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  • Scattershooting About Johnson County Politics

    So the two parties have had their conventions and (D) Janelle Rettig and (R) Lori Cardella are their parties' candidates. If there is any drama to unfold it would have to involve a brave soul gathering 250 signatures to be placed on the ballot to run a third person for' [...]
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    Posted: December 10, 2009, 4:30am EST

  • Runaway Iceberg Heads for Warmer Climate

    According to CNN and other sources, an iceberg, more than twice the size of New York's Manhattan island, is drifting slowly toward Australia.

    The iceberg, measuring 54 square miles, cleaved off the Ross ice shelf nearly 10 years ago and had been floating near Antarctica before commencing [...]
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    Posted: December 09, 2009, 7:16pm EST

  • Kotowing to Big Insurance: All in the Grassley Family

    With thanks to Peter Hansen for this information below. If there was any doubt that Sen. Charles Grassley has compelling reasons to deny a public health care option, the information below will certainly add more.

    *For Grassley, insurance is a family business – two of his children are
    [...]
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    Posted: December 04, 2009, 11:35am EST

  • Braley and Loebsack Want More Specifics About Obama's Plans

    Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) released the following statement tonight in response to President Obama’s speech on Afghanistan.

    “In September, I sent a bipartisan letter to President Obama outlining many of my concerns about the situation in Afghanistan and stating my strong belief that we should not commit [...]
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    Posted: December 02, 2009, 3:32pm EST

  • Loebsack Supports Fair Elections Now Act

    Response from Congressman Loebsack to my recent inquiry about publicly funded elections which I favor.

    Thank you for contacting me about the Fair Elections Now Act. I'm honored to represent you in Congress. Your opinion is very important to me and my priority is to provide Iowa's Second District' [...]
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    Posted: December 02, 2009, 3:13pm EST

  • Obama's Resurgance in Afghanistan

    In an elegant show of reasoning and logic, President Barack Obama, with his security team in tow, spoke in front of 3400 West Point cadets and explained why he was committing 30,000 more American troops to the War in Afghanistan beginning in January 2010. Despite his reassurance that the [...]
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    Posted: December 02, 2009, 3:59am EST

  • Krause, Fiegan, and Conlin: Grassley Challengers

    To the point that Roxanne Conlin entered the race to be the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, scarcely a peep had been made by the state's newspapers about the two other candidates running for the Democratic nomination. Bob Krause and Tom Fiegan have been pounding the pavement furiously [...]
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    Posted: November 30, 2009, 5:56am EST

  • Honoring All Our Troops

    CNN reports that soldiers who die by suicide will not receive a letter of condolence from the President Obama. The reason for not honoring military personnel? It is an inherited policy. The unwritten policy has been in place "at least since Bill Clinton was president," according to a [...]
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    Posted: November 28, 2009, 5:47am EST

  • Thanksgiving Reform

    The day after tomorrow my wife and I will likely sit down to negotiate Thanksgiving reform with my Chicago-based father and his wife. On the table will be the required watching of a football game. In past years the football game has been widely popular with the Chicago group, but [...]
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    Posted: November 24, 2009, 4:05pm EST

  • Senate Candidate Krause Calls for Drawdown in Afghanistan

    From Bob Krause's campaign:
    Speaking to an audience of Democrats at the Iowa Democratic Party's annual Jefferson Jackson Day dinner on Saturday night, Bob Krause of Fairfield became the first candidate in the Iowa U.S. Senate race to call for a drawdown of troops in Afghanistan.

    "It is my" [...]
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    Posted: November 23, 2009, 3:50am EST

  • Marriage Equality

    A meeting at Peoples Church Unitarian Universalist on Saturday brought social justice activists from liberal faith communities in Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and Iowa City together to discuss what can be done to support continued Marriage Equality in Iowa. State Senator Bob Dvorsky assured the group that the Iowa Senate would [...]
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    Posted: November 23, 2009, 2:45am EST

  • What The Corridor Can Learn From New Orleans

    When Hurricane Katrina unleashed its fury, it was largely blamed for the monumental damage that followed in New Orleans and its neighbors. Further evidence showed that the failure of the levees were to blame and that the Army [...]
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    Posted: November 23, 2009, 2:34am EST

  • We Represent the Lollipop Kids?

