ITR Live: Iowa Politics and Conservative Policy

Iowans for Tax Relief
  • 5.0 (17)
  • Politics
  • Updated Weekly

ITR Live is published by Iowans for Tax Relief, bringing you insights on Iowa politics, conservative tax policy, government accountability, and the fight for limited government. Hosted by Chris Hagenow, each episode features sharp commentary, behind-the-scenes analysis from the Iowa Capitol, and an occasional laugh—always with the taxpayer in mind. Whether we’re breaking down the latest legislation, tracking local government spending, or exploring how policies impact your wallet, ITR Live keeps you informed and engaged. Subscribe for honest conversations about conservative politics in Iowa.

  1. Oct 5

    The Back of the Ballot: Amendment One and School Bonds

    Chris Hagenow is joined virtually by ITR Foundation Research Director Sarah Curry for a focused episode on what's actually on Iowa's November ballot — all of it, not just the top of the ticket. Amendment One gets its regular plug: it's on the back of the ballot, and a yes vote makes it harder for the legislature to raise your income taxes. But Sarah is also tracking the other public measures — bonds, levies, and referenda from school districts, cities, and counties across the state. She's already identified more than 50, and there are some big ones. Repeat offenders, leading surveys, and projects that may have little to do with the outcomes they're promised to deliver. That leads into a conversation about Sarah's new ITR Foundation research piece on school infrastructure spending — what the academic literature actually says about whether new buildings improve student outcomes. The answer is more nuanced than the bond campaigns would have you believe, and Sarah brings both the data and a parent's perspective. ITR Report Card gets a plug as well — a useful tool for anyone who wants to know how their local district is actually performing before they vote on a bond. 0:06 Welcome 2:34 Amendment One 5:22 Other ballot measures: bonds, levies, and local referenda 6:34 Repeat offenders and leading surveys 10:43 Sarah's school infrastructure research 12:29 What the academic literature actually says 15:26 Capital spending vs. classroom spending 17:42 Iowa school debt: $3.6B to $5.6B in a decade 20:46 Bonds aren't bad — but look at the details 21:37 ITR Report Card — find your district's data 24:26 Local government summit and educating elected officials 26:24 What comes after November 27:03 Sign off

  2. Sep 25

    More Taxes, More Government: School Bonds, Steel Mills, and the ROI Question

    Chris Hagenow and John Hendrickson are back in the Hendrickson Library — Dr. Pepper Zero in hand, courtesy of friend Mark Beardmore from Carroll — with a lot to cover six weeks out from Election Day. ITR has been crisscrossing the state for the constitutional amendment. If you want yard signs or want them to come to your community, reach out. On the campaign environment, Chris pushes back on the doom-and-gloom narrative taking hold in Republican circles. Then: a Capitol report from a property tax task force this week, an economic development story developing in southeast Iowa worth watching, and a new ITR Foundation research piece on school infrastructure spending and what the evidence actually shows about outcomes. Des Moines provides a timely real-world case study. The episode closes on a question worth asking about every government program: what's the return on investment? 0:06 Welcome & Dr. Pepper Zero is back 2:54 Trivia 4:07 Amendment One on the road 5:30 The political environment 9:05 What ITR's polling shows 13:38 Ground game matters 14:59 Capitol report 20:33 Southeast Iowa economic development 23:03 School spending and outcomes 27:26 Des Moines bond referendum 31:12 ROI and government spending 32:53 Sign off

  3. Sep 11

    More Taxes, More Government: The Case Against Amendment One

    Chris Hagenow and John Hendrickson mark a somber Friday in the Hendrickson Library — the 25th anniversary of September 11th and the one-year anniversary of the passing of Charlie Kirk. Both get a moment of reflection before the episode moves on to the business at hand. The main event is Amendment One. The opposition campaign has officially launched, led by Common Good Iowa and a coalition of progressive interest groups and public and private labor unions. Chris walks through their arguments — service cuts, school funding, emergency response — and finds the same thread running through all of them: a baseline desire to make it easier to raise taxes. John frames it cleanly: these are the tax eaters, and their language of "fully fund" and "invest" is code for more government spending. Chris closes with the complete ITR campaign playbook — no hidden agenda, no complicated counter-arguments. Just a simple message: this amendment makes it harder to raise your taxes, and most Iowans agree that's a good thing. ITR is traveling the state and wants to come to your meeting. If you have a group, reach out. 0:06 Welcome 1:53 9/11 at 25 5:48 Charlie Kirk anniversary 8:20 Housekeeping & vote yes reminder 9:03 ITR on the road — come find us 10:20 Trivia: H.R. Gross answer & new Civil War question 13:08 The opposition campaign launches 14:32 Breaking down their arguments 18:04 The tax eaters — what they really want 20:49 ITR's campaign playbook 25:17 Sign off

