Q: What is a filibuster?
Opinions
This was the 12th week of the legislative session, and another milestone was reached. For any bill to remain alive this year it had to be passed out of the original chamber and through committee in the other. In other words, only debate in one chamber is left. Bills can still be amended at that...
Q: What is a filibuster?
A: Many Americans may be surprised to learn the Senate rules do not define what constitutes a filibuster. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a filibuster as “the use of extreme dilatory tactics in an attempt to delay or prevent action especially in a legislative...
“Nocturnal Negotiations”
It’s amazing that anyone shares a bed.
I know there are plenty of married and cohabiting couples who have separate beds, or even separate bedrooms, and I can see the logic in avoiding the snoring, the thrashing, the different sleep schedules, and the need to negotiate the...
The long weekend was bittersweet. I got to spend almost the entire day, both Saturday and Sunday, talking with my sweetheart and reminiscing about the Easter we spent together two years ago (the only holiday we’ve spent in one another’s presence on the actual calendar day), and I updated him on my...
“There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.”
- President Ronlad Reagan
We have about 29 days left of the legislative session, and as we wrap up, I want to share a bit about what we have accomplished this legislative...
More Iowans are beginning to notice the growing impact of the American Rescue Plan signed into law last month.
Most Iowans have already received their $1,400 stimulus check and, thanks to a big boost in vaccines sent to Iowa from the Biden Administration, all adults will be eligible for the...
Q: When will the USDA open the next round of pandemic relief assistance for producers?
A: Just as planting season gets into full swing, Farm Service Agencies across the country will open the application process for the third round of pandemic relief assistance starting April 5, 2021 for at least...
“Out Like a Lion”
March is winding down and my sister-in-law, Lori, is going with it.
There is too much food and too many flowers, because that is what we do when someone is dying, when we don’t know what else to do as, gradually, the unthinkable becomes accepted and even ordinary. We make more...
March has once again set reality on fire. Last year, it was lockdown—in some ways the beginning of our battle with COVID (or, at least, the beginning of our acknowledgement of it as a threat). And this year, while we continue to press against the tide of the virus, lives are being stolen by a...
Dear Editor,
In 2002, Iowa’s Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) overturned a decision made by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that would have allowed a factory farm to build with over 7,200 sows, less than half a mile from our home. Hundreds of our neighbors joined the fight...
