Essential Estrogen

This site/blog has been sitting on the back burner for years now. Hosting and domain registration bills were paid, but the actual work of putting it all together just never seemed to be the number one priority. Today something happened to change that.

It was no accident the powers-that-be were motivated to put it all together so quickly. You see, today we witnessed history... and anticipate witnessing even more in the near future.

Polly Bukta took the oath of office as speaker pro tempore of the Iowa House of Representatives, the first woman to ascend to that rank in the history of our state. Originally a teacher, she was first elected to the Iowa legislature in 1996, representing House District 26.

It's well deserved, Polly. Congratulations!

In a few days, we will also be witness to the inauguration of Iowa's fourth female Lieutenant Governor. Congratulations then also go out to Patty Judge -- who already made history as Iowa's first female Secretary of Agriculture.

We begin this experiment in tracking women in politics -- especially women in Iowa politics -- with a small wish: May the final breakdown of both race and gender come in our lifetime. May we be overwhelmed by all the new history we will witness.

There are currently 28 women members in the Iowa House (82nd General Assembly). While each will be featured as time allows, here is a reference list:

• Rep. Deborah Berry (D) - House District 22 (Black Hawk County)
• Rep. Carmine Boal (R) - House District 70 (Polk County)
• Rep. Polly Bukta (D) - House District 26 (Clinton County)
• Rep. Swati Dandekar (D) - House District 36 (Linn County)
• Rep. Betty De Boef (R) - House District 76 (Keokuk County)
• Rep. Marcella Frevert (D) - House District 7 (Palo Alto County)
• Rep. Mary Gaskill (D) - House District 93 (Wapello County)
• Rep. Elesha Gayman (D) - House District 84 (Scott County)
• Rep. Polly Granzow (R) - House District 44 (Hardin County)
• Rep. Sandy Greiner (R) - House District 89 (Washington County)
• Rep. Lisa Heddens (D) - House District 46 (Story County)
• Rep. Geri Huser (D) - House District 42 (Polk County)
• Rep. Libby Jacobs (R) - House District 60 (Polk County)
• Rep. Pam Jochum (D) - House District 27 (Dubuque County)
• Rep. Doris Kelley (D) - House District 20 (Black Hawk County)
• Rep. Vicki Lensing (D) - House District 78 (Johnson County)
• Rep. Mary Mascher (D) - House District 77 (Johnson County)
• Rep. Dolores Mertz (D) - House District 8 (Kossuth County)
• Rep. Helen Miller (D) - House District 49 (Webster County)
• Rep. Linda Miller (R) - House District 82 (Scott County)
• Rep. Jo Oldson (D) - House District 61 (Polk County)
• Rep. Janet Petersen (D) - House District 64 (Polk County)
• Rep. Dawn Pettengill (D) - House District 39 (Benton County)
• Rep. Jodi Tymeson (R) - House District 73 (Madison County)
• Rep. Linda Upmeyer (R) - House District 12 (Hancock County)
• Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell (D) - House District 45 (Story County)
• Rep. Tami Wiencek (R) - House District 21 (Black Hawk County)
• Rep. Cindy Winckler (D) - House District 86 (Scott County)

In addition, Rep. Bukta is Speaker Pro Tempore, Rep. Heddens is Assistant Majority Leader, Rep. Helen Miller is Assistant Majority Leader, and Rep. Upmeyer serves as Assistant Minority Leader.

Iowa is one of several states currently considering expanding health care coverage. The groundwork is currently being done by an Iowa legislative panel which is looking seriously at a formula of universal health care, similar to what Massachusetts now has in place.

Rep. Linda Miller (R-Bettendorf) is not only a legislator on the panel, but a nurse. She told Sioux City Journal today that "Iowans expect an effort to improve the health system:

"I've seen how the actual system currently works for people, and it's not very good," Miller said.

She said she doesn't believe the idea of universal health care coverage comes down to being a Republican or Democratic idea.

Miller emphasizes that universal health care and government control of health care sometimes are confused but are two separate issues.

"Having the government tell us how to practice medicine is not anybody's idea of universal health care," Miller said.

Kudos to Miller for seeing a problem and looking outside of her party's box for ways to fix it!

The vast majority of Iowans without health care coverage are young and employed (wages too low to buy into employee run health care services or work for employers who do not offer such a plan). While Iowa's rate of uninsured is smaller than than the national one, it remains a growing problem.

Rep. Joe Oldson is a Democratic woman elected to serve House District 61.

