ITR Live revisits the issue of whether or not Iowa is the "Florida of the North." Maybe it should instead be asked if Florida is the "Iowa of the South?" Which state has a better record of conservative reform over the past several years? This week, special counsel John Durham released his report on the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane investigation. Much of what had been accepted as true on the Trump/Russia collusion is now shown to have been completely fabricated.
Chris is on the microphone in this episode to help John work through his disappointment at not being invited on the Greater Des Moines Partnership's trip to Washington DC. Did any aspiring Presidential candidates speak to this group of central Iowa local officials? Chris and John move on to with a look at some of the early Republican Presidential television ads. If these ads are the candidate's opening arguments, how are they positioning themselves?
Another round of drama with the federal debt ceiling, and ITR Live is here to try and make some sense out of the situation. Or maybe it's simply a therapy session for how terrible things might get from here. https://itrfoundation.org/bidens-budget-battles/ But things work a lot better here in Iowa. John Hendrickson has written about the fiscal responsibility of how Iowa budgeted this year. Finally, what about the looming Presidential election? We take a trip through a recent ABC News/Washington ...
Alan Ostergren from the Kirkwood Institute is back in studio to give his own take on the legislature's property tax bill this year, and a not-too-early look at what he sees as further conservative reform opportunities next year.
We're with the Ace Tomato Company, with an update on the construction taking place in the courtyard outside the ITR Live studio. Is it a new patio, or a secret underground military installation? The legislature has also finished constructing their property tax bill for this year. What is in the bill, what is thankfully omitted from the final agreement, and what do we really wish they would have added in the end?
ITR Live has discussed the need for a direct notification system of pending hearings that impact our property tax bills. Now we take a deeper look at what these hearings should look like and when they should be held. The current system is a bit of a mess, and Sarah Curry is in studio with the results of her research in the current system. Chris and Chris also engage in an in-depth analysis of Texas Roadhouse's dinner rolls.
President Joe Biden made his Presidential reelection announcement today, and ITR Live is here with a rapid reaction. Biden says repeatedly that he wants to "finish the job", but what exactly does he mean? Based on his policy agenda over the first part of his Presidency, would it be more accurate to say Biden wants a second term to "finish us off?" Chris, Chris and John also take a look at a couple of significant changes in the media, with the departure here in Iowa of Dave Price from WHO-TV in D...
The Iowa House and Iowa Senate have passed their separate bills addressing the issue of property taxes in the state of Iowa. Chris Hagenow and John Hendrickson are back to help bring some understanding to these two different proposals. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each plan and what are the prospects for reaching an agreement between the two chambers? A key difference that Chris and John explore is the House's plan to shift money out of the Taxpayer Relief Fund into the School Founda...
With just eight days left on the calendar until the scheduled adjournment date of the 2023 legislative session, House Republicans and Senate Republicans each have new bills dealing with the issue of property taxes. ITR Live is here to help make sense of one new component in each proposal: Direct Notification. This concept would help Iowa taxpayers get property-specific information about their property tax bill, and also provide details on when and where to show up for their local public budget h...
The ITR Foundation Poll reveals that Iowans support limitations on what local governments can spend as a way to reduce property taxes. Iowans overwhelmingly understand that our country is off on the wrong track. Iowa taxpayers and small businesses have struggled to recover from the pandemic and the impact of high inflation. President Biden’s tax increases would be especially harmful to Iowa’s Main Street businesses and compound an already fragile economy. Read John Hendrickson and Matt Everson's...
The latest edition of the ITR Foundation Poll is here. Chris and Chris go through some of the more interesting results, which contain a way-too-early look at the 2024 Iowa Republican Presidential Caucus and the 2024 general election. This latest poll contains a hypothetical rematch between President Joe Biden and Former President Donald Trump. Also, this installment of the ITR Foundation Poll has the first look at a potential matchup between President Biden and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis....
Iowans are becoming increasingly frustrated at their property tax burden, which was put into overdrive this week as property tax assessment notices are landing in mailboxes across Iowa. John has a quick look at results results from truth-in-taxation efforts in other states, and Chris wants to have a chat about what is really driving your property tax bill (hint: it's not the assessed value).
Equipment upgrades, construction updates and inexplicable laughter on this episode of ITR Live. Chris, Chris and John have a free-wheeling look at a new tax ranking for Iowa (spoiler alert: Property taxes are too high). The guys also have an update on what's going on with the "entertainment district" bill which is a straight-up tax increase and moving quickly through the Iowa House. Finally, does the indictment of President Trump help or hurt him? Is this the beginning of the end for Trump, or d...
Alan Ostergren from the Kirkwood Institute is back on the program, becoming ITR Live’s first three-time guest. Alan has in-depth analysis of the Iowa Supreme Court’s recent decision in LC Power v. State of Iowa, which could have wide-reaching implications for how the Legislature conducts business, and possibly for the separation of powers between the branches of government.
Chris, John and John are back to discuss two new bills running through legislature that could provide meaningful new protections for Iowa taxpayers. SSB1207 and HSB232 are identical bills that each contain two new proposed Iowa constitutional amendments. The first proposal is a requirement for a 2/3rds vote of the legislature for any new income tax increase. The second proposal would constitutionally protect the Taxpayer Relief Fund to make sure it could only be used to cut taxes. These both see...
A recent article in the Washington Post laments Iowa's recent shift to the right politically, and claims that Iowa is now the "Florida of the North." The ITR Live Crew of uneducated hillbillies from flyover country discuss whether or not that is the insult it was intended to be. John walks through numbers from the recent Revenue Estimating Conference, and how the stage is set for even more work on tax relief. Maybe liberal states should think about becoming the coastal version of Iowa. John's re...
