When the legislature returns to Des Moines in 2026, one issue will cut across every community and every income level: property taxes. Whether you live on a farm, in a small town, or in a growing suburb, Iowans’ property taxes are rising faster than their paychecks. more

It’s time to deliver for working Iowa families. That means all legislators working to find common ground and move past nearly a decade of single-party policymaking that has left too many Iowans out in the cold. Iowans deserve true representation and a focus on improving their lives – not culture wars, backroom deals, and corporate giveaways. more

"Wake up! Trump is destroying our America ..." more

"Instead of challenging the Trump Administration, Congress has continued to allow the Administration to insult the citizenry by offering us fabrications, professed to be truths. We, the citizens who have honored our traditional humane values and obeyed the laws of justice are expected to accept the Trump Administration’s unlawfulness and corruption as rational, legal, and virtuous ..." more

"Why would an electric company want to build a $400 million (yes, I said $400 million) natural gas – peak power plant in our county ..." more

"Turning our neighbors into spies seems like a bad idea. Instead, we should encourage people to vote so that our elections accurately reflect the will of all ..." more

Dec. 4, 1985: A post-Thanksgiving winter storm left motorists stranded along Interstate 80. As the snow flew, aided by strong winds, Calvary United Methodist Church in Walcott opened its doors as an overnight sanctuary. The Walcott Fire Department helped lead motorists into town, and food was supplied by the Iowa 80 Truckstop, with blankets and other supplies donated by church members. Nearly 300 people packed into the church for the night. more

An investment in education represents a belief in plurality, in myriad talents and interests, in diversity in the old sense of the word. At least that seems to be the investment that Evelyn Schlunsen, the Princeton Presbyterian Church, and the NSEF have set out to make. Everyone deserves a lift. more

Whatever the unfortunate topic, people think, “Oh, that will never happen to me.” Maybe they believe it, or maybe they are just putting it out into the universe hoping the proclamation will protect them. Either way, I am here to tell you that it absolutely can happen to you — just like it did to me. more

Nov. 29, 2000: The Iowa Utilities Board created a “relief plan” for the 319 area code, because the code was running out of available phone numbers. This meant that half of the phone customers in eastern Iowa, including the Quad Cities, would adopt the 563 area code during the next year. Many people, including business and political leaders in the area, were disappointed by the news, arguing it would be inconvenient. The Quad City Development Group had lobbied for a 319 split that would have kept the Quad Cities, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids with the same area code. more

"Let us not lose what we have built and continue to build here in Scott County. Nothing is impossible when we unite, and problems are not everyone else's; they are our problems we need to solve. Money talks, but so do the citizens of Scott County ..." more

"There are myriad reasons why CIPCO's proposal is unfit for Scott County, and Hickory Grove Township in particular. The county's comprehensive plan specifically states goals to protect our productive land with Agriculture Preservation zoning. The proposed site and surrounding fields have an 80+ CSR. A polluting fossil-fuel peaker plant would permanently damage the site's 80-90 acres. More important, it would damage our health, crops, and surrounding landscape ..." more

"It appears to me that Kaufmann is more interested in keeping the political pot boiling rather than taking positive steps to cool things down ..." more

"Through the first half of 2025, the U.S. saw some 150 politically motivated attacks. Most domestic terrorist acts in the U.S. have been right-wing attacks, accounting for the vast majority of fatalities from domestic terrorism in the United States ..." more

"Last week in Davenport, Governor Reynolds spoke of her property tax cut priority. She admitted we can’t continue to fund all current services and also deliver property tax cuts. I hope she recognizes the first rule: when you find yourself in a hole, quit digging ..." more

"In his madness, he lies as easily as he breathes ..." more

I shot a gun for the first time last week. A .22 pistol, 25 rounds. more

Nov. 18, 2020: The North Scott football team advanced to the state championship game in dramatic fashion, defeating top-ranked and previously unbeaten Cedar Rapids Xavier 17-10 in overtime. They were set to face off against Harlan for the state title. “We came here for a reason,” said senior quarterback Carter Markham. “We didn’t come here just to get to the Dome. We came to get that ring.” more

We keep hearing calls to “encourage thoughtful discourse” and “discourage violent rhetoric.” That’s true, and I have. One political party keeps crossing the line, pretending both parties are equally responsible. In fact, the recent surge in political violence is coming overwhelmingly from the left. If leaders want to promote civility, they need to start with the truth. The truth is that the left has a violence problem. more

Why can’t we all just get along? This country is subjected to enough political violence every year to make any sane nation reach a breaking point. We can’t stand idly by as killings and terror become normal in America. Each and every one of us should be doing something to bring Americans together as fellow Americans. more