Contact Information:
Rep. Jo Oldson
Iowa Legislature
Second Floor, State Capitol
Des Moines, IA 50319
515.281.3221
515.281.5868 - fax

Rep. Jo Oldson
418 38th Place
Des Moines, IA 50312
515.255.2805

jo.oldson@legis.state.ia.us

Oldson is serving her third term in the Iowa House. She has worked in various positions in state government over the last 16 years -- the Office of the Insurance Commissioner for 1990 to 1998; policy adviser to former Gov. Tom Vilsack in 1999 and 2000. In addition, she has served on he Young Women's Resource board of directors from 1991 to 2005, serving as president from 1998 to 1999.

She holds a bachelor's degree in political science and a law degree, both from Drake. She is a protestant and is married to Brice Oakley (former Republican state representative and current lobbyist).

Committee Assignments: Commerce, Judiciary and Appropriations (Chair -- the first female chair in Iowa's history)

• Bills Sponsored
• Amendments Sponsored
• Subcommittee Assignments

In today's Fort Dodge Messenger Iowa Rep. Helen Miler (D-Fort Dodge) provided some details about a bill she's working on which should benefit Iowa's working families.

One of the growing problems for working families is that the school day ends at roughly 3 p.m., but the work day doesn't. Almost one in three Iowa children of working families are unsupervised in the afternoons, according to the Afterschool Alliance. The data gathered by that group in 2005 showed just 11 percent of the children in working families are in afterschool programs, while 32 percent of them are "latchkey kids" with no adult supervision in the afternoon.

‘‘I do support (additional state funding) because I believe we have got to do something with these children,’’ said Rep. Miller.

She pointed out that Iowa leads the nation in the percentage of families in which both parents work — or, in single-parent households, in which the only parent works. Miller termed the hours after school a ‘‘huge chunk of time that children can get into trouble.’’

Miller went on to add a few details about a bill she plans to introduce. The bill would fund after-school art activities that tapped the skills students were learning in other classes. The thinking is that the legislature might be more prone to fund programs associated with school.

Although conventional wisdom has dictated that middle school children are involved in activities following the school day and, therefore, do not have the same needs of younger children, crime statistics have shown this not to be the case. Juvenile crime rates, according to Iowa Afterschool Alliance coordinator Rachel Scott, triple between 3 and 6 p.m.

On a national level

• Two in five middle school children (grades six to eight) in working families (40%) are unsupervised in the afternoons.
• 9.7 million children in working families who do not participate in afterschool programs would be likely to participate if a program were available.
• 14% of children, kindergarten through 12th grade, in working families attend afterschool programs, compared to 11% of all K-12 children. 19% of the children of single working mothers participate in afterschool programs.
• Just 7% of children in rural working families attend afterschool programs.
• 31% of Caucasian, 25% of African American and Hispanic, and 21% of Asian Pacific Islander children in working families are in self-care in the afternoons.

During the past year, the Iowa legislature has alloted $150,000 for afterschool programs. Advocates argue $4 million is needed.

Rep. Swati Dandekar is a Democratic woman elected to serve House District 36.

Contact Information:
Rep. Swati Dandekar
Iowa Legislature
Second Floor, State Capitol
Des Moines, IA 50319

Rep. Swati Dandekar
2731 28th Avenue
Marion, IA 52302
319.377.2087

swati.dandekar@legis.state.ia.us

Dandekar is the first Indian born American citizen to win a state legislature seat in the United States. She is now in her fourth term in office. She has been a member of the Vision Iowa Board since its inception in 2000. She was the chair of the Hall of Pride Criteria Committee and also a member of the Vision Iowa's Negotiating Team. Previous to running for the Iowa House, she served on the Linn-Mar Community School District Board of Directors.

She and her husband, Arvind (business owner), migrated to the U.S. in 1973. They have two adult sons.

Committee Assignements: Appropriations, Economic Growth, and Transportation. Dandekar also chairs the Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee.

• Bills Sponsored
• Amendments Sponsored
• Subcommittee assignments

Rep. Pam Jochum (D-Dubuque), chair of the State Government Committee, appeared on WOI-TV last night to tout her intentions of strengthening existing open records law.

Typically, when someone begins to discuss making more information public record, I automatically assume a position of standing ovation. After further reading of House Study Bill 38, however, I'm wary.

This bill calls for the full disclosure of information pertaining to individuals who are being considered for appointment, hiring, performance evaluations or discharge is being discussed by a government body.

Currently, the law allows government bodies who are considering personnel matters to move into a closed session. Closed sessions are, as the name implies, closed to the general public and press. Although the current law states this should be done "when necessary to prevent needless and irreparable injury to the individual's reputation" and if "the individual requests a closed session," those who attend open meetings will tell you that very few government bodies behave in this manner. Whenever an agenda item launches into the discussion of personnel matters of any sort 9 out of 10 government bodies will move into closed session.

