iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The US Bureau of Economic Analysis said Iowa’s economy grew at a measly annual rate of 1.7% in the 2nd Quarter. That’s worse than any of the states bordering us, except Nebraska. Minnesota’s economy grew twice as much as Iowa’s.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

One high-cost, less effective idea was private school vouchers, a leading reform put forth by conservatives, now available in a growing number of states. @eduskyteam.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/u...

nytimes.com

30 Ideas for Fixing U.S. Schools, Ranked by Experts

Math and reading scores are in a decade-long slump. We asked three dozen experts: What could turn things around?

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn introduced a bill to reverse President Trump's beef tariff suspension, saying the U.S. should rebuild its shrinking cattle herd instead of relying on more imports. Of course, he did it when the House wasn't in session. That's why we need to elect @sarahforiowa.bsky.social .

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Eastern IA schools are scrambling to cover bus costs as Trump's Iran war drives fuel prices through the roof. Superintendents say they're "rolling the die" choosing between fixed and flex rates, and higher costs will mean cuts to classrooms, routes, and student services. #edusky

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Almost 200,000 children have been ordered removed since Trump returned to office, more than double the pace under the previous administration, with 70% of them under age 13, according to data from the advocacy group Mobile Pathways.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Iowa had 10 times the rate of child labor law violations compared to the US as a whole in 2025, according to Common Good Iowa's Sean Finn—and businesses are rarely penalized for it.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

The U.S. House passed a bill requiring AM radio in new passenger vehicles. All members of IA's congressional delegation are co-sponsors of the House or Senate versions, which the CBO estimates would cost automakers millions of dollars annually. Why? Conservative talk radio dominates the AM dial.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Government employees were paid $9.5 billion not to work last year as part of DOGE’s efforts to shrink the federal work force.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

According to a major investigation from ProPublica, Donald Trump Jr.’s lavish three day wedding across two private Bahamas islands in May was secretly funded in large part by Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, a close associate of Vladimir Putin.

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Reposted by Randy Richardson

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 14/09/2026

Your regular reminder: If the Russians stop fighting, the war ends. If the Ukrainians stop fighting, their land will be occupied, their leaders will be killed, their history and language will be erased, their children will be kidnapped to serve Russia.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

The typical American spent an average of 16 minutes per day reading for pleasure in 2025, but an average of 2.6 hours watching TV. Need I say anymore.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

"Women accounted for 158,000, or 98%, of the 162,000 nonfarm payroll jobs created in August, according to the BLSs’ establishment data. Compared to this time last yr, there are 870,000 more women employed in the U.S. and 1.5 million fewer employed men." www.nationalreview.com/news/women-f....

nationalreview.com

Women Filled 98 Percent of Jobs Created in August. What Happened to the Men? | National Review

Two female-dominated industries — health care and public education — grew, while male-heavy industries shrank.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Iowa used to be revered for our education. Now, Iowa’s Republican-controlled legislature has dragged us to the bottom. It’s time they are held accountable and put public education first! app.sosha.ai/s/krlDvhl6

app.sosha.ai

Iowa Drops from 20th to 27th in National Education Rankings

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Union membership in the US grew by 411,000 workers in 2025, the largest increase since 2008, with nearly triple the growth rate in states that protect collective bargaining compared to “right to work” states, according to a new report from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

"A new Economic Policy Institute report finds workers in the 26 states with right-to-work laws earn nearly 7% less on average than those in states without them, a gap that has more than doubled over the last decade." www.marketplace.org/story/2026/0....

marketplace.org

Wages are 7% lower for workers in right-to-work states

A new Economic Policy Institute report finds workers in the 26 states with right-to-work laws earn nearly 7% less on average than those in states without them, a gap that has more than doubled over th...

