Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Gov. Chet Culver’s $830 million I-JOBS plan is nothing more than a campaign stunt designed to buy an election, Sioux City businessman and GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats said.
Vander Plaats, who so far is the only Republican challenging Culver in 2010, called the plan to issue bonds to upgrade state infrastructure, create jobs and pay for flood recovery a “gift that will keep on taking for Iowa taxpayers.”
“More than rebuilding Iowa’s infrastructure, Chet Culver thinks it will rebuild his image so he can win another term,” Vander Plaats said. “Iowans aren’t that shortsighted and Chet Culver is going to learn that for himself next year.”
Republicans opposed the bonding plan, arguing that the eventual cost to repay the bonds will be $1.7 billion. They argued for a “pay-as-you-go” method, saying the state should cut expenses before it turns to borrowing to pay for the projects in the plan.
Democrats countered that the scale of the state’s needs, due in part to last year’s natural disasters but also to years of infrastructure neglect, as well as Iowa’s AAA bond rating made the borrowing plan a good investment.
Vander Plaats, who ran unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination in 2002 and 2006, said he believes Culver’s plan won’t create jobs and will saddle taxpayers with needless debt.
“He may buy some jobs now but it will be the Iowans who will be working the next 20 years who have to pay the bill,” he said.
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