Fearing Another Lawsuit, Christian Business Owners Stopped Hosting All Weddings. Now Their Business Is Dead.

Betty and Richard Odgaard, owners of Görtz Haus Gallery in Grimes, Iowa. (Photo: Odgaards)

Charged with discriminating against a gay couple, the owners of another Christian family-run business are being forced to shut their doors.

“We can’t pretend it’s going to get better,” Betty Odgaard told The Daily Signal in an exclusive interview. “There wasn’t enough business.”

Betty and her husband, Richard, are the owners of Görtz Haus Gallery in Grimes, Iowa. In 2002, they purchased the 77-year-old stone church and transformed it into a bistro, flower shop, art gallery and wedding venue.

On August 3, 2013, a gay couple from Des Moines asked to rent Görtz Haus for their wedding.

Because of their Mennonite faith, the Odgaards told the couple they could not host their wedding.

Within 24 hours, the couple filed a discrimination complaint through the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.

“We knew that the business was going to be in trouble almost immediately,” Richard, 69, said. “We had to get rid of the wedding business to avoid another complaint and possibly a higher penalty.”

The Odgaards never admitted to any discrimination, but agreed to a $5,000 settlement.

They also returned two non-refundable deposits for couples who, after hearing media reports, didn’t want to use their space for their weddings anymore.

“It was just the right thing to do,” Richard said.

Via: Daily Signal

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EXCLUSIVE–IOWA GOP CHAIRMAN REACTS TO BERNIE SANDERS’ AND MARTIN O’MALLEY’S RECEPTION IN IOWA: ‘SOCIALISM IS SO ODD TO US’

DES MOINES, Iowa – Although underdogs, Hillary Clinton’s competition in the Democratic Party drew large crowds in Iowa last weekend, as Breitbart News previously reported.

The self proclaimed socialist, “Sanders attracted overflow crowds in Ames and Davenport, then Sanders capped his three-day trip with a Saturday night stop in Kensett, where more than 300 people greeted him,” Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson wrote earlier last week.

“To a certain degree, I think socialism is so odd to us – I think there would be people that want to hear how in the world an American could promote socialism,” Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kauffman told Breitbart News – adding that he is interested in how Sanders will put his campaign message all together.

Breitbart News questioned if Iowans were interested in both Sanders and O’Malley because they aren’t Clinton – as Clinton’s honesty and trustworthiness has been crumbling among independent voters, a recent poll suggests.

“The Democrats I know certainly are – I don’t know if a socialist is going to provide that – but you know, if you look at Hillary’s voting record she’s a socialist in the making – and wait until she gets in the Obama White House and picks up whatever he leaves, in terms of his policies,” Kauffman added.

Breitbart News noted how Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is the favorite in Iowa in many recent polls but that former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and 

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)

93%

 were the only two candidates in a recent poll that Iowans selected in an individual match up with Clinton.

“These polls are going to be so fluid … I listen to the polls obviously – you know, I’m not going to get real serious about the polls at least for the top ten until – I’ll tell you it’s going to almost have to be October before I start listening,” he said.

Kauffman said it’s hard to believe anything in a June or July poll can be of any predictive value of what is going to happen in February.

Via: Breitbart.com

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Dems Pulling Funny Business In Iowa

Muscatine resident Craig White says a Democratic campaign worker somehow gave his 75-year-old mother the impression that it was OK for her to sign his name on an absentee ballot request form when he wasn’t home.

It’s a felony under Iowa’s voting laws to falsify a signature.

“It shocked me, and it really almost made me change my vote,” said White, a Democrat. “As far as I’m concerned, my civil rights were violated.”

Elsewhere, reports of unauthorized absentee ballot paperwork have led to an investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Floyd County Attorney Normand Klemesrud, a Democrat, said the DCI is checking into cases in his county in which someone allegedly filled out the request paperwork for an absentee ballot without the voter’s consent or knowledge. Chari Paulson, the DCI’s assistant director, didn’t return phone calls about the matter Friday.

