Did anyone notice Yepsen's piece yesterday calling on Iowa to borrow borrow borrow? So let me get this straight... at a time when the structural deficit in Iowa is already nearing an all-time high, when revenues are down, and when the Feds are planning to literally throw money at any infrastructure project showing a pulse, Iowans should add to that and borrow? Come on, David. Let's remember what got America into this financial mess in the first place. Just because we can borrow (based on our low debt relative to other states) doesn't mean we should. Why doesn't Iowa lead the way in fiscal sanity instead? Or maybe we should just hang around the Cannon building or the Hart Senate Office Building with our hands out like the rest of America. Let's not put another $700 million on the credit card.

Kay Henderson puts up an interesting read on ITR's decision to hold a press conference during Lundby's funeral today. They probably could have chosen a better time given their history with Mary Lundby. Yes, it's in a different city altogether, but Iowa's political community is one community, regardless of where the two events are being held.

Lastly, reports of yesterday's Inaugural crowd had estimates at 1.8 million. The largest such gathering in history. Maybe it's just the new-fangled HDTV I was watching in on, but I have to say that the whole set of images from yesterday's swearing in ceremony was pretty amazing. We're going to disagree often with the new President from these very pages, but we tip our hat to the pageantry of this inauguration as well as the size and enthusiasm of the crowd on the mall. Also, does it get any better than Aretha Franklin singing to 1.8 million people?