The new bill requires the individual being discussed (regardless of reason) to request a closed session in writing and provide reason for the request. The body must then determine if such a close session is necessary to prevent "needless and irreparable injury to the individual's reputation."

It is interesting to note which lobbyist groups have stated opposition or approval to this bill. Most are currently undecided as to their feelings toward the proposed change in legislation. For those who have taken a stance, it seems this legislation pits two predominantly left-leaning groups against one another. The first group to voice its displeasure with the legislation was AFSCME Iowa Council 61. One of the first to state its approval was the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa. The only other group to come out against the proposed legislation is the Iowa Hospital Association. Those on the approving side are the Iowa Broadcasters Association, Iowa Newspaper Association and Citizens Aide/Ombudsman.

In total, this bill takes the matter of closed session out of a government body's hands. For better or for worse, the state will be dictating the body hold such discussions in public unless the individual being discussed acts to prevent it. Even then, the individual must show just cause for the closed session. Even if the request is deemed worthy, the body is still required to release the individual's name, city of residence, employment history and educational history. (Within the bill the language is unclear if this requirement is for any applicant, appointee, person being reviewed or person being reprimanded or if it is limited to only final applicants.)

It is such ambiguity which makes this bill questionable. Should all information of applicants for positions be made public record, how will that affect the applicant's current employment? While already facing a shortage of school administrators, would school districts have an even more difficult time in persuading applicants to come to Iowa with such new laws in place? What if I'm an employee and had to take extended periods of time away from work because I suffered from AIDS? Would I really want the particulars of my situation discussed in open session? Would my reasoning for wanting to keep it private be seen as "necessary"?

In all, it's good to note this is a study bill. Obviously, our state legislators, Jochum included, need to consider all the ramifications of this initiative.

Iowa State Rep. Sandy Greiner (R-Keota) told the Washington County Pork Producers that she will not seek re-election when her term expires in 2008. Why? According to Greiner, "the chips are down" and "our voices are not going to be heard."

In other words, Greiner only likes to play when she can be the leader. Sorry, hun, life doesn't always work that way and, if that's the only way you can do business, we're glad to see you take your toys and leave the sandbox.

Rep. Carmine Boal (R-Ankeny) recently wrote an op-ed piece for the Des Moines Register in which she attempted to spank the Iowa Democratic majority over HF 149, the antiharrassment and antibullying legislation. She fell quite short of her mark, however, when statements made in her piece are placed against the documents to which she refers.

Boal writes:

Upon researching the question, I found that in order to be accredited by the state of Iowa all public and non-public schools must have a student discipline policy addressing harassment per Iowa Administrative Code 281-12.

The truth is that Code 281-12 reads differently than what HF 149 proposed. Here is a section 12.5(8) -- which must be what Boal refers to since it appears to be the only language within the document which discusses harassment:

12.5(8) Multicultural and gender fair approaches to the educational program. The board shall establish a policy to ensure that students are free from discriminatory practices in the educational program as required by Iowa Code section 256.11. In developing or revising the policy, parents, students, instructional and noninstructional staff, and community members shall be involved. Each school or school district shall incorporate multicultural and gender fair goals for the educational program into its comprehensive school improvement plan. Incorporation shall include the following:

a. Multicultural approaches to the educational program. These shall be defined as approaches which foster knowledge of, and respect and appreciation for, the historical and contemporary contributions of diverse cultural groups, including race, color, national origin, gender, disability, religion, creed, and socioeconomic background. The contributions and perspectives of Asian Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, European Americans, and persons with disabilities shall be included in the program.

b. Gender fair approaches to the educational program. These shall be defined as approaches which foster knowledge of, and respect and appreciation for, the historical and contemporary contributions of women and men to society. The program shall reflect the wide variety of roles open to both women and men and shall provide equal opportunity to both sexes.

The overall thrust of Boal's argument against this piece of legislation isn't made evident in her writing until eight paragraphs into her piece. At that point, she encourages the reader to question why "the majority party" would want to list the "traits or characteristics upon which harassment or bullying can be based." Even here, however, Boal leads her readers to believe that the legislation has limited the traits and characteristics to only those listed. In truth, HF 149 reads:

b. "Trait or characteristic of the student" includes but is not limited to age, color, creed, national origin, race, religion, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical attributes, physical or mental ability or disability, ancestry, political party preference, political belief, socioeconomic status, or familial status.