    I appreciate the efforts that were made to create the environment for a special Johnson County board of supervisors election, as I support transparency and openness where government is concerned. However, I have to admit when I learned from the Daily Iowan that proponents for the special election were giving [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 5:43am EST

  • Special County Election Will Happen

    Advocates for a special election to occur to replace the late Larry Meyers and to challenge the seating of appointed County Supervisor Janelle Rettig by special committee have apparently gathered over 8000 signatures which were presented to the Johnson County Clerk's office this afternoon. After the abysmal turnouts for' [...]
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    Posted: November 13, 2009, 4:17pm EST

  • Stimulus Monies Shore Up Safety Net on Iowa's Medicaid Recipients



    The Iowa Policy Project reports that the stimulus monies used for Medicaid in Iowa have been paying dividends. For every $1 that the state puts in, $1.70 is matched by the Federal government. The ARRA legislation includes certain “triggers” built in for the extra [...]
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    Posted: November 12, 2009, 12:07pm EST

  • Too Big to Fail: Sanders Says "Break These Babies Up"

    Sen. Bernie Sanders makes some very good points. Whether you agree with his assessment that the "to big to fail" companies need to be broken up, the point that these companies are costing us all is irrefutable.



    More than a year has gone by since Congress passed [...]
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    Posted: November 09, 2009, 5:40am EST

  • Rental Help Available for Iowans

    I received this from State Representative Vicki Lensing:

    As part of the federal economic recovery program, Iowa has received $11 million to help qualified Iowa renters pay their rental and utility bills. To qualify, you must be at risk of homelessness and your income must be at or below [...]
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    Posted: November 08, 2009, 4:49am EST

  • City Council Election: A Sleeper and A Squeaker

    Today's Iowa City election netted the lowest turnout since 1985. The Iowa City precincts during September's school board election reported 4,394 voters at the polls, while the City Council election today saw 4,682 voters turn out. As expected Susan Mims and Terry Dickens won the at-large race with 75% and [...]
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    Posted: November 03, 2009, 9:41pm EST

  • Gitmo Detainees: Where Are They Now?

    One of the earliest Obama pledges was to close the detention camp at Guantanamo. After Congress moved to block any Guantanamo detainee from entering the United States, the courts appear to be relocating the detainees to exotic places like Herzagovinia, Palau, and Chad.

    Chisun Lee wrote this [...]
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    Posted: November 03, 2009, 12:48pm EST

  • It's a Beautiful Day to Exercise Your Vote For Nobody

    Some and John Deeth are predicting a miserable voter turnout for the elections in Johnson County. I don't much care what people plan to do, the right to vote or not vote is "democratic" in the literal sense. My hope is that after the dust clears, folks will figure' [...]
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    Posted: November 03, 2009, 9:53am EST

  • Palin Too Pricey for Iowa Conservatives

    An effort to bring Sarah Palin to the Iowa Family Policy Center's banquet next month has left a bad taste in the mouths of many state's conservatives. The group's plan to raise a $100,000 payday to bring Palin to the state has the hair of GOP activists' necks on end [...]
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    Posted: October 31, 2009, 6:03am EDT

  • Obama Expands Federal Hate Crimes Act

    Attached to the $680 billion defense authorization bill, President Obama on Wednesday signed a law that makes it a federal crime to assault an individual because of his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. The expanded federal hate crimes law now, which also covers crimes motivated by disability, is [...]
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    Posted: October 29, 2009, 5:23pm EDT

  • Johnson County: Let Voters Fill in the Blank

    There is no good way to say this, but Johnson County, we have a problem. When Larry Meyers passed away after his long battle with cancer, he inconveniently did it with nine months before the next Board of Supervisor's primary. But wait, the special commission that is made up of' [...]
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    Posted: October 23, 2009, 6:49am EDT

  • Energy Star: Greenwashing at It's Worst?

    Under the federal stimulus bill, $300 million will go to rebates for consumers who buy Energy Star products. In theory, a great idea--trading in energy guzzling appliance "clunkers" for more energy efficient ones. But are they? Maybe not. The EPA and Energy Departments have a small problem with accountability. Apparently [...]
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    Posted: October 20, 2009, 4:25pm EDT

  • Real Drama: 11.5 Million Africans Displaced By War, 23 Million Hungry

    With respect to the Henne "balloon boy" and his family and with disgust aimed at the fixated media covering them, there are real tragedies in the world that the 24 hour news cycle should be covering. According to the United Nations, 11.6 million Africans have been forced from their homes [...]
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    Posted: October 16, 2009, 2:36pm EDT

  • Boys With Toys

    Here's a question. If you were running a government, say like ours, where you had made significant outlays of tax dollars, wouldn't you want to find a highly qualified "sheriff" without the baggage of being a part of the industry that has caused you so much consternation to run your [...]
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    Posted: October 16, 2009, 11:42am EDT

  • Is Chicago Creating the Third Ghetto?

