State Rep. Peter Cownie (R-West Des Moines) last week introduced a bill, House File 1, to require state agencies to use zero-base budgeting principles when preparing their biennial budget requests to the General Assembly. Zero-based budgeting is a method of budgeting whereby all expenses each period must be justified. In […]
A forgotten Bible, a medical emergency in the audience, and a case of the sniffles couldn’t keep Iowa Gov. Terry E. Branstad from making history today at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines. With a joint session of the General Assembly, the department heads of the […]
The state’s first openly gay legislator has offered a bill that, if passed, will make it illegal for licensed mental health providers to offer sexual orientation change counseling to minors. State Sen. Matt McCoy (D-Des Moines) authored Senate File 31 earlier this week. The bill not only prohibits a mental […]
Between 50 and 75 people showed up last weekend to protest a ban on sledding in all but two city-owned properties in Dubuque. The organizer of the protest said a petition to area lawmakers has garnered about 200 signatures, as well. “My stance on the whole issue is that the […]
Freshman U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst quickly became one of the darlings of the Republican Party with her viral television ad titled “Squeal.” She further cemented her stature as a rising star by soundly defeating former U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley in last November’s General Election, becoming the first woman elected to […]
With the 42nd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision coming next week, a number of pro-life groups will be focusing attention on efforts to end the practice of abortion, both nationally and in Iowa. One such effort was announced today by state Sen. Rick Bertrand (R-Sioux […]
President Obama came to Cedar Falls ahead of next week’s State of Union to discuss one of themes from the upcoming speech: expanding access to broadband services across the United States. But, his speech left Iowa’s largest cable and Internet service provider far from a loss for words. Mediacom CEO […]
State Sen. David Johnson (R-Ocheyedan) this week offered up two bills relating to abortion. One places restrictions on “medical abortions” – those induced by use of abortifacient drugs – and the other requires a 72-hour informed consent period prior to having an abortion. Senate File 11 defines “medical abortion” as […]
Bob Eschliman Editor The first few days of any legislative session is a flurry of activity, both ceremonial and business. And, in the first year of a biennial General Assembly is always busiest. But, during the first few days of any session, the bills filed are almost entirely ceremonial, […]
Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady ivered the 2015 Condition of the Judiciary Address before a joint session of the Iowa House of Representatives and Iowa Senate today. In his speech, Cady told the legislators and Gov. Branstad, who also was in attendance, “The three separate branches of government […]
U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-IA 4) re-introduced two bills related to the Constitution today. The Fourth District Republican, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee’s Constitution and Civil Justice Subcommittee in the new Congress, has introduced the bills in previous congresses. The first, House Resolution 140, is titled The Birthright […]
A Cedar Falls based group has announced plans to protest at President Obama’s visit to their community tomorrow. Cedar Valley Patriots for Christ announced this afternoon it will lead a protest to send a “clear message that Christians and Patriots alike are not happy with the way he has handled […]
If you’ve been listening to Iowa Democrats during the first few hours of the 2015 legislative session, it’s pretty clear they were paying attention on Election Day last November. Their agenda, titled “Building a Strong Middle Class,” focuses on using government as a means of strengthening Iowa’s middle class and […]
Senate Minority Leader Bill Dix liked the vision Gov. Branstad laid out in his Condition of the State Address today. The Shell Rock Republican said the governor has proposed a vision for Iowa that will help strengthen the state’s economy, make necessary advancements across rural Iowa and continue to enhance […]
If you like your state government, not only do you get to keep it, Gov. Terry Branstad would like to give you of it. Today, the governor gave his annual Condition of the State speech to a joint session of the General Assembly. In the speech, he laid out […]
During the opening ceremony of the 86th Iowa General Assembly today, Republicans and Democrats unveiled their plans for the next several weeks. Republicans said they sought to “do less” and to “do it well,” while Democrats repeated many of the same themes Senate Democrats expressed in their opening remarks on […]
During the opening ceremony of the 86th Iowa General Assembly today, Republicans and Democrats unveiled their plans for the next several weeks. Both sides emphasized working together, with Democrats pledging to lo out for the best interests of middle-class Iowans and Republicans promising continued fiscal responsibility. The Senate elected Sen. […]
