“The Cigar Box”
I spent the weekend in New York City.
I hadn’t been to New York in quite a while. I was performing at a theater conference and so was traveling alone, without my husband, Peter.
Opinions
“The Cigar Box”
I spent the weekend in New York City.
I hadn’t been to New York in quite a while. I was performing at a theater conference and so was traveling alone, without my husband, Peter.
New York intimidates me—as all big cities do. I am not a nervous traveler, generally, but I keep my...
The Iowa caucuses begin in less than two weeks—the first in the nation, as we are often reminded. A position that is treated as prestigious, without any real rationale as to where the prestige comes from. Much like the races we’d have as children—“first” gets the glory. But the victory is very much...
We are on our way again. This will be my eighth year as your state representative. I believe that we have done an excellent job taking care of our state during this period of time. Our budget has been balanced every year, we have tackled a number of ongoing problems, some solved, some need more...
Q: What should Iowans know about human trafficking?
A: As unconscionable as it may sound, 21st century slavery exists. Criminal networks are depriving the youngest and most vulnerable members of society of their freedom by targeting and entrapping children for illicit sex trafficking and forced...
“Unexpected Cowboy”
I want to start out by making it clear that I have nothing against cowboys.
One of the new developments in my life is that I recently got a manager, Bob, to book performances of my writing. I’ve never had a manager before, so I didn’t know what to expect. But Bob is a...
Keep your dignity, and work your way out
Dear Dave,
My wife and I will both turn 30 next month. We have two young children, and we make a little over $85,000 combined. The problem is we have about $70,000 in debt. Some of it is credit card debt, but nearly $50,000 is in two car loans. Her mom and...
It’s the first month of a new year, and with new beginnings new goals are set, new plans laid out, new dreams forged for the next year ahead (or five years, or 10, etc.). At least, that is commonly the case. But, as I recently lamented to my sweetheart, “The farther into the horizon you look, the...
What do you think will be the top priorities for the 2020 legislative session?
The budget will be a top priority once again in this session. I will not spend more than we take in and I will not spend onetime money for ongoing costs. The way I see this, we need to spend less than we receive. The...
Q: What’s in store for 2020?
A: Passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017 delivered across-the-board tax relief and more take-home pay for American workers, helping families make ends meet and small businesses to grow and invest in their operations. For U.S. households, the overhauled federal...
The year 2020 has not so subtly began and it seems that, so far, it’s just more of the same. Somehow we seem to regress as the years advance, rather than progress. Because the world doesn’t progress linearly: everything is a cycle. History repeats, the world still spins.
With that in mind, it...
