Round and round the circular conversation goes, right down the drain between my neighbor and me: “I like that DEI ban.” Okay, I can work with that. We can just call it something …
One must marvel at the incompetence that just gaveled to an untimely close in the capitol. With a stranglehold on all branches of government, Republicans failed to deliver on their priority — …
The Iowa Supreme Court gave citizen engagement and accessibility to public meetings a much-needed boost Friday in an appeal of a lawsuit against the Iowa City Community School District. The …
Have you ever heard someone refer to an “emolument” in a context other than the U.S. Constitution? Probably not. The word is somewhat archaic, and rarely appears other than as a reference …
The opening lines in an April 11 farmdocDAILY post should have raised an eyebrow or two among Farm Bill geeks both in and out of Congress: “The U.S. crop safety net,” it begins, …
If Democrats only had taken Iowa’s counsel, Pete Buttigieg or Bernie Sanders probably would be president today. I mean, if Joe Biden could beat Donald Trump … “That thought …
Iowa senators proved sensitive to public pressure when they exempted private colleges from punishment for offering diversity programs. They had thought about pulling Iowa Tuition Grant funding from …
You may be experiencing whiplash this spring just trying to track the Iowa Legislature’s zig-zag movements. It comes from what some might charitably call a lack of consistency on a key theme. …
The Trump tax cuts, enacted in 2017, are due to expire at the end of this calendar year, 2025. The new 2025-26 federal fiscal year doesn’t kick in until Oct. 1, 2025. Plenty of time for …
Previously, I discussed the divisions fueled by both the radical Right and extreme Left factions in America, and I also suggested that both extremes bear possibly as many similarities as they do …
From 30,000 feet, the Port of Los Angeles looks like a child's toy being unfolded into a multi-faceted Transformer. This blocky, brawny big brother, however, covers 7,500 acres and lies …
My buddy Walt Bradley of Algona asked me why we came back here from college in Minnesota over 45 years ago. That’s easy: Family. It’s the only reason. Walt was an art major who …
At least one member of the Iowa House appears to live by the mantra “Do as I say, not as I do” as he demands access to sensitive personal information and commands silence as he trolls for …
The deeper one dives into history, the more nuanced and complicated it seems. The nuances are all-important, though, because they enrich our understanding of human nature and of why things happened …
“These are the times that try men’s souls.” Is it an overstatement to suggest that Thomas Paine was describing our own times? An understatement? Clearly, circumstances have …
Somewhere along life's highway most of us learned to balance a checkbook. This task usually involved a pencil, the back of a used envelope, and some basic math. Today, however, a click or two in a …
On July 25, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a radio address to 125 million Americans in which he coined the term “first 100 days.” Today the 100th day of a presidency is …
Iowans do not like change. It might be our strongest attribute. Sen. Chuck Grassley has been in politics since 1959. Terry Branstad holds the national record for longest tenure as governor. A third …
Solar panels create 31 times the energy from an acre of land that corn does in the form of ethanol, according to research coordinated at Cornell University in New York. Put another way: If solar …
Give Gov. Kim Reynolds credit for consistency. When it comes to wanting to hide details of possible misstatements or misdeeds, she treats Lutherans and atheists alike. Soon, Iowans may learn …