Despite the sky-is-falling partisan opposition during the tax cut debate last year, the passage of time tells a different story. And it discounts the fictitious picture of gloom and doom portrayed last year by the big spenders in Washington.
According to revised economic data released by the federal government in August, the economy started to falter earlier...
One Year Later
They say time heals all wounds. But it would take an eternity for the grief to subside for the families of the 3,000 people mass murdered last year on September 11. The mental images of commercial jetliners searing into national landmarks remain fresh in our minds. Such horrific acts seemed impossible a year ago. But of course all that has...
Q: What is wrong with the credit card program at the Department of Defense?
A: After uncovering the outrageous fees the Pentagon paid for hammers and coffee pots in the mid-1980s, perhaps it shouldn’t come as a complete shock that the department has failed yet another financial management test. Once again, the Pentagon’s purse is being used as a cash cow for...
Significant mail delays caused by enhanced security procedures put in place last October are interrupting the normal flow of mail delivery to my Washington office. Remarkably, I'm just now receiving December 2001 Christmas cards in August.
As any Iowan who has attended one of my town meetings may recall, I strongly encourage my constituents to keep up their...
This summer I joined forces with a tri-partisan team of senators to introduce permanent Medicare drug coverage for the 40 million elderly and disabled Americans who rely on the government health insurance program to help pay for their medical needs. For months we worked across party lines to come up with the prescription with the right policy and the right...
Q: What is the Transparency for Independent Livestock Producers Act?
A: In an effort to give independent livestock producers a fair shake in the marketplace, I'm beefing up my crusade in Washington to keep genuine competition alive and kicking. With packer ownership and control of livestock making it harder and harder for independent producers to gain access...
Q: What is the new national number for poison centers across the country?
A: No matter where you live in the United States, Americans now are able to access a life-saving resource toll-free by calling 1-800-222-1222. Regardless from where you call, Iowans using the poison hotline will be routed to the nearest local poison control center. For 24 hours a day,...
For many years, a number of farmers, gardeners and homeowners across the United States has used a by-product of treated sewage as a soil-conditioning agent to fertilize property. The waste-treatment residue commonly called sludge or biosolids cuts down on fertilizing costs for the landowner. When used to treat soil, it also benefits public waste treatment...
In American society, consumers want it bigger, better and faster. Super-sized portions at restaurants are the norm not the exception. By and large when it comes to diet and exercise, too many folks cave in to impatience and an underlying need for comfort, convenience and instant gratification.
Factor in demanding work schedules, longer commutes and hectic...
Q: Is it true a federal appeals court ruled the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional?
A: In an outrageous decision handed down by the Ninth Circuit Court based in San Francisco, a three-judge panel in June indeed ruled the Pledge of Allegiance was unconstitutional. If the ruling were allowed to stand, public school students in nine western states covered by...
Q: How is Iowa faring in its struggle against methamphetamine?
A: For most of the last decade, Iowa authorities have struggled to stay on top of the devastating consequences wrought by the dangerous, addictive stimulant called methamphetamine. The illegal drug, which can be smoked, snorted, swallowed or injected, is easy to make, affordable to buy and...
The clean-up and recovery effort at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan ended nearly nine months after suicide hijackers crashed into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. The terrorist attacks stunned America and the rest of the world, killing almost 2,800 people in New York City and hundreds more at the Pentagon and aboard a downed airplane in rural Pennsylvania....
Q: What is the 'Phoenix memo?'
A: The controversial memorandum was written last summer in advance of Sept. 11 by an FBI field agent based in the Phoenix, Arizona office. The field agent wrote to his superiors warning them Middle Eastern men that were associated with a radical Islamic group and tied to Osama Bin Laden were taking aviation courses in Arizona....
As farmers wrap up spring planting, consider how strange the landscape would look to 'windshield farmers' if just every other row was planted. While the mental picture may seem odd, it helps illustrate how critical farm exports are to Iowa farmers. That’s about how many soybean acres end up in overseas markets. Meanwhile, Iowa’s livestock producers export...
Q: What is the Moment of Remembrance?
A: By an act of Congress, the National Moment of Remembrance was enacted in December 2000 to help increase public awareness about the intent and meaning behind the federal holiday known as Memorial Day. The long holiday weekend at the end of May often signals the unofficial beginning of the summer season. A group of...
What is the first thing that comes to mind upon hearing the phrase 'senior citizen?' The stereotypical link to this label less frequently matches the 21st century older American. Today’s over-65 crowd differs from their predecessors at the turn of the last century. Yet we often hear or use phrases like 'senior citizen' or the 'graying of America' to describe...
Q: Why is the IRS recruiting citizen volunteers?
A: A 1998 law overhauling the Internal Revenue Service requires the solicitation and input of citizens from across the United States to provide advice regarding the operations of the federal tax collecting agency. The landmark law restructured the IRS for the first time since the Eisenhower administration to...
Despite what many are calling a 'victory' for family farmers, the new six-year farm bill that’s headed for the president’s desk may well sound the death knell for small and mid-sized family farms and independent livestock producers. And it even may very well be the last farm bill to grind its way through Washington.
Proponents hail the measure as a farm...
Q: What is Victims’ Rights Week?
A: Since Sept. 11, a sharpened concern for public safety and the security of family and friends understandably has swept across the country. The criminal terrorist attacks committed with hi-jacked commercial airliners gave rise to increased fears and paranoia among many Americans regarding their own personal safety and their...
In a free society, entrepreneurs with a good idea can work hard to make it big in the marketplace. Likewise, consumers can make it or break it for them with the freedom to choose where and how they spend their money. Voters pick which direction they'd like to see their democracy go by giving public office seekers a thumbs up or down at the ballot box. The...
