So after the stock market crashed losing trillions of dollars in value and destroying millions of Americans financially, we now learn Trump's tariff guy, Peter Navarro, cited an economist as an authority on tariffs who is totally fabricated. Doesn't exist. Less real than the Tooth Fairy. When the penguins of Heard Island found out, they were super pissed that they had been slapped with 10 percent Trump tariffs from an idea originating with Navarro's imaginary economist. Even though the entire world is now in agreement the U.S. is no longer their friend--Canada, Europe, Australia, etc.--we had hoped we would at least be able to salvage our friendship with the penguins of Heard Island. It was not to be. The world hates us. It took more than a century to be the leader of the free world. It took 70 days to destroy it.
One of my fears is that Dems in DC will dismiss the evil of this moment as clownish incompetence. While that might be true about the shallowness, it's all the more reason to take seriously the evil.
Great comments here. I’d like to ask Sec. Rollins her plan for raising chickens for those of us who have no backyard. Could we use hers? And would she fly the eggs in free?
Thank you. I have a few friends who have moved out of the country and seem to love pontificating on the ways rural Iowans deserve poor treatment depending on who they voted for. It is WAY more nuanced than that.
I have started asking, what are you doing to fight back?
So.. Red Reps in Iowa, DUMP the very ones who voted them in office, to lick the boots of the Orange terror.. Not a surprise, this is what DICTATORS Demand of their slaves!
Spot on Bob! And because the courts are currently the only backstop to this nonsense, what does Republican leadership do in response? Rather than take action to stop DOGE's chainsaw massacre, they want to eliminate the court system all together. You can't make this s..t up! To the Iowa farmer who voted for trump, in spite of the massive warnings, I would ask two things: Is this what you voted for? And if it isn't, what are YOU doing to stop it?
Excellent points. Yet one cannot opine, the disastrous monster they put in charge of all of US, when they were constantly forewarned, but still voted for Trump, and his Repub. BOOT LICKERS, Hell to pay.. For all Americans!
You’ve laid out the truth about the callous indifference and hypocrisy of our elected officials. Iowa’s Republican governor and congressional delegation have relegated us to fly over state status. Fear of being “primary challenged” by Musk money, has turned them into willing subjects of anything the administration wants. Your points and summation are undeniably accurate. I’d only add our ongoing catastrophic environmental damage to the discussion. Public safety and service takes a backseat to getting themselves reelected. The elixir of power and money trumps reality and truth. Thanks for sharing this vital information and analysis with all of us.
Excellent!!!! "If elected Republican leaders believed in Iowa farmers and rural people, they wouldn’t be cutting federal funds, firing federal employees who provide much-needed services to us, and destroying trade. If they cared about rural America, if their values and identity were aligned with ours, they wouldn’t be defending billionaires and kicking us in the teeth." Simple and to the point.
I knew we were in trouble when Secy. Rollins said in her confirmation hearing that she had “a lot to learn” about avian influenza. Given that Trump had a mandate to bring prices down, why on earth did she think the cost of eggs had gone through the roof? If she wasn’t ready to take on bird flu on Day 1, she should have declined the nomination.
This is a case of FAFO. I’m sorry Iowa is suffering but since Iowa voted for Trump not just once, but overwhelmingly supported his re-election, they have no one to blame but themselves. We could have had the nice lady, ready to invest in all the things Mr. Leonard outlined in his excellent screed here, but Iowa rejected that option in favor of a convicted felon. We all, as a nation, now pay the price for the folly of believing the words of a lifetime liar, grifter, and cheat. So sorry as I feel for all of us, in this case, Iowa reaps what it sowed.
It was a lot of people. And a lot more throughout the farm belt states where, imo, given the experience in Trump 1.0 with tariffs, all of you should have known better. Plus, look at who you folks have elected to represent you, not just once, but re-upped on Reynolds, Ernst, Grassley et al. So either Iowans don’t know what they are doing in the voting booth, or they want what they are getting. As I said, we could have had the nice lady. Because voting against all the ag money being shoveled into your state via “climate smart” projects, IRA, and the push to bring infrastructure to rural communities makes no sense at all. Trump told us what he meant to do: tariffs. We all heard about Project 2025. If you didn’t listen, who is to blame for that?
Oh, and if you thought Biden was slow to respond to natural disaster, just wait till the next derecho….
Linda's husband, Jim, here: A great read — however, Republicans are not MIA; they are HIDING in the CHICKEN HOUSE! (or) Perhaps, they are the FOX in the HEN HOUSE, eh? Because they are so politically & ethically pathetic they are truly "Saturday Night Live" hilarious - a bunch of real "Cracker Jacks". POTUS does nothing but disparage and denigrate - he's a great example for how a "loser" views leadership — "exercising power without intelligent thought" —a tragedy of epic proportions.
