Culver Cuts Raise Property Taxe

Culver Cuts: Republicans believe they just got a little oomph to their contention that Governor Chet Culver's 10% across-the-board cuts and budget spending plans have forced school districts to raise property taxes. Culver had requested districts NOT to raise property taxes. But some said they would have no choice if Culver's across-the-board cuts reduced their state funding. This week, the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency, announced Iowans will see an approximate 7% increase in property taxes. Culver's Republican opponent for governor, Terry Branstad, pounced on the news saying that it shows the fiscal mismanagement of Culver's tenure as governor. Culver's campaign responded by criticizing Branstad's time in office.

What do you think? Did Culver do what he had to do with his across-the-board cuts? Or should he have worked with state legislators to make selective cuts instead that could have spared some of the cuts to schools?

Poll Problems: I don't usually address polls that come from WHO-TV's competitor, KCCI. But the company, Research 2000, that produced the station's most recent polls has found its way into a mess right now. There are claims the company was less than authentic with its polling results in a way that greatly benefited some Iowa Democrats.

Remember when KCCI released the poll that showed Democrat Roxanne Conlin was within 9 points of incumbent Republican Senator Chuck Grassley? The poll also showed Culver had moved within 8 points of Branstad. Conlin and Culver's campaigns jumped on the poll results as positive signs their candidates were going the way of George Jefferson and movin' on up. Republicans were knocked back on their heels and told me they were shocked both races could really be that close. Rasmussen polls that soon followed those KCCI polls showed numbers more similar to what other previous polls had shown, that Culver and Conlin weren't nearly as close as those KCCI polls had shown.

And in honor of the random George Jefferson reference...

Birthday Best: Happy Birthday to a duo of Democrats today. Roxanne Conlin and the Iowa Democratic Party's Executive Director Norm Sterzenbach share a birthday today.