In March 2021, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the massive federal stimulus intended to provide economic relief from the pandemic. Out of this explosion of borrowed money, the law directed huge sums of money to state and local government. Not only did this bill have a direct impact on our current recession, ITR Foundation's Sarah Curry has discovered that the funds for local government may have been largely unnecessary in the first place. 

So where did all of the money go?

You can read the full ITR Foundation report here: https://itrfoundation.org/where-did-iowas-local-covid-relief-funds-go/ 

Part 2 of the ITR Live interview with Trent England, Executive Director of Save Our States. Trent joins Chris and John to talk about the principles of federalism and how they relate to our politics today. How can states pull back some of the power they have lost to the federal government? How can states prepare for the time when the federal government can no longer live up to its commitments?

You can learn more about Save Our States here: https://saveourstates.com/

Part 1 of the ITR Live interview with Trent England, Executive Director of Save Our States. Trent joins Chris and John to give answers to some very important and difficult questions. What is Federalism and why does it matter?  Why do we have the Electoral College in the first place?  What is so dangerous about the National Popular Vote movement? Why does Chris enjoy the Nifty Fifty United States song so much?  

You can learn more about Save Our States here: https://saveourstates.com/

Chris is all alone today. Left all by himself to discuss the latest installment of the Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation Poll. The most recent ITR Poll, conducted by Cygnal, shows Governor Kim Reynolds is very popular, President Biden is not, and it looks like Republicans could perform well in the November elections.

Governor Reynolds was the most popular person tested and holds a wide 14.4 point lead on the gubernatorial ballot over Democrat nominee Deidre DeJear. 

The popularity of Governor Reynolds is in stark contrast to that of President Biden, who is deeply unpopular with Iowa voters. By a 2 to 1  margin, Iowa voters disapprove of the President's job performance. Donald Trump would win a hypothetical rematch with Joe Biden by 11  points, up from his 8-point win in 2020.

Read more about the ITR Foundation Poll here: https://taxrelief.org/poll-iowans-like-governor-reynolds-as-bidens-support-slides/

You can also find the complete polling memo here: https://taxrelief.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/ITR-Foundation-July-2022-poll-toplines.pdf

ITR Live is back! Chris, Chris and John get together to talk about the stark contrast in public opinion between Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and President Joe Biden. The failed policies of President Biden and the progressive left are not only causing economic chaos, they are also being soundly rejected by the American people. In contrast, Iowans are poised to ask Governor Reynolds to continue leading a successful conservative policy agenda.  

After John finishes giggling, he talks about a recent ITR Foundation article on the brazen unconstitutionality of the STAMP act being considering in Congress. Not to be confused with the Stamp Act of 1765, which John is saving for a future series of podcast episodes.  

You can read the article here: https://itrfoundation.org/the-latest-assault-on-our-constitution-and-the-states/

Congratulations also go out to Representative Bobby Kaufmann (R-Wilton) who was recently named the new Chairman of the Iowa House Ways and Means Committee, where he will have a significant impact on future tax policy in Iowa.  

As Americans try to deal with the impact of rising inflation, President Biden had a tweet this weekend with his plan to lower gas prices. Biden's solution is issue a command that gas stations simply lower the price. Brilliant. Chris Hagenow, Chris Ingstad and Sarah Curry get together to discuss this stunning ignorance of free market economics and the audacity to believe that the President holds the power to dictate terms to private citizens.

In contrast, things in Iowa work much better.  ITR Foundation has released an article on the most recent state revenue information, where state revenue collections continue to see strong growth. Naysayers said the tax cuts would put the state in a bad fiscal position, but the revenue reports continue to prove that narrative wrong.

Read the ITR Foundation report here.

From Iowa’s capitol city: “The Hendrickson Group”, an unrehearsed, hastily assembled program presenting inside opinions and forecasts on major (and sometimes minor) issues of the day.

ITR Foundation’s John Hendrickson and his panel of Chris’s come together to discuss Iowa’s ongoing efforts to cut taxes, specifically regarding Iowans’ skyrocketing property tax burden.

Alan Ostergren, President and Chief Counsel of the Kirkwood Institute joins the podcast to talk about the recent history of the judiciary in Iowa. Alan and Chris also discuss what's currently happening in the legal world, including the recent Iowa Supreme Court Decision in Planned Parenthood v. Reynolds and also the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health.

The Kirkwood Institute is a conservative public-interest law firm dedicating to promoting the rights of Iowans. They focus on personal liberty,  including economic and property rights, constitutional governance, and the separation of powers. 

https://www.kirkwoodinstitute.org/

With Iowa's primary election in the rear view mirror, it is time to look ahead to the general election.  As part of a series on the upcoming November election, ITR's Chris Hagenow and Victoria Sinclair get together to talk about the battle for control of the Iowa House of Representatives.  While control of the chamber is not believed to be in play, there are undoubtedly several races that will be hotly contested.  Chris and Victoria have crunched the numbers and take an early look at which districts look to become battleground races.

Why do local governments believe they need so much of your money? In recent years, Iowa property valuations have increased considerably. Large valuation increases usually translate into increased revenue for local governments in the form of property taxes.

ITR Foundation Research Director Sarah Curry joins the podcast to talk about what's facing the people of Indianola. Several different tax authorities are all making big new demands of property taxpayers. The city has two new bond issues for a new public safety building and a library with a cost of $62.2 million. The school district is planning to build a new high school with an estimated price tag between $71 million and $144 million, and Warren County is opening a new justice center that was $10 million over budget, coming in roughly 30% more expensive than planned.

How can they justify all of this spending? As one county supervisor explained, "When our tax revenues and property valuations are going up every year, it's easy."

https://itrfoundation.org/its-easy-to-spend-taxpayer-dollars/

https://www.itrlocal.org/