True to her GOP talking points, Boal seems poised to strike fear into the hearts of all Iowans based on a few key words within the legislation: "sex," "sexual orientation," "gender identity," and, perhaps, "political party preference" as well. I'm not sure why the GOP feels only certain Iowa students need protection from bullying. Shouldn't we be the state which paints with a broad brush when it comes to student safety? Obviously, for some in the Iowa legislature, student safety isn't a primary concern when it clashes with party ideology. Shame on them!

Finally, the one part of the bill which seemed to give Boal -- and we imagine most of her GOP counterparts pleasure -- was an amendment which allowed non-public to be immune to the new legislation.

Despite Boal's misgivings, the bill passed the House and has been sent to the Senate where it is now SF 61. Gov. Chet Culver has stated he will sign this legislation if it is passed by both houses.

Here's our shout out to the Iowa Senate: Iowa Administrative Code 281-12 already includes an exemption request process. Let all the non-public schools who wish to be accredited by the state explain in detail why they find some Iowa students not worth protecting.

A public hearing on the bill easing state restrictions on stem cell research has been scheduled for 7 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday in the Iowa House chamber.

The bill, which is being erroneously painted as lifting Iowa's ban on human cloning, allows medical researchers to create embryonic stem cells through cloning. Rep. Lisa Heddens (D-Ames) put the claims against the bill into very simple terms:

"The opponents of this legislation claim that this bill is about state-funded human cloning. This is a totally false claim. The bill continues to prohibit human reproductive cloning. While embryonic stem cell research is already being done in Iowa, none of that research can be applied to patients in the form of treatment and therapies. The proposed legislation would allow that to happen."

The bill was approved 12-9 (party-line) by the House Human Resources Committee and is soon expected to be debated on the floor.

Mark Langgin at Bleeding Heartland was, we believe, the first in the Iowa blogosphere to report on the absence of some GOP Iowa House members from a public hearing they called. Mark's report was then followed by Geraldine at Iowa Progress. So, while it isn't 'our' story, it still deserves a few lines here since three of the four negligent representatives were women.

Without recapping the story, we do hope there was a circumstance which required Rep. Carmine Boal (R-Ankeny), Rep. Linda Miller (R-Bettendorf) and Rep. Tami Wiencek (R-Waterloo) to miss a meeting they scheduled. To do so without a legitimate excuse is unacceptable.

Yesterday, members of the House Education Committee continued the life of HSB 87 which provides some definition changes for sex education in Iowa classrooms, both private and public. By a vote of 17 to six, the committee agreed all sex education in Iowa should be both 'age-appropriate' and 'science-based.'

Democrats serving in the statehouse have long targeted this change in sex ed, but had previously not had the political muscle to make the change. Their majority in both houses and the Governor's Office makes this bill viable.

While the bill makes no distinction between Iowa's public schools and the myriad of non-public schools (secular or religion based), Committee Vice Chair Rep. Mary Mascher (D-HD 77) told Radio Iowa this morning that the measure does not dismantle abstinence-only programs.

"Just because they're offering abstinence-only, they cannot offer inaccurate information in that program either," she said.

The bill does target unscientific material which has been used in some Iowa schools during sex education. Information such as the ability of an individual to contract HIV from body sweat and/or tears would no longer be allowed if this bill passes.

In addition, the new section (280.28) would require nonpublic schools who elect not to provide comprehensive sexual health education (as outlined in the bill) to send send a notice to parent(s)/guardian(s) at the beginning of the year that explains such education is required by the state, the criteria outline for such education, and that such education is not being provided to the student.

Quite frankly, we do not believe this bill goes far enough in requiring all Iowa schools to teach students about themselves, their bodies, and the possibility of disease. That being said, then, it is difficult to understand why this bill has already met with opposition from the Iowa Family Policy Center, Iowa Right to Life Committee, and the Iowa Christian Alliance. Those favoring the bill include the Iowa Department of Education, Iowa State Education Association, GLBT Youth in Iowa Schools Task Force, Iowa Medical Society, Iowa Commission on the Status of Women and the League of Women Voters of Iowa (among many others).

Originally, the Iowa Association of Christian Schools were against this bill. As of Feb. 22, however, their opinion (as portrayed by their lobbyist Eric Goranson) has changed to undecided. We've attempted contact with that group to see why their opinion changed and will report back if and when we're granted an interview.

In our opinion, requiring schools to provide "just the facts" when it comes to sexual education is a long overdue mandate. No one, regardless of their particular religious ilk, should be allowed to spread disinformation on such a critical topic. To purposefully do so in other potentially life-threatening situations would be criminal and there should be no distinction made with this circumstance.

Rep. Elesha Gayman (HD-84) is one of four of our state's youngest Democratic lawmakers who are touting a bill to set up a state commission on 'brain drain'.

