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May 18, 2012

DES MOINES, IA -- Iowa Workforce Development today will release their most recent total non-farm employment statistics. Regardless of the newly announced employment figures, Governor Branstad and his administration deserve serious scrutiny for their methods in compiling and promoting Iowa jobs numbers.

At issue is the Governor's calculating 'gross jobs' as opposed to 'net jobs' and how his administration makes those calculations. Governor Branstad promised to create 200,000 jobs in 5 years, and according to his administration, they have already created 69,700 'gross jobs'. According to the Des Moines Register, 'net jobs' have grown by just 16,500 since the end of 2010. The difference between the two is simple: Governor Branstad ignores the job losses, and doesn't factor them in his calculcation.

"Out of work Iowans need a job -- not a Governor worried about saving his own job," said Matt Sinovic, executive director of Progress Iowa. "With Governor Branstad's history of cooking the books, we should not be surprised that he is skewing the figures to make up for his failed campaign promise. Iowans deserve honest leadership, and instead we're getting falsified statistics."

This week, local economists and media have examined the Governor's lack of candor when accounting for Iowa job growth:

Iowa State University Economist Dave Swenson said the gross totals are not used for any official purpose that he is aware of. He borrowed a line from Lowell Junkins, a Democratic candidate for governor in 1986, to describe the situation. "When someone raises the "gross jobs" notion with me, I always say this: 'If all I counted were my deposits into my checking account, I'd be a millionaire after awhile.  Honest accounting makes me declare, with high certainty and all sincerity, that I, on net, am merely a thousandaire,'" Swenson said. [Des Moines Register, 5/15/2012]

 

Using the gross numbers by themselves is problematic, said Peter Fisher, research director for the nonpartisan Iowa Policy Project. Using Branstad's figures, the state could have a net loss of tens of thousands of jobs and the economy could tank, yet he could still claim progress on his job creation goal. "I can't think of any justification of just focusing on gross job gains," Fisher said. [Des Moines Register, 5/15/2012]


This week, Gov. Terry Branstad was grilled about Iowa's progress toward his whopper of a campaign promise to create 200,000 jobs in five years. The governor contends he's ahead of schedule, with nearly 70,000 jobs created. Trouble is, the governor is using "gross" instead of "net," as in the net number of jobs created after subtracting jobs lost. Any economist will tell you that net is the thing when it comes to tracking job growth. Any first-grader will tell you 7 minus 5 is not 7. Between January 2011, when he took office, and March 2012, Iowa's seasonally adjusted, non-farm employment has grown by a net 15,400 jobs, according to figures compiled by Iowa Workforce Development. [Cedar Rapids Gazette, 5/17/2012]


This isn't the first time Governor Branstad has cooked the books to make his record on job growth appear more impressive than it is. Branstad has a history of inflating job growth and altering official reports for political gain:

Branstad: Lost Jobs Don't Count Against Promise: The Des Moines Register reported in February 1984 that, "By his own count, the Republican governor said, 30,185 jobs were created last year, leaving him with 149,815 jobs still unfound. Democrats in the Legislature, however, count differently. Citing Job Service of Iowa figures, they claim Branstad closed out the year in the hole by about 17,000 jobs."  [Des Moines Register, 2/7/1984]

 

Branstad Changed Jobs Report to Make It Appear They Created More Jobs:  The Des Moines Register reported in January 1984 that, "Iowa Development Commission Director Jack Bailey acknowledged Thursday that a commission report was altered at the request of a top aide to Gov. Terry Branstad to make it appear that the Branstad administration had brought more jobs to the state. ... [Bailey] said he did not remember seeing a note from a former employee complaining that the change amounted to 'cheating.'"  [Des Moines Register, 1/27/1984]


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Notice: The opinions posted on this site are slip opinions only. Under the Rules of Appellate Procedure a party has a limited number of days to request a rehearing after the filing of an opinion. Also, all slip opinions are subject to modification or correction by the court. Therefore, opinions on this site are not to be considered the final decisions of the court. The official published opinions of the Iowa Supreme Court are those published in the North Western Reporter published by West Group.

Opinions released before April 2006 and available in the archives are posted in Word format. Opinions released after April 2006 are posted to the website in PDF (Portable Document Format).   Note: To open a PDF you must have the free Acrobat Reader installed. PDF format preserves the original appearance of a document without requiring you to possess the software that created that document. For more information about PDF read: Using the Adobe Reader.

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NOTE: Copies of these opinions may be obtained from the Clerk of the Supreme Court, Judicial Branch Building, 1111 East Court Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50319, for a fee of fifty cents per page.

No. 11-0444

ROBERT M. JOHNSON, Trustee of the Robert M. Johnson Revocable Living Trust, and KATHRYN M. ZIMMER vs. DES MOINES METROPOLITAN WASTEWATER RECLAMATION AUTHORITY, Acting by and Through its Operating Contractor, the City of Des Moines

No. 11-2114

IOWA SUPREME COURT ATTORNEY DISCIPLINARY BOARD vs. THOMAS G. McCUSKEY

No. 12-0228

IOWA SUPREME COURT ATTORNEY DISCIPLINARY BOARD vs. KAREN A. TAYLOR

What does it take to build a LEED-certified testing facility?  The State Hygienic Laboratory recently earned gold certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design because it was built and operates in an eco-friendly manner.

