Forbes.com compiled a list of the best “bang for the buck” cities in the U.S.:

To find the cities that offer the most bang for the buck, we looked at the country’s 100 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas–geographic entities defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, for use in collecting statistics– across these measures: foreclosures as a percentage of home prices; vacancies; unemployment rates; a three-year job-growth forecast; a three-year home-price forecast; housing affordability; median real estate taxes; and median travel time to work.

The Des Moines/West Des Moines metro area ranked fourth out of 100:

With low unemployment, at 6%, few vacancies and a promising home price forecast, the real estate market shows fresh signs of robustness. And its home prices make it possible for budget-conscious home buyers to get in the door–it scores above average for home price affordability.

The Omaha/Council Bluffs area ranked first on the Forbes.com list, and also ranked first on the list of cities “best surviving the recession. “No other Iowa metros were large enough to be considered for this analysis.

Click here and scroll down for more details on the methodology used to assess unemployment and healthy housing markets. Click here for the list ranking all 100 most populous metro areas. If you’re feeling down now that snow has arrived in Iowa, consider how much more affordable life is here compared to most of the sun belt cities.

The I-JOBS Board met in Cedar Rapids today and awarded money for the first time, approving eight flood recovery projects worth $45.5 million. All of the projects are in Linn County except for $500,000 awarded to help the city of Elkader build a new fire station. More details are in this press release from the governor’s office, which I have posted after the jump.

Attacking the I-JOBS bonding program has become a staple of Iowa Republicans’ speeches and newsletters (see also here and here). I would like Republicans to explain how they would pay for flood recovery projects like the ones approved today. Or would they prefer “small government” that doesn’t repair public libraries or build new county offices and fire stations?

The official website for the I-JOBS infrastructure bonding initiative launched yesterday. It’s easy to navigate and includes, among other things:

*the rules for applying for I-JOBS money;

*details on how the bonding money will be directed to various types of infrastructure (transportation, disaster recovery and prevention, environment and water quality, telecommunications and renewable energy, and housing);

*a page where citizens can submit any question about the I-JOBS program;

*an interactive map on the main page which, as I-JOBS money starts to be awarded later this year, will allow users to click on any Iowa county to find out which projects affect that county’s residents.

You can receive updates on the I-JOBS program on Twitter as well.

The only thing I couldn’t find on the site is a link for reporting waste and abuse of I-JOBS money. If that’s not on the site, it should be added, and if it’s already there in an obscure location, it should be moved somewhere easier to find. The official page on the use of federal stimulus funds in Iowa has a link for reporting stimulus fraud right on the main page. Perhaps the I-JOBS webmaster could follow that example, or at least put a link for whistleblowers in the “helpful links” section.

Republicans will be looking for any slip-up in the use of I-JOBS money to bolster their misleading talking points about the infrastructure bonding initiative. It should be easy for Iowans to report any problems they see in their communities.

Matt Stoller found this shameful tidbit in the Congressional Record from last Friday. The speaker is Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, who is mad that some senators want to find budget cuts to offset disaster aid for Iowa:

So I don’t want anybody telling me that we have to offset a disaster relief package for the Midwest where people are hurting, when we didn’t do it for New Orleans. Why the double standard? Is it because people aren’t on rooftops complaining for helicopters to rescue them, and you see it on television too much? We aren’t doing that in Iowa. We are trying to help ourselves in Iowa. We have a can-do attitude. It doesn’t show up on television like it did in New Orleans for 2 months.

Open Left commenter SpitBall raises an excellent point–a better question is “why federal aid to the flood victims in Iowa should require a budgetary offset, when the invasion [and] occupation of Iraq does not.”

But getting back to Grassley’s comment, it disturbs me that he would denigrate the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Can’t he just praise Iowans without portraying us as better than those no-good complainers in New Orleans?

And suppose the Iowa floods had left thousands of people trapped in their homes, unable to escape on foot or by vehicle. Is he saying Iowans would not stand on their roofs hoping to be rescued? Would we build our own rafts, or what?

The Iowa flooding this summer was unprecedented, but we didn’t have whole neighborhoods of people stranded without food or water the way New Orleans did the first couple of days after Katrina hit.

The unspoken contrast in Grassley’s comment is that (white) Iowans are better people than (black) Katrina victims.

