• The contentious Iowa legislative special session ended with approval of a $503-million economic-development package. In the budget year that begins July 1, there is $45 million for business development, $2.5 million each for loan guarantees and marketing, $5 million for workforce training, $6 million for university research and development, and $500,000 each for the cultural trust fund and state parks. A plan to reduce and simplify personal income taxes would be spread over several years. In exchange for lower tax rates, a major deduction for payment of federal taxes would be eliminated in 2007 if Iowans approve a constitutional amendment making it harder for the legislature to raise taxes. Legislators also tried to improve the state's business climate by easing some regulations. Fundamental changes would be made in the way property taxes are determined with the objective of controlling property taxes and making them more understandable and fair. The pay-as-you-go development plan uses money from the recently approved federal economic-stimulus package, as well as anticipated tax receipts from Internet and catalog sales. Governor Tom Vilsack has 30 days to either sign or veto the legislation.
• The most interesting Libertarian idea in the past several years involves the Free State Project. It's a plan in which 20,000 or more liberty-oriented people would move to a single state of the U.S., where they are planning to work within the political system to reduce the size and scope of government. Some goals of the Free State Project involve reductions in taxation and regulation, reforms in state and local law, an end to federal mandates, and a restoration of constitutional federalism. See for yourself at (http://freestateproject.org).
• With inspiration from a similar program organized by Tufts School of Engineering, the Bettendorf Family Museum of Arts & Science organized a program entitled "Girls Get S.E.T." The program hopes that exposing girls at the middle-school level to science and engineering will inspire them to continue their studies in these fields. The exhibit, designed and built by a team of middle-school girls, will be on display at the Family Museum on June 16 and is free with museum admission. Support for the program came from The Brand-Boeshaar Foundation Trust. In addition, the museum collaborated with Larry Flathman, science teacher at Bettendorf Middle School, to find participants, and enlisted the help of Palmer College student Kay Hardin to be a mentor to the participating girls.
• Churches United of the Quad City Area announced the formation of a new support group that will allow individuals and families to show their support with a membership in "Friends of Churches United." If you are interested in learning more about this new support organization, visit the offices of Churches United at 630 Martin Luther Kind Drive in Rock Island or call (309)786-6494.
• The U.S. House Government Reform Committee voted to repeal sweeping anti-drug measures in House Resolution 2086, the "Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2003." Without these changes to the bill, HR 2086 would have authorized millions of dollars in local and state law-enforcement funding to arrest medical-marijuana patients and given the Bush White House the unprecedented ability to spend more than a billion dollars in taxpayer money to try to defeat medical-marijuana ballot measures and pro-reform candidates for public office. Committee members not only repealed these provisions, they passed other drug-policy reforms, responding in large part to a campaign waged by Drug Policy Alliance, Marijuana Policy Project, and other drug-policy-reform organizations. The full House has yet to vote on the bill, and the Senate has yet to take it up at all. You can learn more at (http://www.drugpolicy.org).
• June is Adopt-A-Cat Month and the Quad City Animal Welfare Center (QCAWC) is urging residents of the Quad Cities to consider adopting a new feline friend. Just stop by QCAWC at 724 West Second Avenue in Milan, call (309)787-6830, or look on its Web site at (http://www.qcawc.org) to search for a new cat companion.
• Generations Area Agency on Aging's Second Wind Employment Program is seeking nominations for the 17th Annual Older Employee and Employer of the Year Awards. Nominees must be 55 years of age or older and a resident of Jackson, Clinton, Scott, Muscatine, Louis, Henry, Des Moines, or Lee Counties. Employees are honored for their contribution to the workforce as a paid employee. Nominated businesses must be recognized for their leadership and acceptance of older workers as a valuable resource. Businesses must be located in one of the counties listed above. Nomination forms can be obtained by calling Catherine Pratscher-Woods at (563)324-9085. Interested applicants can also e-mail a request for a nomination form to (cpwood@genage.org).
• "What Tree Is That?", a pocket guide for identifying trees, is available from the National Arbor Day Foundation. The 72-page guide will help you identify 135 different trees found in the eastern and central U.S. Dozens of drawings illustrate the trees' leaves or needles and their acorns, berries, seed pods, cones, and other identifying features. To obtain your tree guide, send your name and address and $3 to "What Tree is That?"; The National Arbor Day Foundation; Nebraska City NE 68410. You can also order via the Web at (http://www.arborday.org).
