On The Exchange this week, we talk about how we can declutter our homes and our lives so we can thrive. Author Eve Rodsky talks about how we can find our "unicorn" space in a fast-moving, high-pressure world. And Siouxland organization guru Tracy Feathers has advice on making your living space more peaceful.
Also, we hear from a Morningside University professor about some of the misconceptions surrounding the much debated role of critical race theory in society.
Also, as we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, we have a special Small Wonder from Jim Schaap.
But first, we hear two opposing views about the flat tax proposed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in her condition of the state speech
last week. Reynolds proposed a 4% flat income tax rate to be phased in over four years. If approved, it would build on
the 2018 tax reform package that would lower the tax rate to 6.5% by 2023, down from about 9% five years ago.
Proponents say people are leaving higher-taxing states and moving to states that have low or no income taxes,
and that a lower, flat tax would draw people to Iowa and lead to greater investment and job creation.
First, we talk with Jared Walczak who supports the flat tax. He is VP State Projects for the non-profit Tax Foundation in Washington DC.
However, some Critics suggest that cutting taxes too deeply could lead to increases in other revenue streams, such as the sales tax, and disproportionately affect lower-income taxpayers.
I talked about those issues with Mike Owen, Deputy Director of the non-profit Common Good Iowa.
Critical race theory or CRT has become a topic that has been debated at countless school board meetings across America.
One definition calls CRT, a cross-disciplinary intellectual and social movement of civil-rights scholars and activists
who seek to examine the intersection of race and law in the United States and challenge mainstream American approaches to racial justice.
Next Tuesday, the Sioux City Human Rights Commission is offering a program to address Critical Race Theory.
Morningside University History professor Dr. Patrick Bass is the guest speaker for the event. He spoke with Siouxland Public Media's Sheila Brummer.
We also hear from Dr. Mark Vonnegut, a long-time pediatrician about how the medical world has changed over the last 40 years and how COVID-19 laid bare many of its flaws.
