~by Victoria Riley, GreeneCountyNewsOnline There’s still close to a year to go before the presidential caucuses in Iowa. News media are starting to count down days. Republicans and even some Democrats are already exclaiming, “Enough already!” I’m not one of them. I didn’t mind the abundance of Republican candidates in 2015 and I don’t mind the abundance of Democratic candidates…
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Gambling on a political judiciary
Editor’s note – Clarification of Iowa State Bar Association’s role added per information provided to GCNO by that group. ~by Victoria Riley, GreeneCountyNewsOnline State senator Jerry Behn surprised people at Coffee and Politics a week ago when he announced that the three branches of Iowa government – executive, legislative and judicial – are not equal according to the Iowa Constitution.
Read MoreCandidate Andrew Yang speaks in Jefferson
The idea of a $1,000 a month paid by the federal government to every U.S. citizen older than 18 sounds “out there”, but Andrew Yang, a Democratic candidate for president who espouses the universal basic income (UBI), made it sound more realistic. Yang’s UBI, a “Freedom Dividend”, is similar to Alaska’s petroleum dividend, he explained to about two dozen Democrats…
Read MoreThe Behn Report
February 8, 2019 The attention of many Iowans was focused on the work being done in the Senate this week. Several key issues being discussed this legislative session began to work their way through the process and have been the topic of many discussions at the Capitol. A judicial subcommittee advanced SJR 9, a constitutional amendment that would prevent unelected…
Read MoreArt Cullen speaks to large group in Jefferson
The Greene County Democrats’ inaugural Groundhog Day Dinner Feb. 2 drew not only local Democrats, but also guests from surrounding counties, State Rep Karin Derry of House District 39 (Polk County), State Rep Wes Breckenridge of House District 29 (Jasper County), and J.D. Scholten, contender for the Fourth Congressional District seat held by Steve King. Close to 80 people attended…
Read MoreTo be or not to be…conservative/liberal
~a column by Colleen O’Brien How do we remain friends with somebody who voted for the wrong person? How do we talk with someone we know is a flaming liberal when we are a far-right conservative? Many of us have given it up over the past two or three years, figuring we aren’t going to get anywhere. And the truth…
Read MoreThe Behn Report
February 1, 2019 Our focus continues to be our subcommittee work as more and more bills are being filed during the third week of the legislative session. On Tuesday members of the United Way from across the state visited the Capitol. They discussed different policy proposals to support Iowans through education and health care, and how to assist Iowans in…
Read MoreOuthowling the howling winds
~a column by Colleen O’Brien [NOTE TO THE READER: The following column was written in February of 1995 for the North Lake Tahoe Bonanza newspaper where I’d been writing a column since 1981. The column is about radio talk show commentator Rush Limbaugh, who has been thus for more than 30 years. In January of 1995, he was contacted by…
Read MoreThe Behn Report
~ by Senator Jerry Behn January 25, 2019 This week was a shortened week due to the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday. Most of the week was spent working in subcommittees. It is the first step in the legislative process and gives interested parties an opportunity to support, oppose or suggest changes to the proposed legislation.
Read MoreMore snow than we’d ever seen
~a column by Colleen O’Brien News this past weekend of serious snow storms in the Sierra brought to mind the winter of 1982-83 when we lived in that mountain range along the eastern border of California. It started snowing on Sept. 14 – it was my son’s 17th birthday – and we got four feet right off the bat. We…
Read MoreChickadee tax check-off revenues decline in 2017
Last year, more than 7,500 Iowa taxpayers helped boost wildlife conservation with donations to the Fish and Wildlife Fund on their state income tax form, a decline of about 400 from 2016. Donators represent about 0.4 percent of total tax payers in Iowa. “We are so thankful to all the people who choose to donate to wildlife conservation with their…
Read MoreReynold’s comments on Iowa’s lowest unemployment rate in the nation
DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds released the following statement Tuesday in response to the news that Iowa has the lowest unemployment rate in the country according to this month’s unemployment information released by Iowa Workforce Development:
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