Media Watch

Minimum wage is one of those touchy-feely Democratic issues that is supposed to take care of those who are mistreated by their thrifty employers, the same issue that is detested by Republicans, claiming it stifles small businesses and increases unemployment. But in discussions about minimum wage, you hear few pundits compare minimum wage to a nominal 3% inflation rate (see chart right, showing 29 years of minimum wage vs. the 3% inflation curve). In 2007, congress created the most recent amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act that resulted in this month's wage boost, however some are blaming the current administration for hurting small businesses through an increase put in place before the election. If you look at minimum wage since 1980 -- when conservative Republican Ronald Reagan was elected President -- and plot where it should have tracked (through conservative economic incentives designed to produce growth in American industry), it always seems to trail inflation and ec...

It's wanting to see shows like these that make me feel both old and nostalgic at the same time. See you old-timers there! 2009 Iowa state Fair, Budweiser Stage sponsored by ABC5: - Firefall, Thu & Fri (Aug 13 & 14) @ 7:30 & 9:30 - Headeast, Sat & Sun (Aug 15 & 16) @ 7:30 & 9:30 - Pure Prairie League, Mon & Tue (Aug 18 & 18) @ 7:30 & 9:30

Since the digital TV switchover last month, it has become clear that local television stations have not fully embraced their new hi-def capabilities. Watching channel 8-1 this morning, it's obvious they still use their old standard definition video cameras in the news studio and are simply up-converting the signal to high definition; it's a blurry picture. Same story for channel 13-1. But in addition to using older SD cameras, whenever they slap in their lower third ticker, they have to drop the 16:9 image back to a 4:3 aspect ratio. So they use SD to shoot news talent, up-convert to HD for a wide-screen shot, then reduce back to SD when using a ticker. Watching this in glorious 16:9 hi-def is a train wreck! And it appears that channel 5-1 isn't even pretending to be an HD news shop. If it weren't for their low-end SD studio gear, I'd say this is better. Unfortunately, of the big 3, our local ABC affiliate's newscasts remain the most difficult to watch. So ...

Click to Play Shawn Johnson sat in with Murph & Andy on KXnO Monday.

Burning fossil fuels is a fundamentally flawed plan when it destroys the landscape and detracts from quality of life -- saying nothing of what it may or may be doing to the environment at large. It just makes a lot more sense to intercept the existing energy all around us. Unless, of course, you have an enormous financial stake in traditional energy production and any of the supporting industries. The industry should want to modernize and be more efficient, but the reality is that it's been cheaper for them to pollute the air. Every rooftop and back yard could have some form of energy collection, whether solar, wind or hydro. The initial costs are coming down and ongoing maintenance is relatively inexpensive compared to all of the oil refined and burned to deliver coal to consumers as energy -- however considerably less profitable for MidAmerican Energy. Follow the money and use your common sense.

Bob Vander Plaats appeared on Jan Mickelson's show Thursday (6/18/2009) and explained his positions on a state constitutional amendment for banning same-sex marriage, legislative activism and the governor's power to use executive orders to remedy bad court decisions. Bill Salier was guest-hosting that day. click here to download

The local media has widely reported improved real estate sales from April to May of this year, citing figures furnish wholesale by the Des Moines Association of Realtors, the real estate lobby group. Despite those claims, the Polk County Assessor's database shows there were 2,860 residential deeds issued in Polk County, Iowa in the last six months (Dec-May), compared with 4,013 issued during the same six month period a year earlier. That's a 29% drop, not an increase. The total sales numbers for that period are even worse, suffering a 45% decline from more than $600 M last year down to about $400 M this year. And while realty agents are doing their best to stave off commodity pricing through incentive kickbacks and other perception management practices, even the average sale price took a dive from $152 K to $140 K, an 8% loss. This look is a broader picture than the one being offered by the realty association because it covers six months, but even residential sales between Ap...