Former Texas Governor Rick Perry’s main message on the soapbox yesterday at the Iowa State Fair was to get America back to a constitutional country. Citing the 10th amendment, he stressed that power and decision making needs to go back to the state and to the people, as intended by our founding fathers. Power needs to be taken away from …
Prez Candidates Tell ‘Bootstraps’ Stories
I’ve hit on a few common themes in recent posts after hearing more than a dozen soapbox speeches at the Iowa State Fair. Another one: how the presidential candidates’ parents succeeded with nothing to make life better for their children and the children pulling themselves up by their “bootstraps” to become successful. These stories were no different when Florida Senator …
Republican Candidates: ‘We Can Fix America’
The battle cry of the presidential Republican candidates is to fix America through debt elimination, military strength and cooperation. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and Senator from South Carolina Lindsey Graham took the stage during the Des Moines Register’s Soapbox and spoke to thousands of people at the Iowa State Fair. While the crowd is supposed to …
Jeb Bush Kicks off Fair Speech on Energy
Republican Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida and presidential hopeful, kicked off his time on the Presidential Soapbox promoting his support of renewable energy and agriculture. Florida has a huge agriculture community and is home to one of the first advanced cellulosic facilities, Ineos Bio located in Vera Beach, that began production in May of 2013. The plant uses wood, …
Dems Webb & O’Malley Take the Soapbox
Democratic hopeful presidential candidates Jim Webb and Martin O’Malley both appeared on the Des Moines Register’s Presidential Soapbox yesterday afternoon speaking to hundreds of Iowans attending the Iowa State Fair. They have some fundamental issues in common, including both the need for better education and to bring the American dream, aka the economy, back to Americans. While Webb’s plans to …
Mike Huckabee on the Soapbox
Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas (the state of the Clinton’s), took the soapbox this morning as the kick-off candidate of the Des Moines Register’s Presidential Soapbox series taking place during the Iowa State Fair. He was the winner of Iowa’s 2008 Republican Caucuses. Now back to the Clintons for a moment. Huckabee worked and fought and campaigned …
Iowa State Fair to Host Prez Soapbox
Iowa State Fair visitors have an opportunity to see what presidential candidates think about energy and agricultural issues compliments of the Des Moines Register’s Presidential Soapbox series. A majority of the presidential candidates from both parties have confirmed they will speak from the soapbox during the fair. A total of 14 Republicans and four Democrats are on the soapbox schedule …
USDA Builds Rural Energy with Loans & Grants
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is helping build renewable energy in rural areas. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $63 million in loans and grants for 264 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects nationwide that USDA is supporting through its Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). “This funding will have far-reaching economic and environmental impacts nationwide, particularly in rural communities,” Vilsack …
ASA Wants RFS Biodiesel Goals to be Realistic
Goals for biodiesel in the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) recently announced by the government could be a bit better and should be realistic, as the green fuel benefits everyone and gains some unlikely allies. Cindy caught up with Wade Cowan, Texas farmer and president of the American Soybean Association (ASA) during the Ag Media Summit and got his thoughts on …
Biodiesel, Livestock Industries Work Together in Iowa
The biodiesel and livestock industries are working together in Iowa. This news release from the Iowa Biodiesel Board (IBB) says poultry and livestock producers are seeing greater profits because of the green fuel. That was the message … at Western Dubuque Biodiesel’s plant, where soybean groups hosted a tour of the biodiesel facility and gave an economic presentation to members …