I agree Bob, unfortunately the answers we need likely won't be answered by the people who now are elected, and there is no quick and possibly dirty, way to eliminate them, and turn the page on this "Axis of Evil". Much like the preversion of the lottery, that slim chance to become a millionaire by "investing" a dollar or two tended to supplant people's reality that if they won, they too wouldn't want to lose so much of it in taxes! Suddenly they became a voice, or at least a vote, for the likes of Musk and Trump! The same happened with sales taxes for local projects, quite often the local extablishment makes sure that these projects inevitably happen in the best part of town and not distributed equatably. I lived in Cedar Rapids for well over 20 years in the poorest section of town, anything the city could do to not expend the tax money collected in that part of town was subplanted with Federal dollars, and the dollars collected from city taxes were spent elsewhere, The Community Development Block Grant that was supposed to be used to enhanse the inner city neighborhoods by adding money to improve them, not replace the money the city was supposed to be spending on the same neighborhood! It is relatively easy to see how we got here, and the distrust that has been sown into the fabric of government that has made this reality we see today possible, but the real question is this, all the hell raising and protests are not enough to eliminate the problem. Waiting for elections to remove enough scared shitless politicians isn't going to happen befoe the fascist bastards take over and destroy all the real government programs that haven't a chance at making someone a profit if subcidized as a private non-governmental entity, or turning the assets of some of these non-profit organizations such as the National Parks into fossil fuel drilling and mining opportunities! The real question is this, who will have the money to afford all this if no one has a job or career to pay for all this damage? Will we follow this to its quite natural end and become the next Irish Nation under the control of England with everyone displaced and starving, but this time with no place to go? The Irish protested and England reacted with its military might! They are still seeking change and likely will never see it. Is that what we are to expect?
Marion County was once a leader among Iowa counties in responding to new ways to growing and providing more food for their families and those who did not farm.
Until that ability was removed by the Iowa Legislature and signed by Kim. They continue to remove local control by county and municipal governments and locals continue to support the republican candidates. It just blows my mind! Screw the four day school week let’s go to a three day week and save some more money!
They are leaving us to the mercy of Trump and his tariffs! Why are we paying them to do nothing!
So after the stock market crashed losing trillions of dollars in value and destroying millions of Americans financially, we now learn Trump's tariff guy, Peter Navarro, cited an economist as an authority on tariffs who is totally fabricated. Doesn't exist. Less real than the Tooth Fairy. When the penguins of Heard Island found out, they were super pissed that they had been slapped with 10 percent Trump tariffs from an idea originating with Navarro's imaginary economist. Even though the entire world is now in agreement the U.S. is no longer their friend--Canada, Europe, Australia, etc.--we had hoped we would at least be able to salvage our friendship with the penguins of Heard Island. It was not to be. The world hates us. It took more than a century to be the leader of the free world. It took 70 days to destroy it.
One of my fears is that Dems in DC will dismiss the evil of this moment as clownish incompetence. While that might be true about the shallowness, it's all the more reason to take seriously the evil.
Excellent column — you said it all! Thank you so much.
Great comments here. I’d like to ask Sec. Rollins her plan for raising chickens for those of us who have no backyard. Could we use hers? And would she fly the eggs in free?
Thank you. I have a few friends who have moved out of the country and seem to love pontificating on the ways rural Iowans deserve poor treatment depending on who they voted for. It is WAY more nuanced than that.
I have started asking, what are you doing to fight back?
So.. Red Reps in Iowa, DUMP the very ones who voted them in office, to lick the boots of the Orange terror.. Not a surprise, this is what DICTATORS Demand of their slaves!
Spot on Bob! And because the courts are currently the only backstop to this nonsense, what does Republican leadership do in response? Rather than take action to stop DOGE's chainsaw massacre, they want to eliminate the court system all together. You can't make this s..t up! To the Iowa farmer who voted for trump, in spite of the massive warnings, I would ask two things: Is this what you voted for? And if it isn't, what are YOU doing to stop it?
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/speaker-mike-johnson-floats-eliminating-federal-courts-as-gop-ramps-up-attacks-on-judges/ar-AA1BDSlm
Excellent points. Yet one cannot opine, the disastrous monster they put in charge of all of US, when they were constantly forewarned, but still voted for Trump, and his Repub. BOOT LICKERS, Hell to pay.. For all Americans!
You’ve laid out the truth about the callous indifference and hypocrisy of our elected officials. Iowa’s Republican governor and congressional delegation have relegated us to fly over state status. Fear of being “primary challenged” by Musk money, has turned them into willing subjects of anything the administration wants. Your points and summation are undeniably accurate. I’d only add our ongoing catastrophic environmental damage to the discussion. Public safety and service takes a backseat to getting themselves reelected. The elixir of power and money trumps reality and truth. Thanks for sharing this vital information and analysis with all of us.
