Chronicle Editorial

By: 
Chronicle Staff

Critiquing our caucuses
    Ben Carson accused Ted Cruz of dirty tricks, Bernie Sanders questioned the results, and controversial coinflips drew the ire of many voters across the state.
    As always, it wouldn’t be an Iowa Caucus without a flood of criticism and complaints.
    It seems our state’s first-in-the-nation caucus is always under fire from pundits and politicians these days. They claim Iowa is too small, the caucus is too confusing and the electorate is too ethnically homogenous. These are age-old complaints that get recirculated every four years, so Iowans should be used to them by now.
    However, it doesn’t mean we should plug our ears and pretend everything is perfect. Significant improvements can be made to make the caucus process easier and more transparent. Both parties have had significant issues reporting results during the past two caucus cycles – first it was Republicans in 2012, then it was Democrats this year. Despite a new digital system that reports results almost immediately, additional solutions are needed to work out all the kinks. The caucus is criticized enough already and we don’t need the entire nation questioning the legitimacy of results.
    Despite the fervent barrage of complaints, this year’s caucus accomplished its intended purpose. Viable candidates gained momentum and unpopular ones dropped out. Though some states are envious of Iowa’s top position in the election process, they should be thanking us instead. We just bore the brunt of vicious attack ads, countless phone calls and nonstop media coverage. Whether or not that’s a blessing or a curse depends on who you ask.
 
New grant a huge plus for Iowa’s water
    A new federal grant has the chance to mitigate statewide flood issues and aid ongoing efforts to improve Iowa’s polluted water.
    Nine Iowa watersheds – including one in southeastern Franklin County – were awarded a $96.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development late last month. The money will fund a program to help communities recover from prior flooding disasters and improve their ability to recoup from future incidents. With recent incidents like the 2008 floods and current uproar over water quality, the grant couldn’t be more timely.
    The award came after a two-phase competition that saw several state and local agencies collaborate to create a program called the Iowa Watershed Approach (IWA). The IWA’s primary goals include reducing flood risk and improving water quality, but other objectives like increasing resilience, engaging stakeholders and improving quality of life are also high on the list. They’re rather lofty goals, but it’s important to set the bar high when dealing with a situation like this one. Iowa’s water woes have been scrutinized to death lately and it’s time to start doing something about it.
    This grant won’t be the cure-all solution to the state’s problems. However, it will complement other programs like the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. These voluntary initiatives have been slow to take off, but sentiment is starting to turn. We saw it recently with the governor’s proposal to divert future SAVE tax revenue to water quality initiatives – many folks are taking water issues seriously in Iowa, whether it’s politicians, farmers or business leaders.
     The entire state will benefit from this grant when new flood mitigation projects and other water quality initiatives are implemented. It might seem small in the grand scheme of things, but it’s important to start chipping away at Iowa’s water issues. It’s better to be late than sorry, especially when it comes to something like this.

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