    From Dr. Jim Throgmorton

    Is Chicago Creating the Third Ghetto? Current Evidence and a Reconnaissance Framework
    Presented by Andrew J. Greenlee, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Urban Planning and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago

    Wednesday, October 21, 2009
    7:00 – 8:30 pm
    2520D University Capitol Center
    The University [...]
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    Posted: October 15, 2009, 9:37am EDT

  • BUILDING BLOCKS TO EMPLOYMENT JOB FAIR

    On Tuesday, October 20th the Human Rights Education Committee, City of Iowa City Human Rights Commission, Goodwill of the Heartland, City of Iowa City Housing Authority and Iowa Workforce Development will be hosting a Building Blocks to Employment Job Fair at the Eastdale Plaza, 1700 S. 1st Avenue, Iowa City.
    [...]
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    Posted: October 14, 2009, 11:41am EDT

  • Reducing Malpractice v. Reducing Patients' Rights?

    Factcheck has an interesting report about the effects of reducing malpractice claims and the impact on health care reform. Factcheck quotes the Congressional Budgeting Office that says that reducing malpractice claims would be equal to .5% cut in health care costs. While that figure may sound like small change, [...]
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    Posted: October 13, 2009, 2:33pm EDT

  • Chet Culver's 10% Solutions

    Chet Culver has twice now invoked his solution for the state budget shortfall. 10% cuts across the board, no exceptions. This presumes that all budget items have equal weight. This is a fallacy.

    If human services are cut 10%, this has a multiplier effect to those who are already [...]
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    Posted: October 13, 2009, 6:49am EDT

  • Health Care Reform: Mom and Pop v. The Big Box

    To hear it from antagonists of a public healthcare option, the possibility of "Guvment Run Health Care" is likened to a Big Box store moving into town and killing off the Mom and Pop local operations. The only thing is, the Mom and Pop's in this scenario are not the' [...]
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    Posted: October 09, 2009, 3:15pm EDT

  • Jobless and Workers Getting Mixed Messages From Senate

    With the benefits for Iowa's unemployed expiring, the US Senate continues to quibble over who should qualify for an extension of benefits. Here's a suggestion: everyone who is unemployed and actively seeking work or retraining.

    The conflict over whether "high unemployment states" should be the only one's receiving Washington's [...]
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    Posted: October 08, 2009, 5:28am EDT

  • Housing: Green and Affordable?

    As we struggle with the need for new housing to be both affordable and as green as possible, we have to ask if these goals are compatible? Apparently some folks have been figuring this out and doing it.

    Housing Matters: Can Building Green Be Affordable?

    The [...]
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    Posted: October 07, 2009, 2:59pm EDT

  • Anti-Loitering Passes, Mims, Dickens, Shipley, Tallon Win Primary

    The Iowa City Council passed a city-wide loitering ordinance and less than 4% of registered voters (1,872 to be precise) turned out for the city council primary. A great day for democracy in Johnson County. With elections costing at least $75,000, Iowa City residents, particularly those who complain about how [...]
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    Posted: October 07, 2009, 3:42am EDT

  • Do It For the Kids

    From Every Child Matters

    With 38,000 of Iowa's children living in poverty, 35,000 without health insurance, 38,000 reported abused, 160,000 alone after school every day and with the inability of thousands of families to access quality child care, the Every Child Matters Education Fund, Early Child Iowa, Every' [...]
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    Posted: October 06, 2009, 1:23pm EDT

  • Primary Fever--Catch It

    Iowa City City Council at-large candidates need your support. If you are eligible to vote, have the desire to brave the rain, and want to participate in a democaratic process, go vote. Also, the many poll workers who are working on their knitting, reading books, and/or chatting really would love [...]
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    Posted: October 06, 2009, 10:06am EDT

  • 1057 Legislators Show Support for Health Care Reform

    This is encouraging.

