Smoking Ban, Hartsuch vs. Appel, and US Senate Primary
Nathan Greene
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Iowa House Guts Smoking Ban
Yesterday the Iowa House took up the smoking ban again, but this time they exempted establishments were customers age 21 are older are allowed. I think the public will find this version of the bill easier to swallow, but from everything I have read it doesn’t give any breaks to the incorporated farmer who likes to light up while doing field work, or the truck driver driving hundreds of miles a day.
So here is a scenario for you. Let’s say I own a bar, let’s call in Nathan’s. I’m open all day, I serve breakfast in the morning to a bunch of farmers and laborers, I have a pretty solid lunch crowd, and things get kicking at night. Now my clientele in the morning for breakfast are a bunch of old guys who like to smoke. So as the owner of my establishment I make my morning hours 21 or older, I’m smoke free for lunch, and then when 4 o’clock rolls around we are 21 or older again for the after work crowd. Seems to me like nothing is going to change except for the big chain restaurants I try to avoid anyway.
So our legislators just spent countless hours debating and reworking a bill that cracks down on people smoking in tractors and semi trucks. The bill heads back to the Senate. What a waste of time.
Staci Appel and Bruce Braley lie about Hartsuch Comments
The Register has an interesting story about a flare up between Sens. Appel (huge lib) and Heartsuch (good solid conservative), with a little Congressman Bruce Braley thrown in.
Apparently Appel had been briefing Braley on his likely congressional opponent (Hartsuch).
Braley said he’d heard that Hartsuch told state Sen. Staci Appel, a Democrat from Ackworth, during debate on an anti-bullying bill last year that she wasn’t fit to teach Sunday school because of her position on abortion rights. Braley went on to say that Hartsuch engaged in politics based on “fear and division.”
Hartsuch wasn’t going to let them distort the record and called Appel out this morning on the floor of the Senate. Now some of the squishes in the Senate didn’t like his approach but I give him mad props for setting the record straight. Hartsuch produced the following recording of the exchange to reporters.
The tape showed that during the debate, Hartsuch asked Appel if it was true she attended a Methodist church, and taught Sunday school. Appel agreed and said she taught 4-year-olds.
“I want to thank you for your service in that area,” Hartsuch told her.
When Hartsuch asked her if it was rewarding, state Sen. Robert Dvorsky, a Democrat from Coralville, interrupted to question the relevance of Hartsuch’s inquiry.
Hartsuch said today he was trying to convince lawmakers to pass an amendment that would allow children to get out of school early for a religious education class, if they so chose. He said his aim in complimenting Appel was to point out she was trying to improve children’s morals — and that was also the goal of his amendment.
Way to not back down Sen. Hartsuch!
Did Steve Rathje go to Syracuse?
Man the dude needs to lay off the sunless tan…
Anyway, I couldn’t sleep the other night so I checked out his website. I know, you want to know if it worked or not, the quick answer is yes.
Anyway there are some new things there like a video which isn’t half bad, some photos of him campaigning, and Leon Mosley telling you why he’s supporting Steve. Yeah, I’m busted; it was Leon’s sweet lullaby that helped me fall asleep.
So now that we have a three way primary between Rathje, who has something like $68 bucks in the bank, George Eichhorn, who lost his seat to McKinley Bailey, as well as failed attempts to win the nomination to run in Stew Iverson’s old senate district, and to serve on the State Central Committee, and Christopher Reed who looks like a Bill Salier want-a-be, I thought I’d give you my take on it.
First, I do believe that any of the three can win the primary, but as I sit behind my computer I have to tell you that Steve Rathje is the favorite. While he has run a poor campaign he has visited county events and met with the Republican activists. That’s more than can be said for the other two. Secondly, there are around 90 days to the June primary. All of these guys need to raise money and get known. I don’t see it happening, again advantage Rathje.
Unless one of these other guys makes a move quickly I don’t think they stand much of a shot.
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