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Editorials

Brass Tacks from Rural Iowa: Back in Session

School is back in session, and so is Congress following their month-long recess. There will likely be talk and drama over the coming weeks about passing a budget to avoid a government shutdown. But I’ll be keeping my eye on two bills that could have much bigger (and longer lasting) impacts ...

Q&A: Never Forget 9/11

Q: What’s your message on the anniversary of 9/11? A: This year marks 24 years since 19 hijackers boarded four commercial airliners in the early morning hours on Sept. 11, 2001, to commit acts of terror on U.S. soil. The terrorists commandeered the airplanes to launch suicide attacks ...

Q&A: Blue Slips

Q: What is the blue slip tradition in the U.S. Senate? A: The blue slip refers to a paper form, literally a blue piece of paper, the Senate Judiciary Committee has used for more than a century to give home-state senators the courtesy to show their endorsement or disapproval for a presidential ...

A resentment as old as America itself

Many rural Coloradans, especially in agricultural communities, feel looked down on by their urban counterparts. One cattle rancher I spoke to put it plainly. “It’s an attitude … we are the idiots … we are the dumb farmers … we don’t really matter.” The sentiment is also ...

Q&A: Tax Law Benefits Iowans

Q: What are you hearing from Iowans during your county meetings? A: During the month of August, I take advantage when the Senate’s not in session to spend all my time in Iowa. As usual, I’m continuing my annual 99 county meetings and listening to Iowans across the state. By the end of the ...

Brass Tacks from Rural Iowa: Ground Zero in Hardin County

I heard from some fellow CCI members up in Hardin County that on August 6, their County Supervisors voted to approve another factory farm in the area. This isn’t good news for the folks living in Hardin County or for our ongoing water quality crisis. The only one smiling about this is ...

Q&A: Reinstating the Presidential Physical Fitness Award

Q: What is the Presidential Physical Fitness Award? A: Nearly 70 years ago during the Eisenhower administration, the President’s Council on Youth Fitness developed a program to prioritize physical fitness, strength and healthy habits among America’s school-age children. Post-World War ...

An unexpected lesson at my high school reunion about sexual misconduct

Earlier this summer, I attended my 30th high school reunion in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and the event was one of the most eye-opening experiences I’ve ever had in Iowa. After my classmates and I moved past the typical catchup about families, careers, and major life events, the conversation turned ...

Iowa State Fair

In the mid-19th century leading up to the Westward Expansion, people traveled by covered wagon to attend the first Iowa State Fair in 1854 on a six-acre tract in Fairfield. Today, more than a million visitors stroll the historic state fairgrounds in Des Moines to soak in the sights, sounds ...