This week, 82nd Indivisible was in the Tipton 4th of July parade carrying puppets of Miller-Meeks “I voted for the biggest cut to Medicaid in history” and Joni Ernst with a sign that quoted her saying, “We are all going to die!”. We were struck by the faces of the crowds of people who showed up despite the heat to celebrate this tradition and who smiled at us and wished us a happy 4th. These hardworking men and women, these dignified elders in their lawn chairs and these bright kids chasing candy are all in for some big changes. more

Here we are today.  The Christian Tradition is all about freedom. Jesus taught freedom. Lived freedom. Exemplified freedom. Died to give us freedom. He came to earth to make us free.  In a polarized world we need Jesus to teach us all what true freedom is. When he spoke about His freedom the powers of the day killed Him. Crucified Him. Executed Him. Christians are called to follow Jesus and not the systems that polarize us. Christians were referred to as “The Third Race” because they followed Jesus and not the systems and powers of His day. The systems, those in power all came against Jesus. They all agreed to kill Jesus! more

As a member of 82nd Indivisible, I am dedicated to government accountability, quality public services and clean water. In April, I saw a pair of sea lions playing in the Willamette River as it flowed through downtown Portland, Oregon. This week it reached a nitrate level of 0.25 mg per liter. Here in Iowa on June 12th, the Des Moines River reached 17.15mg/l and the Raccoon River reached 20mg/l, the highest since 2013. Central Iowa Water Works, home of one of the largest ultra filtration systems in the world, banned lawn watering for two weeks because they could barely get the treated water under the legal limit of 10mg/l. more

July is busy, AND noisy.  It is also: more

The 82nd Indivisible group I belong to calls for an end to the abduction, detention and deportation of immigrants without due process in the United States of America. more

Our parents and grandparents sacrificed much during the Depression. Some gave their all during World War II.  Our parents scrimped and saved to try to give their children and grandchildren a better life. more

June is bustin’ out all over-in rhyme.  For instance June/moon, June/croon, June/spoon,  “June/swoon, and that all leads to June/bride and groom, and June/honeymoon. more

As high school comes to an end, many seniors are looking back at their accomplishments and lessons learned throughout there time as a student. One student in particular has been weighing in on everything she cultivated. Silvia Garcia Vasquez became West Liberty’s first girls’ state champion and Free Style State Wrestling Champion. She has become a trailblazer and inspiration for many girls, especially in a male dominated sport. more

This week, Wal-Mart announced it will be raising prices. CNN reports we can expect from 10 to 30 percent price hikes soon on anything from hubcaps to soccer balls to bananas. This is every American watching the sky fall. more

As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on May 16th, first-district Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks callously voted to cut Medicaid, known as a mark-up, about $715 billion over 10 years to fund tax cuts to the wealthy.   more

As we gather this Memorial Day to celebrate with friends and family, or with community to honor those who sacrificed everything to defend and protect the great Nation our founders envisioned, a Constitutional Democratic Republic based upon freedom, liberty, and justice for all, we would do well to reflect upon the words President Abraham Lincoln delivered at Gettysburg on November 19, 1863. more

Parents of children enrolled in private schools this fall will receive almost $8000 per child for tuition, no matter the parents’ income. These new numbers show that the ESA (Voucher) is among the fastest-growing parts of the state budget. more

May Day is an old-fashioned holiday.  Russia commemorates this date in a big way.  Children used to dance around a Maypole.  I’m not sure kids still celebrate the month.  more

At just 16 years old, Ricardo Garcia Rodriguez is proving that age is no limit when it comes to turning a passion into a thriving business. Ricardo is a sophomore student of West Liberty High School and has recently  launched Festive Flair, a party decoration and photography business that’s already making waves in the West Liberty area. more

The middle class struggles because our elected representatives, such as 1st District Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks, do not work for us - We the People. Miller-Meeks supported privatizing … more

I grew up on YouTube and Vine, so I never really felt the need to get a TikTok account. Whenever anything goes viral on there (for better or for worse), I usually hear about it second hand. This … more

During the 13th week of the legislative session, lawmakers focused on debating bills that made it past the final legislative deadline. With just one month remaining, the focus now turns to passing Iowa’s state budget for the upcoming fiscal year. more

Last week was the final funnel deadline for bills to be considered.  We did not have floor debate so I wanted to give you some insight into a day on the Ways and Means Committee I Chair. We met … more

The 82nd Indivisible group that I belong to believes that libraries protect intellectual freedom. It was predicted, with the advent of the internet, that libraries would disappear completely. … more

Last week was the final funnel deadline for bills to be considered.  We did not have floor debate so I wanted to give you some insight into a day on the Ways and Means Committee I Chair. We met Wednesday and passed 15 bills out of committee.  All 15 bills received bipartisan support and were about a variety of topics. Committee work rarely garners headlines but as you see below – that work does impact many of you in many ways.  more