Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement this evening on the legislation to stop the impending middle class tax hikes and address the fiscal cliff.

"What we have seen take place in Washington over the last few months, and especially in the past few days, is nothing short of unconscionable.  This is not a way to run the greatest country on earth. The people of Iowa expect and deserve better.

"Throughout this process my number one goal was to prevent middle class and working families from seeing their taxes go up at a time when millions are struggling to recover.  I have pushed for a big, long-term deal that would also protect small businesses and family farmers.  While this deal is not what I would have preferred, I believe that we must allow it to pass in order for these tax rates to remain the same for those who simply cannot afford to see those rates increase.

"Given tonight's action merely provides a short two-month reprieve from the artificial deadline the Budget Control Act originally mandated, starting tomorrow, Congress and the President must meet to discuss how we will prevent our economy from sliding backwards and how best to resolve our long-term deficit and debt problem.   I look forward to hearing from Iowans in the coming weeks about how we can best address these issues.  We must lay the groundwork for long-term economic prosperity for hardworking Iowans who want nothing more than to provide a decent life for themselves and their families."

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CHICAGO - Lt. Governor Sheila Simon will be joined in Chicago on Wednesday by Jesse Tyler Ferguson, a star of ABC's hit comedy "Modern Family," to launch marriage equality days of action.

Simon and Ferguson will be joined by marriage equality advocates to encourage Illinoisans to contact their legislators on Wednesday and join a Bow Tie Lobby Day in Springfield on Thursday that urges the General Assembly to pass marriage equality legislation during the January legislative session.

"It is our responsibility to ensure that everyone is treated equally under the law, and right now we have a group of citizens that we are treating as second-class," said Simon, a longtime advocate for marriage equality and LGBT rights.

Ferguson and his fiancé, Justin Mikita, recently launched a not-for-profit organization called "Tie The Knot," that sells unique, limited-edition bow ties, with profits going to charitable organizations that are working for marriage equality throughout the country. The bow ties are sold through The Tie Bar, a Naperville-based company which Simon, Ferguson and Mikita will visit on Wednesday afternoon. To commemorate this occasion, Ferguson and Mikita released a limited-edition Signature Black Wedding tie which is available through TieTheKnot.org or by visiting TheTieBar.com.

For orthopedic surgeon Sean Adelman - a father of three, including Dev, a high-school age daughter with Down syndrome - life lessons are not the exclusive province of the young.

"As a dad, I have often been reminded of the poet William Wordsworth and his line, 'The child is father of the man,' " says Adelman, author of Sam's Top Secret Journal (www.raiseexpectations.com), the first in a the first in a Nancy Drew-style children's book series featuring a protagonist with Down syndrome.

"I think most parents have this experience that, while it's our job to teach our children how to grow up and function in a society, we are constantly learning ourselves. They force us to rethink the basics as we help mold them into mature human beings."

Of course, much of a child's development is out of the hands of parents, he says. School and other social functions provide many first worldly experiences that are so important to developing students. And that makes diversity so important.

Various studies have shown that not only do those with learning challenges benefit from "inclusive education" - a movement that integrates special-ed students with non-special-ed students - but also the rest of the student body.

Adelman explores how inclusion benefits the entire student body:

• Empathic development: To a significant extent, society is a social contract among citizens. That means, at the very least, good behavior is required of individuals. At best, however, citizens recognize that we are social creatures who need each other, and the best way to a better society is to have empathy for our fellow human beings. During the 1990s, inclusion of special-ed students jumped from 48 percent to 70 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Despite concerns at the time about teachers' ability to attend to the needs of all their students in such classes, a Zigmond and Baker study showed teachers did not lose their effectiveness. The famous study also showed that the students treated each other better in general. Children learn that everyone needs help from time to time, and it's as gratifying to provide it as to receive it.

• Diversity and the real world: Children who attend inclusive schools, where all children are mainstreamed, are better able to navigate the complexities of our diverse adult society. Students with and without special needs benefit from exposure to classmates who face different life circumstances. Studies from the National Center for Special Education Research, among others from throughout the world, support claims of mutual benefit from special-ed and non-special-ed students with integration. For a well-rounded character and personality, young people need to be exposed to the many faces of humanity in terms of race, economic background and those with special needs. In addition to this personal edification, a professional career demands social grace and comfort in a diverse work environment.

• The meaning of friendship: Children need to develop social skills and to know how to create and sustain meaningful friendships for a healthy adult life. We may lose wealth, youth, health, and spouses. Friends, however, are often the most reliable emotional resource in life. Friends must learn to accept one another's limitations and flaws, and to complement one another's weaknesses by contributing their strengths. Friends also quickly learn that superficial differences are far less important than shared values, trust and humor.

About Sean Adelman

Sean Adelman is a practicing orthopedic surgeon and advocate for exceptional kids in Seattle. He and his wife, Susan, have three children. Adelman wrote the "Sam's Top Secret Journal" series to show the similarities the protagonist shares with other children, and to explore how differently-abled individuals benefit society.