Iowa
Big old house provides a lesson in economics • Iowa Capital Dispatch
There was a big old house located at 502 South St. in Toledo, Iowa.
The dwelling has a living room, dining room, kitchen, den, and bath on the first floor, four bedrooms on the second. The basement is divided, with a gray painted cement floor, into a laundry room and the other half has a work bench and a furnace. To the side of the furnace was, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, a coal bin. Once or twice a year, a dump truck would pull up alongside the house, drop a chute down to the window and allow the coal to fill the bin.
My job, when I reached 10 or so, was to shovel the coal into a hopper, which then fed it down to the furnace where it would burn. Every so often, I would open the furnace door and pull out the “clunkers” (burned up coal) and place them in a bucket for emptying in the alley behind the house. The coal would burn, and the heat would spread up throughout the house.
In the spring, along the south side of the building, flowers would be planted and watered by pouring the water on top of the plant, soaking the ground and saturating the roots.
I have now explained all you need to know about the differences between a conservative Republican economist and a Democratic one. Others may try to confuse you by talking about supply and demand, but economic policy is pretty much determined by where you put the emphasis, cutting taxes for the earners at the top of the scale or to those at the lower end.
For conservatives, the supply side theory holds that cutting government revenue (taxes) frees the money up to be used to create jobs to increase the supply of goods and services, thus causing the economy to grow. The more goods that are supplied to the market, the more the economy will grow and revenues will increase.
Democrats hold that emphasis should be placed on government spending, i.e. public works like roads, bridges and infrastructure that creates jobs, which provides the money necessary to purchase goods and grow the economy. Since consumer spending is the major engine that drives economic growth, it also increases government revenue.
One thing is for sure, whether you are liberal or conservative on government policy as it pertains to the tax code: In 2025, it is very likely changes will take place in tax revenue, if only because former President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax reductions are set by law to expire. If Trump wins, the tax cuts remain in place and will likely be expanded. But Vice President Kamala Harris, is not yet supporting further across-the-broad tax reductions, instead targeting increased tax rates for higher-income people, and at least extensions of the tax credits for lower-income individuals, like the earned income tax credit for children and a $25,000 credit for first-time home buyers.
There is a bit of irony in all of this. In 1935 a British economist, John Maynard Keynes, upset conventional thinking that the way out of recessions and depression was to balance the federal budget. Instead, he argued what is needed in down times is increased spending by the government. This proposition was, except within the Roosevelt administration, almost uniformly rejected. But by the 1970s, President Richard Nixon’s economic adviser Milton Friedman admitted, “we are all Keynesians now.”
Taxes: Where do Trump and Harris stand?
All of which brings us to Arthur Laffer and his advocacy that high tax rates cause a loss of government money. He developed the Laffer curve, meant to illustrate that when tax rates get too high, they become counterproductive. Reducing tax rates will motivate people to work and produce more since they get to keep more of their own money, leading to more revenue; raising tax rates produces the opposite effect.
Now maybe to everyone’s surprise, and whether intended or not, Harris’ economic consultants are saying turn the Laffer curve upside down: Reduce taxes on the lower half of the economic scale and you will have individuals with money to spend.
That is really the choice the two candidates offer. If you are a supply conservative proponent, then you should stand in the shade of the elephant. If you believe in the Democratic reversal of Laffer’s proposal, ride a donkey. Pretty simple really — coal in the furnace or water on the flowers, just like when I was a kid.
This column was originally published in the Waterloo Cedar-Falls Courier.
Trevin Jirak on Valley basketball’s win over Waukee Northwest
Trevin Jirak breaks down Valley’s win over Waukee Northwest in the Iowa high school basketball state championship. The Tigers claimed their third-straight title.
The Iowa high school boys basketball season is almost here.
The Des Moines Register came up with 25 questions we’re asking about the upcoming IHSAA season, which begins on Dec. 1. Most questions focus on Des Moines-area teams, but our staff was also curious about teams and players all around the state.
The answers to these questions will be revealed over the next few months.
