ITR Live: Iowa Politics and Conservative Policy

ITR Live is back following the Thanksgiving holiday to discuss the final disposition of the office apple pie.  John has completed part of his collection with another century-old presidential campaign poster.   The crew spends time exploring the question if whether or not Iowa's economy is in a recession, and if so, why?  What are the strengths and challenges of Iowa's economy, and w...

ITR Live is ready for a big Thanksgiving and we have a free-wheeling, action-packed episode to help you get ready too.  The American Farm Bureau Federation released their annual Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Survey, which shows a nearly 20% increase from last year in the cost of your thanksgiving dinner. To make ends meet, maybe it's time for American families to finally get rid of green bean cass...

ITR Live is back with a free-wheeling, fun-filled episode of tax policy, politics and World Cup Soccer.  John has has the first-ever ITR Live book review, "Taxes Have Consequences" by Art Laffer, Brian Domitrovic, and Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield. What historical lessons can be learned from a look at the last 100 years of tax policy in America? Congratulations are in order to Iowa Governor Kim R...

Following last week’s elections, ITR Live continues to look at what we have learned from the results. Among the many questions that are being posed around the country, we look at where the conservative movement should go from here. Fiscal conservatism clearly works in Iowa and in several other states across the country, and conservative governors in these states were handed convincing re-election...

How can Iowa count votes so quickly and accurately, but in other states it takes weeks?  ITR takes one more look at election 2022, what is left to be decided in Iowa and across the country. The ITR Foundation Poll had the most consistent and most accurate data in the 2022 Election. In five of our polls over the course of the last year, we knew what was coming. In every race we tested, we nail...

What time did you go to bed on election night?  The ITR Live crew stayed up way past their bedtimes to watch the election results roll in. On little sleep, Chris, Victoria and John get together to discuss what have we learned so far from the results of Election 2022 in Iowa.  Who won, who lost, and what is still left to be decided. Did anyone's crazy predictions come to pass?   Whil...

Join ITR Live host Chris Hagenow, John Hendrickson and Victoria Sinclair for a breakdown of Election 2022, specifically what to expect in Iowa’s state legislative races. What are the issues that are behind these campaigns and do they have the right strategy?  Race by race we take a look at what to expect this coming Tuesday night, including each guest bring one big prediction. ITR Live also h...

The most recent Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation Poll, conducted by Cygnal, shows support for conservative candidates and incumbents remains strong, while the economy continues to be top of mind for Iowa voters. Listen to Chris Hagenow, Victoria Sinclair and John Hendrickson discuss the results. As election day draws near, the political environment for Republicans in Iowa remains strong. In every...

The ITR Live Shufflin' crew of Chris Hagenow and Alan Ostergren are in studio to talk about important, timely topics ranging from the 1985 Chicago Bears to Iowa's place on the national stage. What do conservative leaders in other states think of Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and the conservative victories she has secured for the people of our great state?  Why are they so interested to find out...

Special Announcement: On another action-packed episode of ITR Live, we have a special breaking news announcement from Chris Hagenow that election 2022 watchers won't want to miss. John Hendrickson also has exclusive breaking news from his homeland of Minnesota. The gang discuss a recent article from Bloomberg which posits "GOP Poised to Cement Grip on Iowa, Ending Its Swing-State Status" .  W...

Voters across Iowa and around the country are ready for a change from President Biden's America.  You can hear it in talking with your friends and neighbors, out in the community and you can clearly see it in public opinion polls. Chris, Chris and John share their own stories of what their experiences and discuss several recently released polls. Voters not only want a change in direction from...

The Cato Institute has released their 2022 Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors.  Iowa’s Kim Reynolds was not only one of just five governors who received an A grade from Cato, but this data driven report calculated her score as the highest in the nation!  Since 2008, this report has graded the fiscal policies of our nation’s governors from a limited-government perspective us...