    Progressive States Network, a group representing state legislators across the country, announced today that 1057 state legislators from all fifty states have signed letters to Congress asking for real health reform, including a public health insurance option, strong affordability protections, and shared responsibility among individuals, [...]
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    Posted: October 06, 2009, 10:01am EDT

  • City Defers on Curfew, Votes for Loitering Ordinance

    The City Council deferred on the decision to invoke a city-wide minor curfew when a coalition of community members stepped forward with a plan to work with family members on the Southeast members to reduce the trouble with youth that has been [...]
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    Posted: September 29, 2009, 9:24pm EDT

  • It's Not About You

    Tonight the Iowa City City Council will go through a second reading of the curfew and loitering ordinances. While a case can be made for any law that is put on the books, the question has always got to be "who does it help, who does it hurt?"

    The [...]
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    Posted: September 29, 2009, 2:11pm EDT

  • Investigation Over, But Is Justice Served?

    The report from Iowa's Attorney General exonerates the Johnson County Deputy Sheriff who used deadly force in killing John Deng on July 27th. Based on corroborated evidence from nine of "at least a dozen" witnesses on the scene, the deputy, Terry Stotler, tried to separate a knife wielding Deng [...]
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    Posted: September 26, 2009, 9:08am EDT

  • Deng's Shooting "Justified"

    Just in from the Press-Citizen:

    An investigation into the shooting death of John Bior Deng has found that the Johnson County Sheriff's deputy who shot him was justified in his actions.

    The investigation found that Deputy Terry Stotler, "at the moment that he discharged his handgun, reasonably believed" [...]
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    Posted: September 25, 2009, 1:40pm EDT

  • Deng Death Investigation Press Conference at 1 p.m.

    From Iowa City Police Department as of 9:01 pm Thursday 9/24:

    The Iowa City Police Department will host a media conference on Friday, September 25th, regarding the John Deng death investigation.

    The Iowa Department of Justice's Office of the Attorney General has completed its review of the' [...]
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    Posted: September 25, 2009, 10:34am EDT

  • Fair Hearing of Iowa City Ordinances

    The City Council has two more readings of the controversial minor curfew and loitering ordinances. Below are links to both. While FAIR!, the group I am chair of, supports efforts to make Iowa City and Johnson County safe and vibrant, we also have concerns that the enforcement of these ordinances [...]
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    Posted: September 22, 2009, 8:27pm EDT

  • U V. I C in City Council Primary October 6th

    It is hard to believe that in less than a month the primaries for city council seats in Iowa City is occurring. With two at-large city councilors in Iowa City stepping down and five candidates in the running, three of whom are current University of Iowa students, it should be [...]
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    Posted: September 19, 2009, 10:32am EDT

  • Weighing the Public Option V. Health Care Cooperatives

    Because of increasing pressure from both the right and left, Congress is in the position of either a public option for health care reform, a private health care consortium/cooperative, or not doing either and adding a trigger mechanism that would kick in if the private sector failed on benchmarks to [...]
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    Posted: September 14, 2009, 10:01am EDT

  • Remembering Our Better Natures

    I woke up this morning with the heaviness that this day, I think, brings to many Americans who were alive to witness the events of September 11, 2001. I can vividly recall walking quietly to work and arriving just in time to hear the excited talk about a plane crash [...]
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    Posted: September 11, 2009, 8:09am EDT

  • Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Truth

    If happiness is so valuable (as our founders apparently felt it was to put it in the Declaration of Independence), it must be because it allows us to seek our truths. This is a good thing as long as these truths include facts, as well as feelings. One of the [...]
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    Posted: September 10, 2009, 4:22am EDT

  • School Board Elects Two New Faces and Keeps A Third

    Iowa City Community School District has two new faces in Sarah Swisher and Tuyet Dorau and incumbent Mike Cooper hung on to his seat as 4932 voters turned out for the hottest contested school board race in recent memory. With only 400 votes separating the top finisher (Swisher) from the [...]
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    Posted: September 09, 2009, 4:15am EDT

  • Remember Why There Is a Labor Day

    On the 5th of September in 1882, the first Labor Day parade took place in New York City and 10,000 people took an unpaid day off from work to celebrate the American workforce. More importantly, they marched for better working conditions and better treatment in the workplace. On June 28th,1894 [...]
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    Posted: September 07, 2009, 8:22am EDT

  • Why Health Reform Requires Pulling the Insurance Reform Trigger Now

    Senators taking a beating from the folks back home are looking for a way to not appear to be kowtowing to insurance interests by proposing a "trigger" in the Senate's health care bill that would allow a public option to take place if the private market fails to provide more [...]
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    Posted: September 06, 2009, 1:17pm EDT

  • Does Congress Have the Reich Stuff?

