Newly disclosed records show that Iowa first lady Mari Culver helped a client of her private law office apply for an appointment by her husband to a state agency...
The first lady's role in the application process is significant because the appointment of Jan Reis of West Des Moines was withdrawn by the governor in the midst of the controversy due to potential conflicts involving a lawsuit by Reis - a lawsuit in which Culver's wife is one of her lawyers...
The newly disclosed records sketch out the first lady's role in Reis' quest for a job in the Culver administration. They include:
- Reis' resume, which was attached to the appointment application she submitted to the governor's office. The resume includes a handwritten notation at the top, "via Mari."
- A chronology of the Reis appointment, drafted in late March by Charles Krogmeier, head of the Iowa Department of Management, who interviewed applicants for various positions in the new Culver administration. Regarding Reis' application, Krogmeier wrote that Reis' "name came to us from Mari as her friend." Krogmeier verified the accuracy of the notes last week, saying, "I knew (the application) somehow came to us from, or through, Mari."
The governor's spokesman, Brad Anderson, said in an interview that Mari Culver also called her husband's deputy chief of staff, Elisabeth Buck, to alert her to the fact that Reis would be sending over her resume.
At least it didn't take years to find the records and they didn't just miraculously appear in the families private residence.
What's next, her own little health care committee?
I wonder how she does in the future's markets?
You have to watch out for those Dummycrat lady lawyers and the scientific community is united in that fact!
I've never been a fan of the Bill Clinton thumbs up
Culver seems to have got it down pat.
Branstad should have been more clear on the debate format, wanting response time, especially after the moderators had just gone over it with the viewers.
Culver stumbled over Sioux City seeming to call it Sewer Water City.
I love how Branstad shot down Culver's AAA bond rating by noting how Enron and Lehman Brothers both received the same rating from Moody's.
Culver used a majority of his time regarding the judicial selection process to go back to a previous question about bonding.
Culver seemed to be bragging about the 30,000 Iowans collecting extended unemployment benefits, but because Culver did not seek a change in the state's unemployment law roughly 18,000 Iowans have missed out on an 13 weeks of benefits paid for by the federal government.
When questioned by Branstad, Culver could not name one (let alone the three asked for) of his biggest mistakes, yet said he takes full responsibility for his mistakes.
That lends credence to the belief that the mistakes he's admitting to making are just an insincere campaign ploy.
When Culver was given a chance to question Branstad he just talked and talked before finally asking him to admit I-JOBS was being funded with gaming revenue.
Those revenues continue to fall and I-JOBS could end up being paid back from the state's general fund.
Branstad scored with the 300,000 jobs he created as Governor versus the 50,000 jobs Culver has lost.
Education came up and Culver brought up his two "amazing" children.
Those kids have made a commercial for him, Clare seems to take after her dad and John after his mom, Mari.
Culver also claims preschool could be the defining issue in the campaign, which makes me wonder what happened to embryonic stem cell research?
Just last week it was to be a key to Culver winning re-election.
Branstad pointed out that preschool should not be an entitlement, funded by taxpayers for everyone, but should be paid for on the basis of need.
Congratulations to Culver on not breaking out Sweaty Chetty until roughly half way through the debate.
When questioned about what he would have done different about the floods of 2008, Culver started off his response about the tornado that hit the Little Sioux Scout Ranch and then mentioned being to Cedar Rapids 100 times.
When asked again what he would have done different, his response was nothing.
I loved how Branstad tied Jack DeCoster to the Dymmycrats with his $10,000 campaign contribution to Attorney General Tom Miller and to Culver via a $400,000 donation to the Democratic Governors ASSociation, which has funded Culver's campaign.
Thankfully nobody called Decoster a bad egg or a rotten egg.
I'm not sure what to make of Culver's claim that the "facts are getting in the way of the truth".
On the topic of economic development, Culver's plan to end brain drain in Iowa is with BRAIN SUCK.
As my lovely and talented wife pointed out to me, brain gain would have been more appropriate.
In his closing statement, Culver claimed Terry Branstad is against civil rights?
Larry is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet and when you say that about someone in broadcasting it is quite a statement.
Larry and I worked for the same company when he was in news at WHO TV and I was at KLYF Radio.
Larry organized the company basketball team and just a couple years ago organized a successful (and fun) reunion of onetime WHO TV/Radio and KLYF employees, where I reminded him that my grandmother (98 this month) was the house mother at his Iowa State fraternity and Larry shared nice memories of that experience.
Let's review vehicle usage under the previous two Governors (Big Lug Nut & The Pickle) and their families to see if there is an ongoing institutional problem.
I'm sure with RekHA it's a sisterhood thing as she writes to the defense of Mrs. Big Lug Nut (Mari Culver) and an adoration thing for defending Obama...
OK, she broke a law that others are required to follow. I suspect she won't make that mistake again. Culver admitted to the infraction and requested a ticket.
Then in the very next sentence said...
But really. Some letters to the paper have cast the first lady as a criminal.
Breaking the law, admitting one's guilt and being fined for it is the definition of criminal!
In what feels like a bit of hypocrisy, Basu writes...
Lest we forget, it's still legal to buy and smoke cigarettes...
Fiberals never chastise those engaged in legal activity.
At best this is an asinine argument, alcohol is perfectly legal and the last time I checked individuals are not allowed to drink & drive, or consume alcohol while walking down the street.
Basu bloviates...
Bad for health as smoking is, it's not a crime of moral turpitude, like illicit sex or drug use. In fact, it wasn't long ago there was status associated with smoking. At fancy dinner parties, men wore smoking jackets and women used cigarette holders. Cigarettes were served with the coffee. You can change the laws, but you can't overturn a culture overnight.
Maybe during fancy dinner parties for a U.N. diplomat, but I'd venture to guess that hasn't happened in America in fifty or sixty years.
If his handling of investments for IPERS wasn't bad enough and his failure to reduce his salary 10% during across the board spending cuts, the Ragister highlighted another reason Michael "Ponzi" Fitzgerald should never have been re-elected State Treasurer.
The article mentions a big pay cut if he succeeded in again being elected governor based on his salary as president of Des Moines University. He resigned from that job in October.
