I'm back: Let's see what I missed.

I drove 6 hours there for a four hour party, got sick, then drove 6 1/2 hours back, 2 1/2 of those hours through heavy, driving rain, but made it back from Wisconsin in time to spend some quality time with my couch last night.

Here's some stuff I found when I got back:

China Place, just down the street from my place, is more secure than I would have expected.

The Register has a good pro-and-con for raising the minimum wage. State 29 offers a wonderfully uninformed response:

You know who's earning less than $7.25 an hour in Iowa? Meth addicts and child beaters. And a whole bunch of high school or college kids working part-time. That's it.

Now, if he had actually bothered to read the whole piece in the Register, he would've found this:

About 257,000 Iowans, or 18 percent of all workers, would receive a pay raise if the minimum wage rose to $7.25 per hour. This figure includes employees who receive tips and workers earning less than $7.25, as well as workers earning slightly above $7.25 who would benefit as companies adjust their pay structure. Seventy-five percent of these workers are at least 20 years old, and 20 percent are parents to some 94,000 children.

Thanks for playing, State. You win a copy of the "Jump to Conclusions" home game.



Just two weeks after writing this about the pedestrian bridges over 235, Marc Hansen gives us this about the new plans for the Ingersoll Dinner Theater. Don't get me wrong, the story is interesting, but one has to ask if Marc is capable of finding stories more than three blocks from his house.

Ted Sporer is looking for suggestions on who the Republicans should nominate for SoS when they meet tonight. No one has nominated Krusty yet. I'm pleasantly surprised.

I'm torn on how I feel about Dubuque city manager Michael C. Van Millegan's proposal for a sales tax rebate in downtowns across Iowa. For one: how do you define downtown? His other proposal, though, for an increase in historic tax credits, is right on. The waiting list for these credits is over 10 years, and our historic buildings are deteriorating while we're waiting for them.

Perry Beeman of the Register and Ed Fallon (via Blog for Iowa) have said the same thing I've been saying for a few days now: The fight for local control over hog confinements is not over and we need to keep working to elect candidates who support it.

Hat tip to New Iowan for alerting me to a great summary of what progressives want from the Democratic Party.

Finally, if you're looking to get out of the house but you've already been to the State Fair, Chris Woods has finished his Iowa Events page. Get out and meet some candidates.

And that brings me back to the present. I need caffeine now.

KL