Author Archives: Marty Ryan

Flaws in the Laws: Part IV – Disturbing the Peace

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Marty Ryan

I may have retired from lobbying the Iowa Legislature – or, excuse me, lobbying legislators at the Iowa Legislature, but every once in a while, I peek at a bill that has a subject matter appealing to my interest.  House … Continue reading →

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Grandma’s Garden

Posted on February 13, 2020 by Marty Ryan

Ruth Huston gave me some of the best advice I could ever use.  Ruth was a dietitian.  Discussing some of the fad diets of the early 2000s, she said with a harsh voice that “the only way to lose weight … Continue reading →

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Creating news

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Marty Ryan

The national media received what it had requested, and now it wants to blame the Iowa Democratic Party for not having the media’s information quick enough.  For years, national and local media have yearned for raw numbers from the Iowa … Continue reading →

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Bringin’ home the bacon

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Marty Ryan

When I wrote about the possible dangers of having 40% fewer meat inspectors in pork slaughterhouses, I didn’t mean to cause such alarm among readers.  Just be sure to say grace before meals and everything should be okay. As I … Continue reading →

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Back to the Jungle II

Posted on January 22, 2020 by Marty Ryan

In the last issue of the Prairie Progressive, Back to the jungle (Fall – 2019 p.4), and in a previous Fawkes-Lee & Ryan post, Back to the Jungle, I wrote about the effect of increased line speeds on slaughterhouse workers. … Continue reading →

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Challenging times

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Marty Ryan

“What’s your address?”  “You can’t ask me that,” I said.  “That’s a test, or at the least, it’s a challenge.” The election official was taken aback and became defensive.  We engaged in a small discussion.  I could see that I … Continue reading →

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