In 2004 the book What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America, by Thomas Frank, was published to glowing reviews from the liberal media and Democrat activists. It purported to show that Kansans "vote against their economic and social interests" and asked where was ...
West Des Moines, IA February 4, 2015 Mediacom Communications Corporation today released the following statement regarding the updated broadband benchmark set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last week:"Mediacom was founded on the belief that America's smaller cities and rural ...
Iowa, like many other rural states, is having a problem with population loss. The most obvious evidence of this is our loss of a Congressional seat in the 2010 national census. In 2013 there were 63 counties in Iowa with populations between 5,000 and 20,000. Another 25 had populations of ...
Get ready for the credibility gap to vault north between the IRS and the taxpaying public. Right before tax season kicks into high gear, the National Taxpayer Advocate issued a scathing report that exposed the tax collection agency's misguided strategy to manage its core mission.Just as the IRS ...
We live in a world of instant gratification.We have an abundance of information at our fingertips and the ability to stay up-to-date on world events within seconds. We embrace new digital technologies and they are revolutionizing the ways in which news media is consumed and stories are told. ...
On occasion, I may encourage parents, staff, and other members of the public to please speak out for adequate funding and resources for our schools. This is definitely one of those times we need all hands on deck if you advocate for a strong future for our rural schools in Iowa. The budget ...
Week 2The formalities that mark the first week have given way to committee meetings. Bills are getting filed and assigned to committees and subcommittees. We've gotten down to business.The BudgetThe primary budget issue this week is school funding. The governor proposed a 1.25% increase in ...
Dave's New Year's resolution was to begin walking each day to improve his health. Living in a very rural area he often would walk for miles upon miles before returning home. One day, on a gravel road that he had not been on before, he stumbled upon a man lying on the ground with his ear to the ...
The Chief Justice of Iowa's Supreme Court, Mark Cady, told legislators this week that Iowans can be proud of our state's court system, which is one of the best in the nation.The top priorities of the Judicial Branch are ensuring public safety and protecting Iowa's children. Since the ...
The 2015 Legislative Session is well underway. The first week as always is filled with tradition and formality.Monday morning we were sworn in for the 86th General Assembly. We have 17 new members of the House and one seat still open awaiting a special election. That seat was vacated by Rep. ...