ITR Live is back with a roundup of this week in Iowa politics, including a review of Tuesday's elections, with ballot measures that failed in Urbandale and Bettendorf. Specifically, we take a look at how ITR information made a difference in the Urbandale election and what happens when voters are given clear information about what these proposals mean to individual property tax bills. The Iowa caucuses are underway, with multiple candidates visiting Iowa. President Donald Trump, Florida Governor ...
Today is the annual celebration of ITR Live's own John Hendrickson. We celebrate today with special election coverage, with over half of Iowans voting on bond referenda and other ballot measures. All or part of thirty-five Iowa counties will hold special elections that include bond questions totaling nearly $400 million in potential new spending. Today's episode also has special sports coverage, with Hawkeye Football, the Minnesota Twins, Kent Hrbek and the 1987 World Series. You can read more a...
ITR Live has a special guest today: John Mozena from the Center for Economic Accountability. Governments at all levels around the country give out stunning amount of tax credits and incentives in the name of economic development. Even though Iowa has a strong record of tax reform in recent years, our great state is not immune from these handouts. Do these incentives really matter, and are there any unintended consequences? You can learn more about John's work here: https://economicaccountability...
Recently, Governor Reynolds signed into law the fix to the calculation of residential rollback. During the debate over this bill, several local governments and legislators claimed that this technical fix would cause all sorts of budgets cuts, including police and fire protection. Now we know the rest of the story. Kudos to the Des Moines Register (yes, really), for digging into the aftermath of this legislation and asking local governments their actual plans going forward. It will come as no sur...
Chris and John have a recap of the annual ITR/NFIB annual Tax and Small Business Luncheon held this week in Des Moines. Speakers at the event were Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, House Ways and Means Chairman, Kraig Paulsen, Direction of the Iowa Departments of Revenue and Management, and Sen. Jack Whitver, Senate Majority Leader. All three of these speaker had terrific insights on what is happening with Iowa, and some very instructive comments on the path forward for tax policy in Iowa. What is most impre...
Alan Ostergren from the Kirkwood Institute is back on ITR Live. Kirkwood Institute has joined forces with Pacific Legal Foundation to challenge Iowa's Certificate of Need law on behalf of midwives. Under Iowa's current CON laws, hospitals hold veto power over new birth centers, and prevents midwives like those in this lawsuit from offering Iowa’s expectant mothers a safe alternative to existing freestanding birth centers. Alan also shares his thoughts on a better path forward for the opponents o...
Iowa's most inconsistently-scheduled conservative podcast is back with a roundup of what's going on in Iowa this week. The legislature has passed a fix for the residential property tax rollback calculation. Several communities across Iowa have local ballot measures coming up on March 7th. ITR Foundation has details of major bond referendums in Iowa. John also has information on which companies are taking advantage of the Research Activities Credit, and is it a benefit to all Iowa taxpayers?...
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds made an appearance at the Cato Institute and ITR Live is back with several thoughts about the Governor's performance. Iowa has a long list of significant conservative reforms over the recent past, and Governor Reynolds does a fantastic job of showcasing those victories to the nation. As the 2023 legislative session moves forward, attention will soon turn to the state budget. ITR Foundation has a new article co-authored by John Hendrickson and ITR contributing scholar D...
Who is the most loyal listener of the ITR Live podcast? John knows who, and has a special message for this best friend of the show. We continue a series of conversations about property tax reforms and local government in Iowa. Did you know that there are over 30 different unique levies that cities in Iowa can assess? Sarah Curry is on the the podcast today to help explain how to consolidate some of these levies and begin the process of making Iowa's property tax system more transparent and easie...
When it comes to property taxes in Iowa, who is on the side of the local taxpayer? Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dan Dawson answers that question with a few choice words from the floor of the Iowa Senate about the work of local government and their taxpayer-funded lobbyists on a bill that would protect individual Iowans from over-taxation. But this wasn't Senator Dawson's best work this week. Several new bills in Senate Ways and Means would make huge new progress toward further reduci...
This exciting, fun-filled, action-packed episode of ITR Live is an in-depth look at an Iowa Senate subcommittee this week on property tax the rollback calculation for residential properties. While the bill itself would save residential homeowners on their individual property bill for next year, we go deeper to examine the forces at play inside the Capitol. With an army of lobbyists, local elected officials and local finance officers, who is looking out for the taxpayer? Criticisms of the bill in...
Chris and John are back in this episode of ITR Live to discuss Kim Reynolds vs. Randi Weingarten and Franklin Roosevelt vs. Alf Landon in the 1936 Presidential Election. Is raw data enough to make decisions about modern public policy, or should we lean on history as well? You can read John's full review of the book ""Roosevelt Sweeps Nation: FDR’s 1936 Landslide and the Triumph of the Liberal Ideal" by David Pietrusza here: https://www.thecentersquare.com/opinion/op-ed-roosevelt-s-revolution-the...
Good news: The school choice movement in Iowa just saw the culmination of ten years worth of work on Educational Savings Accounts. On Tuesday, Governor Kim Reynolds signed HF 58 into law, which establishes universal ESAs in Iowa. After the bill signing ceremony in the Capitol rotunda, Chris Hagenow is back behind the microphone with a recap of the event. Bad News: Legendary conservative commentator Pat Buchanan has announced his retirement from writing. John Hendrickson credits Buchanan as his p...
ITR Live begins this episode on location in Davos Switzerland for John's appearance at the World Economic Forum. Not only do we kick things off with a special musical treat, but John's message for the globalist neo-liberal glitterati is sure to entertain as well. Once again, we are faced with another sky-is-falling bit of drama with the looming federal debt ceiling. Chris Ingstad brings a brutally honest look at the real issue at hand which is much more perilous. But as usual, things are differe...