    Robert Reich, Bill Clinton's old Secretary of Labor and a pretty good economist in his own right (A graduate of Dartmouth College, Reich is a former Harvard University professor and the former Maurice B. Hexter Professor of Social and Economic Policy at the Heller School for Social Policy and [...]
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    Posted: September 05, 2009, 3:54am EDT

  • Des Moines: The Fat and The Furious

    According to Men’s Health Magazine, Des Moines is Iowa’s "Fat City" coming in #33 on their national survey of “America's biggest fast-food addicts.” As a person who visited last month’s State Fair, it is not shocking, though I thought it was limited to the month long bacon-nalia. Apparently not. Des [...]
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    Posted: September 04, 2009, 9:01am EDT

  • Endorsing Informed Communication

    After attending last evenings District Parent Organization/Gazette School Board candidate forum, two impressions were lasting. One: candidates felt that communication from the district and School Board to the public were generally lacking and two: trust with the public has been broken regarding the processes that allow the district to function. [...]
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    Posted: September 02, 2009, 7:55pm EDT

  • Local Homeless Shelter Gets Needed Shot in the Arm

    The Shelter House received $2.6 million dollars in state funding from the I-Jobs program which will be used to expand its facilities from a 29 bed space facility in a converted residential home to a modern facility that will house up to 70 men, women, and children including veterans. The [...]
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    Posted: September 01, 2009, 6:23am EDT

  • United on Health Care

    Meet Kevin Shilling from Greenfield, Iowa. Kevin has voted for Reagan, Nixon, George W. Bush and Republican Senator Chuck Grassley. Like me, he also supports a public health care option. Some things should be beyond partisanship.

    Popular Progressive- Putting People First "Politics is not about power. Politics is not about" [...]
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    Posted: August 31, 2009, 4:20pm EDT

  • School Board Candidates: Think Inside the Box

    School Board Directors are decision-makers; that is their chief role. The single most important limiter to decision-making is the budget. As people are deliberating whom to support for the school board election in their area, they should think about this: what does the budget look like and what is a [...]
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    Posted: August 31, 2009, 12:13pm EDT

  • Bernie Sanders Talks Health Care Reform 101

    Bernie Sanders is not one to mince words. See what you think.



    Popular Progressive- Putting People First "Politics is not about power. Politics is not about money. Politics is not about winning for the sake of winning. Politics is about the improvement of people's lives. It's about advancing" [...]
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    Posted: August 30, 2009, 1:50pm EDT

  • COPE Endorses Three for School Board

    Ed Stone and the steering committee from the Citizen's for Outstanding Public Education (COPE) sent the following:

    The School Board election on September 8 is rapidly approaching. Please vote.

    In this election particularly, we need EVERY vote to elect quality School Board Members who will lead our [...]
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    Posted: August 28, 2009, 1:46pm EDT

  • ICCSD School Board Forum September 8th.

    The Iowa City Education Association and the Press-Citizen are co-sponsoring a forum with the candidates for the Iowa City School Board on September 3rd.

    The event will be from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Iowa City Public Library in Meeting Room A. All six candidates for the [...]
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    Posted: August 27, 2009, 10:53am EDT

  • "Lion of the Senate" Ted Kennedy Passes Away

    Massachusetts' senior Senator Ted Kennedy has lost his battle with brain cancer last night. Regardless of party stripe or perceived or real imperfections as a man, the country has lost one of its all-time best legislators. A very short list of his accomplishments:

    * Immigration and Nationality Act' [...]
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    Posted: August 26, 2009, 1:11am EDT

  • Dan Pink Puts His Finger on the Problem of Incentives

    The good folks at TED manage to have some incredibly thoughtful speakers. With the argument for the free market solving everything, what he has to say speaks volumes about what is wrong with the way we do business. Spoiler alert: even the free market can be freed up.

    [...]
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    Posted: August 24, 2009, 5:06pm EDT

  • School Board Election Links to Learn

    At this point Moms and Dads are happy their kids are back in school. With a little more free time this might be a great opportunity to see what candidates for the school board have to say about themselves ahead of the September 8th election. First up will be a [...]
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    Posted: August 23, 2009, 10:15pm EDT

  • What's Old Michael Moore Been Up To?

