Des Moines Holds Steady

Des Moines has high-fived lots of atta-boys lately. Earlier this year Forbes rated Des Moines metro 4th in the nation in their "Best Places for Business and Careers."

In May, Kiplinger issued a list of "Best Cities to Live, Work and Play" and Des Moines came in 9th on the list. Why? Here's what Kiplinger sees.... "Des Moines’s friendly, hometown atmosphere, top public schooling and affordable cost of living make it an ideal place to raise a family. But it also has big city amenities, including a growing arts scene with galleries, a symphony orchestra, a ballet and opera, trendy shops and an expanding skyscraper cityscape.

"The local economy is gaining momentum as well. Jobs will increase mainly in finance, insurance, government and manufacturing. About 60 insurance companies here make the city the third largest insurance center in the world.

"Housing is still affordable. The median price for a single-family home is just under $150,000. In the northwest suburbs, for example, a 2,100-square foot three-bedroom home will go for $165,000. For those seeking trendier accommodations, a one-bedroom condo in the downtown’s newly redeveloped Western Gateway neighborhood can fetch a price of under $130,000, while a 2,700-square foot, newly renovated Victorian home in the western suburbs can go for just under $330,000."

And the Des Moines housing market is still healthy, yet affordable, six months later even though the nation is experiencing a decline in housing prices. As The Des Moines Register reports this morning, "Des Moines bucks trend, sees increase in home prices."

"The Des Moines metropolitan area was one of 28 areas nationwide to see its median home sale prices climb in the third quarter, squeaking 1 percent higher to $155,400, a National Association of Realtors report showed on Tuesday."

Des Moines.... steady as she goes.

The Last Dance.... Vote!

"It began in Iowa.... Now, U.S. decides." (DMRegister)

It was a whirlwind of anticipation, excitement and finally exhaustion for Iowans.... their 2008 first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses.

John McCain treated the Iowa caucuses like the wallflower at the nominating prom, and saved his dances for the flashier primaries.

More than a year ago, McCain slashed his Iowa caucus campaign staff and blew off the Ames Republican straw poll in August. He finished fourth in the Iowa caucuses this January.... but cornered the GOP nomination.

When he returned to Iowa, McCain bragged about voting against the farm bill, and he never warmed to ethanol.

But now McCain is courting his Iowa wallflower.... he needs Iowa's electoral college delegates.

"I'm going to give you a little straight talk today and one of them is, as you know, we need to win Iowa," McCain said in Cedar Falls last week.

But McCain's wooing seems too little too late. Iowa voters know that it was Barack Obama who courted Iowa, built a strong organization, inspired first-time voters, reached across lines of division and won the caucuses.... eclipsing the preordained prom Queen, Hillary Clinton.

And Obama returned to Iowa to thank the voters when he secured the nomination.

Obama's win in Iowa not only put him on the road to the Democratic nomination, but as he told Iowans at a rally in Des Moines this week, "it vindicated my faith in the American people".... a faith that looked past the color of his skin to measure the content of his character.

Eugene Robinson, a black columnist for the Washington Post, said it best today in "A New Kind of Pride" .... "an amazing thing happened. In the Iowa caucuses, white Americans voted for the black guy. That's the moment Obama was referring to when he said his faith in the American people was vindicated....

"Even if John McCain somehow prevails, that won't change the fact that Obama won all those primaries, or that he won the Democratic Party nomination, or that he raised more money than any candidate in history, or that he rewrote the book on how to run a presidential campaign. Nothing can change the fact that so many white Americans entrusted a black American with their hopes and dreams.

"We can all have a new kind of pride in our country."

Amen.

Vote.

It's Obama Time!

Obama's Friday rally: " The Illinois senator will headline a public rally at 11:30 a.m. in Des Moines' Western Gateway Park between 12th and 13th streets and Grand Avenue and Locust Street." (DMRegister)

Iowans invested their hope in Obama, and Obama invested in Iowa.... "Obama's campaign has expressed confidence in its Iowa organization, largely the product of an intense battle for the leadoff nominating caucuses in January. Obama has 50 offices in the state and roughly 120 paid campaign staff, compared with 16 offices for McCain and about a quarter of the paid staff."

And, Obama's campaign has recruited 6,000 volunteers in Iowa, part of the network of first-time caucusgoers that helped him earn his first-in-the-nation caucus victory early in the year.

Rallly, Iowa.... "Yes We Can!"