Located on the UI Research Park campus, the Hygienic Lab incorporates the rigorous design and safety requirements of a laboratory facility along with LEED elements in five categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environment. It all combines for a sustainable yet very welcoming place to work.

That means that many of the construction materials were manufactured within the region to reduce the environmental burden associated with hauling materials to the Coralville site. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems were selected to minimize or eliminate the emission of compounds that contribute to ozone depletion.  Lockers and break-room chairs were constructed with 100 percent post-consumer recycled materials.

QUOTE/UNQUOTE

UI President Sally Mason: "This is a lot more than just a laboratory facility.  It represents a promise we've made to the people of Iowa for over 100 years, and that's to protect them and help ensure that we live in the healthiest state possible."

DID YOU KNOW?
The Hygienic Laboratory monitors Iowa waterways and the air for contaminants, screens all babies for congenital disorders, and conducts surveillance for infectious diseases.  That amounts to nearly 600,000 public health tests for Iowans each year.

Author and Reiki master Karen J. Fox inspires readers with her personal journey

IOWA CITY, Iowa - In her new book Living Peace (published by AuthorHouse), Karen J. Fox shares her story of spiritual healing and developing the tools to become a Reiki master, inspiring readers to follow in her footsteps and find their own peaceful life.

 

Living Peace introduces five principles for living a peaceful life, and invites the reader to examine their own life and incorporate the principles to help them to live peacefully. Fox shares her personal journey toward understanding how to live these principles in an effort to model the process for readers. She believes that "...peace is a present-moment attitude and action." The principles she lives by, and conveys to readers, suggest that living peacefully requires decision-making, self-observation and the courage of one's convictions.

 

Fox pursued the practice of Reiki following a major surgery. Now she is a Reiki master and teacher and offers her services to help others in their healing process. She credits her work for inspiring her journey toward understanding the importance of, as she says, "...living by the principles of Reiki, embracing forgiveness, confidence, compassion, gratitude and integrity" - the core beliefs that she hopes to pass on to readers.

 

"Living Peace will act as a resource as readers can return to any chapter at any time to refresh their memory, explore more deeply, and increase the sense of peacefulness they carry in their own lives," says Fox.

 

About the Author

Karen J. Fox was born in Jamestown, N.Y., and now lives in Iowa City, Iowa. Fox was introduced to Reiki after a major surgery to correct a birth defect, and she became enraptured with the practice. She is a Reiki master and teacher specializing in the Usui method of self healing. Fox teaches Reiki and meditation workshops, and offers private and group sessions promoting health and peace. She is the director of the Compeer Program of Johnson County, which matches adults receiving mental health treatment with community volunteers in supportive and caring friendships.

 

. For the latest, follow @authorhouse on Twitter.

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Churches United is proud to present:

"Put a Smile on a Child", Tuesday May 22nd, 2011 from 5 - 7 pm at Augustana's Pepsico Center.  FREE information from area agencies, FREE fun activities and FREE hot dog supper.   Sponsored by the Family Concerns Committee of Churches United of the Quad City Area - cuqca.org

By J. Thomas Shaw

Despite spending more than any other nation in the world on health care, only 15 percent of Americans believe we've got the world's best, according to a recent Pew Research Center and Gallup Poll.

The CIA's "World Factbook" says the United States is ranked No. 50 for average life expectancy and the average age at death is 78.49 years - more than 11 years behind No. 1 ranked Monaco.

This is the price of a make-money-at-any-cost health-care system.

I have a three-step plan that will transform medical research and the health-care system, taking us from No. 50 to No. 1 for life expectancy by 2030 - if we act now. At the same time, it will cut our health-care spending in half and drive down insurance premiums, making coverage affordable for the vast majority of people.

Half of the country is demanding that the government stay out of health care while the other half is supporting a quasi-socialized health care system. With such vehemently opposing views, there is no chance for a consensus. Therefore, nothing will ever get done that moves us in the right direction. And this is exactly what Big Pharma wants.

Therefore, the first step is to change the debate. From Hillarycare through Obamacare, we have been debating health-care costs and health-insurance coverage. Cost and coverage are not the problems; they are symptoms of the real problems which are unidentified root causes for disease and a lack of cures.

The next step is to stop donating money to the mega health charities that take in tens of millions of dollars annually by offering hope to find a cure. They continually come up empty as a result of Big Pharma's influence over medical research. Instead, not-for-profit universities conducting medical research need to sever their ties to Big Pharma and seek funding from private citizens.

The majority of medical researchers want to be involved in discovering the causes and cures for human ailments, but they also have to live and they know who butters their bread. If private individuals fund this research, then our nation's medical researchers no longer need to be beholden to Big Pharma.