    [www.imdb.com]

    Popular Progressive- Putting People First "Politics is not about power. Politics is not about money. Politics is not about winning for the sake of winning. Politics is about the improvement of people's lives. It's about advancing the cause of peace and justice in our country and the world." [...]
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    Posted: August 23, 2009, 9:55pm EDT

  • Dining Room Tables, Democracy, and Health Care Reform

    Unless you have been comatose, no doubt you have heard about Massachusett's Congressman Barney Frank's retorts to a woman at one of his townhall meetings about health care reform. The woman, who was holding a sign that was doctored to depict President Obama as Hitler, asked "Why do you continue" [...]
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    Posted: August 23, 2009, 9:10pm EDT

  • Deng Investigation Goes to State Attorney General's Office For Review

    According to the Press-Citizen this morning, the investigation concerning the altercation that led to the untimely death of John Deng is being reviewed by the State Attorney General's office. For some in the community, this restores the belief that the investigation needed a more impartial set of eyes. According [...]
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    Posted: August 18, 2009, 6:22am EDT

  • Key Democrat Throwing the Towel on Public Option for Health Care Reform

    According to CNN, Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota there are not enough votes in the Senate to put the public option on the table and "it was futile to continue to "chase that rabbit" due to the lack of 60 Senate votes needed to overcome a filibuster."
    [...]
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    Posted: August 16, 2009, 4:08pm EDT

  • Dealing with Trouble: When Neighbors Organize

    Yesterday morning I attended a meeting at Fairmeadows Park organized by neighbors of a group called "Bringing It Together" (BIT) headed by Brandi Mastain in the Grant Wood school area who are concerned by recent outbreaks in crime in their area. Also in attendance were four Iowa City Council members: [...]
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    Posted: August 16, 2009, 5:20am EDT

  • The Best Health Care System in the World?

    This is yet another example of why we need health care reform. Some people in this story are taking unpaid leave from their work to access free medical/dental/vision care because their employers do not provide health care benefits, nor can they afford their own plan.


    Watch CBS [...]
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    Posted: August 14, 2009, 4:24pm EDT

  • Credability Is Important?

    I know I should play nice, given my last posting, but this is too delicious not to share. Glenn Beck hung on a pitard of his own making.

    The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cGlenn Beck's Operationwww.thedailyshow.comDaily Show
    Full     [...]
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    Posted: August 14, 2009, 1:03pm EDT

  • Remember What Your Grandma Told You: Play Nice

    I marvel at my fellow Americans. In our individual pursuits of happiness, we some times forget that we are also a nation of individuals that rely on other individuals to keep us free, to keep us well, to care for our kids, to educate us, and on and on. In [...]
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    Posted: August 14, 2009, 9:32am EDT

  • Health Care Debate: Cutting to the Chase Daily Show Style

    Jon Stewart and his writers do a wonderful job of distilling silliness and everybody gets skewered. In case you are actually interested in debunked myths, Fact Check has 7 for you to consider.

    The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cHealther Skelterwww.thedailyshow.com[...]
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    Posted: August 14, 2009, 4:08am EDT

  • 24 Points of Reason

    This post comes courtesy of from the White House's David Axelrod:

    8 ways reform provides security and stability to those with or without coverage:

    Ends Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions: Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.

    Ends Exorbitant [...]
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    Posted: August 13, 2009, 11:42am EDT

  • Who's Insuring That People Without Coverage Get It?

    Lost in the battle of wills and words over health care reform is the fact that 46 to 48 million of our fellow Americans have none and more may join them until the economic recession we are in dies down. It hasn't escaped my notice that those screaming the loudest' [...]
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    Posted: August 11, 2009, 8:53am EDT

  • Scared to Death by Section 1233? The Facts May Help

    In July, Rep. John Dingell of Michigan and eight fellow Democrats (Rep. Robert Andrews [D, NJ-1], Rep. Dale Kildee [D, MI-5], Rep. Carolyn Maloney [D, NY-14], Rep. George Miller [D, CA-7], Rep. Frank Pallone [D, NJ-6], Rep. Charles Rangel [D, NY-15],Rep. Fortney Stark [D, CA-13], and Rep. Henry Waxman [D, [...]
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    Posted: August 10, 2009, 4:12pm EDT

  • Lynn Fallon Wants Good Food In Schools

    From Lynn Fallon:

    Hi. This is Lynn Fallon. I’m working on the national Farm to School program because I believe our kids deserve safe, nutritious, economical, tasty school lunches.

