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.
A conservative Nebraska Democrat has stated unequivocally that he will stand in the way of a full Senate vote on legislation that would allow undocumented students, brought to this country as children, a path to citizenship if they entered college or signed up for military service.
In a column posted to his website Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson noted that he is “not going to support any legislation that I don’t think adds to jobs, or the military or the economy.”
“Consequently, I won’t support any motion to proceed or any kind of cloture measure on the DREAM Act,” Nelson wrote, adding that he believes such an issue can only be addressed as part of “an overall comprehensive solution to immigration once we have the boarder secured, and not until then.”
Nelson’s quibble with the proposed legislation, known by most as the DREAM (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Act, is a direct contradiction to strategic planning documents released by the U.S. Defense Department. In the agency’s plan, the pending legislation is specifically noted as a “smart way” to strengthen the country’s “mission-ready, all-volunteer” force.
In addition, a national organization of more than 5,700 school, colleges, universities and other education organizations has argued that “the contributions that DREAM Act students would make over their lifetimes would dwarf the small additional investment in their education beyond high school, and the intangible benefits of legalizing and educating these students would be significant.” According to the College Board‘s 2009 study, “education — especially inculcating the supporting strong literacy skills, communication skills and the skills required for what MIT and Harvard economists Frank Levy and Richard Murnane call ‘expert thinking’ — generates powerful waves of social good.”
The Senate bill requires undocumented minors who benefit to have proof of coming to the U.S. prior to age 16, have proof of their residency within the U.S. for five consecutive years since they arrived, be between ages 12 and 35 when the bill is enacted, have graduated from a U.S. high school or passed a diploma equivalency test, and be of “good moral character.” Those who qualify would be given conditional status initially, and be required to either serve two years in the military or complete two years of higher education. Those not completing the requirements could be subject to deportation, but those that followed the mandates would be placed on a track leading first to legal permanent resident status and then to citizenship.
With Nelson’s now public refusal to allow a vote on the bill, it is extremely unlikely that the majority Democrats can reach the necessary 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster. An attempt in September to bring the bill to the floor failed on a 52-44 vote, eight votes short of overcoming the filibuster.
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