By Joel Kurtinitis Correspondent Far from the death reported after the Gov. Terry Branstad-led purge of the liberty wing from leadership positions within the Republican Party of Iowa, the Liberty movement in Iowa is alive and well. And, it remains a hard sell, especially as Iowans prepare for […]
Rejecting the opinion of Gov. Terry Branstad, the Iowa Republican Party Central Committee voted unanimously today to hold its traditional Iowa Straw Poll fundraiser again in 2015. In a report by The Coralville Courier, State Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said the Central Committee recognized not only the importance of the Straw […]
Saturday, a group of Dubuque residents will get together to protest the city’s recent ban on sledding in all but two the the community’s parks. They will protest the new ordinance by sledding at one of the prohibited sites — Eisenhower School — from 2 to 4 p.m. Jacob Long, […]
U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-IA) today announced he has introduced a bill to defund enforcement of President Obama’s executive action to end deportation of illegals in the United States. He also issued a statement regarding the bill, called the Defund Executive Amnesty Act, which he said would “defund all executive […]
Evangelical Christians are among the most-coveted voting blocs in Iowa politics. If you have them, they can dominate an election. If you don’t, your chances of winning – in a primary or general election – are not good. Last night, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a born-again Christian, definitely had that […]
Clarice Alons is getting her wish. The seat formerly held by her late husband, Dwayne, in Iowa House District 4 will be filled by his good friend, John Kooiker of Hull. The Republican nominee faced both Democratic challenger John Buntsma of Orange City and a well-organized write-in effort launched by […]
Needing just 205 votes to hang on to his position as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. John Boehner survived an effort by conservatives to remove him during the opening of the 114th Congress today. Boehner was challenged by Democrat minority leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, and […]
A group of Sioux County Republicans unhappy with the nomination of John Kooiker as the GOP candidate in tomorrow’s Iowa House District 4 special election stepped efforts to win a write-in campaign for the seat formerly held by conservative stalwart Dwayne Alons. The group, which alternately calls itself Concerned Republicans […]
Are you tired of reading the news, knowing it’s been distorted, either by political propagandists or those who only serve as public relations firms for special interests diametrically opposed to your core values? Do you want to know what’s really going on in government and politics at the federal, state, […]
Siouxland area pro-life advocates will be gathering again this year to mourn the loss of life resulting from abortion in the United States. But for the first time in the four years of the annual gathering, they will get together indoors. Event coordinator Jake Dagel said this year’s event will […]
At the conclusion of the Saturday, Jan. 3, episode of “Huckabee” on FOX News, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee announced that would be his final show. Prior to the show airing, the 2008 presidential candidate shared the news with friends on social media. “This evening I wanted to share with […]
In a sternly worded letter drafted Sunday, the Pottawattamie County Republican Executive Committee instructed Congressman-elect David Young to vote against U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner when the new Congress convenes this week. In the letter, which can be seen at left (click to see it in full size), […]
Arthur A. Neu, former Lt. Governor of Iowa, passed away Friday, Jan. 2, at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines at the age of 81. Neu, a Republican, had been a state senator in a district representing Carroll, Crawford, and Monona counties since 1967 when he was elected to the […]
State Rep. Mark Costello (R-Imogene) easily cruised to a special election victory Tuesday, Dec. 30, in Senate District 12 in southwest Iowa. “Thanks to everyone in Senate District 12 who helped to secure this nice win,” he told supporters shortly after the results were announced. “I’m loing forward to moving […]
By Jacob Hall Correspondent UPDATE (11:45, 12/20) — Eric Rankin of Hull, one of the precinct leaders who to part in last week’s nomination convention, commented on the situation. He said: “I agree that the process does not seem very democratic, nor does it allow for an in-depth vetting […]
By Jacob Hall Correspondent John Kooiker was selected Tuesday night as the Republican candidate for the Iowa House of Representatives District 4 seat. Kooiker, a 68-year old retiree from Boyden, toted his relationship with former Rep. Dwayne Alons in a letter he sent to District 4’s precinct leaders. “Dwayne […]
By Jacob Hall Correspondent Shortly after his nomination as the Republican candidate to replace Rep. Dwayne Alons, who passed away earlier this month, Iowa House District 4 candidate John Kooiker sat down for an exclusive one-on-one with The Iowa Statesman. Here is the complete exchange. Describe your […]
By Jacob Hall Correspondent Orange City resident John Buntsma was nominated Thursday night by the Sioux County Democratic Parry as its nominee for Iowa House of Representatives District 4. Buntsma works at Staples in Orange City and had pondered jumping into the race for Iowa House a while ago. […]
Immediately following his nomination as the Democratic candidate to replace Rep. Dwayne Alons, who passed away earlier this month, Iowa House District 4 candidate John Buntsma sat down for an exclusive one-on-one interview with The Iowa Statesman. Here is the complete exchange. Describe for me your worldview and what […]
The race for 2016 is already underway in Iowa as likely presidential candidates have begun scheduling January appearances here in the first-in-the-nation caucus state. Thursday morning, Jake Dagel, coordinator for the Fourth Annual Siouxland Rally for Life, announced former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, 2012 winner of the Iowa Republican Caucus, […]
The message this week: Don’t mess with Texas’ education. The 15-member Texas Board of Education has been one of the harshest critics of “education reform” via the Common Core State Standards since their inception. Texas was one a very small minority of states that never approved the standards that have […]
Despite everything national Democrats tried to do to not make the 2014 election a referendum on President Obama – and everything the president himself did to make it about his policies – the beat-down Republicans gave Democrats Tuesday was very much a repudiation of all things blue. Word has it, […]
“Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises, for never intending to go beyond promise, it costs nothing.” – Edmund Burke The father of modern conservatism is absolutely right, in so many ways. Far too often, we lo for politicians who talk a good game, and who appear to […]
Politics frequently conjures up analogies to the sport of American football. But there’s one important aspect of the game of football you almost never hear talked about in those analogies. I’m talking about taking a sack. I was once a back-up quarterback, and I can tell you every quarterback’s second-greatest […]
“Obama’s decimating our military. Surely the top brass can see it. When are they going to do something about it?” It’s not an exact quote, but it’s pretty close, mainly because I’ve seen about four or five variations of it on my newsfeed the last couple of weeks. First […]
“President Obama is begging to be impeached,” Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) told World Net Daily this past weekend. But like many Republicans in Congress, Stockman doesn’t think impeachment now is the best option politically for his party. I heartily disagree. On both points. I don’t think President Obama is begging […]
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad became a hero to border-security proponents Monday when he said he opposed bringing illegals into Iowa. “The first thing we need to do is secure the border. I do have empathy for these kids … But I also don’t want to send the signal that (you) […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor The news this past week, nationally, was about the manner in which the Republican Establishment has gone out of its way to steamroll its grassroots rank-and-file in Mississippi. As many know, it’s not just a problem in the Magnolia State; it’s happening everywhere. In my […]
Those who have read the Common Core State Standards understand one thing: it’s a complete failure and quite possibly the worst government usurpation of local control since … well, since the last government usurpation of local control. A handful of states have opted out. A few others have “rebranded” it […]
For decades, our nation – seeking cheap oil – meddled in the affairs of the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa. But in slightly than five years, Barack Obama has seemingly done everything he can to make that bad situation worse. He owns this mess, entirely, and […]
The only real outrage to be had from the current VA healthcare scandal is that it’s taken Americans this long to begin to realize what veterans and members of the military have known all along. Government-run healthcare aspirates greatly. Here are a few of my personal experiences, most of which […]
This weekend, Iowa Rep. Tom Shaw announced he intends to ask for a suspension of the rules to allow House File 138 to come out of committee to the floor for a vote. The bill would drastically alter the landscape in Iowa with regard to abortion by first legislatively defining […]
And just like that, the Republican Establishment/Mainstream Media frontrunner for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination is relegated to also-ran status. If not, he soon will be. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, now fully embroiled in a potentially career-ending crisis involving abuse of power and political cronyism, will no doubt try […]
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