by | Jan 17, 2011
I would have liked to have gotten this posted Friday, but family issues interjected themselves.
As you know, both Governor Terry Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds were sworn in to their respective offices Friday. The Inauguration ceremony, which is conducted as a joint session of the Iowa House and Iowa Senate, was held at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines.  There was appropriate pomp and respect in the procession and swearing in of both Reynolds and Branstad, and about 2,000 people were present to witness the event.
The music at the event was awesome, and the selection of songs by the Heartland Youth Choir was wonderful. Â I deeply appreciate the pride and respect given to our flags and the servicemen and women conducting during the presentation of the colors.
One can find some thoughtful and insightful thoughts from Shane Vanderhart (and later reflections as well), Kathy Obradovich, and Bleeding Heartland (yes, a liberal perspective shouldn’t hurt now and then).
Both gave speeches that provided an introduction into a kind of new beginning for state government in Iowa, and the foundation of their thoughts on how state government should serve Iowans.
Lieutenant Governor Reynolds offered some thoughts on the values being brought to Iowa government, and emphasized government’s need to listen to its people and focus on key areas like education while encouraging Iowans to proactively reach out to those around them in need. Â She use the story of the Pender family in Windsor Heights to help emphasize this.
Governor Branstad more or less kept to his promise of a relatively short speech, but was long on promise. Â The core message was that there would be a “new covenant” between government and Iowans. Â His presentation focused on 5 main principles:
- We have too much government and it must be reduced
- Government must serve the people
- It is time to restore integrity and transparency to our government decision-making processes
- A renewed commitment to provide the best education in the world
- We must celebrate success
The Governor’s speech was filled with a substantial amount of passion and emphasis on the areas that need work, and I was intrigued by the number of times the audience rose to their feet in response to his words. Â The message itself, a message of the kind of government many have been calling for, a message of Iowans reaching out and helping other Iowans directly instead of waiting for government to act as a proxy, a message of renewing our commitment to education and commerce… this message is a good start for the new administration.
It’s interesting to note that in other countries, a change in leadership is ofter referred to as a “new government”. Â We don’t tend to use that expression in the US so much, but it seems an appropriate expression at this time.
It’s worth a read.
That said, I was reminded in a conversation with my dad tonight about the cyclic nature of history and politics. Â I’m personally encouraged by what the Governor shared on Friday, and between his administration, Iowa’s new Republican House and growing Republican presence in the Senate. Â My hopes are high that we will be able to get our fiscal house in order and move to more careful spending.
However, we have been here before and our tendency has been to start off on the right foot (no pun intended) and end up spending ourselves into a stupor. Â It will be difficult, but as citizens we need to be vigilant regarding the work of government and expect, nay, demand scrupulous management of our state’s resources from the beginning to the end of each term of office of our representatives and Governor. Â It is a mistake to push the cart in the right direction and hope it reaches its destination unaltered.
The citizens needs to keep the cart straight.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A lot of people worked hard to prepare for this event and the ball later that day. Â One person I want to mention whom I noticed in the procession was Mike Cook, who was a member of the Inaugural Committee. Â There were clearly a number of great people on the committee, but Mike is someone I have worked with throughout my tenure with Polk County Republicans, and have admired him during that time.
Mike Cook has achieved greatness in my eyes because of his commitment to working as hard as he can to support the goals of our party despite physical challenges that would keep many away from any volunteer activities. Â He is reliable, consistent, focused on the goal, and totally supportive of the party’s work. Â Rarely do we have a need for volunteers where Mike does not show up. Whether it’s parades, phone calls, office work, manning a booth at an event, helping with setup, speaking before a group, Mike is always ready to step up and do what it takes to make a difference.
We have a lot of hard working volunteers, but Mike Cook shines brightly among them.
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by | Jan 10, 2011
If you’ve followed The Conservative Reader at all over the past few years, you’ve undoubtedly noticed that 2009 and 2010 were a bit light in content. Â Although we had started ramping up in 2009, we also got engaged in work with the Polk County Republican Party in Iowa. Â That work, along with other priorities, made it very difficult to provide timely commentary and updates on key topics. Â Since my term of office has concluded with the party, there is time to provide more frequent updates.
2011 will likely include a number of changes, all for the better I hope. Â The first change you should notice right away, especially if you are interested in Iowa politics. Â We’ve added a few new sections, and have links to those sections in our sidebar. Â They are:
As we receive updates in these topic areas from various sources, we will update the sections as quickly as possible. Â The most recent headlines from these sections will appear on the Iowa Section of The Conservative Reader in the sidebar as well. Â As the year progresses, we will look at adding other sections as well.