Iowa Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver is our guest on this episode of ITR Live.  As Majority Leader, Whitver leads the Senate Republican caucus, not just through the legislative session, but during campaign season as well. Senator Whitver discusses the importance of tax policy to the future of our state and why it remains a top issue for the Senate Republican Caucus.  With just four w...

The most recent Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation Poll, conducted by Cygnal, shows Governor Kim Reynolds is growing more popular while President Joe Biden remains unpopular. Iowans support a wide range of conservative candidates and policy measures, including spending limits on local governments to control property taxes.   The ITR Foundation Poll shows tremendous support for conservative cand...

Iowa is a wonderful place to live. Driving across the state during the beautiful fall season is a reminder that we are blessed to live in this state.  Only slightly less inspiring than the harvest season in Iowa is the recently reported strength of our state's budget and strong fiscal management.   ITR Foundation has the details of the final budget numbers for the past fiscal year and a...

Why can't our federal government work more like Iowa? ITR Live gets together to talk about Governor Reynolds joining other governors in a lawsuit challenging the Biden Administration's student loan forgiven plan.  The conversation then turns to our state's growing budget surplus, and how that stands in stark contrast to the exploding federal debt.  John has further thoughts on how our ma...

The City of Des Moines plans to give 100% of the revenue from a TIF (Tax Increment Financing) district to property developers.  The price tag for this development could reach $1 billion. Is that fair? ITR Foundation President is a student of TIF and has answers to some very basic questions: Is there any evidence to show that this will boost overall economic activity, and are these incentives...

ITR Live is back with amazing stories from their recent tour.  An action packed episode that is sure to entertain with crazy Uber rides, one-of-a-kind BBQ and the thrilling, action-packed, heart-pounding agenda of a state think tank policy conference.   The gang also talks about recent headlines focused on an upcoming round of real estate assessments for properties in Polk County. T...

Chris got a new microphone and talks about the event where he got to meet all 11 of our listeners. Chris Ingstad and Sarah Curry join the podcast to talk about the state's revenue outlook and continue the conversation about Iowa's overall economic outlook. Sarah also provides a preview of her research on the history of Iowa's property tax system (Spoiler alert: It's always been frustrating). &nbsp...

Governor Kim Reynolds and Iowa’s legislature have delivered pro-growth tax reform by balancing restrained spending growth with income tax cuts. Years of prudent budgeting enabled the passage of historic tax reform in 2022, which will create a flat 3.9 percent income tax rate by 2026. But why is the flat tax a good thing?  What benefit does it have for Iowa taxpayers?  Jared Walczak at th...

ITR Live is back! Chris, Chris and John return from their long, unexplained hiatus to discuss two new articles.  After President Biden's inflamatory speech last week, Pat Buchanan claims that "Liberal Elites Detest Middle America" and brings receipts. John also takes a few moments to sing the praises of Iowa's own "quiet conservative," Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver.   The Pat Bucha...

Another ITR Live episode with real breaking news. The ITR Foundation Poll is cited in former President Trump's application to federal court for a special master.  John tells us about the Durham Bulls' Ripken the Dog, who fetches bats for the players.  Chris Ingstad has more property tax information from ITR Foundation research and Chris Hagenow talks about the state revenue report. &nbsp...

Too many Iowa counties failed to pass along the property tax savings provided in the legislature's 2021 tax bill.  In that bill, counties are no longer tasked with paying the bill for mental health services, as the responsibility of paying for mental health services was shifted from counties to the state. A recent ITR Foundation report reveals that 48 Iowa counties did not pass along the full...

Chris and John provide rapid response as President Biden signs what Washington DC liberals have named the "Inflation Reduction Act". In reality, it will do the opposite - Increasing inflation while trying to engineer our economy to fit their own agenda. And to rub salt in the wound, Democrats are hiring 87,000 new IRS agents to go along with their central planning. Not everyone wants to or has the...

Chris has a special guest on today's podcast for her thoughts on what makes the Iowa State Fair so much fun.