25 questions entering the 2025-26 Iowa high school boys basketball season
- What does back-to-back-to-back state champion Valley look like under a new head coach and without players like Jayden McGregory, Kiki Deng, Trevin Jirak and Zay Robinson?
- With three of its five starters back – including Division I-bound big men Colin Rice and Landon Davis – is last season’s runner-up Waukee Northwest the favorite in Class 5A?
- Ames graduated most of its starting lineup from last year’s 21-win campaign. How many wins can the Little Cyclones pull off this season?
- Who will fill the Anthony Galvin-sized gap in Cedar Falls’ lineup?
- Cael LaFrentz scored 400 points as a sophomore and 701 as a junior. Can he break the 800-point mark in his final season of high school basketball?
- Is Des Moines Roosevelt the top team in the DMPS?
- Only one team across the state finished last season with an undefeated record. Can any programs do that this year?
- Players like Jevyn Severson (Madrid) and Pete Craig (Waukee) made an instant impact in their freshman year. Who will be the top first-year high school player in the state this season?
- Does Cedar Rapids Kennedy bring back enough firepower to return to the Casey’s Center for the fifth-straight season?
- Can Hudson Lorensen, Hudson Shull and Trey Bryte lead ADM back to the state tournament – and past the semifinals?
- Who will emerge as the best big man in Iowa?
- Will junior Lincoln Norris (Knoxville) sink over 100 3-pointers for the second-straight season?
- Can MOC-Floyd Valley make another surprising run in the state tournament, despite graduating three starters from last year’s championship-winning lineup?
- Dallas Center-Grimes graduated its leading scorer and leading assist-getter. Who will take over for Kyle Cason and Mateo Dzolota?
- Only one Iowa high school boys basketball player has ever scored over 1,000 points in a single season: Wapsie Valley’s Brooks McKowen in 2003. Are there any players capable of hitting that mark this year?
- Madrid capped an undefeated season with the Class 1A state title. After graduating three starting seniors – Brody Buck, Fabian Ortiz-Alaniz and Toryn Severson – can the Tigers make it back to the tournament?
- Will Des Moines Christian make it to the state tournament after coming up short last season?
- Jaxon Clark opted to return to Keokuk instead of playing for Montverde Academy. Will he lead the state in rebounds?
- Iowa City Liberty relied on a lot of young players last year. Can Jerimiah Washpun – who scored 437 points – and his teammates help the Lightning to a winning record?
- Dual-sport recruit Evan Jacobson opted to play his final season of high school basketball instead of graduating early. How far can he take Waukee after leading the Warriors in points and rebounds last year?
- Of the top 10 scorers in Class 5A from last season, seven graduated. Will Rio Aguirre (Ankeny), Washpun (Iowa City Liberty), Tevin Schultz (Dubuque Senior) or someone else emerge as the top scorer in Iowa’s largest class?
- What does Linn-Mar look like without Davis Kern on the court?
- It’s been a couple of years since Pryce Sandfort (Waukee Northwest) scored over 600 points in a single season. Will any player in Class 5A break the 600-point mark?
- West Lyon came up short last season, losing to Western Christian in the state title game. Can Jorden Meyer, Jared Ciesielski and Ben Meyer lead the Wildcats back to the state tournament?
- Which program – across all four classes – has the best shot of winning its first-ever state championship?
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger on Players Era Festival
Iowa State basketball TJ Otzelberger discusses what it means for the Cyclones to compete in the loaded Players Era Festival.
Iowa State basketball will compete in the loaded Players Era Festival this week in Las Vegas.
The Nov. 24-27 tournament calls itself “The biggest college basketball event outside of March.”
Iowa State begins play Monday, Nov. 24 against St. John’s in a 3:30 p.m. CT contest.
The Cyclones then will play Creighton on Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 1 p.m. CT.
Eugene Rapay’s Cyclone men’s basketball preview
T.J. Otzelberger’s team will play a third game either Wednesday, Nov. 26 or Thursday, Nov. 27. Opponent and time are contingent upon the results of Iowa State’s first two games.