Excellent!!!! "If elected Republican leaders believed in Iowa farmers and rural people, they wouldn’t be cutting federal funds, firing federal employees who provide much-needed services to us, and destroying trade. If they cared about rural America, if their values and identity were aligned with ours, they wouldn’t be defending billionaires and kicking us in the teeth." Simple and to the point.
I knew we were in trouble when Secy. Rollins said in her confirmation hearing that she had “a lot to learn” about avian influenza. Given that Trump had a mandate to bring prices down, why on earth did she think the cost of eggs had gone through the roof? If she wasn’t ready to take on bird flu on Day 1, she should have declined the nomination.
This is a case of FAFO. I’m sorry Iowa is suffering but since Iowa voted for Trump not just once, but overwhelmingly supported his re-election, they have no one to blame but themselves. We could have had the nice lady, ready to invest in all the things Mr. Leonard outlined in his excellent screed here, but Iowa rejected that option in favor of a convicted felon. We all, as a nation, now pay the price for the folly of believing the words of a lifetime liar, grifter, and cheat. So sorry as I feel for all of us, in this case, Iowa reaps what it sowed.
I understand what you are feeling. But it wasn’t all Iowans.
It was a lot of people. And a lot more throughout the farm belt states where, imo, given the experience in Trump 1.0 with tariffs, all of you should have known better. Plus, look at who you folks have elected to represent you, not just once, but re-upped on Reynolds, Ernst, Grassley et al. So either Iowans don’t know what they are doing in the voting booth, or they want what they are getting. As I said, we could have had the nice lady. Because voting against all the ag money being shoveled into your state via “climate smart” projects, IRA, and the push to bring infrastructure to rural communities makes no sense at all. Trump told us what he meant to do: tariffs. We all heard about Project 2025. If you didn’t listen, who is to blame for that?
Oh, and if you thought Biden was slow to respond to natural disaster, just wait till the next derecho….
Then go to their god damn house!!
Linda's husband, Jim, here: A great read — however, Republicans are not MIA; they are HIDING in the CHICKEN HOUSE! (or) Perhaps, they are the FOX in the HEN HOUSE, eh? Because they are so politically & ethically pathetic they are truly "Saturday Night Live" hilarious - a bunch of real "Cracker Jacks". POTUS does nothing but disparage and denigrate - he's a great example for how a "loser" views leadership — "exercising power without intelligent thought" —a tragedy of epic proportions.
I agree Bob, unfortunately the answers we need likely won't be answered by the people who now are elected, and there is no quick and possibly dirty, way to eliminate them, and turn the page on this "Axis of Evil". Much like the preversion of the lottery, that slim chance to become a millionaire by "investing" a dollar or two tended to supplant people's reality that if they won, they too wouldn't want to lose so much of it in taxes! Suddenly they became a voice, or at least a vote, for the likes of Musk and Trump! The same happened with sales taxes for local projects, quite often the local extablishment makes sure that these projects inevitably happen in the best part of town and not distributed equatably. I lived in Cedar Rapids for well over 20 years in the poorest section of town, anything the city could do to not expend the tax money collected in that part of town was subplanted with Federal dollars, and the dollars collected from city taxes were spent elsewhere, The Community Development Block Grant that was supposed to be used to enhanse the inner city neighborhoods by adding money to improve them, not replace the money the city was supposed to be spending on the same neighborhood! It is relatively easy to see how we got here, and the distrust that has been sown into the fabric of government that has made this reality we see today possible, but the real question is this, all the hell raising and protests are not enough to eliminate the problem. Waiting for elections to remove enough scared shitless politicians isn't going to happen befoe the fascist bastards take over and destroy all the real government programs that haven't a chance at making someone a profit if subcidized as a private non-governmental entity, or turning the assets of some of these non-profit organizations such as the National Parks into fossil fuel drilling and mining opportunities! The real question is this, who will have the money to afford all this if no one has a job or career to pay for all this damage? Will we follow this to its quite natural end and become the next Irish Nation under the control of England with everyone displaced and starving, but this time with no place to go? The Irish protested and England reacted with its military might! They are still seeking change and likely will never see it. Is that what we are to expect?
I hope not Steve. Thanks for your experience and insights, as always!
Marion County was once a leader among Iowa counties in responding to new ways to growing and providing more food for their families and those who did not farm.
Until that ability was removed by the Iowa Legislature and signed by Kim. They continue to remove local control by county and municipal governments and locals continue to support the republican candidates. It just blows my mind! Screw the four day school week let’s go to a three day week and save some more money!
Don’t give them any ideas, David…
Absolutely fantastic, as well as concise and precise. I just wish ever farmer and farm related worker would read it.