Uncontrolled government spending and the unfunded obligation of entitlement programs are driving the $40 trillion debt crisis. However, those fiscal challenges don’t tell the whole story. John C. Eastman, a Senior Fellow at The Claremont Institute and Director of the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, argues that “…there is another cause of our fiscal predicament that almost no one in Wash...
Efficient. Effective. Accountable. Transparent. These are all goals local elected officials and staff routinely cite when crafting a budget. Achieving them, however, requires more than balancing revenues and expenditures. It also requires evaluating whether taxpayer resources are directed toward government's highest priorities and producing meaningful results.
Iowa lawmakers changed how school districts can use Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE) sales-tax revenue this year, Now, school districts are pointing to that change as a reason voters should approve higher property taxes. But there is a problem with that explanation: some districts were already looking for ways to raise additional revenue before the new law was passed.
Amendment 1 was the focus of Chris Hagenow’s recap of his Iowa Public Radio debate, where he thoroughly rebutted opposition claims of service cuts, police and fire defunding, and budget paralysis. Hagenow and John Hendrickson also surveyed the Iowa governor and Senate races ahead of Labor Day, shared national praise for Iowa’s conservative reforms, and closed on the national debt crossing $40 tril...
This November, Iowa voters will be asked to decide whether it should be harder for the state legislature to increase income taxes. Amendment 1, which is a good taxpayer protection, would require a two-thirds vote of the legislature to increase income taxes. Whether it is the state legislature, a city council, or Congress, raising taxes should be difficult. Taxes are driven by government spending, ...
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported that federal revenue in July was $50 billion higher than expected, crediting President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill for the increase. The additional revenue is a positive sign for the economy, but even unexpectedly strong receipts are not enough to solve the federal government's fiscal dilemma. Spending remains the underlying problem. Yet n...
The Chicago Tribune editorial board had a lament about Illinois tax policy earlier this summer. They didn’t believe that Illinois was being negligent on tax policy, but “…that our Midwestern neighbors are at least practicing creative taxation thinking.” The editorial should be encouraging for Iowa policymakers. After all, Iowa is one of the states the Tribune points to as an example of a different...
On September 8, 2026, Iowans in communities across the state will head to the polls to decide how their local governments and school districts raise and spend taxpayer dollars. Special elections have historically drawn some of Iowa's lowest voter turnout, but the decisions made at these elections can affect taxpayers for years. This election includes 25 tax and revenue questions and one school-boa...
Americans spend plenty of time debating what government should do. Should it fund a program, regulate an activity, build a project, or provide a new service? Before answering those questions, though, elected officials should ask a more basic one: What is the proper role of government? Government is necessary to a free society. Laws must be enforced, rights and property protected, disputes resolve...