Rick Smith

Get ready for a wild weekend in Iowa politics. One of the most progressive organizations in Iowa, Iowa Citizens For Community Improvement Action Fund (CCI Action Fund) has scheduled their annual convention, Revolution Iowa: From Protest to Power, for Saturday, July 15 in Des Moines. Their Keynote speaker is Senator Bernie Sanders. Simultaneously, one of…

This is the debate Democrats are continuing to have following the 2016 losses. As Democrats attempt to craft a winning message for 2018 and beyond, the internal debate within the Party is focused on how far left they should or must move the Party’s messaging. The debate spans issues from women’s reproductive choice to support…

Republicans are fond of calling Democrats “big spenders” but it’s Iowa Republicans that aren’t capable of balancing the state’s budget this year. Republicans control all three branches of state government, so they can’t blame Democrats for their budget-busting corporate give-away spending. The GOP preaches about taking responsibility and holding people accountable. Then why is Governor…

The Senate Republicans’ Trumpcare bill is predicted to devastate rural Iowa hospitals and nursing homes. The proposed 25% cut in Medicaid spending will put these Iowa facilities at risk of severe cuts in services or outright closure. Will Senators Grassley and Ernst vote for a healthcare plan that these healthcare stakeholders warn will destroy rural…

This week State Senator Matt McCoy, Representative John Forbes and former Senator Jack Hatch presented a “Public Option” to replace Iowa’s Obamacare Exchange. Earlier this year, the three major insurance carriers that sell coverage on the Iowa Exchange – Wellmark, Medica and Aetna – announced they wouldn’t participate in 2018. The withdrawal of these three…

Effective January 1st, 2018, 72,000 Iowans will lose their insurance coverage through the Iowa Insurance Exchange (Obamacare). Thousands of Iowans are facing an imminent emergency with the pullout of the three primary insurance carriers-Wellmark, Aetna and Medica. It will be a catastrophic blow to those Iowa families participating in the Iowa Obamacare Exchange. Several Iowa…

The initial reaction following yesterday’s shooting of Congressman Steve Scalise and others was political unity. There has been some politicizing of the shooting, yet most of Congress has pulled together. It was a unifying event much like the reaction following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America. This attack on a Republican baseball practice was seen…

Senator Bernie Sanders will be the keynote speaker for Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement’s Action Fund’s (CCI Action) annual convention in Des Moines on July 15th. This will be the first time Senator Sanders has returned to Iowa since the 2016 presidential election. CCI Action is describing the event as “Revolution Iowa – From Protest…

Democrats searching for a national progressive message should look west, toward California. Governor Jerry Brown and Democrats have complete control of both houses of the state legislature and they are pursuing a bold progressive agenda. We continually hear Democrats criticizing other Democrats for not being progressive enough. We have had front row seats at the…

In 1938 the Roosevelt Administration passed the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that established the 40-hour maximum work week, a national minimum wage, and time-and-a-half for overtime pay. The primary goal was to increase employment by spreading the available work among more people. It was recognized by President Roosevelt and the Democrats that the massive…