    Childhood obesity has become a critical problem in the United States. One-third of U.S. children are obese or overweight; [...]
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    Posted: August 10, 2009, 1:58pm EDT

  • In Memory of John Deng

    John Bior Deng, or "Deng" to his extended family and close friends, was given a very moving memorial service today at the Oak Hill Funeral Home in Coralville. Sudanese relatives a from Houston, Omaha, Michigan, as well as those from the Sudanese community in Des Moines, and Iowa City sat [...]
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    Posted: August 08, 2009, 7:05pm EDT

  • Boom, Bust, War: You've Got to See It: The Order

    I went to the Hardacre Film Festival last night, and though I don't fancy myself a film critic, if you get the chance, go see "The Order" by Paul Dalio. It gives you a view of how the world works that is equal parts vastly entertaining, powerfully thoughtful, and cynically' [...]
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    Posted: August 08, 2009, 8:34am EDT

  • The 5 Percent Allowance: A License to Defraud?

    Organic = good, right? The U.S. Department of Agriculture's "certified organic" program allows up to 5 percent of a certified product to consist of non-organic ingredients. In the scheme of things, this should still be better than industrial farming food-like substances, but wait, there's' [...]
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    Posted: August 08, 2009, 7:41am EDT

  • Kaine Bows Out of Board Race

    Josh Kaine has decided not to seek a seat on the ICCSD.


    "After meeting with my campaign committee and looking closely at the shape of the school board election, I have decided to withdraw from the school board race. While I feel strongly about the issues that will" [...]
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    Posted: August 07, 2009, 3:48pm EDT

  • There You Go Again

    Heart throb to the Right, Ronald Reagan, was known for defusing his often younger opponents' views by using the phrase "there you go again" and following up with his more seasoned if not reasoned viewpoint. It was a remarkably effective technique that made me wonder how he would have fared' [...]
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    Posted: August 07, 2009, 2:19pm EDT

  • Do I Offend You?

    Recently there has been a spate of stories about differences of opinion that have led to cries of outrage and people being offended. A story on the Des Moines Register website about public outcry over Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers buying advertising that offended religious persons, is such an [...]
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    Posted: August 07, 2009, 9:18am EDT

  • Grassley Goes Medieval on Health Care

    Sure it's taken out of context on Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show", but what the heck is Chuck Grassley trying to communicate. Frankly what are any of the lawmakers trying to do to make affordable health care available to those who need it?

    The Daily Show With Jon [...]
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    Posted: August 05, 2009, 4:33pm EDT

  • Small Town News

    I was in Kalona over the weekend with my wife, my sister and her family. We stopped into the Kalona General Store to pick up some pickled asparagus which we have enjoyed in the past. While we were there, we witnessed the proprietor of the store insist that a woman [...]
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    Posted: August 02, 2009, 6:32am EDT

  • A Gentleman's Agreement?

    In 1947, the landmark film "A Gentleman's Agreement" created a sensation around the issue of Antisemitism in the United States. In that film, Gregory Peck plays a magazine writer who is struggling to find an angle to write a piece about Antisemitism that hasn't been done. Though he is a' [...]
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    Posted: August 02, 2009, 5:47am EDT

  • School Board Candidate List Now at Five

    With the announcements of April Armstrong, incumbent Michael Cooper, Tuyet Dorau, Anne Johnson, Jean Jordison, Josh Kaine, Jeffrey Manthey, and Sarah Swisher running for three school board seats, the make-up of the school board could shift dramatically at a time when the boundaries of the schools are being discussed for [...]
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    Posted: July 30, 2009, 4:34am EDT

  • Community Discussion on Deng Killing Moves to City Hall

    Dr. Vershawn Ashanti Young, a University of Iowa professor of African-American Studies and Rhetoric organized a forum on racial issues in Iowa City that was to be held at the Iowa City public library. According to the Iowa City Press-Citizen, Young said he is interested in discussing issues that [...]
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    Posted: July 30, 2009, 3:52am EDT

  • Tale of Two Stories

    In a disturbing local story, a homeless man was shot by an off-duty sheriff's deputy after allegedly stabbing a University of Iowa worker during a disagreement. According to police reports, "the deputy confronted the knife-wielding transient. The transient ignored the deputy's repeated commands to drop the knife. Instead, the armed" [...]
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    Posted: July 27, 2009, 3:34am EDT

  • Gates v. Crowley: Not Just Black and White

    When Judge Clarence Thomas was in front of the Senate Judical Committee during his confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court, he was vigorously questioned about allegations made by a subordinate that Thomas had subjected her to inappropriate harassing comments of a sexual nature. In the context of those allegations, Thomas [...]
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    Posted: July 24, 2009, 8:42am EDT

  • Three Ways to Pay For Health Care Without Hurting the Hurting

    Amy Logsdon provided this link to this Citizens for Tax Justice proposals to pay for health care without hurting the bottom 60% of taxpayers in Iowa. If you are in the top 1% of income earners, you won't like this but at least you can afford it. CTJ proposes:[...]
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    Posted: July 23, 2009, 1:01pm EDT

  • Lean, Green, Military Machines Good for Green Economy?