  4. Sep 4

    Labor Day, the Ad Wars, and What Voters Are Actually Talking About

    With Labor Day marking the official start of the campaign sprint, Chris and John survey the advertising landscape taking shape across Iowa's major races. What are prevailing themes in these campaigns, and what issues should candidates address?The policy conversation centers on affordability and what's actually driving voter concern heading into November. John references a Washington Times piece on the economy as the dominant issue of the cycle, and Chris draws the through line from federal deficit spending to consumer prices to Iowa's case for fiscal restraint — and for Amendment One. John and Chris also plug a co-authored piece with Tom Sands making the business climate case for the amendment, using Washington state's income tax spiral as the cautionary example.

  5. Aug 28

    More Taxes, More Government: The Amendment 1 Debate

    Chris Hagenow and John Hendrickson are back together in studio after John has been out on what Chris generously describes as a paleo-conservative world tour. The conversation opens with a survey of the Iowa governor's race, including a new Suffolk University poll showing Rob Sand with a modest lead over Zach Lahn and Ashley Hinson ahead of Josh Turek in the Senate race. Chris and John assess where the race stands with Labor Day approaching, what issues are actually moving voters — and whether the water quality and cancer conversation dominating the campaign trail reflects what Iowans are thinking about at the dinner table. John brings back a dispatch from the State Policy Network's annual conference, where Iowa's decade of conservative reform was a consistent topic of conversation. Colleagues from around the country — including states playing nothing but defense — noted that Iowa is doing something rare: leaders who said they'd cut taxes and did, who said they'd do school choice and did. Governor Reynolds drew particular praise. Chris closes with a recap of his Iowa Public Radio River to River debate on Amendment One against a League of Women Voters representative. The opposition's arguments — service cuts, police and fire defunding, budget paralysis — got a thorough airing and a thorough rebuttal. The episode ends with the national debt crossing $40 trillion and a reminder of why Iowa's fiscal foundation is worth protecting. 0:09 Welcome back & John's return 2:36 Trivia 4:51 Suffolk poll: governor's and Senate races 9:03 Water quality vs. kitchen table economics 10:14 Sand's economic program 11:44 Lahn elevating tax policy 12:59 Is it always the economy, stupid? 14:09 What real Iowans are talking about 15:46 The ongoing case for tax relief 17:57 John's national dispatch 19:40 Iowa's reputation among conservative peers 20:54 Reynolds and the vision beyond reelection 24:23 River to River: the Amendment One debate 26:02 Rebutting the opposition's arguments 28:30 Washington state: the cautionary tale 29:59 The forces that always want more 32:13 National debt hits $40 trillion 34:26 Iowa's fiscal foundation 35:09 Sign off

  6. Aug 7

    More Taxes, More Government: The Left's Playbook for Iowa This Fall

    Chris Hagenow and John Hendrickson are back in the Hendrickson Library for a wide-ranging episode — and opposition to the constitutional amendment is starting to emerge, which means it's time to sharpen the arguments. Chris leads with the amendment, because voices on the left are now claiming that protecting income taxes from a simple majority vote will somehow cause other taxes to go up. Chris and John take that argument apart piece by piece, drawing on Iowa's own recent history to show why the premise doesn't hold. The real lesson: every time someone argues Iowa will inevitably need to raise more revenue, they're making the case for why this protection needs to be in the Constitution. From there, the conversation turns to local government and the ongoing fallout from the property tax reform law. The city of Dubuque's complaint about a $200 million drop in taxable value gets a close reading. Bond elections are on the horizon in Johnson County and Urbandale, both for law enforcement facilities. The episode closes with a look at the Sand-Muhlbauer ticket's "local control" messaging tour and what it actually means: they want local governments to be able to keep raising property taxes. 0:00 Welcome & headset chaos1:57 Trivia4:34 Amendment one: opposition is emerging6:00 The "other taxes will go up" argument9:48 Distrust of government13:41 Dubuque and the property tax bill backlash15:10 The inflation argument18:57 Bond elections24:28 Sand-Muhlbauer "local control" tour29:43 John's immigration debate with Vance Ginn30:58 John's Herbert Hoover Library visit & sign off

