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.
State Sen. Jeff Angelo, R-Creston, tells Iowa Independent he would exchange Iowa Gov. Chet Culver’s “entire rousing speech for just one good idea.”
Angelo, a southwest Iowan who represents the largest senate district in the Hawkeye State, says Culver’s Condition of The State speech seems in desperate need of a reality check — which Angelo expects the legislature to provide.
“The Governor continues to prioritize government spending over protecting the budgets of working class families,” Angelo said. “At a time when families say their biggest concern is the cost of living–the cost of gas, heating their houses, their health care, etc, the Governor’s budget contains $90 million in tax increases. And he failed to even talk about the projected $500 million increase in property taxes that will occur in Iowa over the next five years.”
According to Angelo, Culver is proposing a 6 percent increase in spending when revenues are coming in at a historical average of 3.3 percent.
“That’s a bill our kids and grandkids will eventually need to pay,” Angelo said. “So, it looks like its up to legislators to lead on the issues that matter most to Iowans.”
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