest race with a 50-50 district post-redistricting, but boy, has he been putting in the work – over 13,000 doors knocked. We need our digital and cable ads to go up and stay up so, though we’ll be outspent, we can compete and win.

2. We must get Matt Blake across the finish line in Urbandale, where he is running against Sen Brad Zaun, who was THE FIRST person to endorse Trump in 2015, presided over the special session abortion ban, and is pro-voucher and against the AEAs. Republicans have put up $500,000 for ads to try to save him because they know he is behind right now – we must raise the money to push back.

And here’s the thing: when we gain just one seat, we gain power. That’s Matt’s seat. Then, we can block appointments.

One more note: If your goal is to get Christina Bohannan elected to Congress, getting folks out to vote for candidates like Nannette Griffin down in Fort Madison (SD50) turns out voters who tuned out two years ago. The Harris-Walz ticket has excited Democrats, yes, but it’s also the local races, the local candidates—the person who lives just up the street or owns the business in town—who will get their neighbors out to vote for Democrats up and down the ballot.

I am working as hard as I know how to raise money and knock doors. We have an opportunity this election cycle that has not presented itself in years: the change at the top of the Democratic ticket, combined with incredibly unpopular policies at the state level mean: We. Can. Win. State. Senate. Seats. And finally, start to rebalance this state.

So I ask you, please, dig deep. Every dollar you donate to me will go to our team effort to defend seats and win seats. Whether that is $1000, $500 – or whatever you can give.

I know it’s a big ask. But as Michelle Obama said, “Do something!” And we’re all doing whatever something we can!

If you are able, please sign up to be a recurring donor – it really, really helps. And if you prefer to send a check, send it to: Janice Weiner for State Senate, 2525 Mayfield Rd, Iowa City IA 52245.

Thank you!!! Onward to November 5 – and let’s win this!

In solidarity,

Janice

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