This article was published in The American Conservative. The American Conservative founder made the world we’re living in. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest honor a civilian can receive, and over the years it has been awarded to a diverse group of recipients. In 2020, during the State of the Union Address, President Donald J. Trump awarded Rush […]
Once in office, elected officials feel the push and pull of constituencies that supported them, those that opposed them, and those that could be gained or lost. And that means – from the start – laying down markers defining what good policy … and bad policy … looks like. Political parties are focused on one clear goal: getting their candidates elected. […]
This article was published in the Telegraph Herald. In addition to being honored by the CATO Institute, Governor Reynolds received the Tax Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award and was named a Public Official of the Year by Governing magazine. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has once again been rated as the nation’s most fiscally conservative governor in the CATO Institute’s 2024 Fiscal […]
This article was published in the Des Moines Register. I am grateful for the leadership of Governor Reynolds, who upholds the values that my family once saw in the DFL but now finds in Iowa. Watching the changes in my native Minnesota has been difficult, but it also makes me thankful to now call Iowa home. I grew up in […]
Harris’s “opportunity economy,” with its price controls, tax increases, and expanded government spending, is likely to exacerbate inflation and lead to economic disaster. The adage, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” is applicable to the tax and economic policies Vice President Kamala Harris has outlined for her presidential campaign. Harris’s proposals, rooted in past […]
Whether they are farmers, factory workers, or small business owners, grassroots Iowans understand that Trump is not only standing up to China but also trying to rebalance trade and prioritize American interests. John Deere, founded in 1837, is an iconic American brand, particularly in Iowa, where its machinery is ubiquitous in fields, yards, and construction sites. The brand’s leaping deer […]
It is our responsibility to make a serious and informed decision while voting and to realize that our vote does count and that voting as well as not voting brings consequences. In 1924, the nation elected President Calvin Coolidge in a landslide. Coolidge had assumed the presidency when President Warren G. Harding had suddenly died in office. Americans were supportive […]
This article was published in Corridor Business Journal. The real economic threat to individuals, families, and small businesses in Iowa is not from the fiscal conservative polices of Governor Reynolds, but rather the failed policies from the Biden administration. The May 2024 NFIB Small Business Economic Trends Survey demonstrated that not only are small business owners pessimistic about the economy, […]
This article was published in the Des Moines Register. Whether it is fiscal conservatism, reforming state government, fighting against the radical woke cultural Marxism, or fighting to protect American soil, Governor Reynolds is leading Iowa as a strong conservative. “Safe-Sane-Steady” was one of the campaign slogans used by President Calvin Coolidge during the 1924 presidential campaign. “Safe-Sane-Steady” reflected Coolidge’s policies […]
“The headline of this session is simple: Iowa’s income tax rate will be the 6th lowest in the country…” The Iowa legislature has adjourned, and this session has resulted in some important pro-growth policy victories that provide further tax relief to Iowans, while also making Iowa’s economy more competitive and government more efficient. As Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver said, “The […]
This article was published in The Gazette. The cost of Biden’s climate policies may be coming to a farm near you. State agriculture officials from twelve states, including Iowa’s own Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, recently signed a joint letter to six of the country’s largest investment banks expressing concerns over the banks’ support for net-zero banking practices promoted by […]
We should not be abandoning a straight-forward system that everyone understands in exchange for a new, convoluted one filled with complications. The adoption of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in various jurisdictions across the country has been touted as an improvement to the traditional voting system. Some RCV supporters even believe it will protect the United States from the demise of […]
This article was published in The Courier. Governor Reynolds is proposing new legislation to “further protect our farmland from foreign interests.” Defending American sovereignty is vital and Governor Kim Reynolds is working diligently to protect Iowa and the nation from the growing threat posed by China. From both an economic and national security standpoint, China likely represents the most dangerous […]
The midterm elections are over, so now the question is: Who will be the Democratic and Republican nominees for President in 2024? Americans will sort that out over the next 18 months. Assuming Joe Biden either declines to run again or is challenged in his own party, two sets of major-party candidates will work in the states to win their party’s nomination. The state-by-state nature of the contest is thanks to the Electoral College, even though the party nominating processes are different from the presidential election process.
Support for a constitutional amendment protecting the right to bear arms has grown to 62.2 percent, with only 31.6 percent opposing. In February, ITR Foundation polled Iowans on whether they would support a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November to protect their right to bear arms. There was overwhelming support at that time, as 58.9 percent of those polled […]
In recent years, Iowa has led the nation in conservative policy reforms. Governor Kim Reynolds rightly deserves a great deal of credit for her leadership in implementing pro-growth tax reforms, championing a student-first approach to education, fighting against the woke cultural Marxist agenda and leading Iowa responsibility through the pandemic. Nevertheless, Governor Reynolds has been able to achieve many of these great accomplishments because of a conservative legislature. Iowa Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver is a “quiet conservative” who is not only an ally of the Governor but is a crucial leader who is advancing a conservative policy agenda.
This week on ITR Live, John and Chris cover a lot of ground from aquatic centers, the state fair, the latest CDC Covid-19 guidelines, and another history lesson. Many cities believe the magical solution to local economic development and to improve quality of life is to build aquatic centers and other recreational areas. However, many of these facilities are struggling […]
By John Hendrickson In a vote of 95-1, the United States Senate approved the expansion of NATO (North American Treaty Organization) by allowing membership to two new nations Sweden and Finland. The only Senator to vote “no” was Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO). Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) voted “present.” In his floor speech before the vote Sen. Hawley made a powerful […]
By John Hendrickson The growing influence and power of China should be a concern for all policymakers. China is growing more aggressive militarily and they are attempting to control resources across the globe, including the United States. China is also taking advantage of the United States in terms of trade. The United States is running over $350 billion trade deficit […]
In unprecedented fashion, the FBI raided former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, on behalf of the National Archives. Immediately, social media exploded with people taking a stand on both sides of the issue. On this week’s ITR Live podcast, ITR President Chris Hagenow and ITR Foundation Policy Director John Hendrickson discuss why this is such a startling development. The law should be […]
Rolling blackouts may be coming to the Upper Midwest—including Iowa— this summer, according to an analysis from the North American Reliability Council (NERC), a nonprofit international regulatory authority whose mission is to assure the effective and efficient reduction of risks to the reliability and security of the grid.
The United States is growing more dependent on foreign nations for necessities, including potentially hostile nations such as China. As we examined last month, 2021 was the 10th straight year America’s trade deficit with the Chinese eclipsed $300 billion. If that pattern is not alarming enough, though, there’s more worrisome activity being undertaken by China: the massive acquisition of American farmland. By the United States Department of Agriculture’s own estimate, investments from China held $2 billion of American agricultural land at the beginning of 2020.
Editor’s note: ITR Foundation is thrilled to welcome Sarah Curry, DBA, to our team where she will serve as our Research Director. You’ll get to know her work soon enough, but first we asked her to introduce herself to our members.
Somehow Hunter Biden has managed to make himself the common thread that ties together a war in Eastern Europe with everything people dislike about politics in America, while pointing to this country’s collective and completely justified distrust of the media. We are not suggesting that Hunter’s activities in Ukraine have anything to do with Russia’s invasion. But if American citizens […]
By Alan Ostergren You should consider running for local office. No, really, you should. Later this year Iowans will elect representatives to school boards and city offices (county offices are elected in even-numbered years). These elections are nonpartisan and take little organizational effort to mount a campaign. Most of these elections are very low turnout, meaning that a person who […]
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