Prairie Meadows should open their books, regardless of ruling

On 12/16/2016, The Des Moines Register reported that the Iowa Public Information Board had ruled that Prairie Meadows  Race Track and Casino was not a “government body” according to their rules and, therefore, was not required to follow open records laws, and not required to provide the Register with records pertaining contracts of its top executives.  (See link below.)

The Register can appeal the decision, and has some good arguments why Prairie Meadow should be subject to open records laws.  But even if Prairie Meadows is not required to follow open records laws, they could still release the records voluntarily.  Just because it is legal to do something does not mean it is the right thing to do.  Prairie Meadows would not exist if not for the original support of Polk County taxpayers.  The board claims that Prairie Meadows is a not-for-profit organization, (even though the IRS disagrees).  I don’t understand why any board member would want to be anything other than completely transparent about the operations of Prairie Meadows?  I presume that none of them feel they have anything to hide.

I appeal to the board members of Prairie Meadows to simply do the right thing, and voluntarily open their records to the public, and the Des Moines Register.

 

Link to Register article: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/local/government/2016/12/15/iowa-board-says-prairie-meadows-records-can-secret/95492840/

Obamacare supporters want activist Supreme Court

Regarding The Register editorial today (11/17/2014) entitled “Obamacare foes are hoping for activist judges”  Exactly the opposite is true.  It is the Obamacare supporters who are hoping for activist judges to interpret the law differently than it was written.  The letter of the law is clear.  It states that only people who sign up for Obamacare through state run exchanges are eligible to get subsidies.  Obama and his team created this threatening provision intentionally to pressure states to create their own exchanges. But more than 30 states, including Iowa, did not knuckle under to the pressure.  The Supreme Court should uphold the law as written, not as Obamacare supporters wish or hope it was written.  This is what happens when, as Nancy Pelosi famously said, “we need to pass this bill to see what is in it.”

Register editorial: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/editorials/2014/11/17/editorial-obamacare-foes-hoping-activist-judges/19154603/

Source video of Jonathan Gruber, Obamacare expert advisor, explaining the intentionally threatening provision:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBAHvX1WdWc

Walmart jobs are beneficial.

Contrary to the letter to the editor in the Des Moines Register by Doris Render on 11/23/2012, “Taxpayers subsidizing low-wage businesses”, all private businesses, including those that pay low wages, add wealth to our community.  People take jobs at Walmart because their next best option is a job that pays less, or possibly no job at all.  There is no reason to believe that if our government stopped providing welfare benefits to poor people, that employers would start paying higher wages and benefits.   Government welfare helps poor people, it does not subsidize business.

If businesses like Walmart were forced by government to pay higher wages and benefits, then prices will go up correspondingly.  Those higher prices will hurt low income families the most.  Sure, those who keep their jobs will benefit from a higher minimum wage.  But those who are most vulnerable, those with the least skills, will lose their jobs as automation and foreign competition become more economical because of the higher wages.

History has proven that government attempts to control wages and prices are doomed to failure.  Even today, our slow economic recovery is due in no small part to our government’s attempts to prop up housing prices and force all employers to pay for health insurance.  Good intentions are no excuse for bad policy. The unintended consequences of government actions must always be considered when government uses force, (i.e. laws and regulations), to manage our economy.

Link to Register article: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20121123/OPINION04/311230033/Letter-to-the-editor-Taxpayers-are-subsidizing-low-wage-businesses?Opinion&nclick_check=1