The Iowa Legislature is in a time crunch as it struggles to work out a budget deal that will satisfy both Republicans and Democrats — and property taxes are at the heart of the partisan divide. Tax...

If I could, I would bathe in confetti. It would make me feel like a champion. I love confetti. In fact, if I were able to find someone willing, and some simple way of tidying the mess, I would have someone...

When former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty spoke at the “deficit-free America” summit hosted by Strong America Now on June 18, he, like most speakers, pledged to cut spending and balance the budget. And...

Around 10 other reporters and I were hanging out with Tim Pawlenty in Des Moines this past weekend. The former Minnesota governor had just finished talking to a crowd at a Strong America Now event and...

With a looming federal deficit and bipartisan support for fiscal restraint growing in Washington, it’s become clear that now is the best possible time to implement substantial agricultural reform. But...

When considering profitable or worthwhile international business ventures, it’s always important to hedge your bets. So why not buy up 800,000 acres of “abandoned refugee camps” in western Tanzania...

As the Republican field battles for the party’s nomination, President Obama’s re-election campaign is out in full force. Last weekend’s Pride festivities in Iowa City were flooded with enthused Obama...

Presidential politics has become a joke. As an inveterate small-d democrat, it pains to me to say so. But the nascent 2012 presidential race — and, of course, the noxious media spectacle that was Weinergate...

Iowa produces more factory-farmed hogs than any other state and ranks fourth in large-scale cattle feedlots. While the state rankings may not seem like a big deal, the proliferation of factory farms has...

YES Opening East Washington Street up to two-way traffic is a no-brainer when it comes to city planning. Let’s face it: Iowa City’s downtown is not very user-friendly when it comes to navigation....

I generally don’t give out advice. I leave that practice to such experts as Michele Bachmann and Ann Landers (if they are, indeed, persons and not computer programs that William Gibson invented in an...

The U.S. government has lied to the American people in saying that the effort in Libya is purely humanitarian. In actuality, the conflict is only justified with the language of humanitarianism; underlying...