The bill - which was recently voted out of committee - would form a "Generation Iowa Commission" to make recommendations on how best to keep young and educated adults from leaving Iowa. Gayman, the youngest woman in the Iowa House, has made this bill a personal priority.

"You often have focus on our senior citizens or our children," she said. "But there isn't really a voice for young adults. We need to be able to keep our best and brightest here and to do that our state needs to be innovative."

The 15-member commission proposed by the bill would be made up of Iowans between the ages of 18 and 35. They would be appointed by Gov. Chet Culver.

The three additional lawmakers -- all 30 and under -- are Mick Bailey, Andrew Wenthe, and Tyler Olson. We're guessing Ray Zirkelbach would have also signed on as a sponsor of this bill if he were back from active duty in Iraq. (Stay safe, Ray, August will be here soon!)

Rumor has it that members of the State Central Committee look at our five young Democratic legislators as a hidden gold mine. Plans are supposedly in the works to utilize the five to increase the 30 and under activity level for the party.

On the republican side of things, there are three young lawmakers - Pat Grassley (how's that for name recognition?), Steve Lukan and Matt Windschitl. We aren't hearing any word on the street about GOP plans to utilize these young adults.

If you're interested in the nuts and bolts, be sure to read the bill. Thus far, no lobbyists have come out against it.

In November of last year, The Daily Iowan reported that IPERS had roughly $28 million directly invested in companies that Sudan Divestment Task Force lists as "warranting scrutiny." In other words, these are companies which could be funding and/or facilitating genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

Rep. Dawn Pettengill is one of two Democratic legislators who have made divestment a top priority this session. Pettengill along with Sen. Michael Connolly are equally concerned IPERS benefits from stock in PetroChina, a front for the Chinese government-owned China National Petroleum Corp. CNPC is an oil consortium accused by scholars and research groups of providing financing and weaponry to government-backed militias in western Sudan.

According to the bills in both the House and Senate, companies would be asked to halt operations and given 90 days to comply. Once that time period expired, if the company had failed to address the concerns, the state would begin a divestment process. While the original bills called for divestment in 15 months, the Senate bill has been changed to allow a three year divestment. Pettengill, who has been pushing for this measure upwards of three years, calls the Senate compromise unacceptable.

"I can understand bing more lenient with the mutual funds, but we need to drop the companies we're directly invested in right away. IPERS had an annual return of 11.1 percent, and none of those companies was above that. If anything, they're bringing the average down."

If passed and signed into law, Iowa would become one of six states who have elected to make their voice heard on a national level. The belief is that if enough individuals and states pull their money, the companies would be pressured into ceasing harmful operations -- which allegedly include arms-for-oil deals -- that have led to the death of nearly half a million Darfuris and the displacement of 2.5 million more. According to Pettengill, IPERS has more than $100 million invested in companies directly or indirectly connected with Sudan.

Both bills have cleared their respective committees.

Rep. Linda Upmeyer (R-Garner) is one of three Republican legislators who plan to formally introduce a bill to benefit beginning farmers this week. Because the bill will include tax breaks, it is not subject to the funnel week deadlines.

Upmeyer joined with junior Representative Pat Grassley (R-New Hartford) and Rep. Jeff Kaufmann (R-Wilton) to sponsor the bill which takes aim at both the cost associated with becoming a farmer and motivating women and minorities to enter farming. In total the bill would allow extended relatives of farmers (not just children) to avoid inheritance tax for family farms; all for tax exemption of a new owner agrees to crop-share with a beginning farmer; provides $5 million in property tax credits for beginning farmers; and offers $25,000 to create a program encouraging women and minorities to enter farming as a profession.

The section which deals with outreach to women and minorities is credited to Upmeyer. "We sometimes forget that young women can be young farmers," she said.

While the three legislators have not expressed a great deal of hope for the bill's passage in such a minority hostile climate, they also believe the values projected in the bill are bipartisan and good for Iowa.

Three high school girls from a New York City suburb were suspended for saying the word "vagina" during a reading of The Vagina Monologues. According to the school's principal Richard Leprine, the word was not appropriate at a community event open to children. (I know there's a pun in there somewhere...)

Eve Ensler, author of the play, has surfaced to defend the girls and use of the word for female genitalia.

According to reports in the Des Moines Register last weekend Iowa Rep. Janet Petersen took a few moments -- during labor -- to speak on the phone with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Two hours following the phone call, the legislator gave birth to a healthy son, Buck Henry (7 lbs, 3 oz.).

Not only do we send kudos to the entire Petersen family, but we're very impressed with Janet's ability to multitask!