We appreciate you taking the time to visit our site and read some of the commentary from our writers. Â As we progress through 2011, we would like to hear your feedback on the changes we are making, your thoughts about our content, style, topics, or anything that makes The Conservative Reader of interest to you. Â We want you to visit often, and hope to earn your interest.
Wishing you a bright and fulfilling new year,
Art Smith, Publisher
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by | Jan 9, 2011
The shooting in at a Tucson political meeting Saturday was abhorrent.  We are praying for the injured and the families of those who died.
And for the young man who thought this was somehow an answer to our nation’s problems.
Gabrielle Giffords did nothing to deserve this or any violent attack. Â I don’t know a lot about the Arizona congresswoman, but in briefly reviewing her web site, I’m struck by the fact that she has been driving a campaign for fiscal restraint, including reducing Congressional pay. Â At the moment, I see her as one of the good guys. Â But even people like Barney Frank and Charlie Rangel do not deserve to be attacked violently.
It seems that the shooter is possibly a deranged conspiracy theorist. Â Unfortunately, there are times when the lines blur between some of these folks and legitimate political advocates. Â Although I’ve heard that there are some that are already pointing fingers at conservative organizations as if they are promoting this type of violence, I’ve seen little advocacy for violent protest among those I know in the Tea Party, the Republican Party, or other aligned organizations. Â Our tendency is to try to find a problem to solve in the midst of a situation like this, but sometimes there is no problem to solve except to incarcerate the person responsible. Â Finding other scapegoats is not productive.
In a similar vein, I am hoping that this tragedy does not become a new reason for more government intervention in our lives. While this is a gut-wrenching affair, it should not be seen as justification for further attacking the 2nd Amendement. Â Sean McClanahan has some great comments at Des Moines Gun Rights Examiner.
However, for those who advocate that violence is somehow becoming the only answer to solving the problems we see in our government, it simply is not.  It has become easy to try and draw comparisons between our lives today and the lives of those who formed our country.  The comparison is sadly wanting, and cannot be used as an excuse for violent action, nor threatening statements.  The nice thing about our country and form of government is that we can work through our issues intelligently. Unless we suffer from physical subjugation, I cannot conceive of any reason for violence to achieve our agenda.  If we are incapable of making our case before the People, violence cannot be a suitable alternative.
Not now, not ever.
by Art Smith | Jan 8, 2011
Matt Strawn, Chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa (RPI) for the past two years, ran unopposed this morning and was elected unanimously by RPI’s State Central Committee. Â More information can be found here.
Matt has provided very solid leadership these past two years and was no small part in the Republican election victories in 2010. Â I’ve had the opportunity to work with him during this time and have found him to be extremely effective at leading his staff and he has a strong sense of what really needs to be done to ensure that Republican priorities are moved forward. Â He is a valuable asset to Republicans in Iowa.
It’s also great to see that Jim Kurtenbach will continue as RPI Co-chair. Â Congratulations to both Matt and Jim!
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by DJ Durant | Jan 5, 2011
Out with the old, in with the new, goes the standard cliche every year about this time. No, this is not a reference to Nancy Pelosi’s age, although incoming House Speaker John Boehner is 9 years younger. Speaker Boehner does represent a new attitude and the resulting optimism is being reflected in the markets and the broader economy.
Consider:
- Retail sales, Christmas sales, were up significantly over 2009
- Consumer and business confidence for November and December have inched higher
- Jobless numbers are moving downward, evidenced by today’s ADP employment report that suggested 297,000 new private sector jobs were created in December (this is a big number!)
This is not a coincidence. This is, however a direct result of increased optimism in the country due to the November election and subsequent Republican control of the House. It is a direct result of Congress extending the Bush tax cuts in November. It is a direct result of the repudiation of the Obama/Reid/Pelosi economic agenda. Republicans have a huge opportunity to make the economy and employment the primary issue in 2011. In the words of that great philosopher James Carville, “It’s the economy, stupid”.
In addition to repealing the two collosal and horrid pieces of legislation, (ObamaCare and Financial Institutions Reform), Congress needs to deal with several other hangovers from the Pelosi/Reid years. First, Julian Assange should be tried and convicted of being the cyber-terrorist that he is, and he needs to be treated like any other terrorist. Second, the federal government needs to be starved into submission. Follow the model Chris Christie has set in New Jersey. Get the unions under control (and with it, the unfunded pension liabilities). Finally, any free trade agreements with valued allies and trading partners, such as Colombia and South Korea, should be ratified and signed as soon as possible.
Movement in these directions will reinforce the current optimism prevailing in the country, promote private sector job growth, encourage banks to lend again, and as a result, generate revenues for not only the federal treasury, but state and local governments as well. The last two years nearly ruined us as a nation. We have an opportunity to correct the damage. 2011 is a new year. Let’s hope the new Congress can build on it.
