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Gingrich blasts bloated, wasteful “stupid” government

November 30, 2011 By

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich attracted a standing-room-only crowd in Council Bluffs earlier tonight. Gingrich’s status as a candidate gaining in popularity drew Drake University student Mike McInereneyto make the two-hour trip to see Gingrich at what was billed as a “Slice the Deficit” event.

“It was more focused on creating jobs in America, you know, reducing regulations on certain industries, so people really enjoyed it,” McInereney said. “It was awesome.”

Gingrich called the federal government bloated and wasteful.

“It’s an embarrassment,” Gingrich said. “We don’t have to tolerate the government being stupid — and it’s expensive.”

Gingrich has been getting rapped by rivals for  proposing what they call “amnesty” for illegal immigrants. Gingrich told the crowd in Council Bluffs it’s a “hopeless” promise to suggest there’s a way to deport all the illegal immigrants who are here today. Gingrich, in turn, promises that as president he would secure the border within a year by using unmanned drones and fences in high-traffic areas. Teresa Butterbaug, an engineer from Council Bluffs, says Gingrich has handled the issue well.

“I like the way he stood for the immigration, especially shutting the borders,” Butterbaug says.

Gingrich is due to publicly sign a border security pledge Thursday, one of several campaign events he’s scheduled to attend in the central Iowa area.

Filed Under: News, Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Bachmann says inflation of college costs spurred by federal grants, loans

November 30, 2011 By

During an appearance on the University of Northern Iowa campus, Republican Presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann called for major changes in Pell Grants and student loans.

“What the studies show is the more money that the federal government is putting into higher ed, that’s directly feeding the price increases at public universities and private universities because the amount of money that goes in causes the demand to go up as well,” Bachmann said, “and the prices are going up accordingly.”

The crowd of more than 300 was mostly students, and the candidate gave them some advice — something Bachmann said was an interpretation of a John F. Kennedy quote.  

“When you consider that you are able-bodied; you can work; you have a mind; you have hands; you have feet; you are privileged to gain a college education — do it. Embrace life. Don’t start out life thinking that you’re a dependent,” Bachmann said. “Start out life thinking that you’ve got something to give.”

Bachmann was a guest of the Presidential Candidate Education Forum, co-sponsored by Iowa Public Radio and the University of Northern Iowa. Iowa Public Radio will rebroadcast the hour-long event Thursday at 2 p.m.

Filed Under: News, Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Heavy snow could land in the state this weekend

November 30, 2011 By

Some heavy snow is expected across parts of Iowa this weekend. National Weather Service meteorologist Jacob Beitlich says it’s still unclear exactly when snow flakes will begin to fly.

“Right now, we have rain probably changing over to snow on Saturday afternoon into Saturday evening. The system should be out of here by Sunday morning with just a little bit of snow falling Sunday morning,” Beitlich said. The heaviest snowfall amounts are likely over northwest Iowa.

The current forecast calls for up to six or more inches of snow. “Right now, the more conservative estimates are in the three to five inch range. But once we get a better handle on when the rain is going to change over to snow and where the track is going to be, we’ll probably refine our amounts,” Beitlich said.

There’s also a slight chance of light snow Thursday over northern Iowa. Beitlich says arctic air will follow the weekend storm – dropping temperatures into the single digits and teens early next week.

Filed Under: News, Weather

New U-I cancer facility incorporates patient design ideas

November 30, 2011 By

New cancer center a the U-I.

Cancer patients helped to design the new treatment facility that will open next week at University Hospitals in Iowa City. Patients were consulted on details down to the arrangement of chairs and the types of chairs they’ll sit in for chemotherapy and blood transfusions.

Dr. George Weiner, director of the University of Iowa’s Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, says the $12-million facility will provide more space, for starters.

“Some patients prefer to be in a more social environment where they have someone next to them where they can talk,” Dr. Weiner says.

“Some prefer to be more private and the new unit really allows us to do both.” The current clinic is always packed, he says, taking in 80 to 90 cancer patients a day for treatments.

Weiner says, “I think particularly exciting is the new infusion suite area which results in significant expansion so we can treat up to 40 patients at a time now, compared to 28 that we have in our current facility.” The 64,000-square-foot clinic will offer on-site pharmacy and laboratory services.

Weiner says it will also incorporate new lab areas for clinical researchers who are working on promising new cancer therapies. He says it should provide a quiet, family-focused environment that will enhance caregiving and promote healing.

“Every aspect of the clinic was designed to try to help patients who are going through what we know is an incredibly difficult time for them and their families,” Weiner says. “We designed the unit to try to make that as stress-free as we possibly can.”

The first patients will be seen in the new clinic on Monday.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, News Tagged With: ,

UNI prepares for Wofford’s triple option

November 30, 2011 By

The U.N.I. football team will face a tricky offensive opponent this week in the second round of the FCS playoffs against Wofford. The Terriers run a triple option offense that head coach Mark Farley says is very quick, and very tough to defend.

He says they’ve watched the video on it and there is only so much you can do about it, and it’s hard to line up and simulate it. Farley says that Wofford is definitely a run-first team, which does open some things up on rare occasion that the Terriers put the ball in the air.

He says they are only throwing the ball an average of 10 times a game, and when they do, he says they are successful because you jump on the run.

The Panther coach expects a quick game with all the running Wolford does. Farley notes that Wofford is a well rounded team on both sides of the ball. He says they are disciplined and do not do things on defense or offense that allows you to beat them.

U.N.I. has only seen the triple option a few times, including a playoff game against Georgia Southern during Farley’s playing days in the mid-1980’s. He remembers being a linebacker and says he remembers getting a lot of tackles in the game, but the guy he tackled never had the ball. Farley says that’s the hard part of the option attack.

The Panthers were ranked second in the final Sports Network FCS Poll after a 9-2 regular season and a share of the Missouri Valley Football title. Out of the Southern Conference, Wofford finished 8-3 and is ranked 11th. After reaching the quarterfinal round of the playoffs last year coach Mike Ayers says his tough had a tough opener.

Ayers calls U.N.I. a big physical team and he says one thing that will be different is playing indoors, as he says they are not used to being in that type of environment. Both teams had a week off after drawing first round byes.

Ayers says they were helped by the bye in getting people healthy who would not have been able to play if they were playing last week.

Ayers calls U.N.I. a complete football team that’s “sound as a dollar” in all three phases of the game.

Ayers says their top ranked rushing attack faces a tough challenge against the U.N.I. defense which he says is impressive with their speed and defensive front.

The Panthers and the Terriers kick it off at four o’clock Saturday in the UNI-Dome.

By Jesse Gavin, KCNZ, Cedar Falls

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Iowa Chamber Alliance has tax reform at top of legislative priorities

November 30, 2011 By

Tax reform and economic development are at the top of the list of legislative priorities for a group representing the chambers of commerce of the state’s largest cities. Iowa Chamber Alliance president, Ken Anderson, says tax reform is vital to the state’s economy.

“In order to compete with other states, regions and countries, Iowa must improve its business tax climate,” Anderson says, “The number one thing that can help achieve this is property tax relief for commercial and industrial property taxpayers. Iowa’s tax system ranks in the top two states for the highest business property taxes. This is unacceptable.”

Anderson is the director of the Marshalltown chamber. I.C.A. executive director, John Stineman, says they endorse both tax reform proposals in the last legislative session in an effort to get something moving. “The position of the alliance is that first we want to have that relief we believe that tax relief as it relates to property should be tilted toward business since we’ve had the disadvantage since the inception of this system three decades ago,” Stineman said.

Secondly, he says they want to make sure that the classes are moved toward a more equitable treatment and says the specifics on how to do that are still up for discussion. Stineman says tax relief can’t wait if the state is going to improve its economy. “We don’t believe that the burden should be on business for times be good in order for us to get that tax relief, we need the tax relief now so that we can help the times to be good,” according to Stineman.

He says they also want to be sure the tax proposals are sustainable in the long-term so they don’t have to address the issue again in a few years. Repairing the state’s transportation infrastructure is another priority, and the group supports an increase in the gas tax. Stineman says their support goes beyond simply raising more money.

Stineman says there is both a need for more resources and also a serious need to look at the allocation of the road funds. He says as they look to the future of the tax discussion, it should not be separated from the issue of distributing the funds.

Stineman believes the legislature can address these issues this session after the marathon session they had last year. Stineman says they are “optimistic.” He says while they were frustrated by the lack of tax reform last year, he says there was “significant headway” made in economic development.

Stineman says all the right people are talking about the issues now, and they just have to make sure “at the end of the day they can reach an agreement.” The I.C.A. released its priorities in a news conference at the state capitol.

You can see the Iowa Chamber Alliance’s complete legislative agenda at:www.iowachamberalliance.com.

Filed Under: Business, News Tagged With: ,

Braley pushes to add wind energy tax credit to larger tax package

November 30, 2011 By

Congressman Bruce Braley is calling for an immediate, four-year extension of the federal tax credit for wind energy production.

“One of the most common concerns that you hear from people looking to invest in wind energy is the short duration of the existing tax credit,” Braley says.

The tax credit is set to expire at the end of 2012. Sometime this December Congress is likely to consider a bill that would extend the payroll tax credit which is set to expire at the end of this year. Braley has sent a letter to congressional leaders, asking that an extension of the wind energy production tax credit be included in that tax package.

“So that people looking to make that investment would have a greater assurance of the length and security of that tax credit provision,” Braley says, “rather than have it go through the annual gymnastics of trying to make sure there would be added funding available for those tax credits.”

President Obama went to Pennsylvania this afternoon to give a speech urging congress to extend the payroll tax cut. Braley — a Democrat from Waterloo — says it’s the “type of thing” that should be embraced by both political parties, but Republicans are balking.

“Let’s be honest — right now is when we see a lot of political gamesmanship taking place as people are dealing with the aftermath of the select committee on deficit reduction and it’s failure to come up with a number,” Braley says. “And so I think it will be another political football and we’ll be struggling to find an opportunity to get it passed in the house.”

According to Braley, it’s “difficult to predict” whether all the Republicans in the U.S. House can agree on how to resolve the impasse.

“But Iowans can’t afford these typical political games on a payroll tax extension,” Braley says. “It’s something that going to benefit middle class Iowans and we need to come together and solve it now.”

Without action by congress, the payroll tax workers pay will go back up to six-point-two percent from its temporary rate, which is two percent lower. The average American household is paying about a thousand dollars less in taxes this year because of the lower tax rate. 

Braley made his comments this morning during a telephone conference call with reporters.

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