Obama Returns to Iowa

Iowa's favorite caucus-son will touch base.... "Obama will campaign in Des Moines on Friday." (DMRegister) Stay tuned for where and what time......

"Everyman" To The Rescue....

Here's a "feel good" story to take you into a crisp fall-football weekend and remind you that the disgraceful government in Washington isn't the American people.

Here are the American people.... "Civilians aid injured officer, subdue suspect." (Des Moines Register)

A Des Moines police officer whose hand was hurt in a scuffle with a Dahl''s grocery store shoplifting suspect, was pinned down on his back by the suspect who was on top of him trying to get to the officer's gun.

Without hesitation, the suspect was set upon and subdued by six bystanders including several shoppers, the store manager and someone who was driving by the store and saw the officer's plight.

As The Decider's nominee for attorney general sits in his confirmation hearing parsing the meaning of torture; and the former attorney general of New York, now governor, is trying to give illegal aliens a drivers license, setting the stage for massive voter fraud.... the everyman knows a crime when he sees one and acts to uphold the law and protect their fellow man.

Cheers for America's "everyman!"

FEMA... Fake Emergency Media Affairs

This isn't California.

This is Des Moines, Iowa yesterday.

As someone at the scene described the fiery mayhem, "from a distance, it appeared that a volcano had erupted...."

But it wasn't a volcano, it was a raging fire at Barton Solvents, Inc., and fortunately no one was injured. The fire was contained although for hours two Interstate highways were closed as exploding 55-gallon drums of chemicals were launched like missiles, and the black smoke from the billowing fire could be seen from 30 miles away.

Nothing could have brought home more forcefully to those of us far removed from California the devastating force and the sheer magnitude of their wildfires, which as of yesterday had destroyed more than 2,000 homes, killed 14 people and blackened 809 square miles from the Mexican border to Los Angeles. And, six fires are still not contained. Unimaginable.

In both fires, the firefighters performed heroically. And, when it comes to managing large fires, measures in California.... reverse 911 phone system and state and local coordination, communication and planning for fires.... are the Gold Standard. The White House declared a presidential emergency within minutes of receiving the paperwork from FEMA, thus releasing vital recovery funds.

Another thing the California fire brought home, is how the White House.... desperately looking for good news.... elbows their way into a success story.

Last Wednesday The Decider flew to California to take front-and-center bows.... declaring that the people of Southern California "can rest assured that the federal government will do everything we can to help put out these fires."

Actually, FEMA has a "limited role in responding to wildfires." (WaPo)

That's why the fake press conference by FEMA last week as a forum for tooting their tiny tinny horn is so out of place in the face of the professional and heroic performance of the California emergency responders.

This "press conference" was called to update the "media" on FEMA's response to the California wildfires.... but the people asking the softball questions of the deputy administrator were FEMA employees.

"Real reporters, who couldn't get to the news conference because it had been called 15 minutes before it started, telephoned in but were allowed only to listen. No questions." (WaPo)

Of course FEMA's deception was exposed, and there followed a lot of finger pointing, and reprimands are "very probable." Hopefully the media tracks this disgraceful charade down to its author.... but it won't be easy. In this administration the buck stops way down the line.

What is most troubling about this FEMA sham is the glimpse of how we, the hapless electorate consuming the "news," are being managed by the administration. Hopefully the media will take this as a wake-up call, and get behind every "official" story and press briefing issuing from the fetid breath of the White House propaganda machine.

How many more times will we be led down the path of, "Heck of a job, Brownie."

"Who's Bush?" GOP Debate

The theme for today's GOP debate in Des Moines: "Bush.... embracing him at a distance, if at all."

While "GOP Hopefuls Generally Agree on Iraq," and didn't openly disavow The Decider's failed policies, they made it plain that they would have a different kind of presidency.

They would "restore," "rebuild," and "bring back." They seldom mentioned Bush.... the elephant lurking behind the curtains.... although they called on the reflected luster of JFK, Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan... even Harry Truman.

By carefully tiptoeing around Bush.... and being spared the brier patch of the unasked questions on immigration, education and agriculture.... the debate leveled out at the predictable.

And.... the awards go to: Polished performance: Mitt Romney. Unabashed honesty: Ron Paul. Scariest worldview: Tom Tancredo. Where's Fred?: Tommy Thompson. Iraq breast-beating: John McCain. Religious right pandering: Sam Brownback. Weakly earnest: Mike Huckabee. Best imitation of Patton: Duncan Hunter. Remember 9/11's Mayor: Rudy Giuliani.