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Civil rights group objects to using federal COVID aid for jails
The American Civil Liberties Union is asking the Treasury Department to take a harder line on states and local governments using federal American Rescue Plan Act money to build and expand correctional facilities. One of the projects it cited is in Scott County, where local officials had previously considered using the federal money for a […]
Few Iowa families will have more choices with GOP ‘school choice’ plan
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says her plan to use taxpayer money to pay for private schooling gives people a choice to educate their kids where they want. But that’s not what her plan says. Just look at the details: Only certain families with kids in public schools will get that choice. What this plan really […]
Let the people vote for their county supervisor
My wife says I’m tilting at windmills. I suppose she’s right. But since her claim is just a metaphor and no real damage will be done, here goes: The next member of the Scott County Board of Supervisors ought to be elected by the people. I know: Crazy, right? Who would think when there’s a […]
Lead threat prompts call for greater action
Last year, 728 kids in Davenport tested positive for lead in their blood. And while health experts say no amount of lead is safe for kids, public health authorities took their most stringent action in only a fraction of those cases. Just nine cases met the threshold to assign a case manager to coordinate services […]
Biden’s move to replace Iowa would upend five decades of tradition
Barring a miracle, Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status is over. On Thursday, President Biden asked the Democratic National Committee to put South Carolina first on the 2024 presidential nominating calendar, followed by Nevada and New Hampshire a week later; after that would be Georgia, then Michigan. On Friday, the party’s Rules and Bylaws Committee ratified the new lineup. […]
The cost of democracy for Ukraine — and for America
Back in March, we were all Ukrainians. We flew Ukraine’s flag. We prayed for the country and its people – and we offered military and humanitarian support as we watched in horror as Russia indiscriminately bombed civilians. We were inspired by Ukrainian resistance. In the Quad-Cities, we lit up the new Interstate-74 bridge in blue […]
Reynolds’ work to end student debt forgiveness is an effort to keep taxes high
In one of her TV ads, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds brags about cutting taxes. What it doesn’t say is this: Kim Reynolds is fighting to keep taxes higher on Iowans who already face significant economic challenges. You hadn’t heard this? Here’s what’s happening: Last month, Reynolds joined a lawsuit with some other conservative-run states challenging […]
Red states lose at the U.S. Supreme Court on nursing home vaccine mandate
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and several of her Republican colleagues lost a round to the Biden administration this week. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear their challenge to an administration rule requiring that workers at nursing homes and other health care facilities receiving federal Medicare and Medicaid funds get the COVID vaccine. The Biden administration announced the […]
Joni Ernst targets IRS workers while big-money tax cheats get away with it
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst loves to talk about “making them squeal” in Washington, D.C. Frequently, the Iowa Republican will target an often-obscure part of the federal budget and complain about waste. Lately, the Internal Revenue Service has been in her sights. Over the last few weeks, she’s complained about the Democrats’ plan to hire thousands […]
Iowa has made it harder to vote, study shows
Since the 2020 election, it got harder to vote in Iowa, relative to other states, according to a new study. The Cost of Voting Index, which measures the ease of voting in all 50 states, ranked Iowa 23rd in the nation in its 2022 report, a decline of four places. The new study was published […]
Looking to the midterms: A conversation with Rep. Cheri Bustos
Few people I know have been more plugged in to what voters are thinking in the Midwest, particularly along the Mississippi River, than U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos. She works tirelessly to meet people – and to listen. A Democrat from Moline, Bustos has served 10 years in Congress, representing Illinois’ 17th congressional district. Over the […]
Who is worthy of federal help? It’s time to ask different questions.
The debate over President Biden’s college debt forgiveness plan reminds me a bit about the floodwall Davenport never built. People who live in the Quad-Cities know Davenport has stubbornly gone its own way when it comes to Mississippi River flooding. Even after disastrous floods in 1965 and 1993, the city refused to put in place […]