• Ft. Myers, Florida, earned the Privacy Villain of the Week award from the National Consumer Coalition's Privacy Group for an incident in which a police officer "worked" the drive-through window at a McDonald's restaurant. Press reports paint a murky picture of how exactly it was that Officer Glen Eppler came to man the drive-through window, taking orders as he radioed alleged seat-belt and drug violations to his colleagues in a police cruiser down the street. Over two nights of manning the window, Eppler and company issued 29 citations and made six arrests. The National Consumer Coalition's Privacy Group finishes by saying, "Infiltrating the prying eyes of the nanny state into something as seemingly innocuous as the drive-through window, the responsible parties in McSTING served to further undermine the relationship between customer and firm." See for yourself at their web site at (http://www.nccprivacy.org).
• The most interesting Libertarian idea in the past several years involves the Free State Project. It's a plan in which 20,000 or more liberty-oriented people would move to a single state of the U.S., where they are planning to work within the political system to reduce the size and scope of government. Some goals of the Free State Project involve reductions in taxation and regulation, reforms in state and local law, an end to federal mandates, and a restoration of constitutional federalism. See for yourself at (http://freestateproject.org).
• With inspiration from a similar program organized by Tufts School of Engineering, the Bettendorf Family Museum of Arts & Science organized a program entitled "Girls Get S.E.T." The program hopes that exposing girls at the middle-school level to science and engineering will inspire them to continue their studies in these fields. The exhibit, designed and built by a team of middle-school girls, will be on display at the Family Museum on June 16 and is free with museum admission. Support for the program came from The Brand-Boeshaar Foundation Trust. In addition, the museum collaborated with Larry Flathman, science teacher at Bettendorf Middle School, to find participants, and enlisted the help of Palmer College student Kay Hardin to be a mentor to the participating girls.
• Churches United of the Quad City Area announced the formation of a new support group that will allow individuals and families to show their support with a membership in "Friends of Churches United." If you are interested in learning more about this new support organization, visit the offices of Churches United at 630 Martin Luther Kind Drive in Rock Island or call (309)786-6494.
• The U.S. House Government Reform Committee voted to repeal sweeping anti-drug measures in House Resolution 2086, the "Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2003." Without these changes to the bill, HR 2086 would have authorized millions of dollars in local and state law-enforcement funding to arrest medical-marijuana patients and given the Bush White House the unprecedented ability to spend more than a billion dollars in taxpayer money to try to defeat medical-marijuana ballot measures and pro-reform candidates for public office. Committee members not only repealed these provisions, they passed other drug-policy reforms, responding in large part to a campaign waged by Drug Policy Alliance, Marijuana Policy Project, and other drug-policy-reform organizations. The full House has yet to vote on the bill, and the Senate has yet to take it up at all. You can learn more at (http://www.drugpolicy.org).
• June is Adopt-A-Cat Month and the Quad City Animal Welfare Center (QCAWC) is urging residents of the Quad Cities to consider adopting a new feline friend. Just stop by QCAWC at 724 West Second Avenue in Milan, call (309)787-6830, or look on its Web site at (http://www.qcawc.org) to search for a new cat companion.
• Generations Area Agency on Aging's Second Wind Employment Program is seeking nominations for the 17th Annual Older Employee and Employer of the Year Awards. Nominees must be 55 years of age or older and a resident of Jackson, Clinton, Scott, Muscatine, Louis, Henry, Des Moines, or Lee Counties. Employees are honored for their contribution to the workforce as a paid employee. Nominated businesses must be recognized for their leadership and acceptance of older workers as a valuable resource. Businesses must be located in one of the counties listed above. Nomination forms can be obtained by calling Catherine Pratscher-Woods at (563)324-9085. Interested applicants can also e-mail a request for a nomination form to (cpwood@genage.org).
• "What Tree Is That?", a pocket guide for identifying trees, is available from the National Arbor Day Foundation. The 72-page guide will help you identify 135 different trees found in the eastern and central U.S. Dozens of drawings illustrate the trees' leaves or needles and their acorns, berries, seed pods, cones, and other identifying features. To obtain your tree guide, send your name and address and $3 to "What Tree is That?"; The National Arbor Day Foundation; Nebraska City NE 68410. You can also order via the Web at (http://www.arborday.org).
• Ft. Myers, Florida, earned the Privacy Villain of the Week award from the National Consumer Coalition's Privacy Group for an incident in which a police officer "worked" the drive-through window at a McDonald's restaurant. Press reports paint a murky picture of how exactly it was that Officer Glen Eppler came to man the drive-through window, taking orders as he radioed alleged seat-belt and drug violations to his colleagues in a police cruiser down the street. Over two nights of manning the window, Eppler and company issued 29 citations and made six arrests. The National Consumer Coalition's Privacy Group finishes by saying, "Infiltrating the prying eyes of the nanny state into something as seemingly innocuous as the drive-through window, the responsible parties in McSTING served to further undermine the relationship between customer and firm." See for yourself at their web site at (http://www.nccprivacy.org).
