Pocahontas 4/9/2011
Senator Kibbie told a town forum in
Pocahontas that he will not run for re-election in 2012. Kibbie is
President of the Iowa Senate. He has represented Pocahontas County
since the redistricting that followed the 2000 census.
Other topics were also addressed by the
Senator at the April 9 meeting:
On reviewing the entire Code of Iowa to
look for government duplication: “I'm sure there is a lot of
duplication, but to do that in a hundred day session when everybody
wants a short session and get the hell out of town . . . We've been
trying to review all tax credits. We've got $500 million of tax
credits, primarily for business. We passed a statute now that we are
going to look at them every five years to see if we are getting our
money's worth out of them. That's what needs to be done on a lot of
legislation as well. We add another code book about every three
years.”
On abortion: “We got a nine page
bill from the House that sets up another chapter in the Code. We
already got a chapter on abortion in the Code. Late term abortions
are against the law in Iowa.”
On keeping a state employment office in
each county: “Thirty-nine offices [including Pocahontas] are
scheduled to be closed unless we find the money to keep them open. .
. We think they are important.”
On property taxes: “The Democrats
propose a $75,000 commercial property tax exemption whether you are
Monsanto or the barber shop on Main Street.”
On moving water quality programs from
DNR to Agriculture Dept: “ . . . the monitoring is not going to
be turned over [to Agriculture], I don't believe.”
On secret videos of farms: “We are
working with the county attorneys . . . to make the bill constitutional.
The bill that passed the [Republican] House would not pass muster and
county attorneys would probably not take any action. We are working
on the trespassing part of it, on the whistle blower protection part
of it. We [Senate Democrats] hope to have an amendment for that bill
early next week.”
Pocahontas 3/12/2011
Senator Kibbie at Pocahontas Pizza Ranch forum, March 12, 2011:
On community colleges: "We have 9000 more students in one
year and a 40% increase in the last five years. Republicans want to cut
community college funding by 9.5% ($15 million). Students pick up 49%
of the cost of operating the colleges through tuition and fees. We're
the highest in the nation in that regard."
On commercial property taxes: "Both parties agree on doing
something. The Governor's recommendation is to cut taxes from 100% (of
valuation) to 60%. . . .That's a big hit to the cities. It's going to
cause residential taxes to go up. Democrats propose to roll back
$75,000 for every commercial property tax owner. That's going to cost
(the state) about $50 million bucks (to replenish the local coffers).
On local state employment office closings: merging them with libraries "has been asked of library administrators and they say they don't have the staff to do that."
On redrawing legislative districts: "The last week in March
we will get a new map of all the districts. That's the most quieting
thing that I've ever seen hit the Iowa legislature. You talk about term
limits . . .reapportionment every ten years has the result of a 60%
change in the legislature."
On new nuclear power plants in Iowa: "There is more support for nuclear than there used to be. There are some people in the legislature that are very opposed to nuclear, but there are probably the votes to pass it if there's some protection for the ratepayers."
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Pocahontas, 2/12/2011
During a public forum at the Pocahontas Pizza Ranch, hosted by the
local Farm Bureau on Saturday Februrary 12, 2011, Senator Kibbie made
these comments:  On the state budget: “We have to decide allowable growth
(for public school budgets) within 30 days. . . .Allowable growth is the
money that really operates the schools, pays the salaries, the heat
and lights. The Governor proposed 0%. The Senate is at 2% and I think
we have the votes. Each percent is over $30 million. There will
probably be a property tax increase in most districts, whether [we vote
for] 2% or 0%. That’s because of declining enrollment."
"We (Senate Democrats) hope to continue the preschool program as it is.”
On health care: “Fifty-two percent of the nursing home beds
in this state are Medicaid beds. . .Iowa has allowed Medicaid to pay for
dentists, optometrists, physician assistants. Other states have [not
allowed that] to reduce the cost of Medicaid, but rural health care is
basically provided by these types of health care. . . .Hopefully [the
new federal health care law] will get more competition in the health
care arena in Iowa. Wellmark has got 70% in this state. A monopoly in
any business is not good.”
On taxes: “Corporations only pay tax on what they sell
within the state of Iowa. . . .Iowa is as generous on research tax
credits as any state in the nation We could probably whittle a little
of that off. Forty-eight million, that’s hell of a lot of money. [It
mainly affects Pioneer, Monsanto, Rockwell-Collins, John Deere].We need
to look at other tax credits [such as] the ethanol tax credit for these
stations. If they sell over 60% (of their fuel as ethanol), they get
2.5 cents a gallon from the state. That was to move ethanol forward. It hasn't moved it forward. We use less ethanol on our roads now than we did five years ago. "
"There’s a host of things. We don’t have to back up on education (for lack of tax revenue)."
On regulations for electricians, etc.: “There’s two other players in this electrical stuff---your insurance company, and your utility provider.”
On Planned Parenthood: "I have three daughters who are social
workers in this state. We have the highest number of two income
households of any state in the nation. And we have a lot of family
problems out there. . . .families that don't know how to parent. I
don't know if you can leave all that up to the non-profits and churches.
A lot of [those family problems] fall on county costs, whether it's in
the mental health system, the prison system. I think we all gotta work
together on this.
On school funding formula: “There have been studies four or
five times on changing the formula, but it never gets consensus on how
to do it. . .Iowa has never been in court over their funding formula.
