The Iowa Independent’s Jason Hancock appeared Monday on Iowa Public Radio’s “Morning Edition” to discuss a story published last week by reporter Andy Kopsa documenting federal funds that have gone to the Iowa Family Policy Center. In the last few years, the politically influential Christian organization has received more than $3 million in federal grants through two subsidiaries of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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HHS grants accounted for half the group's revenue in 2007

Between 2004 and 2009 the politically influential Christian organization Iowa Family Policy Center (IFPC) received more than $3 million in federal grants through two subsidiaries of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In 2004 and 2005 the IFPC received a total of $850,000 from the Administration for Children and Families’ Compassion Capital Fund.  From 2006 to 2009 they received $2.2 million through the U.S. Healthy Marriage Demonstration Fund, which is doled out in yearly increments of $550,000 and will be awarded to IFPC through 2011.

Read the complete article at IowaIndependent.com:  http://bit.ly/9gAlPO

Everyday America, the West Des Moines-based conservative organization founded by former senatorial candidate Bill Salier, has officially endorsed Dave Funk’s candidacy in the seven-way GOP 3rd District primary.

The group, which is probably best known for its opposition to same-sex marriage, said Funk “is a man anchored in the Constitution and his Christian faith. He will go on the offensive to protect these values for future generations, understanding that our rights come from God, not from government.”

“Dave Funk is a tireless worker, who will not accept the current state of Washington, D.C.” Salier said in a statement. “Dave attacks problems in Washington the same way I would, that is to rip the power out of federal government’s hands and restore it to the people just as our founders intended.”

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Iowa residents have not yet been given the tools they need to track government spending, and trust in government has suffered as a consequence, according to a new report issued by a national public watchdog group.

The report, “Following the Money: How the 50 States Rate in Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data,” tracks state progress toward a new age of transparency that includes comprehensive, one-stop, one-click budget accountability and accessibility. Although three of Iowa’s neighbors — Minnesota, Illinois and Missouri — were given high rankings in the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups (U.S. PIRG) study, Iowa and 17 other states received a letter grade of “F.”

Of the states that received the lowest ranking, Iowa is one of 14 that have not launched a Web site that allows citizen access to government spending records. Although the state legislature has considered, as recently as 2009, development of such a Web site, it has yet to win passage.

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For months, Danny Carroll, chairman of the Iowa Family Policy Center (IFPC), has waged a war on Terry Branstad. It began with his group’s ant-endorsement of the former governor in January, saying it would sit out the fall campaign if he was victorious in Junes GOP gubernatorial primary.

Several more shots followed, and last week Carroll made a point to release a statement following a National Journal article on the gubernatorial race, saying “there is no compelling reason for men and women of conviction to compromise and support Terry Branstad.” Carroll followed up the release by appearing on the show of Christian radio host Steve Deace, where he further discussed their disapproval of Branstad and his associations, namely wealthy donors and presidential hopefuls like Mitt Romney.

Tuesday, conservative blogger and former Republican Party of Iowa Political Director, Craig Robinson, weighed in, calling Carroll to task for his own record and concluding that the IFPC would not have supported his campaigns either.

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Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s statements to student journalists at The College of New Jersey earlier this week comparing same-sex marriage to drug abuse and incest drew widespread scorn, but the governor says his comments were misquoted and taken out of context.

In response, the students released the full audio of the interview.

In a statement through his political action committee, Huckabee railed against the article and the students who produced it.

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Johnson County is arguably the most liberal place in Iowa, and given recent events, it’s also arguably the most disenchanted. Those on the right continue to rail against a litany of perceived big government policies, and those to the left aren’t convinced that promises made in the build-up to the 2008 blue tide have come to pass.

That disenchantment, when coupled with a lack of Republicans opposition at the local level, could end up costing Democrats this fall, as a county that typically helps carry the party to victory on Election Day may not be so reliable in 2010.

Even while seething over national and state policy decisions and vowing to regain control of the legislature and Congress, Johnson County Republicans have, so far, bowed out of local politics, possibly leaving Iowa’s most liberal residents with few incentives for visiting the ballot box in November.

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In an interview with the magazine of The College of New Jersey, former Arkansas governor and potential Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee openly compared homosexuality to drug addiction and incest, eventually calling legalized adoption by same-sex couples an example of experimentation on children.

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The three Republican candidates for governor of Iowa each expressed their desire to reverse marriage equality during a televised debate Thursday.

According to Radio Iowa, “The first televised debate featuring the three Republican candidates for governor gave the trio a new forum to restate their views on the Iowa Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage in Iowa. Each would like to see the ruling reversed.”

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Read the complete article at Advocate.com: http://bit.ly/cEzlhh