This is the second installment of a two-part interview, to read part one click here.

Education

Governor Branstad’s legacy-minded education reform proposal has struggled to draw support since its release on October 3rd, and you can count Mr. Landon as one of those lacking in enthusiasm.

A core tenet of Landon’s philosophy is local control. The benefit he sees in applying this principle to education is that the parents of each child, and the teachers in the actual class room, will have their voices better heard and their concerns more directly dealt with,

“My first reaction (to the governor’s plan) is that it drives us towards more state control and more mandates on levels of performance. I think that we are going to

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The following is Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Matt Strawn’s most recent Chairman’s Report.  – Ed.

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A personal note from the Chairman:  please keep Bob, Darla, and the Vander Plaats family in your thoughts and prayers over the Easter weekend as they continue to mourn the loss of Bob’s father who passed away this week.

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Governor Culver flips his position on Same Sex Marriage and sides with the Iowa Supreme Court.

After 100 hours of silence, Iowa Governor Culver finally broke his silence on the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Iowa’s law that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman.  While his statement was carefully written and would have done …

Thursday morning (that’s tomorrow) at 8:30 there will be rally at the Iowa State Capitol West Lawn.  Lots of information at letusvoteiowa.org.  Please go there and read the information on parking, purpose, etc.

There are a number of legislators, along with Governor Culver, who are questioning the political safety of supporting this amendment.  Between their fears and the outright obstinance of Democratic leaders to prevent the voice of the people from being heard, we are in dire need of people to take a stand now, to show the Iowa General Assembly that this matters to Iowans in a big way.

Some good information from letusvote.org:

WHAT CAN I DO TODAY?

You can continue to keep pressure on the Iowa House by calling the

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Just to give you an update on what’s been going on with the fallout after Friday’s Iowa Supreme Court decision to strike down the Iowa Defense of Marriage Act.

Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal (D-Council Bluffs) says he will not allow debate on the matter.

Gronstal, who lauded the Supreme Court decision handed down Friday overturning the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, was asked by Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley, R-Chariton, if he would join with Republicans in crafting a bill to move an amendment forward.

“Eleven years ago, you voted in favor of protecting marriage as between one man and one woman,” McKinley said. “Will you pledge to work with me and craft a leadership bill on this important issue and bring

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Statement on Governor Culver’s Failure

to Keep Promise to Protect Traditional Marriage

Sen. McKinley: “ I believe Iowans should have the final vote on this very important and emotional issue. Governor Culver has chosen to stand with 7 elite justices and deny the 3 million people of Iowa the right to vote on this significant issue.”

DES MOINES, IA – Senate Republican Leader Paul McKinley (R-Chariton) issued the following statement today in response to Governor Culver’s failure to keep his promise to protect traditional marriage in Iowa:

“Governor Culver has failed to keep the promise he made just last year on January 18 after a filming of Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” to ‘do whatever it takes to protect marriage as between one man and

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In terms of celebrations and tradition, this week is considered the biggest week of the year for most Christians.  Growing up, it was a little confusing because I had understood that the actual days themselves were significant, when the reality is that what the days represent, what they celebrate, is the significance.

Despite that, this is a week when so many people are busy preparing to celebrate the most important thing that God has done for us, and it is sad that we will be desperately distracted with the impact of the Iowa Supreme Court decision that will allow same-sex partners to be recognized as “married”.

Marriage as an institution was designed by God for many good reasons.  It is intended to honor Him by …

The good news is that you can stop holding your breath now. The bad news is that there is more work to do.

The Iowa Supreme Court today upheld Judge Robert Hanson’s 2007 decision in Varnum v. Brien. Today’s unanimous court decision (early rumors had indicated there was dissent on the court) strikes down Iowa’s Defense of Marriage Act.

Steve Sheffler of Iowa Christian Alliance hit on a very real financial impact today:

What this means for Iowa and perhaps for the forty-seven other states in the country that currently do not recognize same-sex marriage is, to say the least, a monumental mess.  Because Iowa’s statutes pertaining to marriage do not restrict that privilege to Iowa residents, gay couples from any state may come

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Monday January 12 will be the opening session of the 2009 General Assembly.  This year’s session timetable is here.  As was the case the pass two years, both the House and the Senate have Democratic majorities.

We urge you, as the session progresses, to take the time to communicate with your elected representatives.  Go to this link, and find your representative’s name, click on it, and you’ll get phone numbers, email addresses, information about committee assignments and links to bill sponsorships.  I will be in contact with Peter Cownie and Pat Ward, the House and Senate members who represent me here in West Des Moines.

I exchanged emails with Peter last week.  This is his freshman years in the Statehouse, and …