Many states have [been in court]. The number of students is the big
factor [in the formula]. . . .I don’t know an answer to that school
formula thing. It’s been in existence since 1973. . . .Northern Iowa
districts are considered rich school districts down in the legislature
because of the farmland and windmills. If I had an answer to this, I’d
have a better job than the one I’ve got.
On school districts: “We all gotta pay attention to what’s
going on in our local districts.. . .The Pocahontas vote on
re-organization is the highest positive vote that I ever heard of!
There’s going to be more. I’d say we’ll have probably 20 fewer school
districts a year from now.
******************
October 2010
Tom Shaw's $90,000 Mud Campaign Against Susan Bangert
Tom Shaw, a Laurens policeman, is expecting to benefit from
nearly $90,000 in negative TV commercials being run by his new friends
in the Republican Party. Shaw himself has not raised nearly enough money
to pay for the campaign. The ads appear on Des Moines channels and are
seen throughout central Iowa. But they say nothing about Shaw.
Instead the time is used to attack Susan for various government
policies, even though she has never been in office. The ads refer to
details of federal medical program changes in an attempt to scare voters
that their benefits are being threatened. Earlier in the fall Shaw
used printed material to criticize Susan for votes in the state
legislature. Both practices are deceptive by nature.
All of this is SO IRONIC. Shaw's campaign has largely
rested on his opposition to I-Jobs on the grounds that it has indebted
Iowa voters. But by riding this expensive attack campaign Shaw has put
himself in debt to some unknown forces in the Republican Party who have come to his aid.
Furthermore, it is ironic that Shaw began this race as an
independent, saying the Republican Party was too liberal for its own
good. He later signed on as the Republican candidate and defeated Steve
Richards to win the party primary in June. Now he is not only in
debt-- his debt is owed to the party he once scorned.
Finally is the matter of integrity,
a word that is printed in large type in some of Shaw's advertising in
the hometown newspaper. It is not exhibited by a candidate who prefers
to throw mud from Des Moines TV stations at an Algona educator who has
run a positive race. On her entire effort Susan Bangert has spent only
one-sixth what Shaw has burned on TV attack ads alone.
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Mason City,3/24/2010
Lois Jirgens has been elected to the thirty member
state committee of the Iowa Democratic Party, representing the Fourth
District. The very existence of the Pocahontas County Democrats is
testimony to the organizing skills of Lois Jirgens. We aren't the only
group in the area that benefits from her leadership.
Congratulations, Lois.
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Crisis Center at County Convention
Pocahontas, 3/14/10
A Fort Dodge domestic abuse shelter told Pocahontas Democrats
Saturday that it faces a deficit of $150,000 in the budget year
beginning July 1. Beth Stuhr, a counselor at D/SAOC serving Pocahontas and seven other counties, specifically noted a $25,000 drop in support from the Webster county supervisors. Governor Culver's 10% cut in state spending and a loss of some federal grants explain the rest of the deficit, Stuhr said.
The crisis center touches the lives of thousands of people annually, mainly through public programs in schools. They also help victims by providing advice, material support, and even a safe family shelter in Fort Dodge. There is no limit on how long a victim can stay in the shelter, Stuhr said, noting some have stayed for several months, while others depart after only one night.
Abuse victims can get help through a crisis line, help with establishing a new place of residence, and help in court appearances. Counseling help is provided in Pocahontas at the Lutheran Church.
Pocahontas attorney Don Beneke called the Domestic/Sexual Assault Outreach Center a "critical service." County Supervisor Paul Beneke described their work as "excellent," and said his church has put the center in its church budget.
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Joelson to Politicians: Leave Schools Alone
Pocahontas, IA, 1/23/10
Laurens-Marathon school superintendent Iner Joelson recently asked Pocahontas County Democrats to send a message to Des Moines . “Leave the kids out of politics. Quit making [schools] the target,” he said near the close of his comments about school budgets and state aid. “Stop pushing things down our throats to fix us. We're not going to jump on a different bandwagon every year.”
Joelson's comment came in reaction to the federal initiative called “Race to the Top” which had just passed the state legislature despite a lack of support from Iowa school districts. He said that this new school reform idea had caused a previous idea to “blow up” after years of steady progress but before it could be implemented.
Joelson and county engineer Jack Moellering were guest speakers before the Democratic Party voters on January 23 at the county courthouse during their 2010 precinct caucuses.
Superintendent Joelson said the L-M district has a budget of $3.5 million. The school board has just built the district's cash reserve to nearly ten percent of the budget from only $50,000 in 2007. He said twenty percent of budget would be a healthy reserve level. The school board had been on the verge of cutting property taxes for next year, Joelson said.
Then came the various cuts in state aid and the requirement that all districts must spend down their cash reserve. The upcoming budget is uncertain now, according to Joelson, who noted that salary negotiations with teachers are about to begin. “We'd like to do right by our teachers,” he said, but he expected to offer only a salary freeze. He said five teachers have signed up for early retirement offers in which the district picks up some of their health insurance costs after they retire.
Speaking about Pocahontas County roads, engineer Moellering compared the rise in the cost of living to changes in the gasoline tax. He said road construction costs have risen even faster than the consumer price index, but the gas tax has not kept pace with either one. Pocahontas County has two hundred bridges and a thousand miles of road to maintain. Moellering observed that the dust rising from gravel roads is “the road blowing away,” and warned that it's very expensive in the long run if maintenance is reduced in the short run. We need to replace four bridges every year, he said, because their life span is fifty years. He said only one bridge was replaced last year. The county road budget is about $4 million/year.
Following the speakers Democrats selected their precinct committee members and delegates to the Democratic Party county convention in March.
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