Election 2012: Comprehensive Iowa voter guide

No arrests have been made. “Are they chargeable as crimes? I don’t know enough to know that yet,” Klemesrud said on Friday.

Via: Des Moines Register

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The Des Moines Register endorsement: Mitt Romney offers a fresh economic vision

Ten months ago this newspaper endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination for president. An overarching consideration was which of the party’s candidates could we see occupying the White House, and there was no question that Romney was qualified for the job.

Now, in the closing days of the general election campaign, the question is which of the two contenders deserves to be the next president of the United States.

Both President Barack Obama and Governor Romney are superbly qualified. Both are graduates of the Harvard University Law School who have distinguished themselves in government, in public service and in private life. Both are devoted husbands and fathers.

American voters are deeply divided about this race. The Register’s editorial board, as it should, had a vigorous debate over this endorsement. Our discussion repeatedly circled back to the nation’s single most important challenge: pulling the economy out of the doldrums, getting more Americans back in the workforce in meaningful jobs with promising futures, and getting the federal government on a track to balance the budget in a bipartisan manner that the country demands.

Which candidate could forge the compromises in Congress to achieve these goals? When the question is framed in those terms, Mitt Romney emerges the stronger candidate.

The former governor and business executive has a strong record of achievement in both the private and the public sectors. He was an accomplished governor in a liberal state. He founded and ran a successful business that turned around failing companies. He successfully managed the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Via: Ten months ago this newspaper endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination for president. An overarching consideration was which of the party’s candidates could we see occupying the White House, and there was no question that Romney was qualified for the job.

Now, in the closing days of the general election campaign, the question is which of the two contenders deserves to be the next president of the United States.

Both President Barack Obama and Governor Romney are superbly qualified. Both are graduates of the Harvard University Law School who have distinguished themselves in government, in public service and in private life. Both are devoted husbands and fathers.

American voters are deeply divided about this race. The Register’s editorial board, as it should, had a vigorous debate over this endorsement. Our discussion repeatedly circled back to the nation’s single most important challenge: pulling the economy out of the doldrums, getting more Americans back in the workforce in meaningful jobs with promising futures, and getting the federal government on a track to balance the budget in a bipartisan manner that the country demands.

Which candidate could forge the compromises in Congress to achieve these goals? When the question is framed in those terms, Mitt Romney emerges the stronger candidate.

The former governor and business executive has a strong record of achievement in both the private and the public sectors. He was an accomplished governor in a liberal state. He founded and ran a successful business that turned around failing companies. He successfully managed the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Via: Des Moines Register

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THE BIG FAIL: Obama Fails On College Costs

In Des Moines Register Interview, Obama Claims He Made College More Affordable, But A Newly Released Report Shows College Costs Continue To Rise

Obama: “I said that we would make sure to make college more affordable — we have.”(“President Releases Transcript Of Register Interview,” Des Moines Register , 10/24/12)

UNDER OBAMA, COLLEGE COSTS CONTINUE TO INCREASE

In The Past Year, Average In-State Tuition For Four-Year Public Colleges Increased 4.8 Percent. “Average published tuition and fees for in-state students at public four-year colleges and universities increased from $8,256 in 2011-12 to $8,655 in 2012-13. The 4.8% increase in tuition and fees was accompanied by a $325 (3.7%) increase in room and board charges for students living on campus. At $9,205, room and board charges account for more than half of the total charges for these students.” (“Trends In College Pricing 2011,” College Board, 2012-13)

• “Room-And-Board Charges Grew By A Comparable Amount, Raising The Full Cost For Students Living On Campus To $17,860.” (“Latest College Cost Hikes Modest, But Still Bite, College Board Figures Show,” The Associated Press , 10/24/12)

