National Financial Awareness day is Aug. 14 and is the ideal time to review your financial situation and goals. Everyone is on their own financial journey and increasing your financial knowledge to be better financially aware is important for all Iowans no matter your age or stage of the journey.

On my 39 County Tour, I have spoken with hundreds of independent cattle producers across Northwest Iowa. In my conversations with them, they all express the same concern that the big four meatpacking companies are reaping record profits while family-owned cattle farms are barely scraping by.

Most seem to think that droughts are annual events and that if seeing drought this year that must mean that it will fade away the next. What Dr. Elwynn Taylor told us in 2012 is that we had not seen anything yet. The drought of this century was still coming. People impact droughts and the drought in the western U.S. has been years in the hydrological making. The worst droughts impacting agriculture have been four-year or longer drought events.

Set largely aboard a Japanese bullet train, a movie named for its mode of transportation features Brad Pitt as a newly confirmed pacifist assassin, code named Ladybug much to his dislike, is tasked with retrieving a mysterious briefcase. The assignment, given him by a female voice, handler Marie Beetle, is a “simple snatch and grad,” lending itself to his newly adopted nonviolent life journey in the aftermath of several wrong place, wrong time deaths surrounding previous jobs.

Who are the “powers that be” in Spencer? The ones that make decisions for our community. For instance; installing speakers, fancy lighting and trees on main street, and a pile of rocks with a welcome sign at the South T and brown street signs that are small and near impossible to see or read. And deciding to turn off the power at a trailer park during one of the hottest summers on record.

Over the years as your state representative, I have been asked a lot of questions and given comments about policy, about singular issues a person is having with a state department or organization, about important issues in the lives of regular northwest Iowans. Sometimes I am told I am being too partisan, and we need more bipartisanship and while I don’t disagree, I must point out that bipartisanship is a two-way street in which there is give and take.

Over the last year, the Iowa Department of Public Health and Iowa Department of Human Services evaluated the areas of overlap and duplication between the two state agencies. Over the winter, the departments announced that the plan is to remove silos between agencies by moving toward a one-agency structure.

When Democrats passed their first partisan $1.9 trillion reconciliation bill early last year, even liberal economists warned it would trigger inflation. Prices at gas stations and grocery stores have climbed ever since. The average household in my state of Iowa has seen its monthly living expenses increase by $669 since January 2021. Iowa State University released a report showing inflation has caused the equivalent of a 33% cut to rural disposable incomes.

This time of year, wherever you might be fishing, if that body of water is home to largemouth bass, there will be some bass on the weedline. Here are some ideas for catching those bass.

For the past six years, I have enjoyed being a part of the Okoboji Blue Water Festival. Established in 2016, the festival has truly become celebration of water quality of not only the Iowa Great Lakes, but also across the state of Iowa. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday and promises to be an awesome day for adults and kids alike.

“You know it used to was even hotter than it is right now, don’t you?” Windy looked up from his lunch. Oh boy, professorial mood. We’re gonna get it. “I used ta pack mules, a-course. Well, I packed ‘em ‘til the accident, anyway.”

“Accident, Windy?” Dang it, Dud, you’ve done it now.

“Nobody can say I don’t love them little mules, but that accident took all the packin’ enthusiasticals right outa me.

Temperature extremes, drought and storms take a toll on our landscapes. Sometimes a bit of pruning, proper care and patience is all that is needed to help plants recover. Other times, plants need replacing. It is always sad to lose a favorite plant. The memories, time and money invested are lost, but it presents an opportunity to grow something new.

It seems like I just turned in a column, but it is my turn again. As cliche as it is, time certainly does pass quickly. Since my last article I have had the chance to help at a couple area county fairs. Being new it is a bonus to have such a late fair so that I can dip my feet in the water before it is my turn to have the answers.

I’m guessing my perspective on this time of year differs a bit from some oft those school age children.

Summer in its purest form — vacations, trips to the Lakes, concerts in the parks, days at the pool, long weekends — is coming to an end. Within the next couple of weeks, kids will return to school and we’ll be looking toward Labor Day and the Clay County Fair.

Despite what the White House says, our economy is in a recession, and inflation is the highest it’s been in over 40 years.

Washington Democrats keep telling us not to worry and that the problem is only temporary, yet every month the mountain Americans have to climb to make ends meet keeps getting steeper and steeper.

The reason is simple — President Joe Biden’s tax and spend agenda.