Newspapers in Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Michigan have pulled conservative commentator Ann Coulter's syndicated column following her comments at the CPAC, according to an article at Fox News. In addition, it was reported that three companies - Verizon, Sallie Mae and NetBank - have dropped their advertising from Coulter's site.

You'd think Ann would have learned a few things following the "spawn of satan" comment. which got her dropped from USA Today.

Prominent feminist and long time abortion activist Kate Michelman has not only endorsed former Sen. John Edwards, she took to the stage at a California rally to assert "as a lawyer, as a husband, as a father of two daughters, he understand the reality of women's lives. He understands the centrality of women's lives and experience to the health and well-being of society as a whole... He understands that on an extremely personal level."

Needless to say, the comments weren't met with only cheers. Some have commented that just as Toni Morrison christened Bill Clinton the first black president, Michelman is attempting to dub Edwards our first woman president. It is obvious to most, however, that Michelman still has a difficult time swallowing Clinton's 2005 speech.

Despite what you might have read in email this week, staring at a woman's breasts is not a form of exercise which will add years to your life.

It's been an interesting week in Des Moines as state legislators worked overtime to clear bills through House and Senate committees. Most left town last night for their homes across the state... most likely to spend some time with their favorite journalist about their views of the session thus far.

A few, however, didn't allow the cheese to become aromatic at room temperature before opening a big bottle of whine.

"I’d give them an A for the fact that they’ve been committed to their issues," said Senate Minority Leader Mary Lundby, R-Marion, of the new majority.

"I’d give them an F for caring about Iowans and what most Iowans need and want. They have left behind so many Iowans with this agenda," Lundby said.

While on the surface it looks like just a nice spark of wit, this comment is actually a pretty good slap to every Democrat in the state. Lundby says she'd give Dems an A for commitment to their issues... then follows with an F for caring about Iowans. With that one statement Lundby says Democrats, their platform, their key issues and everything they stand for is bad for our state and our people. Those are pretty strong words, Mary.

It is difficult to see Lundby's diatribe being more than sour grapes when we recap what the Democratic majority has accomplished so far this session: raising the minimum wage, protecting Iowa students from bullying, and allowing existing stem cell research to be applied in patient care. She didn't even bother to mention that the doves appear to be in the clear.

If you've ever wanted to know the ideological fiscal differences between conservatives and liberals, you get a good peek by reading the quote from House Minority Leader Chris Rants (R-Sioux City).

"Democrats are determined to get every anti-business piece of legislation shoved out of committee."

There seems to be this divide between the political parties when it comes to business and individuals. That is, legislation which helps individuals is anti-business while legislation which benefits business is anti-people. Republicans (especially true Conservatives) tend to view everything through business-enhanced glasses. True progress in our state would be both parties realizing both entities are required to be health for society to flourish.

As Funnel Week comes to an end, wave goodbye to open meeting and records reform; the statewide smoking ban (which really didn't make much sense when the state *needs* the extra $1 a pack to pay for new initiatives); undoing Steve King's English-only bill and the resurrection of TouchPlay. Only divine intervention in the form of political maneuvers can save them now.

I was just over at the DMR looking at the total list of bills which survived funnel week when I spotted this:

"Banning hunting of live animals with an Internet hookup"

Wow. Granted I'm not the most savvy person when it comes to the latest advances in hunting, but this one had me Googling. Nope. I didn't find one survival tip on how to use your net connection to bag a buck.

Re-Reading... banning hunting of live animals with an Internet hookup... Hmmm

I realize Iowa has an alarming deer population. Most any given morning, you can see a family or two while running along the Des Moines river trail. So, yes, we and the deer are kinda co-habitating the same spaces. I had no idea, however, that the deer (or any other animals) had net access. If they do, I think someone should look into it. No doubt those furry critters are snagging someone's wifi.

Anyone want to enlighten me as the to the true nature of this, no doubt, highly important piece of legislation?

Just over two weeks ago, I sat quietly in the backyard and said goodbye to an old friend. It was, for the most part, a happy goodbye even if it has been difficult to continue to function without the friend in my life.

Since that time, I've made some new friends (such as Hubba Bubba and Trident), but nothing seems to completely fill the void left behind when I stopped smoking cigarettes.

I realize there are several people reading this right now and shaking their heads in confusion. 'Cigarettes are friends?' or 'It is unhealthy, your body is thanking you' are what I imagine most are considering while reading. However illogical or difficult for a non-smoker to understand, cigarettes were my friends and, at least in my mind's eye, helped me through some very difficult situations. While I realized the medical community's ire for them, I'm still not convinced that they are any more unhealthy than other items in which people partake. For instance, I wasn't washing my troubles away with a bottle of wine and then driving around town.

