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.
Congress may have found a temporary compromise to prevent a government shutdown, but U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) remains widely critical of the Republicans’ proposals for spending cuts.
Harkin cited several studies and economists, including those who worked in the Bush administration and John McCain’s presidential campaign. One report by Moody’s Analytics, which Harkin named, said the House GOP program could cost 700,000 jobs. Indeed, seven reports emerged with similar findings.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said if the GOP’s cuts costs some jobs, “So be it,” and pointed to some other sources who said a credible plan to reduce the deficit would improve the economy overall.
The Continuing Resolution only delays a debate on funding the federal government, with another deadline for government shutdown on March 18.
Harkin said if a government shutdown did occur, Social Security and disability payments would stop, employees of the federal government wouldn’t be able to go to work, the Internal Revenue Service would halt, and there would be interruptions to veteran’s programs.
“You’ve got some people on the House side like [U.S. Rep.] Michelle Bachmann who are being totally unreasonable,” Harkin said, adding: “I just don’t think I can support any kind of a bill that just makes spending cuts without also raising revenue — they both have to be on the table.”
Harkin said he knows there are reasonable Republicans in the House and Senate, which he hopes will work with him and other Democrats.
Harkin pointed out that he voted against President Barack Obama‘s tax cut compromise during the lame duck session, saying the president was “drastically wrong.”
One proposal included in Obama’s new budget includes cutting back on Pell grants during summer semesters, and House Republicans included cutting Pell grants as a way to cut spending. Harkin said he took great issue with that because it would prevent students from being able to afford a way into post secondary institutions and would have a ripple effect of causing increased tuition on other students enrolled in those schools.
“The right way must include a balanced approach,” Harkin said about moving forward on the deficit debate. “This must include spending cuts and necessary revenue increases. While making room for critical investments in education, job training, infrastructure.”
He clarified he did not mean raising taxes on the middle class, but closing loopholes corporations exploit and stopping them from taking their money overseas. Harkin pointed to Carnival Cruise Lines, which earned $11.3 billion in the last five years while only paying 1.1 percent instead of the federal corporate tax rate of 35 percent. He concluded this example shows the tax revenue equation is broken.
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