By Nicholas Johnson —-   Democrats and Republicans in Washington are seemingly suffering from ideological immobilization regarding the national debt. Republicans’ Grover Norquist famously said he’d like a government small enough that he “can drown it in the bathtub.” Republicans fear that if taxes are increased, the liberal tax-and-spend Democrats will just squander the [...]

  By Peter S. Fisher —-   Headlines in last weekend’s editions of The Gazette say so much: l “State leaders didn’t do their homework” (Feb. 16 column by Jennifer Hemmingsen). l “State’s business lures don’t measure the net catch” (Feb. 17 Gazette Editorial Board editorial). l “Incentive cash down the drain?” (Feb. 17 front-page [...]

  Last summer and fall’s drought and heat wave caused losses in excess of $1 billion for Iowa’s corn and soybean farmers, according to figures reported Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency. Federally-subsidized crop insurance, administered by the USDA Risk Management Agency, covered the losses. The federal government subsidizes about 57 [...]

By Chuck Hassebrook —-   When President Obama and Gov. Romney visit Iowa, they should tell us what they will do in the next 12 months on two critical rural issues: unlimited subsidies to mega farms and falling federal investment in the future of rural America. Both parties occasionally give lip service to these two [...]

Key lawmakers in the U.S. Senate said Thursday they have reached an agreement to end two major ethanol supports by the end of the month but devote nearly $700 million to helping to develop next-generation biofuels. The lawmakers praised the deal, saying it would cut the deficit and lower dependence on foreign oil. A major [...]

Ed Tibbetts of the Quad-City Times reports on an apparent deal to end ethanol subsidies as we know them: Key lawmakers in the U.S. Senate said today they have reached an agreement to end two major ethanol supports by the end of the month but devote nearly $700 million to helping to develop next-generation biofuels. [...]

Today’s print column Iowa’s caucus campaign is at its best during those unplanned, non-packaged interactions that teach us a lot about candidates and voters. Sadly, they’re becoming rarer. And it’s at its worst when Iowa gets used merely as a set piece. That’s getting more and more common. That’s what Tim Pawlenty did this week. [...]