My reasons for quitting are many. Primary was the want of my children for me to do so. Secondary was my personal want to smell better. I think, if I'm honest with myself and you, I'll have to admit that mostly I quit because I wanted to prove to myself that I could. I needed to know that no matter how much I had become use to my little tobacco friends, I was still in charge.

One thing which did not factor into setting the cigs down was the proposed $1 per pack tax going through the legislature at the time. The more I think about this tax, however, the more I believe it will end up causing more problems than it solves.

Proponents of the tax increase have stated that the dollar will be funneled into healthcare expenses -- in particular, new healthcare expenses for the state. They also voice their hope that the tax will both discourage young people from starting to smoke and will encourage existing smokers to either cut down or quit. Quite frankly, those goals -- use of the tax money for new services and smoking prevention -- are in direct competition. Consider the ramifications to one if the other succeeds:

If the monies are successful in creating a new healthcare program it will take progressively more and more funding to maintain the same set of services. (Statewide, our population is increasing with each census.) Therefore the legislature will need to either find a new way to supplement the $1 per pack tax, will have to increase the tax or will need more people to smoke and pay the $1 per pack tax.

On the flip side, if the tax is successful as a stop-smoking incentive how will the state fund the new healthcare initiatives? Obviously, the government has a dollar figure in mind for their healthcare budgeting. How many smokers does the state require to meet that goal? Also, if the people enacting this law agree that smoking is one of the world's greatest evils, why are they willing to base so much on what is obviously 'blood money'?

While this little diatribe of a former smoker has cost me some points in liberal circles, my concerns are valid. No matter the outcome of the $1 pack tax increase, there will come a time when the legislature will need more money from all of us in order to fund their new healthcare initiatives. Because of that it's too bad that the people of Iowa haven't been able to debate the new initiatives as much as they have the $1 per pack.

Finally, this article was written with the expressed intent of ignoring the proposed smoking ban. Because when you add that proposed legislation (which looks like it will pass and let the government decide whether there can be smoking in private businesses) with the budget and the tax increase, it pretty much seals the deal that our legislature has serious mental defects.

You know, I have a spreadsheet showing my children purchased 100,000 packs of bubblegum last year. I've informed them that from now on I'll be charging them an extra dime for each pack of gum they buy. We'll be using the dime to remodel our kitchen. I've further informed them that not only will gum chewing be banned in our home, I've told neighboring parents, their school and the local police department to help me enforce a community-wide chewing ban (because the sugars can be so hard on the teeth). Finally, because the remodel of the kitchen is more of a necessity than a luxury, I'm prepared to pull money from the children's allowances if the gum tax doesn't provide what's expected... but that final piece of information is on a strictly need to know basis.

Here's a quick rundown of some of the bits and pieces you've might have missed:

Upcoming Peace Rallies

The folks over at Century of the Common Iowan have a nice list of the upcoming peace rallies in Iowa.

Clinton to headline for Boswell

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is scheduled to headline a fundraiser to kickoff Iowa Rep. Leonard Boswell's re-election campaign. The fundraiser is slated for April 21 in Des Moines, according to the Clinton camp. No other details are yet available.

Judge appointed to national council

Iowa Lt. Gov. Patty Judge was appointed to serve on the State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Government Coordinating Council for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The appointment is for one year and Judge said she plans to keep rural areas a focus of the group as well as major population centers.

Judge was also earlier named by Gov. Chet Culver as the Homeland Security Advisor for our state.

Fair Share bill waits for another day

There were not enough votes in the Iowa House for Democrats to want to debate Fair Share this week. And, according to the Des Moines Register, Rep. Dawn Pettengill (D-Mt Auburn) was seen by Republicans leaving the Democratic meeting with tear-stained cheeks.

The bill will sit throughout this week and is anticipated to come to the floor the week after.

Jacoby steps in for Petersen

Rep. David Jacoby (D-Coralville) was named interim Chair of the House Commerce Committee while Rep. Janet Petersen (D-Des Moines) is out on maternity leave.

The committee regulates business, financial institutions, insurance, utilities and real estate. It is one of the most powerful in the Iowa House.

In addition to his new assignment, Jacoby also serves on Appropriations, Human Resources and State Government committees. He is also a member of the Administrative Rules Review Committee.

It could be worse

According to Reuters, a Finnish member of parliament is aiming for re-election by campaigning with a translation of his web site into Klingon, used in the television series "Star Trek."

While we sometimes wish candidates spoke in obscure languages so they couldn't dominate every new cycle, Klingon is extreme even for us. Further the foreign politician said there have been translation difficulties since Klingon doesn't have words for tolerance and many colors (such as green, the party under whose banner he is running in the national elections tomorrow).

