This is a Republican controlled legislature. Never forget, things don't really die in the funnel, they often just hide in the funnel. (Watch Iowa Down Ballot with David Price Pod Cast)
"Why does agriculture think they’re entitled to all our land? Nothing should agitate us more than that—the pollution and cancer notwithstanding. These sanctimonious SOBs think they can walk over the rest of us simply because the land and climate is suitable for corn. I say screw that." So many good points in this piece. If you think his book is entitled The Swine Republic simply because of hogs, come on now, open your eyes, ears and noses.
The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation has had several calls to action this past week about legislation that you mentioned. It is set for fast track treatment like the transgender rights bill received, so act now! This is from the INHF email I received:
SJR 6 seeks to repeal Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund
Senate Joint Resolution 6 is an attempt to kill the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund through constitutional amendment. Despite overwhelming opposition, this bill has been added to the agenda for the State Government Committee tomorrow. Voters have urged the legislature to fund the Trust for the past 15 years, which they failed to do. Now, some legislators claim that voters no longer care about this protected trust fund for clean water, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation and agricultural conservation. We need to remind them that we still want to fund the Trust and ask the full committee to oppose SJR 6.
Bobby Kaufmann says it's dead in the House, but Sen. Kerry Gruenhagen suggested at a listening post that we sell off ALL the DNR land! (This "competing against farmers" BS is exactly that. The DNR isn't allowed to buy above market rate and it leases farmland to farmers at the market rate. There IS NO competition.)
Bobby knows he can get that money directed where they want it through the rules process. Looks like that's on the agenda for next year. A much less sexy fight, by the way, and much harder to generate passion around.
Those who think the land is only for farming, especially those who voted for the Trumpanzee, let me remind you what he said not long ago about his Tariff Bull Shit, "Find a crop that will sell in this country. Have Fun!" This is what you get for wanting it your way or the highway. Maybe it is time to rethink this, and start giving in just a bit to make people think you are actually living/being humans and not androids what live and breathe money!
Great story Chris. Clean water and outdoor recreational opportunities are so popular in Iowa that they are literally Free Beer! If only there was a county in Iowa to show how this model might work in practice. Oh yes, Dickinson County, home of the Iowa Great Lakes, with 17,000 residents and a $300 Million dollar economy based on clean water and an outdoor recreation. Everyone loves it there. Talk about low hanging fruit for Dems. You called it my friend.
As bad as the Farm Bureau is, they were right about IWILL in that for sure the money would be misused if enacted. Bills have already been introduced over the years to use the money to replace existing funding. Since the sales tax is regressive and already too high, I’m not a fan of IWILL. The MORE PARKS campaign is the way to achieve what IWILL was envisioned to do.
First, a nitpick. Iowa constitutional amendment must pass two consecutive General Assemblies. There has to be a general election between the two passages in the Legislature.
Second, the rally a few years ago of objection to changing the funding formula for IWILL, when the governor proposed to shaft recreation as her condition for funding the trust gives a bit of hope that voters would still support it.
Third, the slow growth in the electric drive vehicle fraction will begin to noticeably cut into ethanol demand for road vehicles. Unless something else takes up the slack and uses ethanol from corn, the corn acreage may begin to contract.
Wow, Chris! You sure can get a message across! The history, the graphics, the well-articulated common-sense logic -- super.
(I have enjoyed following you for a while, Chris. I think your stuff is getting better. Is it that you're getting better at writing ... or am I getting better at reading?)
Excellent autopsy report . Cause of death of the "will of the People" is indifference, political cowardice, and fear of the Corn Miners Lobby. I see the insipid," We the People" nothing statement out there all the time, with an undertone that somehow "we the people " are not being listened to. This is evidence that even when "we" are listened to, nothing happens if it isn't endorsed by the Corn Miners Lobby and the even more powerful Big Ag Cornmanura Mob led by Kim "Dry Drunk" Reynolds. But hey, at least the couple thousand trans kids in Iowa will be put in their "traditional values" place. If I was 30 instead of 70 I would follow the lead of the educated young, and get the hell out .
And every rural Dem voter that actually shows up for something instead of feeling defeted and deflated as per the gerrymandered usual is an up vote for all state-wide races.
Beware the elephant: The elephants’ walk can be dangerous. The book “Elephant Walk” created a tea plantation blocking the walk. The elephants regained it and the tea plantation disappeared. Beware the elephant!
Run for office.
Fortunately it died this week in the Funnel.
This is a Republican controlled legislature. Never forget, things don't really die in the funnel, they often just hide in the funnel. (Watch Iowa Down Ballot with David Price Pod Cast)
I hope you're correct.
"Why does agriculture think they’re entitled to all our land? Nothing should agitate us more than that—the pollution and cancer notwithstanding. These sanctimonious SOBs think they can walk over the rest of us simply because the land and climate is suitable for corn. I say screw that." So many good points in this piece. If you think his book is entitled The Swine Republic simply because of hogs, come on now, open your eyes, ears and noses.
