ITR Live: Iowa Politics and Conservative Policy

The State Fair is here, our aquatic centers are closing early and Iowans are squeezing in a little more fun before summer ends. While everyone else is swimming and fishing and taking pictures of the Butter Cow, John and Chris instead head to the ITR conference room to talk about Presidents Harding and Coolidge. ITR's resident historian John Hendrickson draws a historical parallel between our curre...

Don't mess with historians. They take documents seriously.   What does the FBI raid of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate have to do with Herbert Hoover's birthday?  Very little, but Chris and John do their best to try and make it happen.  What are the implications of the FBI raid on former President Trump's office?  What is the Biden Administration's Department of Justice really...

In March 2021, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the massive federal stimulus intended to provide economic relief from the pandemic. Out of this explosion of borrowed money, the law directed huge sums of money to state and local government. Not only did this bill have a direct impact on our current recession, ITR Foundation's Sarah Curry has discovered that the funds for local g...

Part 2 of the ITR Live interview with Trent England, Executive Director of Save Our States . Trent joins Chris and John to talk about the principles of federalism and how they relate to our politics today. How can states pull back some of the power they have lost to the federal government? How can states prepare for the time when the federal government can no longer live up to its commitments? You...

Part 1 of the ITR Live interview with Trent England, Executive Director of Save Our States . Trent joins Chris and John to give answers to some very important and difficult questions. What is Federalism and why does it matter?  Why do we have the Electoral College in the first place?  What is so dangerous about the National Popular Vote movement? Why does Chris enjoy the Nifty Fifty Unit...

Chris is all alone today. Left all by himself to discuss the latest installment of the Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation Poll . The most recent ITR Poll, conducted by Cygnal, shows Governor Kim Reynolds is very popular, President Biden is not, and it looks like Republicans could perform well in the November elections. Governor Reynolds was the most popular person tested and holds a wide 14.4 p...

ITR Live is back! Chris, Chris and John get together to talk about the stark contrast in public opinion between Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and President Joe Biden. The failed policies of President Biden and the progressive left are not only causing economic chaos, they are also being soundly rejected by the American people. In contrast, Iowans are poised to ask Governor Reynolds to continue leadin...

As Americans try to deal with the impact of rising inflation, President Biden had a tweet this weekend with his plan to lower gas prices. Biden's solution is issue a command that gas stations simply lower the price. Brilliant. Chris Hagenow, Chris Ingstad and Sarah Curry get together to discuss this stunning ignorance of free market economics and the audacity to believe that the President holds th...

From Iowa’s capitol city: “The Hendrickson Group”, an unrehearsed, hastily assembled program presenting inside opinions and forecasts on major (and sometimes minor) issues of the day. ITR Foundation’s John Hendrickson and his panel of Chris’s come together to discuss Iowa’s ongoing efforts to cut taxes, specifically regarding Iowans’ skyrocketing property tax burden.

Alan Ostergren, President and Chief Counsel of the Kirkwood Institute joins the podcast to talk about the recent history of the judiciary in Iowa. Alan and Chris also discuss what's currently happening in the legal world, including the recent Iowa Supreme Court Decision in Planned Parenthood v. Reynolds and also the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health. The Kirkw...

With Iowa's primary election in the rear view mirror, it is time to look ahead to the general election.  As part of a series on the upcoming November election, ITR's Chris Hagenow and Victoria Sinclair get together to talk about the battle for control of the Iowa House of Representatives.  While control of the chamber is not believed to be in play, there are undoubtedly several races tha...

Why do local governments believe they need so much of your money? In recent years, Iowa property valuations have increased considerably. Large valuation increases usually translate into increased revenue for local governments in the form of property taxes. ITR Foundation Research Director Sarah Curry joins the podcast to talk about what's facing the people of Indianola. Several different tax autho...

ITR's Chris Hagenow, Chris Ingstad and Ernie Adkison get together to discuss chickens, bounce houses and pressure washers along with a few other random topics. The results of Iowa's primary elections. Big wins for Republican United States Senator Chuck Grassley and his opponent Micheal Franken. State Senator Zach Nunn wins big and will now be the Republican nominee against Congresswoman Cindy Axne...

Host Chris Hagenow was recently named President of Iowans for Tax Relief and is joined by new ITR Foundation President Chris Ingstad to discuss their new roles within the ITR family of organizations. The Chris's talk about why the future is bright not only for their organizations, but more importantly for the future of the state of Iowa.    After explaining the importance of Iowa's upcom...

The Greater Des Moines Partnership recently made their annual trip to Washington DC where one of the main efforts was to lobby Democrats to keep the Iowa Caucuses first in the nation. ITR's Chris Hagenow and ITR Foundation's John Hendrickson discuss why Iowa is important and how that also underscores the importance of the Electoral College.   You can read John Hendrickson's recent piece on the Ele...

This has been the most pro-taxpayer legislative session in recent history and will create a better and brighter future for Iowa.   When legislators returned to the Iowa Capitol in January, ITR encouraged them to "think big and don't back down" and that it was "time to seize the opportunity to create a better and brighter future for Iowa."  The 3.9% flat tax passed by the legislature and...