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.
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
25 Sept 2026
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
11 Sept 2026
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
Who has been a guest on ITR Live: Conservative Iowa Politics
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Sarah Curry
Jack Whitver
Pat Grassley
Sinclair
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