Wish talk of repealing IWLL finally would generate more support for funding it. Pardon my skepticism!
Exactly
A great overview of the I-WILL debacle but also of the larger takeover of our legislature by a malevolent special interest.
The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation has had several calls to action this past week about legislation that you mentioned. It is set for fast track treatment like the transgender rights bill received, so act now! This is from the INHF email I received:
SJR 6 seeks to repeal Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund
Senate Joint Resolution 6 is an attempt to kill the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund through constitutional amendment. Despite overwhelming opposition, this bill has been added to the agenda for the State Government Committee tomorrow. Voters have urged the legislature to fund the Trust for the past 15 years, which they failed to do. Now, some legislators claim that voters no longer care about this protected trust fund for clean water, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation and agricultural conservation. We need to remind them that we still want to fund the Trust and ask the full committee to oppose SJR 6.
ken.rozenboom@legis.iowa.gov
jeff.reichman@legis.iowa.gov
cindy.winckler@legis.iowa.gov
kevin.alons@legis.iowa.gov
tony.bisignano@legis.iowa.gov
matt.blake@legis.iowa.gov
mike.bousselot@legis.iowa.gov
doug.campbell@legis.iowa.gov
claire.celsi@legis.iowa.gov
dawn.driscoll@legis.iowa.gov
jesse.green@legis.iowa.gov
dennis.guth@legis.iowa.gov
carrie.koelker@legis.iowa.gov
sandy.salmon@legis.iowa.gov
jason.schultz@legis.iowa.gov
art.staed@legis.iowa.gov
thomas.townsend@legis.iowa.gov
scott.webster@legis.iowa.gov
cherielynn.westrich@legis.iowa.gov
Bobby Kaufmann says it's dead in the House, but Sen. Kerry Gruenhagen suggested at a listening post that we sell off ALL the DNR land! (This "competing against farmers" BS is exactly that. The DNR isn't allowed to buy above market rate and it leases farmland to farmers at the market rate. There IS NO competition.)
Bobby knows he can get that money directed where they want it through the rules process. Looks like that's on the agenda for next year. A much less sexy fight, by the way, and much harder to generate passion around.
Those who think the land is only for farming, especially those who voted for the Trumpanzee, let me remind you what he said not long ago about his Tariff Bull Shit, "Find a crop that will sell in this country. Have Fun!" This is what you get for wanting it your way or the highway. Maybe it is time to rethink this, and start giving in just a bit to make people think you are actually living/being humans and not androids what live and breathe money!
Great story Chris. Clean water and outdoor recreational opportunities are so popular in Iowa that they are literally Free Beer! If only there was a county in Iowa to show how this model might work in practice. Oh yes, Dickinson County, home of the Iowa Great Lakes, with 17,000 residents and a $300 Million dollar economy based on clean water and an outdoor recreation. Everyone loves it there. Talk about low hanging fruit for Dems. You called it my friend.
As bad as the Farm Bureau is, they were right about IWILL in that for sure the money would be misused if enacted. Bills have already been introduced over the years to use the money to replace existing funding. Since the sales tax is regressive and already too high, I’m not a fan of IWILL. The MORE PARKS campaign is the way to achieve what IWILL was envisioned to do.
First, a nitpick. Iowa constitutional amendment must pass two consecutive General Assemblies. There has to be a general election between the two passages in the Legislature.
Second, the rally a few years ago of objection to changing the funding formula for IWILL, when the governor proposed to shaft recreation as her condition for funding the trust gives a bit of hope that voters would still support it.
Third, the slow growth in the electric drive vehicle fraction will begin to noticeably cut into ethanol demand for road vehicles. Unless something else takes up the slack and uses ethanol from corn, the corn acreage may begin to contract.
Wow, Chris! You sure can get a message across! The history, the graphics, the well-articulated common-sense logic -- super.
(I have enjoyed following you for a while, Chris. I think your stuff is getting better. Is it that you're getting better at writing ... or am I getting better at reading?)
Excellent autopsy report . Cause of death of the "will of the People" is indifference, political cowardice, and fear of the Corn Miners Lobby. I see the insipid," We the People" nothing statement out there all the time, with an undertone that somehow "we the people " are not being listened to. This is evidence that even when "we" are listened to, nothing happens if it isn't endorsed by the Corn Miners Lobby and the even more powerful Big Ag Cornmanura Mob led by Kim "Dry Drunk" Reynolds. But hey, at least the couple thousand trans kids in Iowa will be put in their "traditional values" place. If I was 30 instead of 70 I would follow the lead of the educated young, and get the hell out .
And every rural Dem voter that actually shows up for something instead of feeling defeted and deflated as per the gerrymandered usual is an up vote for all state-wide races.
(see The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper https://jesspiper.substack.com)
Beware the elephant: The elephants’ walk can be dangerous. The book “Elephant Walk” created a tea plantation blocking the walk. The elephants regained it and the tea plantation disappeared. Beware the elephant!