Here’s a closer look at the tournament:
Players Era Festival men’s basketball schedule
All times CT
Monday, Nov. 24
- Tennessee vs. Rutgers, Noon, TNT
- Baylor vs. Creighton, 1 p.m., truTV
- Kansas vs. Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m., TNT
- St. John’s vs. Iowa State, 3:30 p.m., truTV
- Houston vs. Syracuse, 5 p.m., TNT
- Oregon vs. Auburn, 7 p.m., truTV
- Alabama vs. Gonzaga, 8:30 p.m., TNT
- Michigan vs. San Diego State, 9:30 p.m., truTV
- Maryland vs. UNLV, 11 p.m., TNT
Tuesday, Nov. 25
- Rutgers vs. Notre Dame, Noon, TNT
- Iowa State vs. Creighton, 1:00 p.m., truTV
- Kansas vs. Syracuse, 2:30 p.m., TNT
- St. John’s vs. Baylor, 3:30 p.m., truTV
- Houston vs. Tennessee, 5 p.m., TNT
- Michigan vs. Auburn, 7:30 p.m., TNT
- Gonzaga vs. Maryland, 8:30 p.m., truTV
- Oregon vs. San Diego State, 10 p.m., TNT
- Alabama vs. UNLV, 11 p.m., truTV
Wednesday, Nov. 26
- Third-place game, 6 p.m., TNT
- Championship game, 8:30 p.m., TNT
Wednesday Nov. 26 and Thursday Nov. 27
- Other consolation games will be played Nov. 26-27. Matchups TBD by first two days of competition.
Watch Iowa State basketball on Sling
Players Era Festival tiebreakers
Tiebreakers will be determined by point differential, points scored and points allowed.
Where will Players Era Festival games be played?
Players Era Festival men’s basketball contests will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.
Players Era Festival TV and streaming information
- Players Era Festival games will be televised on TNT and truTV.
- Players Era Festival games will be streamed on HBO Max.
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Department of Transportation is working to help drivers facing suspension with a new behavioral education course called “Alive at 25” for drivers on intermediate-level licenses.
“Our goal is to focus on the negative behavior or poor behavior that we’re seeing behind the wheel,” said Vania Boyd, Iowa DOT driver education manager.
Young drivers who have received a second violation have the one-time opportunity to take the course instead of receiving a suspension.
“It’s not a retake of driver’s ed. It focuses on distracted driving, road rage, talks about peer pressure, talks about distractions behind the wheel, and helps guide students on ways to avoid those behaviors,” said Boyd.
The DOT partnered with the Iowa-Illinois Safety Council, which hosts the four-hour virtual course.
Boyd said from 2024 to 2025, more than 5,500 students on the intermediate level would have been eligible to take the program.
“We saw a lot of connection to speed, students not wearing the seatbelt, a lot of behavioral decisions behind the wheel that we want to correct,” Boyd said.
Lisa Elskamp lost her daughter, Kennedy, and Kennedy’s best friend, Chloe, to an accident involving speed in 2022.
“At one point, us being able to see on Chloe’s Life 360 that he was hit a max speed of 146 miles an hour,” she said.
After the crash, the families started Forever 17, a nonprofit aimed at speeding safety advocacy and working to change laws to make things more safe.
Elskamp said courses like these are a step in the right direction.
“Speed was never really talked about. Had I known now what I know then, I would have absolutely had my kids take this course just to learn the outcome of your actions,” she said. “This isn’t just about those teen drivers alone. It’s about the effect of what their driving can also do to everybody around them.”
The course is optional and costs $65 to take.
Boyd said they hope to educate new drivers so they can be as confident as possible when behind the wheel.
“It’s okay that they made a mistake, but it’s even more important to learn from it and to make smarter choices for the future because it’s not just that individual student on the road. There are hundreds of Iowans on the road every day and everybody wants to get home safe,” Boyd said.
The course can also be taken even if the driver doesn’t have a violation on their license. And while it’s geared towards younger drivers, anyone facing a suspension with an intermediate-level license can take the course.
For more information, click here.
Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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