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Grant Wood memorialized Iowa’s heritage

For 46 years in a row, I’ve traveled across our state to meet with Iowans in every county, every year. Each time, I learn something new in the county I’m visiting and enjoy getting a first-hand look at high-quality goods and services made here in Iowa. Some things never change, such as Iowans’ productivity and humility. Iowans don’t brag enough to showcase the innovation, pioneering spirit and community vitality that’s part of our heritage, anchoring our economy and enriching civic life. A century ago, a native Iowan captured the essence of self-reliance intrinsic to closely ...

Iowa can do more to reduce workforce barriers

The need for more qualified workers is a bipartisan issue in Iowa. Regardless of a rural or urban setting, workforce is still a concern for many employers and communities. State policymakers have been responsive to this concern, and they have actively been easing regulatory burdens in recent years. This includes reducing barriers to employment and ensuring that unnecessary roadblocks do not deter individuals from securing meaningful work. In 2020, Iowa passed landmark occupational licensing reform, which universally recognizes out-of-state licenses. This reform is crucial, because now ...

Equal, fair and farce

When NBC affiliates in Tennessee showed the movie “Necessary Roughness” in 1994, those affiliates were required to give a Democrat Senate candidate 4 minutes and 13 seconds of free airtime. The Democrat was running against Fred Thompson, the actor turned Republican Senate candidate. When Thompson ran for President in 2008, NBC stopped aired re-runs of “Law & Order” that featured Thompson, who had been the District Attorney on the show. The Equal Time Doctrine is not new. But the national press corps, always ready to pounce on President Donald Trump and Republicans, has suddenly ...

The Warme Wire: Week Six

The sixth week of the legislative session brought us right up to the first major deadline of the year, often called the “funnel.” This is the point in session when ideas need to move forward through committee in order to stay alive for further consideration. As you might imagine, that ...

Supporting Iowa’s troops and veterans

Last week, 250 Iowa National Guardsmen returned home. These brave men and women exemplify the very best of our state, and we remain eternally grateful for their service. Their homecoming is a powerful reminder of the duty and sacrifice our servicemembers and their families make for our nation. ...

ICE means American safety

Anecdotes favorable to American law enforcement abound. They tell of neighborhood residents protected from criminality, businesses safeguarded, and of society’s lowest being grabbed up and accorded the harsh justice their crimes merit. (I love it when American justice lands hard on ...