    Imagine owning a motorized vehicle that could fuel itself on biomass that it finds lying around. Pretty cool idea, huh? Now imagine that technology is used to do reconnaissance and surveillance work for the military. Kind of creeps you out, doesn't it? That is exactly what Robotic Technology Inc. and' [...]
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    Posted: July 22, 2009, 10:37am EDT

  • Bottom Line: Health Care for Those Who Don't Have Access

    In March Families USA released a report that said one out of three Americans under 65were without health insurance at some point during 2007 and 2008. The study, commissioned by the consumer health advocacy group Families USA, found 86.7 million Americans were uninsured at one point during the past two [...]
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    Posted: July 21, 2009, 11:22am EDT

  • Batter Up?

    Both the school board and city council races are around the corner in Iowa City and the surrounding communities and so far there are a very limited number of brave souls stepping up to run for the offices.

    On deck for the next Iowa City city council is [...]
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    Posted: July 20, 2009, 2:53pm EDT

  • Eclectic Electric Car in CR and IC

    What goes 130 miles per hour, uses no oil and emits no carbon dioxide? The Tesla all-electric roadster which will make a stop in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City on a coast-to-coast journey this Tue. & Wed., July 21 & 22

    Where: Kirkwood Community [...]
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    Posted: July 20, 2009, 1:16pm EDT

  • I've Seen the Future and It Is Chicken Feathers

    I would not advocate for petroleum-based plastics, whether they were biodegradable or not. However, if you had 4 billion pounds of chicken feathers to discard every year, in addition to eggs that don't meet USDA standards, it might not be bad to consider other uses--even biodegradable plastic bags, [...]
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    Posted: July 07, 2009, 9:39am EDT

  • (Gimme) Shelter House

    After attending the very touching groundbreaking ceremony with about 110 concerned folks at the new Shelter House location yesterday afternoon, I feel the need to convey some information that you may not know. As a "truth in advertising" statement, I was a Shelter House Board member until this past month. [...]
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    Posted: July 02, 2009, 3:41pm EDT

  • Michael Jackson, Inc. Lives!

    Last night, as tributes to the late performer Michael Jackson covered mainstream media, I observed that the "man" was not the point of any talking heads' discussions. Michael Jackson the "brand" was. As a phenomenon, there are very few that can parallel Michael Jackson. He was arguably' [...]
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    Posted: June 26, 2009, 9:15am EDT

  • Kresowick: We Need ACES and Truth from Critics

    From University of Iowa Student President and current Sierra Club staffer Mark Kresowik:

    Friends, tomorrow a remarkable bill will be voted on in the U.S. House of Representatives. It's called the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), was drafted by Congressmen Waxman and Markey, with some excellent [...]
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    Posted: June 25, 2009, 10:47am EDT

  • Iran So Far Away (From Democracy)

    Sitting here in Iowa, even without knowing what is the unvarnished truth concerning the outcome of the Iranian presidential election, it is still hard not to speak about the obvious horrors going on within the borders of Iran. There are some points of clarity that can be seen even half [...]
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    Posted: June 22, 2009, 3:17pm EDT

  • Universal Health Care Now!

    I've been taking some time away from blogging because, let's face it, problems never really go away and everyone needs a chance to chill out. In my absence, the national health care debate rages on. Many people actually thought there was a national health care bill ready to go when' [...]
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    Posted: June 20, 2009, 2:06pm EDT

  • How Much Does It Cost To Ease a Nation's Conscience?

    Apparently $11,764,705.88 per prisoner is the going rate for not allowing trials for Guantanamo prisoners to occur. Since the US Senate said "no" to housing detainees in the United States, the US plans to banish 17 Chinese Muslim captives from the Guantanamo Bay prison to the remote North Pacific archipelago [...]
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    Posted: June 10, 2009, 9:52am EDT
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