Disappointment for the Tax and Spend Crowd

Nothing from the local elections here in Iowa, nor races across the country, will have changed the perception that this political environment is toxic for those who want to push a tax and spend agenda.   Tuesday’s elections in Iowa and across the country are now in the books.  Iowa voters went to the polls to elect candidates to school […]

America’s Supply Chain Crisis

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) is a leading conservative who is fighting for the America First agenda. Recently, Senator Hawley introduced the “Make in America to sell in America Act,” in an effort to address the supply chain crisis and the troubling dependency upon foreign countries for necessities. Americans are being confronted with increasing prices due to inflation and a clogged […]

Biden’s Spending Will Hurt Iowans

Our friends in Texas have published a new report entitled Reversing the Recovery, that details how the proposed Build Back Better spending plan could affect our national economy, including how it would impact each individual state. Their conclusion? Iowa would be responsible for shouldering $43 Billion in new debt and lose 51,000 jobs. From the report: “This plan includes heavy […]

Democrats’ Tax and Spend Agenda Threatens Iowa Taxpayers and Economy

Iowans are known for being plain-spoken and clear-thinking. Perhaps that’s why President Biden’s approval rating in Iowa has recently sunk to a dismal 31 percent.  Afghanistan and COVID notwithstanding, another of the Biden Administration’s promises that seems to have failed the believability test is his insistence middle-class Iowans won’t be hurt in the pocketbook by his $3.5 trillion budget blueprint. […]

America’s Forgotten Economist

It is often forgotten, but America’s conservative tradition was not based on free trade, but rather economic nationalism. The American System became the basis of conservative economic policy. This economic philosophy was developed by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists, continued by the Whigs under the leadership of Henry Clay, and was eventually adopted by the Republican […]

Time’s Up for Iowa’s Terrible Tax Credits

Time has passed Iowa’s tax credit system by, and the time has come for a change. Over the course of decades, a succession of governors and legislatures have built a giant structure of special tax credits, abatements and other forms of targeted tax breaks that turn a system intended to raise revenue to fund public services into a mechanism for […]

Governor Kim Reynolds is a Conservative Leader

Image: Official White House Photos by Shealah Craighead and D. Myles Culle Iowa is a beacon of liberty against an onslaught of poor federal policies. President Biden has already proposed $6 trillion in new spending during his first 100 days in office. Iowa is awash with federal stimulus dollars. Iowa is frequently overlooked, but Governor Kim Reynolds is an example […]

Following the Principles of Andrew Mellon can Help Restore Economic Sanity

Photo by Keystone/Getty Images   Andrew Mellon, who was considered the best Secretary of the Treasury since Alexander Hamilton, served in the presidential administrations of Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover. Prior to his service as Secretary of the Treasury, Mellon was a successful financier and businessman. Mellon understood sound fiscal policy and he helped to advance policies […]

The Iowa Legislature Continues Conservative Spending

Governor Kim Reynolds and the Republican-led legislature continued to follow fiscal conservatism. The legislature passed an $8.1 billion FY 2022 state budget. This budget is $290.7 million more than the FY 2021 budget. The $8.1 billion budget is over $4 million more than what Governor Reynolds originally proposed. Nevertheless, even as spending has slightly increased from the previous fiscal year, […]

Reject the “Blue” State Model

A recent editorial by the Des Moines Register asks whether the push for “smaller” government in Iowa has achieved a point where it is “too small to work.” The editorial argues that those who believe in a “smaller, more efficient” government fail to address how limited government can solve some of the policy problems confronting Iowa. In other words, the […]

Fiscal Conservatism Works

Following a path of fiscal conservatism is never easy. Numerous interests are calling for either new or an expansion of existing taxpayer funding for programs. Policymakers are confronted with difficult decisions in crafting a budget and providing for the priorities of government, but at the same time trying to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. The pressure for policymakers to […]

Governor Kim Reynolds Champions Pro-Growth Tax Policies

Governor Kim Reynolds has made growing Iowa’s economy a priority. To accomplish this goal, she is working to ensure that Iowa has a competitive tax climate. As a result of following fiscal conservatism of prudent spending and lowering tax rates, Iowa was able to weather the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Iowa’s fiscal house is in order with full […]

Spending, Debt, and Tax Increases Threaten Economy

In a recent interview with Tax Education Foundation of Iowa, Dr. Ernie Goss, Professor of Economics at Creighton University, discussed current issues and economic trends for both Iowa and the nation. Goss noted that Iowa’s economy “is still about three or four percent below pre-pandemic levels” but is on the road to recovery.  Although both Iowa’s and the national economy […]

Economist: There’s Work to Be Done

In a recent interview with Tax Education Foundation of Iowa, Dr. Ernie Goss, Professor of Economics at Creighton University, discussed current issues and economic trends for both Iowa and the nation. Goss noted that Iowa’s economy “is still about three or four percent below pre-pandemic levels” but is on the road to recovery.  Although both Iowa’s and the national economy […]

Uncle Sam is Broke

Out-of-control government spending is a dangerous problem that both political parties are failing to address. The United States’ national debt is $28 trillion and rising and the federal government continues to run massive deficits. The COVID-19 pandemic has only escalated government spending. The national debt represents a significant crisis for the nation. A recent review of the federal government’s finances by Truth in Accounting […]

Gov. Reynolds Should Reject Federal COVID Relief Money

President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress are celebrating the recent passage of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP), which is a $1.9 trillion package aimed at providing COVID-19 relief. The $1.9 trillion “stimulus” is in addition to $4 trillion in previous spending directed towards pandemic relief. The American Rescue Plan will not only add to the escalating $28 trillion […]

Conservative Iowa Budget

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Republican-led legislature have mainly been following fiscal conservative principles of limiting spending and reducing tax rates. Gov. Reynolds even received an “A” grade from Cato Institute’s 2020 Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors for her fiscal conservatism. As a result of conservative budgeting practices, Iowa’s fiscal house was not only prepared for the economic emergency caused […]

Can Uncle Sam Afford a $1.9 Trillion Stimulus?

President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress are pushing for a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. Congress has already approved $4 trillion in pandemic relief and stimulus measures and billions of that money has yet to be spent. Congress is also considering a $6.1 trillion budget and the $28 trillion national debt continues to escalate. Federal policymakers should avoid another […]