The third step is to fight fire with fire. Like any other publicly traded company, Big Pharma has a fiduciary responsibility to increase shareholder value by enacting business plans that will increase revenues and profits year over year. In the current environment, the best way to accomplish that is to get more people reliant on (addicted to) the drugs they produce.

Big Pharma's mission is not necessarily to get every single American popping their daily maintenance drugs, rather it is to make as much money as possible and selling addictive maintenance drugs is the best way to accomplish that as things stand now.

We need to change the tax code and enact legislation to make their pursuit of profits align with the greater good of the health our citizens.

This can be accomplished with a carrot and a stick. First we need to show Big Pharma the stick:

1. Institute a windfall profits tax on profits derived on any new products that are considered maintenance drugs.

2. Eliminate deductions for research and development expenses associated with maintenance drugs.

Next is the carrot:

1. Eliminate income tax paid on the profits generated by any product that cures a human ailment -- for eternity.

2. Offer permanent patent protection on any new product that offers a real cure. Expand patent protection to natural cures documented in human trials.

3. Fix pricing on drugs that cure human disease to make it as profitable to cure as it is now to maintain.

This is all about money. If we have the courage to make those changes to the tax code and enact this type of meaningful health care reform, in 15 to 20 years, we will have a cure for nearly every human disease known to man. In addition, the cost of health insurance will be affordable for almost everyone and the vast majority of us will end up living much longer and more productive and healthier lives.

About J. Thomas Shaw

J. Thomas Shaw is the author of "The RX Factor," a fact-based thriller that pits one man against Big Pharma and the FDA. Fact-based fiction has the power to bring people from all walks of life together and focus on a single issue. Check it out at www.therxfactor.com.

Advisory for Iowa Reporters and Editors

Thursday, May 17, 2012

The failure of the Senate majority to produce a budget blueprint for more than three years means there's no plan for deficit reduction, economic growth or a path toward a balanced federal budget.  Senators voted 99 to 0 against President Obama's budget this week.  Senate Democrats voted against three proposals by Republican senators yet offered none of their own.

There were budget votes in the Senate this week out of tremendous frustration that the Senate majority party has failed to act on its responsibility to produce an annual budget for three years.  The Senate hasn't adopted a budget since April 2009.  Since then, $4 trillion has been added to the national debt.  It's the fourth consecutive year of spending $1 trillion more than we take in.

Because of failed leadership in the Senate, there's been no budget blueprint to lay out priorities for deficit reduction, economic growth or a path to balance.  Our nation is driving toward a fiscal cliff of deficits and debt.  No one in the majority party that controls the Senate's work is willing to take hold of the wheel.

The President proposed a budget in February, but it wasn't credible and it was rejected in the House of Representatives by a vote of 0 to 414.  The Senate rejected it 0 to 99.  The President hasn't done anything to spur responsible action in the Senate.

In contrast, the House of Representatives has met its responsibility in producing and passing a budget.

The bottom line is that Democratic leaders in the Senate and the White House seem content to ignore the fiscal train wreck that's coming and the harm it does to America's economy and jobs situation, putting political maneuvering in front of governing.

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WASHINGTON - Senators Chuck Grassley and Chris Coons today won unanimous support from the Judiciary Committee for their legislation to clarify when a federal law enforcement agent is acting under the color of his office.

The Officer Safety Act, S.2276, would allow a federal law enforcement agent who stops a violent crime while off-duty and is indicted in a state court for those actions to petition for the state criminal prosecution against him to be removed to federal court.

The senators said the bill is narrowly drawn in order to benefit only those officers who have acted appropriately.

"The existing federal removal statute was created so that the agents would not fear prosecutions for performing their jobs, and their duties include assisting victims even when are technically off duty," Grassley said.  "As it stands, however, when the officer, say on a weekend, steps in to protect a victim from a crime of violence that is occurring in his presence, he risks state prosecution and damage to his career.  That might lead him to hesitate.  This is contrary to good public policy."

"Police officers look out for our communities and our families every day, risking their own safety to do so," Coons said. " When I was a county executive, I worked closely with our local law enforcement professionals and witnessed firsthand how our brave officers are trained to detect and prevent dangerous situations, whether they are on-the-clock or not. The Officer Safety Act of 2012 will ensure that 'off duty' federal officers who intercede to protect the lives of others will be held to the same standards as when they are performing their official duties. I applaud my colleagues' work today and for coming together during National Police Week to support our nation's first responders. I hope the bill will be considered by the full Senate soon."

Grassley serves as ranking member and Coons is a member of the Judiciary Committee.  The proposal adopted during the committee meeting this morning was co-sponsored by Senators Tom Coburn, Jeff Sessions, Dianne Feinstein, Amy Klobuchar, Chuck Schumer, Richard Blumenthal, and Richard Durbin.

It is supported by the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Agents Association, and the National Border Patrol Council.

 

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