Tag Archives: eminent domain Iowa

The congresswoman who could save the Democratic Party

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What do blinding headlights have to do with saving the Democratic Party? A lot, if you heard Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) speak about it during a committee meeting last year. Maybe you’ve noticed that headlights have become significantly brighter, creating a hazard for oncoming drivers.

Gluesenkamp Perez refers to the problem as a “plague in this country of headlight brightness.”

I love the drama in that statement. Sure, when you consider the pressing, even existential, threats we face, headlights seem trivial.

But Gluesenkamp Perez’s point is that there’s a pervasive sense among Americans that our overall quality of life is declining and government doesn’t give a flying darn. Continue Reading →

A conversation with State Senator Sarah Trone Garriott

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During each year’s legislative session, I invite all Iowa lawmakers to come on my program. Few seem inclined. I guess I’m scary, or maybe most don’t appreciate hard-hitting questions. Maybe I smell bad. Who knows.

This week, Iowa State Senator Sarah Trone Garriott joined me in the studio. Sarah doesn’t mind tough questions, and her answers were always clear and straightforward.

In addition to being a mom, a wife, and a Lutheran minister, Sarah represents Dallas County — the fastest growing county in the state. She’s won three close races in a district previously represented by Jake Chapman, the former Republican President of the Senate, who Sarah beat in 2022.

We discuss Sarah’s priorities. She’s concerned about Republican attacks on education, including a disturbing double standard: increased oversight of public schools and very little oversight of private schools funded with public money.

We discuss eminent domain legislation, which for three years has passed the House but stalled in the Senate. With public pressure mounting, the Senate Commerce Committee agreed to take up the House’s strong eminent domain bill last month. But under the leadership of the Committee’s chair, Republican Senator Mike Bousselot, many of the bill’s protections for landowners were removed.

Continue Reading →

My St. Pat’s Day reflection on fairies and fracking

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Stopping the abuse of eminent domain has become the defining issue in Iowa this year. A recent Des Moines Register poll found 78% of Iowans across the political spectrum oppose using eminent domain to build CO2 pipelines. That’s an astounding preponderance of opinion on one side of a very important issue.

Seventy-eight percent oughta be way more than enough to compel politicians to take action. To quote Senator Zaun from our conversation, “If Republicans don’t protect property rights, they’ll be on the road to being in the minority.”

Zaun believes the House and Senate will pass eminent domain legislation this year. That’s encouraging. Still, it’s remarkable that Senate Republicans were unable to push an eminent domain bill through committee before last week’s “funnel.” At least a promising bill is alive in the House, though it may take every ounce of public pressure and political courage to pass it.

I believe Zaun is correct when he says that if Republicans don’t rein in the abuse of eminent domain, they’ll probably lose seats in 2024. Continue Reading →

A Fourth-of-July Stand Against Injustice

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Dear Friends, I sound like a one-trick pony lately, but that’s how serious is this fight against the Bakken Pipeline. Led by farmers, landowners, tribal communities, environmentalists and a dedicated Continue Reading →

Hold Exxon accountable for climate change coverup

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Dear Friends, A year ago today, I was arrested by my friends with the Iowa State Patrol because Governor Branstad refused to hear the stories of landowners I’d met during my 400-mile Continue Reading →

Walking the (pipe)line

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Dear Friends, I have one request of you this week: Please forward this message to at least one media contact and your personal and/or professional network. Help get the word Continue Reading →