In The Past Year, Average Tuition For Public Two-Year Colleges Rose 5.8 Percent.“Average published in-state tuition and fees at public two-year colleges increased by $172 (5.8%), from $2,959 in 2011-12 to $3,131 in 2012-13.” (“Trends In College Pricing 2011,”College Board, 2012-13)

Sandy Baum , Senior Policy Analyst At The College Board : “ The Burden On Students Is Rising.” “‘The burden on students is rising. The federal government cannot and will not continue their (subsidies) at the same rate,’ Baum said.” (Kathleen Kingsbury, “College Costs Stall As Borrowing Falls, Study Says,” Reuters, 10/24/12)

Due To A Decrease In Pell Grants, “The Average Family Is Now Paying $960 More Per Year For A Public College Education Than It Was Three Years Ago, A 49 Percent Increase In Net Costs.” “Overall, federal grants declined to $49 billion last year, after doubling from $26 billion in the fall of 2008 to $52 billion for the 2010-2011 school year, according to the College Board. Policy changes, falling enrollments and economic conditions are all factors behind this drop. A significant cause was the end in 2011 of a three-year experiment that allowed students to qualify for two Pell Grants per calendar year and attend school year-round. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has said the decision to cut the program was made in order to sustain the Pell’s maximum grant at $5,500 amid budget deficits. As a result, the average family is now paying $960 more per year for a public college education than it was three years ago, a 49 percent increase in net costs, the College Board said.” (Kathleen Kingsbury, “College Costs Stall As Borrowing Falls, Study Says,” Reuters, 10/24/12)

Via: GOP.com

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OBAMA PRIVATELY TOUTS SEQUESTER AFTER DENYING RESPONSIBILITY IN DEBATE

At Monday's third presidential debate, President Obama pointedly promised that sequestered budget cuts that will affect defense spending "will not happen." 

OBAMA: First of all, the sequester is not something that I've proposed. It is something that Congress has proposed. It will not happen. [emphasis added]

The next morning, in an off-the-record interview with the editors of the Des Moines Register, President Obama reversed course, taking credit for a sequester that he anticipates will be "in place.":

OBAMA: "So when you combine the Bush tax cuts expiring, the sequester in place, the commitment of both myself and my opponent -- at least Governor Romney claims that he wants to reduce the deficit -- but we’re going to be in a position where I believe in the first six months we are going to solve that big piece of business." [emphasis added]

After loud complaints from new and mainstream media alike, the transcript of the President's interview with the Des Moines Register was made public today. Since these comments on the sequester represented a complete reversal of the position he took at the debate less than 24 hours earlier, it's easy to understand why the President's campaign initially wanted to keep them off the record.

Via: Breitbart

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With Start of Early Voting, Election Day Becomes Election Month

DES MOINES – As eight bells rang from the clock tower of the Polk County Courthouse, the doors to the election office opened on Thursday morning and voters began casting the first ballots of the presidential race in this battleground state.

“It seems like we’ve been waiting for this day for a long time,” said Nancy Bobo, 60, who stood in line and voted for President Obama. “I’m just thrilled to get out here and vote as soon as I possibly could.”

Less than a week before the president’s first debate with Mitt Romney and a month before the closing arguments of a campaign traditionally would be made, a steady stream of voters walked into election offices across the state to cast their ballots. They will be joined by voters in Ohio next week, along with 30 states where some type of voting is already under way.

For millions of Americans, the election no longer is a fixed date on the November calendar. It is increasingly becoming an item on the fall checklist, a civic duty steeped in the convenience of everyday life. The development is profoundly influencing presidential races, with Election Day becoming Election Month for as much as 40 percent of the electorate this year.

The number of people casting early ballots nationally climbed to 31 percent in 2008 from 23 percent in 2004, according to Michael McDonald, who studies early voting at George Mason University. This year, party strategists estimate that up to 40 percent of voters will cast ballots before Nov. 6, but the proportion is even higher in many battleground states.

Via: NYT

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