Campaign for the Common Good

05/11/2026

That's a Wrap: Food on the Marquee at the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival. Get the scoop here. Maybe some ice cream involved if one of these filmmakers can come back to Iowa.

Food on the film fest menu

05/04/2026

Guess what folks? In the dead of night on the last day of the session, the Republican legislature snuck this into their final appropriations bill (although no money is budgeted to do it): Students graduating from a state university are now required to take 3-credit courses in American history and American government. At the University oif Iowa, those classes can ONLY be offered by the overtly ideological, so-called "Center for Intellectual Freedom." (I took those required classes in high school from Mr. Colbert and Mr. Herbst. Do legislators not trust students to remember?) KCRG-TV9 was first with the scoop -- before it happened.

Oh, by the way, so much for public input and "funnels" to winnow out unpopular and bad ideas.

05/04/2026

Resurrecting an old idea. https://open.substack.com/pub/chuckisenhart/p/passing-gas?r=omox6&utm_medium=ios 

...tax increases (and decreases)

04/30/2026

Take Two: U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek. https://open.substack.com/pub/chuckisenhart/p/what-happens-in-iowa?

Can change

04/15/2026

The Iowa Legislature's property tax "reform" bills destroy the fundamental assumption of tax-increment financing on which many cities have relied for decades: That using new tax receipts to pay for the improvements that make the growth possible will ultimately benefit all taxing bodies when the debt is paid off and each taxing body gets their share of the tax revenue.

The Republican legislature now dictates that such captured revenue can no longer be counted as new growth. For cities, counties and schools alike, it will be included in the new "cap" that state government will be imposing on local governments if the legislation passes. (Only state government will benefit: The Legislature will no longer have to backfill the lost revenue for schools.)

The Dubuque city manager did a decent job explaining this on Monday when he justified the budget cuts to Five Flags Center (low man on the Council's priority totem pole).

That being said, the city, county, school district and others would not be in this position if Dubuque didn't hold on to all of the revenue growth in the downtown taxing district since 1966. In that respect, the state legislation will have a disproportionate negative impact on Dubuque.

This is what happens to your brain when you spend 16 years on the House Ways and Means Committee. Bottom line: We may not be able to have nice things anymore. You're welcome.

Dubuque City Manager Mike Van Milligen defended his plan to cut more than two-thirds of the funding for planned capital improvements at Five Flags Center, arguing that state proposals to

04/15/2026

Let's go to the movies. I have my tickets.

I'll bring the popcorn

04/12/2026

04/07/2026

Rare that state agencies themselves take the lead in questioning thoughtless legislation, rather than the people of Iowa whose oxen are being gored. Exactly what happened today when Republicans in the House of Representatives heard from the Economic Development Authority, Department of Transportation, Iowa National Guard, the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education, Iowa Board of Regents, Department of Administrative Services, Department of Public Safety, and Homeland Security and Emergency Management regarding the onerous proposal (HSB 764) to require permission from the Legislature before the state can apply for a federal grant. Usually the agency lobbyists just meet privately with Republican leaders to express their concerns. The testimony was a laundry list of “administrative burden” and “unintended consequences.” Pretty sure this signals a veto if such a bill ever makes it to the governor. (Rare that any governor agrees to give up Institutional power, anyhow.)

The committee chair claimed “transparency” is the goal of the bill, not an attempt to delay or prevent the receipt of federal dollars. Not sure the national astroturf group that ginned up the bill would agree with that, nor Iowans for Tax Relief fronting for them. (Americans for Prosperity took their usual shot at “unelected bureaucrats” making decisions.)

Appropriations Committee Chair Gary Mohr wondered if any of the state agencies think it is OK for the Legislature to exercise oversight of federal funding and how it is used. That’s when the audio feed for the meeting was cut off. When it was restored, subcommittee chair Hans Wilz was thanking everyone for “stopping by.” I assume the answers were all, “Yes, of course.” (BTW, between the State and the public universities, Iowa gets about $13.5 billion a year through Uncle Sam, more than the state General Fund budget.)

My question: Why the sudden interest in state oversight of federal monies now, when House Republicans have shown little interest in picking up the microscope the previous 15 years they have been in power?

Oh yeah, could it be because Iowa might soon have its first Democratic governor in 16 years?

In the Iowa Legislature

04/03/2026

Only the rule-of-law seems to be dead.

In the Iowa Legislature

03/31/2026

When it rains it pours…hot water.

The vast data centers that power artificial intelligence are so energy hungry that they’re heating up their surroundings, according to new research. It’s an alarming finding given the number of data centers is predicted to explode over the next few years.

03/28/2026

If Iowa agriculture were the economic and opportunity engine it used to be, this would not be happening: 19 (more) rural newspapers stopping the presses!

Publisher’s closure threatens 19 newspapers By Edward Lynn Editor EAGLE GROVE, Iowa — Following an announcement that its parent company, Mid-America Publishing, is ceasing operations,…