Dave Loebsack

The Iowa State Senate and three Iowa Congressmen have taken strong stands against the McCain/Bush/Lieberman escalation. This is pretty major. Right in the heartland of America, there seems to be widespread opposition to the McCain/Bush/Lieberman quagmire. This comes from the Iowa Democratic Party:

Iowa Senate approves resolution against Iraq surge

Today on a voice vote, the Iowa Senate became the third legislative body in the nation to formally oppose President Bush’s plan for a 20,000 troop surge in Iraq.

Senate President Jack Kibbie, a Korean War veteran, floor managed the resolution. Senator Kibbie’s opening remarks are below. The text of resolution and audio and video of Kibbie’s remarks can be found at www.iowasenatedemocrats.org/iraq.

To contact Senator Kibbie during the week, call the Senate Switchboard at 515-281-3371. On weekends he can be reached at home at 712-852-4140. To e-mail Senator Kibbie or to subscribe to his weekly newsletter, write to john.kibbie@legis.state.ia.us.

Statement by Senate President Jack Kibbie:
Today I’m asking you to oppose President Bush’s plan to escalate the war in Iraq. The end of the war has to start somewhere, and stopping President Bush’s plan to send in more troops is a beginning.

This war has lasted too long. Setting aside arguments about how the war started, we accomplished our goals some time ago.

Here is an update on what's going on with the Iowa Democratic Party. Both newly elected Governor Chet Edwards and newly (and unexpectedly) elected Congressman Dave Loebsack are doing good things.

Culver proposes big bump for schools (Des Moines Register)

...The governor's proposal for more than $200 million in new spending for education programs would mean new college scholarships, more money for preschool programs, and higher salaries for teachers and college faculty...

One of Culver's priorities is to bring teacher pay from 40th in the nation to 25th. He said his proposed $70 million appropriation for salary increases in fiscal year 2008 would be the largest single increase in teacher pay ever made in the state...

Salaries for K-12 teachers in the 2007-08 school year would go up roughly $2,900 per teacher. "That's still about $5,000 below this year's national average," Schlapkohl said, "but it sure gets us closer..."

Highlights of Culver's plan for Iowa's schools:

PRESCHOOL: Place more certified teachers in the early childhood education classrooms and reduce waiting lists until all 4-year-olds have access to quality preschool. Proposed new spending: $20 million, with increases over four years.

TEACHER SALARIES: Boost teacher salaries to the national average. Proposed new spending: $70 million.

CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION: Improve the quality of classroom instruction. Proposed new spending: $95 million for the 2007-08 budget year, based on a 4 percent increase in per-pupil spending.