Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
It’s time for Iowa to declare a “war on potholes” and put people back to work, and the first step to that is an increase in the state’s gas tax, Senate President Jack Kibbie said this morning in his opening remarks to the legislature.
Iowa could no longer put off the challenges to its transportation infrastructure, Kibbie said, especially now that the economy is hurting.
“Success in that endeavor will mean better roads, jobs, and an economic boost to Iowa’s families and communities,” Kibbie said. “While there may be funds for these efforts as part of the federal economic recovery package, we also need to act.”
The idea of a increase in the state’s gas tax has received a mixed greeting of late, with Gov. Chet Culver saying he would prefer to pursue other options to repair the state’s infrastructure, including bonding.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal said the legislature must address the pending budget crisis without “sabotaging the commitments we’ve made on economic growth, health care and education.” The U.S. economy is facing its most difficult crisis since the Great Depression, and although Iowa shares little of the blame it will share in the pain, Gronstal said.
“Iowa families are losing the jobs they depend on,” he said. “Iowa small businesses are seeing sales fall. Many Iowa homeowners are facing foreclosure. Iowans are wondering how bad things will get.”
Helping those hurt by last summers floods and tornadoes will be the main priority, Gronstal said.
“Places like Cedar Rapids, the economic engine of eastern Iowa, and small towns like Parkersburg, Oakville and Waverly. We need to help Iowa communities rebuild their infrastructure,” he said. “We need to help small businesses reestablish themselves. We need to help homeowners make decisions so they can move on with their lives.”
He reiterated a theme he has used repeatedly in recent weeks that this session will involve saying “no” to a lot of good ideas because there just isn’t enough money to go around.
And to the new legislators joining the House and Senate, Gronstal warned that the next 100 days wouldn’t be easy.
“If your idea of being an elected official involves being loved by everyone, the next few months will be pretty rough,” he said.
Kibbie went on to lay out some of the other priorities of Democratic leadership, including raising the age that Iowans can legally drop out of high school to 18 and changing the state’s labor laws to “help workers bargain for a better future.”
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