Of course, non-warriors can access his site in English, Swedish and Finnish.

Newspapers throughout the state (and probably the nation) are applauding the death of a measure in the Iowa Senate which would have allowed government "28Es" to post public notices electronically instead of in the traditional print format. While there is another, similar proposal in the House, it has been chewed down to the bone with no meat left to threaten the rags.

For Iowans, this is a good thing, although they might not see it that way at first. On one hand, governments could save thousands upon thousands of dollars by posting public notices on their web sites instead of paying the local newspapers to print them. On the other hand, however, the steady revenue streams from public notices are sometimes the only things keeping smaller papers afloat. As so many of our communities begin to either lose their local newspaper or see it swallowed by a large communications company, few will disagree with the importance of keeping many voices within the Iowa press or with keeping a local voice within each of our communities.

While the proposals in the Iowa Legislature this year were very limiting in scope, allowing only for "28E" entities to escape the newsprint requirement of public notices, the newspaper industry would see any move to chip away such steadfast revenue as a major threat.

While not relevant since it seems both measures in the Legislature are doomed, here's a very elementary definition of 28Es:

Such entities are formed when state and local governments cooperate to provide joint services and/or facilities (i.e., regional ambulance services, cooperative fire protection agreements). The name stems from the chapter within the Iowa Code which defines and limits them.

While this issue may have died for this particular session, it's bound to return. Local governments believe a better use of taxpayer funds would be on emergency services and infrastructure. Technology is becoming more and more the norm in Iowa households (although access speeds are still a major issue in the rural areas). In the majority of communities, Internet subscribers far outnumber newspaper subscribers. When push comes to shove (and it will), Iowans will need to decide if their local newspapers should stay in business, even if that means they are mainly subsidized by taxpayer funds via public notices.

It appears at least one issue is able to draw bipartisan support in Des Moines this legislative session: Brain Drain.

Brain drain is a slang term to describe the exodus of young and bright Iowans from their home state. (As a side note, your author has long lobbied for a bio-dome over at least parts of Iowa... like my home... which would maintain the environment at a blissful 80 year 'round. I believe such an advance would go a long way toward encouraging people to weather yet another Iowa winter. But I digress...) Earlier this month, we told you about a bill seeking the formation of a Generation Iowa Commission. Now there is a similar bill in the Iowa House sponsored by Rep. Tami Wiencek (R-Black Hawk), Rep. Dawn Pettengill (D-Benton) and Rep. Jeff Kaufmann (R-Cedar) dubbed the "Iowa Advantage Fund."

This new bill has duel aims:

1. Make Iowa employers more attractive to young graduates just starting out
2. Help new graduates pay down college debt

These goals are accomplished by providing tax incentives to businesses who agree to help repay education loans for students from Iowa institutions. The students would become employees and would need to make at least $25,000 per year for the incentive. Businesses would be given a tax credit equal to 30 percent of the paid loan. The repayment would be scheduled over a three year time frame.

In addition to the three sponsors, the measure is also - surprisingly - being supported by Sen. Joe Bolkcom (D-Johnson) who anticipates introducing similar legislation on his side of the dome. The support is surprising because the measure is the original brain-child of University of Iowa professor Jay Christensen-Szalanski, a gentleman who ran against Bolkcom.

The proposed legislation is in the Ways and Means Committee on the House side and, as such, was not subject to the recent funnel week. Kudos to all involved for walking across party lines and building legislation to fill needs.

Clerks in the Iowa House and Senate continue to collect items and monetary donations for "Operation May Baskets" and could use your help, but the final deadline is looming. The baskets will soon be on their way to Iowa soldiers serving overseas.

Project Coordinator Jean Olson reports, "As of today, we have collected 125 names of Iowans serving overseas. The last day we can accept names and addresses and/or donations will be Thursday, March 29. We plan to fill and mail the boxes on April 5."

Those who wish to contribute are asked to remember that the containers are roughly the size of shoe boxes. Therefore, small items are needed. Participants are also encouraged to pack items in small plastic containers to avoid crushing. Such containers don't add weight to packages, and are invaluable for storing opened foods and for keeping the sand out of treasured possessions.

It is very important for personal care items and really anything with a smell (such as air fresheners) to be packed in a separate box from food items. If it isn't, the warm weather allows the odor to seep into food items (even if they are double-bagged). Soap should never go in the same box with food.

Checks should be made out to "Operation May Baskets." Donations (including checks) can be mailed to:

Operation May Baskets
House Post Office
2nd Floor, Iowa State Capitol
Des Moines, IA 50319

Personal care items on the soldiers' wish list include:

The most requested food and snack items are: