Archive for July, 2011

Iowa entrepreneur Bruce Rastetter created one of the nation’s largest hog production companies and then became a national leader in ethanol production. Now he’s leaving his mark on another big Iowa industry: presidential politics.

Rastetter, a 55-year-…

State government in Iowa wouldn’t come to a halt if Congress and the president can’t agree on a plan for raising the debt limit, but it wouldn’t take long for a variety of problems to crop up.

Officials said they have begun preparing for what they’ll…

One TV ad criticizes a Democratic candidate’s driving record ending with dash-cam video of him running a red light and striking a bicyclist. Another says a GOP senator favors and end to Medicare as we know it. A Democratic candidate is criticized for…

Watching Washington hold our economy hostage the past few weeks as it refuses to reach a compromise deal on deficit reduction so we can raise the debt ceiling has been beyond frustrating. Surreal is more like it.

Written by Melissa Hempe, entitlement program supporter (and advocate), donor, and believer in the strength of Obama’s vision for AmericaDo Republicans really know anything about the real people that live day to day on so-called “entitlement” programs? I invite them to visit my neighborhood. The poor families that live on Oak Street.Tonight I took a few neighbor kids to Fred Meyers to buy a birthday present. Jordan turned 16 this year, and I have watched him grow from an eight year old boy to a fine teenager. Delinquent, to be sure, but I don’t judge him. His alcoholic mother drove her car into a tree and died instantly when he was only …

No safe haven

The terror attacks in Norway prove that bad things can happen anywhere — even in peaceful countries like Norway.

All it takes is for one disgruntled individual to become a loose cannon and tragedy can result.

It was only in January…

Since the end of World War II, American medicine has been acclaimed throughout the world for mass vaccination programs in the quest to eradicate deadly infectious diseases. In the 1950s, Dr. Jonas Salk became an international hero with his discovery of…