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.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has feigned open-mindedness to Democratic health reform proposals for months, but, in a strongly-worded fundraising letter “Air-Gram”, he makes his opposition plain.
Here’s how the letter, obtained by the Washington Post’s Ezra Klein, begins:
I had to rush you this Air-Gram today to set the record straight on my firm and unwavering opposition to government-run health care.
And ask your immediate support in helping me defeat “Obama-care.”
I’m sure you’ve been following this issue closely. If the legislation sponsored by Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the House of Representatives and Chairman Ted Kennedy in the Senate is passed it would be a pathway to a government takeover of the health care svstem. lt would turn over control of your health care decisions to a federal bureaucrat … and take it away from you and your personal physician.
It would mean government rationing in the name of cost controls.
Even the simple act of using the word “Obama-care” serves as a dog-whistle for conservative health reform opponents, reassuring them of Grassley’s opposition and encouraging them to open their wallets. (The word Air-Gram may also be a dog-whistle for whatever group thinks that an Air-Gram is something other than a cheesy trademark that you can affix to a letter to make it seem more important.)
One sentence in the letter does recognize that Grassley is attempting to work with others to find a health care compromise that would not include a public option, but it’s almost like he’s downplaying that fact because of his audience. As Klein writes, “The question of whether Grassley wants to compromise on health care is increasingly being overtaken by the reality that Grassley is not leaving himself political room to compromise on health care.”
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter