First Lady Mari Culver was in Cedar Rapids Wednesday helping to hang siding on one of many Habitat for Humanity homes being built. (Photo by Lynda Waddington/Iowa Independent)

CEDAR RAPIDS — There was very little pomp and circumstance surrounding First Lady Mari Culver’s volunteer work Wednesday on one of 20 homes under construction by Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity. The legions of twenty-something volunteers maneuvered amid the the houses on Cedar Rapids’ far west side, measuring vinyl siding, hauling bundles of shingles to bare rooftops while barking occasional orders to one other.

Had it not been for the steady stream of television and print news crews showing a great deal of interest in the tan siding slowly climbing the side of one home, it’s likely Culver, clad in jeans and a souvenir hat from a previous Cedar Falls Habitat effort, would have been just another volunteer.

“I love to support the work of Habitat,” Culver said while indulging in a short break from hanging siding. “I’ve met several of the home owners today, and several of them were displaced by the floods a year ago.

“This is just a great way to serve the community and try to help rebuild an even stronger Cedar Rapids — nail by nail, piece of siding by piece of siding.”

Culver took obvious pride in the work she had accomplished that morning, noting that she had experience “previously helping with siding” on a different Habitat building project. She also acknowledged that the Cedar Rapids project, which combines the forces of local and national Habitat for Humanity groups in a $3.2 million undertaking, is different.

The massive 20-home undertaking by Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity has become an opportunity for individuals and groups at the local, state and national level to be more directly involved with recovery in Cedar Rapids. In the photo above, volunteers at the construction site are provided a free hot meal by the Linn County Democratic Central Committee. (Photo by Lynda Waddington/Iowa Independent)

“There are between 500 and 600 AmeriCorps and Vista volunteers from all over the country working here in Cedar Rapids,” she said. “I’ve not only had the opportunity to meet the local home owners and learn their stories, but I’ve been able to meet these wonderful young people who have heed President Barack Obama’s call to national service. It’s just really neat and such a great movement. I wish I were twenty-some years younger because I’d be an AmeriCorps volunteer for a year or two.”

The volunteers were welcomed to Cedar Rapids Sunday evening at a rally featuring Arizona Cardinals quarterback and native son Kurt Warner. Warner and his wife Brenda raised more than half a million dollars for the project through their First Things First Foundation. The couple remained in Cedar Rapids after the initial rally to physically help with the building of walls and raising of roof trusses.

While the Warners are definitely the most celebrated of the dignitaries lined up behind the project, Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity President Karen Hufnagle reports they aren’t the only ones who have weathered Midwestern rain storms to help and celebrate the week-long building efforts.

Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity President Karen Hufnagle reports more an estimated 550 young adults from across the nation have volunteered in Cedar Rapids to help build more than 20 homes, many of which will go to residents displaced by the 2008 floods. (Photo by Lynda Waddington/Iowa Independent)

“We partnered with Habitat International and the AmeriCorps Build-a-Thon, and that has allowed us to bring in some very high profile people like Kurt Warner. But we’ve also gotten a lot of help from all levels — local, state and national,” Hufnagle said. U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-Mt. Vernon) and numerous state and local officials have visited the building sites either during or in the lead-up to the current mass raising.

“We just have had tremendous support,” she continued. “So many individuals and organizations have turned out to help in any way they can. Also, city government here in Cedar Rapids has been fantastic.”

Members of the local affiliate went to the city last fall, according to Hufnagle, and requested assistance. The group wanted to build  20 houses this year, but also wanted to build an additional 20 houses during each of the next two years. The project was born not only of the realization that much of the city’s affordable housing had been washed away during the 2008 flood, but with a belief that the Cedar Valley affiliate needed to ramp up and sustain greater productivity. The city agreed to provide the organization enough land to accommodate the lofty project for the three-year span.

In order to qualify for a Habitat home, future owners must provide a down payment and maintain a monthly mortgage. In addition, the home owners provide “sweat equity” by physically contributing to the construction of their home and those built for others. Applications are available on the organization’s Web site.

The massive influx of volunteers are expected to finish raising and finishing the homes’ exteriors this week. Local contractors will provide electrical, plumbing and other interior specialties. That being said, Hufnagle and the Cedar Valley crew anticipate they will be needing more volunteers in the weeks to come. Anyone interested in helping out can visit their Web site or phone the Hiawatha-based office at (319) 366-4485.

They’re baaaack.  But for now, some folks are happy to see them.

Six months ago, corngrowers were expecting huge profit margins based on high prices caused by speculators who predicted a corn shortage after the early summer floods.  Speculation inflated the price of corn, and then it turned out that this year’s corn harvest was not the biggest ever, but it was much stronger than the speculators expected.  The price of corn dropped quickly.  Corngrowers have been a bit worried about their significantly shrunken margins ever since.

Over the past couple days of trading, things are finally looking up for the corngrowers.  At the Chicago Board of Trade, corn dipped below $3 per bushel for the first time in years last week, and since then the speculators have been at it again.

Corn closed up today on news that next year’s corn harvest is expected to be smaller than this year’s, likely due to decisions farmers made before the price of corn began to increase.

If projections for next year’s corn crop remain low, speculation will likely increase over the coming months, inflating prices again.  If the corn crop turns out to be bigger than predicted again, farmers could be in the same boat next year that they were in this year, and the cycle could continue.

But the debate was a train wreck, difficult for even the most ardent political junkie to watch. What seemed like a good idea on paper – avoiding over-discussed, politically charged topics about Iraq and immigration reform and forcing candidates to keep their answers succinct – actually made me yearn for a surreal surprise a la the YouTube debates. (Register political columnist David Yepsen dressed as a snowman asking about global warming?)

Moderator Carolyn Washburn, editor of The Register, was determined to hold the politicians to a 30-second time limit for their answers. Do we really want a presidential with a fiscal policy that can be explained in 30 seconds?  Even a tightly written editorial in The Register on something as banal as, say, taxing pumpkins as food during Halloween, couldn’t be read aloud in 30 seconds, let alone one of the paper’s carefully researched editorials on more complex topics.

What next, a bumper-sticker debate?

And what good does it do to exclude discussion about immigration reform and the national security? Most Iowa voters list those issues as the most important of the election. It’s the prerogative of debate organizers to establish any ground rules they deem fitting. But avoiding issues that voters care most about seems a bit elitist. More about the flawed format a little bit later. First, let’s look at the winners and losers:

Nobody knocked off Huckabee, mostly because the constrictive format of the debate didn’t really allow for much give-and-take between candidates. For the first time in several weeks, he wasn’t the clear winner of the debate, not because his performance was any weaker than it has been in the past but because other candidates finally rose to the occasion.

Fred Thompson is the only candidate who could see his polling numbers improve in Iowa because of his performance in the debate.

Thompson gave his best performance of the campaign cycle, the kind of showing that many people expected when he entered the race last summer but haven’t seen. He was funny, thoughtful, inspiring and forceful. And for the first time he actually reminded voters that he’d really like their support in this election. (It was Tip O’Neill who was fond of reminding young House Democrats who were seeking re-election for the first time that “people like to be asked.”) Such is the case in Iowa, too.

Perhaps his best moment was when he told Washburn that he wouldn’t play games after she asked the candidates for a show of hands on global warming. When he asked for a minute to explain himself, she refused. So he said he wouldn’t answer the question.

He also had a good line in a brief exchange with Romney and an allusion to his wealth. Thompson said, in a response to a question about taxes: “My goal is to get into the position Mitt Romney’s in, where I don’t have to worry about taxes.”

Romney laughed and then said, “My goal is to get into your position.”

Thompson’s retort: “You’re getting to be a pretty good actor.”

Thompson also exhibited signs that he’d be a strong negotiator in international affairs. “When the enemies of this country are at the negotiating table, who do you want representing you? Whoever that guy is, that’s the guy you ought to vote for for President.”

Huckabee and his staff have to be pleased with the debate, too, since he escaped unscathed. Part of that was the format, that didn’t allow any interaction among the candidates. Huckabee wasn’t asked about his pardons in Arkansas or about his lack of experience — and alleged lack of knowledge — in foreign affairs. And he continues to come across as likable and sincere, two qualities we Americans seem to cherish in a presidential candidate.

Romney has also turned in consistently solid performances in previous debates, and Wednesday’s event was no exception. In some ways, Romney is the perfect candidate for this sound-bite generation, with a strong ability to sound substantive in 30 seconds or less. He seemed positive and upbeat with fresh ideas about education and immigration reform.

And if you believe that Paul is peaking at the right time, then you might point to his debate performance on Wednesday as evidence of his maturation as a candidate. How do I put this delicately enough to avoid the wrath of his Internet army? Um, he came across as fairly sane.

There are tens of thousands of Paul supporters who will disagree, but to Average Joes like me some of the issues that the Texas congressman has embraced just don’t seem to resonate. On Wednesday, he didn’t get bogged down with discussion about the Federal Reserve, international law and the like and came across as a well-educated, practical conservative.

For John McCain and Rudy Giuliani, the debate was mostly a wash. They weren’t particularly hurt by their performances but didn’t shine in a way to win a lot of new voters. Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter were ineffective, but were also unharmed by the debate, if a candidate with one percent support in the state can be harmed. <br>
And then there was Keyes.

The former ambassador obviously holds a lot of passion when it comes to his desire to change the political culture in Washington. But there were times during the debate on Wednesday when I wondered whether security should be called to remove him from the stage. Some Iowans who question The Register’s political leanings and disagree with its left-leaning editorial page might have quietly cheered while Keyes butted heads with Washburn. But it didn’t make him look presidential, just stubborn.

The inclusion of Keyes in Wednesday’s event was one of many curiosities of the debate. Although Keyes, a perennial presidential candidate, declared his candidacy earlier this year, his participation in the campaign process has been almost non-existent. Still, he was allowed to share the stage with eight other candidates, some who actually stand a chance of winning in January.

Perhaps the most troublesome aspect of the debate was the lack of give-and-take between candidates, which left many claims unchallenged. Factcheck.org, a non-partisan organization that has been monitoring claims made by candidates during the campaign, pointed to a series of assertions that don’t pass the smell test. A more flexible debate format would have likely helped the typical voter see the dubious nature of some of these claims.