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The Warme Wire: Week 5

Columnists

On Tuesday, the Senate held its first floor debate of the year, which is always an important milestone as we move from discussion to decision making. I was thrilled that the first bill debated and passed was my first bill as HHS committee chair, Senate File (SF) 2096. This legislation updates foster parent training requirements by allowing more flexibility while reinforcing competency-based training. It reduces unnecessary duplication in the application process while maintaining strong screening and background checks to protect children. This bill represents one step toward modernizing ...

Iowans must stand up to chronic underfunding of public schools

Columnists

I started my career in rural Iowa in 1974 as an English, speech and reading teacher. Our students were top performers and the state’s education system was the gold standard. Educators and public schools in general were revered and respected by their communities. We didn’t have a lot of money — but we were still able to adequately fund our classrooms and provide our students with an enriched education that prepared them for success after graduation. But, unfortunately, times change. Iowa has stripped its public schools of funding for decades, while demanding they do more. ...

Winning the war on waste at the Pentagon

Columnists

Our armed forces are the most powerful, advanced, courageous, and capable team made up of the finest men and women ever assembled. President Trump’s call for a $1.5 trillion defense budget demonstrates an unwavering commitment to maintaining this might. If we are going to spend nearly as much on defense as the rest of the world combined, however, we must be able to defend to taxpayers how every dollar is spent. As a combat veteran and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I know firsthand that billions of dollars meant for the military are missing the target. That’s ...

A little about myself

Columnists

My name is Christian Goodman, and I am a lifelong Haverhill native. I grew up working alongside my dad on our family farm, learning early the value of hard work, responsibility, and community. After graduating from Marshalltown High School, I continued my education at Marshalltown Community College, the University of Northern Iowa, and ultimately Iowa State University, where I earned a degree in Agricultural Studies. In 2016, I married my high school sweetheart, Cassidy, and we have lived on the farm ever since. Following college, I continued working side by side with my father, Kevin, ...

Marshalltown’s abuse of TIF is like Robinhood in reverse

Columnists

Marshalltown’s misuse and abuse of the TIF (Tax Increment Financing) program have contributed to the ruin of our streets. While TIF can aid economic development, its misuse and abuse must stop for the sake of our infrastructure. Boosting developer profits through TIF must end if we ever want to see our streets improved. Here’s how it works: when a city creates TIF districts and new development occurs, property values rise. The taxes generated from this increase (the increment) are then diverted away from schools, counties, and general city funds – think streets – and instead go ...

Tax season delivers real relief and certainty for seniors

Columnists

As we enter tax season, I often hear from seniors that they have been worried about the policy fights here in Washington. After a lifetime in the workforce, raising families, serving their communities, and paying into the system, many retirees are now living on fixed incomes while tackling the cost for groceries, housing, health care, and energy. Seniors deserve results on bringing affordable solutions to the inflationary harms brought by the policies of former President Biden’s economic agenda. When President Trump returned to the White House, he promised to be a President for all ...