Posts tagged as:

Iowa State Issues

Election 2010 and YOU …

by Michael Fiala September 15, 2010 Mason City Issues
Thumbnail image for Election 2010 and YOU …

It’s here. It’s time to put up or shut up. It’s time for YOU …
… the voter … the one that really counts … the one that ultimately suffers or benefits from the policies implemented by the politicians YOU allow to occupy local, state and national offices …
… to elect people who will [...]

Read the full article →

Don’t Run That Red Light …

by Michael Fiala March 24, 2010 State Issues
Thumbnail image for Don’t Run That Red Light …

If you commit a traffic transgression, get ready to help pay for more bad government.
Iowa Senate bill SF 2378, or the “Justice System Budget”, includes $9.7 million worth of fine and court cost increases.
In fact, most fines will go up anywhere from 40 to a whopping 300 percent! And each fine will be charged [...]

Read the full article →

Second Funnel fails to address real problems

by fbadams March 5, 2010 State Issues
Thumbnail image for Second Funnel fails to address real problems

With dismay I opened up my morning paper today only to read that the second funnel deadline passed without the single most important issue having been addressed – the budget deficit.
It is unconscionable that the legislature took up bills that should never have seen the light of day, such as the criminalization of rear-end accidents. [...]

Read the full article →

Kill Iowa HSB 702

by fbadams February 23, 2010 State Issues
Thumbnail image for Kill Iowa HSB 702

The media report HSB 702 is moving forward in this Iowa legislative session.
Like other ill-conceived legislation coming from this body where current economic considerations apparently fail to impel lawmakers to drastically cut spending, this bill will add insult to injury to Iowa’s employment climate.
Big Labor has no interest in amending the situation by reasonable means, [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Iowa: Create Jobs? Reduce Taxes? Balance the Budget? ……… Then Repeal Chapter 20 of the Iowa Code

Iowa: Create Jobs? Reduce Taxes? Balance the Budget? ……… Then Repeal Chapter 20 of the Iowa Code

by fbadams February 18, 2010 State Issues

On December 16, 2009, Michael Fiala blogged on this site concerning Iowa’s abysmal ranking as the nation’s 46th worst tax climate for the creation of jobs. This article dovetails with that idea except that it concerns Iowa’s top ranking in the nation as the most liberal for pay and benefits for our state employees.
In a [...]

Read the full article →

Iowa’s Tax Climate One of Worst for Job Growth

by Michael Fiala December 16, 2009 State Issues
Thumbnail image for Iowa’s Tax Climate One of Worst for Job Growth

In spite of President Obama’s dubious claim that “… capitalism doesn’t work …”, it seems his economic ideas don’t work either. At least not at the state level.
According to the Tax Foundation’s 2010 State Business Tax Climate Index (Seventh Edition), Iowa ranks 46th among the 50 states for business-friendly tax policies. And, as Mr. Obama [...]

Read the full article →

“Hope”, “Change”, and the State of Iowa’s Finances

by Michael Fiala July 2, 2009 State Issues
Thumbnail image for “Hope”, “Change”, and the State of Iowa’s Finances

The latest Iowa state budget reports coming out of Des Moines have the State of Iowa and Governor Chet Culver in somewhat of a bind.
Mr. Culver claims the numbers are hunky-dory.  The non-partisan Legislative Services Agency says the numbers are significantly un-hunky-dory.
Here’s the breakdown as it stands today:

In April and May 2009, net General Fund [...]

Read the full article →

Needs vs. Wants

by admin May 30, 2009 State Issues

The Iowa legislature has been spending like drunken legislators since the mid ’90s. One would think with spending drastically outpacing the state’s revenue growth for over a decade, tax payers would be up in arms over it.
But our society – not just in Iowa, but nationally as well – seems to be undergoing a [...]

Read the full article →