Des Moines: Free-Range Egg Capital of America?

To be clear, the rules in Des Moines on urban farming are way better than most cities. We are grateful for that leadership. Also, we’re grateful that the Council embraced a proposal Kathy and I made in 2020 to establish the Food Security Task Force. Out of that came a promising set of recommendations on how to move the City forward toward greater food self-reliance.

But the momentum has ground to a halt. Perhaps public concern over the increasing price of eggs will change that.

Much needs to be done — and now! More community gardens. Edible plantings in public spaces. Dedicated land for urban farmers. Incentives for urban agriculturists.

For today, let’s focus on chickens, with a goal of making Des Moines the Free-Range Egg Capital of America. This requires thinking out of the box, so bear with me while I crunch some numbers. Then tell me what you think. Continue Reading →

Rob Sand bucks trend in Iowa election

Congratulations to Iowa Auditor Rob Sand! After recounts in Warren and Des Moines counties today, Rob was declared the winner. (Congrats also to Rob for bagging a nine-point buck today.)

Rob’s victory is one of the few bright spots for Iowa Democrats this week. Incumbents Cindy Axne, Tom Miller, and Mike Fitzgerald all lost. Challengers to Governor Reynolds and Senator Grassley got their clocks cleaned. Democrats lost seats in both the Iowa House and Senate.

Iowa is now redder than Mississippi and Alabama. In fact, among states with four or more congressional districts, Iowa is tied for first in redness with Utah, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

Let that sink in: IOWA IS REDDER THAN ALABAMA! Continue Reading →

Iowa Republicans hand Democrats a golden opportunity

Republicans just handed Democrats a winning issue: EMINENT DOMAIN! With nearly 2,000 miles of Iowa farmland in the crosshairs of three CO2 pipelines, most rural Iowans are concerned that their land could be taken by force.

The Poobahs of the Iowa Republican Party — Reynolds, Branstad, Grassley, Ernst, Rastetter — are all on board with CO2 pipelines.

What about rank-and-file Republican lawmakers? Hard to say, but it doesn’t look like legislative leaders have the guts to buck the Poobahs. Continue Reading →

The Race to Save the World

Gantz’s documentary crew were embedded with the Climate March during our entire journey. The crew’s presence validated the importance of our purpose and mission, although being constantly trailed by cameras for eight months made it feel as if we were living in a reality TV show. The physical exhaustion of marching coupled with the rigors of outdoor living added a surreal element to the experience. Continue Reading →

Joel Brown: Former Democratic lawmaker, Trump voter

Joel’s interest in politics is driven by two key passions: decentralizing the economy and freedom of speech. “The first speech I gave as a lawmaker was on a bill to extend First Amendment protections to student newspapers, protecting students from school administrator censorship,” Joel told me. “In my mind, that’s a big part of what the Democratic Party was all about.” Continue Reading →

Radical Right’s Hypocrisy on Cuba

I guess for the Radical Right, Chinese communism is somehow less objectionable than Cuban communism. Or more likely, the success of Cuba’s rejection of industrial agriculture is a threat to the status quo — which brings us back to the mega bucks shelled out by Big Oil and Big Ag to keep people believing their lies. Continue Reading →