  7. Jul 30

    ITR Foundation Local Government Symposium Debrief

    Chris Hagenow welcomes ITR Foundation Research Director Sarah Curry back to the studio. The occasion: a debrief on ITR Foundation's second annual Local Government Symposium, and it sounds like it was the best one yet. Sarah and Chris walk through what the symposium is and why it exists — local elected officials don't have the same depth of resources available to state legislators, and too often the information they do receive comes filtered through national associations with agendas that don't match Iowa. ITR Foundation is trying to fill that gap with practical, Iowa-focused content for the city council members, county supervisors, and school board members who are running local government on a part-time basis while holding down jobs and raising families. The conversation covers the day's major themes: what the proper function of a city actually is (police, fire, roads — not homeless task forces or economic development grants), why the free market allocates resources better than government, and what local officials should take from the property tax reform law that is now on the books — namely, that relitigating it is a waste of time and energy. The symposium also featured sessions on communicating with constituents, local endorsements, open meetings law, and a school board track that introduced benchmarking — why comparing Waterloo to Sioux City makes more sense than comparing Waterloo to Waukee. Before and after the symposium discussion, Chris makes sure listeners know about the amendment one campaign. Vote yes. MakeTaxHikesHarder.com. 0:12 Welcome & Sarah Curry returns 1:14 Amendment one reminder — and Sarah goes on record 2:13 What is the Local Government Symposium? 3:33 Why local officials need a different kind of resource 9:13 Free market vs. government in service delivery 10:04 UBI and scope creep: what cities shouldn't be doing 12:31 Property tax reform: stop relitigating, start implementing 13:38 Communications and constituent outreach 16:00 Local endorsements — more powerful than you think 19:27 Open meetings law and legal guardrails 22:15 School board breakout: benchmarking districts correctly 25:06 Chris's legislative update: property tax law is settled 30:08 What's next for ITR Foundation's local government work 30:45 Sign off & vote yes

  8. Jul 24

    Vote Yes: The Campaign to Protect Iowa Taxpayers Is Official

    Chris Hagenow and John Hendrickson are back in the Hendrickson Library — John rolls in with a red solo cup of cream soda, and the energy is right. This one's worth tuning in for. The big news: ITR officially launched its campaign yesterday. The website is live at MakeTaxHikesHarder.com. The mission is straightforward — make sure Iowans know the constitutional amendment is on the ballot this fall, and know to vote yes. Chris walks through what the amendment does and why it matters. From there, New Jersey's admission that over 6,000 noncitizens were added to its voter rolls — and 400 of them voted — gives Chris and John an opportunity to revisit the election integrity debate. Governor Reynolds was asked about it at the same press conference where she signaled support for the amendment, and her answer hits the right notes. The episode closes with two Chicago Tribune editorials on tax policy that John flagged — both making the case that Illinois is falling behind its neighbors on property tax and income tax reform, and that spending is the root of the problem. When the Tribune editorial board starts sounding like ITR, something might actually be changing. 0:13 Red solo cup 2:31 Campaign launch: MakeTaxHikesHarder.com 3:08 What the amendment does 5:59 16 states already have this — including blue ones 7:48 Washington state: what happens without it 9:39 History: this was on the ballot in 1999 10:14 What the amendment doesn't do 11:35 Public support 12:16 Two things Iowans need to know before November 14:41 Iowa's decade of income tax progress 15:08 New Jersey: 6,000 noncitizens on the voter rolls 17:11 The case for voter roll integrity 18:05 Chris's University of Iowa panel story 20:07 Chicago Tribune on property taxes and Illinois 22:13 Tribune on income taxes: Iowa as the model 26:03 Sign off & vote yes

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About

ITR Live is published by Iowans for Tax Relief, bringing you insights on Iowa politics, conservative tax policy, government accountability, and the fight for limited government. Hosted by Chris Hagenow, each episode features sharp commentary, behind-the-scenes analysis from the Iowa Capitol, and an occasional laugh—always with the taxpayer in mind. Whether we’re breaking down the latest legislation, tracking local government spending, or exploring how policies impact your wallet, ITR Live keeps you informed and engaged. Subscribe for honest conversations about conservative politics in Iowa.

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