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Don't get fooled. Iowa's Amendment 1 is sold as "lower taxes." In reality, it locks in tax breaks for the wealthy and will shift the bill to working families through higher sales tax, gas tax, and fees on everyday life. This November: Vote NO on Amendment 1. votenoiowa.info

votenoiowa.info

Vote No Iowa

Vote No on Iowa Amendment 1

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

American farmers spent an estimated $1.4 billion more on diesel this spring planting season compared to the year before, according to a congressional analysis. Illinois farmers saw the largest increase in total planting diesel costs of any state, at $163.2 million.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Before the Democrats passed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 without a single Republican vote, about 18% of Americans under 65 had no health insurance. With the passage and later expansion of the ACA, also known as Obamacare, the number of uninsured had fallen below 10%.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

There was a 17% drop in new international student enrollment for fall 2025, recent survey findings by the Association of International Educators reveal. This translates to over $1.1 billion in lost revenue for the U.S. economy and nearly 23,000 fewer jobs. #edusky

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Trump’s approval rating has fallen to a new low according to an Economist/YouGov poll, with just 33% of Americans approving of his job performance. Sixty percent say he is not honest and trustworthy, while 61% believe he is using the presidency for personal gain.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Wages and salaries are at roughly 43% of U.S. gross domestic income in the first quarter of 2026. Taken from a government data series going back to 1929, that share is nearly the lowest since the Great Depression began.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

This says it all. A think tank at Renmin University of China, in Beijing, published a report called "Thank Trump," which argues that his tariffs, attacks on allies and immigration policies have hastened the "twilight of an empire."

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

"A recent SmartAsset study examined the total federal individual income tax paid by residents of each state and calculated the share paid by the state's top 1% of households." Iowa ranked 39th. www.businessinsider.com/states-ranke....

businessinsider.com

States ranked by how much of their federal income tax is paid by the top 1%

See how much the top 1% of earners pay in federal income taxes in every US state, ranked using the latest available IRS data.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

More and more uninsured patients are showing up in emergency rooms and have been unable to pay their bills after Republican lawmakers cut Obamacare subsidies. (And the Trump administration said it would end Biden-era subsidies that helped lower the cost of Medicare drug coverage.)

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

The erosion of class. Presidents, VPs and presidential hopefuls have used profanity at least 692 times in public since 1919, according to data from Cardiff University. 605 of those instances occurred in the past 10 years. #trumpiscum

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Congressman Zach Nunn has accepted more than $30,000 from political action committees tied to pesticide and agrochemical companies, even as researchers continue to examine the role environmental contaminants may play in Iowa's rising cancer rates. Iowa ranks second in the nation for cancer incidence

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Cedar Rapids private school expanding after enrollment jump of nearly 60% since IA's voucher program began. Taxpayers are subsidizing private schools w/ little financial transparency, as tuition has climbed above $10,000/yr, forcing parents to pay thousands over the taxpayer-funded voucher. #edusky

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

The share of Americans who read for pleasure on any given day fell from 28% in 2004 to 16% in 2023, according to the American Time Use Survey. Gambling is now more common than reading a book: 57% of Americans placed a bet last year. #edusky

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Fewer than half of U.S. adults read a book of any kind in 2022, according to a National Endowment for the Arts survey. #edusky

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Meet Zach Lahn. He’s got an"Iowa First" slogan, but his record shows the opposite. He just changed his voter registration to Iowa, previously co-founded a Koch-funded private school in Kansas, and is backed by RFK Jr.'s MAHA movement.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Nine-year-olds who were preschoolers when the pandemic hit are now reading at the same level as children their age before Covid. #edusky

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

A year's worth of inflation-adjusted wage gains vanished in just four months, leaving workers little better off than when President Trump returned to office.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

As we say BYE to Gov. Reynolds, let's remember that her attacks on our public schools, health and workers would not be possible without the MAGA legislature.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Vote NO in November on the constitutional amendment that would require a 2/3 majority vote by the legislature to raise income taxes. If it would pass the state would likely need to raise the sales tax which would place a larger burden on low income Iowans. open.substack.com/pub/edtibbet...

open.substack.com

Will Iowans vote this fall to raise the state sales tax?

That's what's at stake if a new millionaire protection plan wins at the ballot box.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Project 2025 architect Kevin Roberts praised President Donald Trump’s administration for implementing a substantial portion of the conservative policy blueprint, saying: “We proposed 1,913 recommendations for Project 2025. 1,055 have been implemented.”

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

George Washington refused to place his image on U.S. currency while he was alive because he believed it resembled the behavior of a monarch. And still President Donald Trump is proposing a new $250 bill with his picture on it.

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Randy Richardson @randy-richardson.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Central Iowa schools are reporting more lunch debt this yet. Yet, our lawmakers have no problem touting tax cuts for the wealthy… Clearly, it’s time for leaders who put Iowa kids before politics. #edusky

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