(The Center Square) – Members of the Iowa Board of Regents, the Council on Health and Human Services, and the Board of Education could receive a $10,000 annual stipend if lawmakers approve a new configuration of the state’s boards and commissions. On Monday, members of the State Government Efficiency Review Committee heard an overview of the recommendations published by the Boards and Commissions Review Committee in September. According to the report, only three commissions provide a salary to part-time members. The Transportation Commission offers a $10,000 salary per year, the Iowa Telecommu ..read more

“A tax-cutting wave is sweeping over America’s states,” The Economist claims in a recent feature, and Iowa, it argues, has “emerged as America’s tax-cutting champion, a paragon of fiscal responsibility.”  Until recently, the Hawkeye State had some of the highest individual and corporate income tax rates in the nation, but, since 2018, Governor Reynolds has made tax reform a priority.  Iowa led the “tax-cutting wave” in 2022, with the most comprehensive and aggressive tax reform in the United States. This will gradually replace the nine-bracket, progressive income tax with a flat tax ..read more

Thanksgiving is a time to count our blessings. While each of us have our own unique traditions to look forward to this season, it has been a long-standing tradition to gather with friends and family to enjoy fellowship and a plentiful meal. But this year, as we plan to set our tables, it is impossible to ignore the rise of prices across the board. Sauces and gravies are up 7.5%, the price of beef has been on a steady incline and has increased by 7.0% from September 2022 to September 2023. The price of flour is up 3.2% and ro ..read more

DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird on Friday led a 19-state coalition in challenging the Biden Administration claiming they illegally allowed California to ban traditional gas or diesel trucks. In June, Bird sued the Biden Administration for giving California the authority to force most buses, vans, trucks, and tractor-trailers to be electric by 2035. The trucking industry employs approximately 100,000 Iowans, making up almost ten percent of the State’s work force. California’s truck ban will force many of these truckers out of business through drastic price hikes and re ..read more

DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate and state and federal partners are reassuring voters of the many steps taken to provide a secure election. The State of Iowa has received national awards for its election cybersecurity efforts and was named one of the top three states in the nation for election administration. “In Iowa, we take a holistic approach to election integrity and security – pre-election testing, paper ballots, post-election audits, enhancing cybersecurity measures, and partnerships with our Election Security A Team make that possible,” Pate said. “The public should ..read more

Speaking at the annual gala of The American Conservative magazine, Kevin Roberts, President of The Heritage Foundation, offered a defense of America First conservatism. In addition, he offered praise to one of the magazine’s founders, Patrick J. Buchanan. Buchanan, who has retired from writing his column, championed America First conservatism during his campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination in 1992, 1996, and as an independent candidate in 2000. Pat Buchanan was similar to John the Baptist—the voice of one crying in the wilderness.  Buchanan warned the nation about global f ..read more

(The Center Square) – The next Republican primary debate will be held next week in Miami, and newly released polling in Iowa, the first and crucial Republican primary caucus, shows that former South Carolina Governor and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is building momentum. While former President Donald Trump still holds a significant lead, Haley took second at 16 percent alongside Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to a new Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll. Haley’s poll numbers improved by 10 points since August to reach that figure while DeSantis dropped by three point ..read more

If Bidenomics has wreaked havoc on your family finances like it has mine, buckle up, because this ride may get even more turbulent for all our bank accounts. The Biden Administration has recently moved forward with legal action against two major, trusted American companies: Google and Amazon. If the Biden Administration’s DOJ and FTC are successful in their fights against these market giants, Google and Amazon aren’t the real losers—the real loser is us, the American consumers. In 2020, the Biden Administration’s DOJ filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google. The lawsuit contends that Google h ..read more

Earlier this month, Hamas terrorists operating in the Gaza strip launched an unprecedented attack against Israel. The terror they unleashed included the murder and kidnapping of women and children, forcing many Americans to, for the first time, confront the gruesome reality of Hamas’ barbarism. While war in the Middle East in the nothing new, what has been surprising is the sheer amount of brazen antisemitism that’s come out in the wake of these attacks. The list of examples is endless.  The Chicago Black Lives Matter chapter, for instance, posted a graphic on soc ..read more

(The Center Square) – Most of Iowa’s 1,295 public schools ranked commendable or acceptable in the annual performance rankings, with nearly 15% ranking near the bottom, according to Iowa School Performance Profiles released Thursday. The annual report shows only 21 schools ranked as “excellent.” Hopewell Elementary School received the highest mark, scoring 76.53 out of 100. One-hundred and fifty-five schools were ranked high-performing. Most schools, 39.38 percent were giving commendable ratings and another 32.20 percent ranked acceptable, according to the report. Forty-five schools were r ..read more