~by State Sen Jesse Green, R, 24th District Greetings from the Capitol. This week we debated and voted on various bills that survived last week’s funnel week. I would like to highlight SF2096 which repeals gender balance requirements for appointive bodies. There was a time that gender balance requirements had been seen as a floor for women. Evidence shows that…
Read MoreCategory: Opinion
Caught in my own curiosity
~a column by Colleen O’Brien What is the solution to bombardment by the U.S. Press and its repetitive boredom regarding their love affair with the illogic of a self-loving mediocrity? Quit repeating him, Press. He is not news, he is reruns. He is not interesting, he is a broken record. He is not informative, for he is ill-informed. He is…
Read MoreImproving the lives of Iowans
~by Iowa House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst February 18, 2024 The Iowa Legislature hit the first deadline of session last week, known as the funnel, and it means we’re almost halfway done with the 2024 session. It’s no secret the first weeks of session have been marked by politics, frustration, and division. That’s because most of the bills brought up…
Read MoreThe view from my window: Public libraries
Today (Saturday, Feb. 10) the Thomas Jefferson Gardens board hosted State Senator Jesse Green and State Representative Carter Nordman, during “Meet Your Legislator.” It was standing room only, with numerous Greene Countians and several from out of county present to hear Jefferson statesman, Rick Morain, pose constituency generated-questions to the elected leaders. The dialogue was videotaped, and I listened intently…
Read MoreNot a valentine
~a column by Colleen O’Brien I’ve been reading Elie Wiesel’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning Night for the third time. It is a slim book, around a hundred pages, and old, published in 1972. It is the account of a 16-year-old Jewish boy surviving Auschwitz and Buchenwald with his father during Hitler’s reign as the murderer of as many Jews as he…
Read MoreKeeping young people in Iowa
~by Iowa House Democratic leader Jennifer Konfrst With two kids now in their early twenties, I’ve spent a lot of time wondering if my kids will end up living in Iowa as they wrap up their education and start their careers. My husband and I spent a year away before returning to Iowa to build our lives, so I know…
Read MoreThe capitol roundup – Libraries and Medicaid
~by State Sen Jesse Green, R, Senate District 24 February 9, 2024 Greetings! Last week I filed SSB 3131. If you pay attention to the left wing “spin” media, I’m sure you have heard this past week that I am a fascist and a book burner that is attempting to shut our precious libraries down. For starters, SSB stands for…
Read MoreThe escape of a woman of a certain age
~by Colleen O’Brien Turning off one more tirade from a hopeful presidential candidate, I fantasize a bleak future. America needs to get rid of immigrants and put them and other bad types into sanitariums to remove their influence from good white Christian mates. I’m not an immigrant; my nearest connection to one would be my paternal great-grandparents, who immigrated here…
Read MoreLetter to the editor, questioning possible sale of Greenewood Senior Apartments and coming rent increase
Once residents of the Greenewood Senior Apartments confirmed that the board of the non-profit Greenewood Homes planned to sell their residences to a private, for-profit company and to increase rents to an amount yet undetermined, understandably, the residents had many questions, concerns and ideas. So, they invited Sid Jones, chair of the Greenewood Homes board, to attend their monthly potluck…
Read MoreView from my window – LOSST
I am sharing information this week about LOSST, an acronym for local option sales and service tax. The Greene County board of supervisors passed a resolution Nov. 27 to place a language change about LOSST for the unincorporated areas of Greene County. The vote will be held Tuesday, March 5, 2024. County auditor Billie Jo Hoskins shared how this tax…
Read MoreLetter to the editor – B. Banister re: presumed Republican presidential candidate
To the editor, Why would anyone vote for a person who: 1. Has been convicted of sexual assault.2. Whose business enterprise has been convicted of fraud.3. Stated in front of cameras that he believed Vladimir Putin over the CIA.4. Paid hush money to a porn star.5. Is a proven liar.6. Faces two state indictments and two federal indictments amounting to…
Read MoreCapitol Roundup
Chaplains, vaccine exemptions, school properties ~by Sen Jesse Green R, 24th Senate District January 26, 2024 The past couple weeks have been filled with subcommittee action, which is the first step in the legislative process every bill must go through. I will highlight a few interesting ones that may have flown under the radar for this week’s newsletter. SSB 3092…
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