Right-wing blowhard Rush Limbaugh started pushing this meme right away last month. Iowa conservative blogger Emily Geiger picked up the talking point from Rush or some other radio host and ran with it:

Iowans can fix most things ourselves. It’s just a matter of who is going to pay for it all after the fact. This isn’t like New Orleans, where (I heard some relief worker on the radio the other day say that) out-of-state volunteers had to wake up residents at 10 a.m. so that the volunteers could get inside the houses where the residents then sat around and watched the volunteers work.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: when the going gets tough, count on Republicans to make people feel better by reinforcing their racist stereotypes.

Meanwhile, Democratic Representatives Bruce Braley, Dave Loebsack and Leonard Boswell did something constructive on Thursday. They jointly wrote to Steve Preston, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, asking for the immediate release of $30 million in Community Development Block Grants to Iowa.

The full text of their letter to the HUD secretary, along with a joint press release explaining some background, is after the jump.

If you want to contribute your time, energy and expertise toward helping Iowa communities recover and rebuild after this summer’s floods, consider applying to serve on one of these nine task forces.

Act quickly, because I heard they will be appointing task force members soon:

GOVERNOR CULVER, LT. GOVERNOR JUDGE CALL ON IOWANS TO APPLY FOR REBUILD IOWA TASK FORCES

To apply, Iowans should complete and return attached application form, also available on-line at flood2008.iowa.gov

Governor Chet Culver and Lt. Governor Patty Judge are inviting Iowans to apply for a position on one of the nine new Rebuild Iowa task forces, which will help create a vision for Iowa’s recovery efforts.

“As the flood waters rose, we saw the strength, resilience and determination of Iowans shine through as our state joined together to save our homes, businesses, and communities,” said Governor Chet Culver.  “Now, we must tap into this same spirit of service as Iowans begin down the road to recovery.  I call on Iowans from across the state to help our friends and neighbors in need, and serve on one of these nine Rebuild Iowa task forces.  By locking arms and working together, I am confident that we can rebuild our state, stronger and better than before.”

Last month, Governor Culver signed his seventh executive order, which created the Rebuild Iowa Advisory Commission.  To be chaired by Gen. Ron Dardis of the Iowa National Guard, the 15 member commission is designed to help guide our state’s recovery efforts.  The Executive Order specifically calls for the creation of task forces to help guide the commission’s work.

“These task forces are an important step in helping Iowans recover from this year’s historic and severe flooding,” said Lt. Governor Patty Judge.  “The Governor and I look forward to working with the Rebuild Iowa Commission, the nine task forces, and all Iowans as we begin the difficult work of rebuilding our state and returning life to normal for all Iowans.

The nine task forces created are:

   * Housing

   * Flood Plain Management and Hazard Mitigation

   * Infrastructure and Transportation

   * Economic and Workforce Development

   * Cultural Heritage and Records Retention

   * Public Health and Health Care

   * Long-Term Recovery Planning

   * Agriculture and Environment

   * Education

Iowans interested in applying should complete and return attached application form, also available on-line at http://flood2008.iowa.gov

David Elbert wrote an interesting piece for Wednesday’s Des Moines Register about a mixed-use developments in the “East Village” area of downtown Des Moines. The article’s main focus is a new project that

will have retail on the ground floor, offices on the second and residential units on the third, fourth and fifth floors.

It’s a combination found in stylish developments from Boston to Seattle. Sort of a 21st-century version of the strip mall, without cars and more compact.

Tenants like the concept because the multiple-use design brings people together.

Developers like it because three profit centers – retail, commercial and residential – spread risk in uncertain times.

These neighborhoods offer a good quality of life for people who want a more urban setting, and are good for developers too.

What Elbert didn’t mention is that compact development is also good for the environment; it can reduce the carbon-dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming.

First, mixed-use developments substantially reduce emissions from cars, because their residents live close to amenities and have alternatives to driving. The “Growing Cooler” report on Smart Growth America’s website explains why:

“Curbing emissions from cars depends on a three-legged stool: improved vehicle efficiency, cleaner fuels, and a reduction in driving,” said lead author Reid Ewing, Research Professor at the National Center for Smart Growth, University of Maryland. “The research shows that one of the best ways to reduce vehicle travel is to build places where people can accomplish more with less driving.”

Depending on several factors, from mix of land uses to pedestrian-friendly design, compact development reduces driving from 20 to 40 percent, and more in some instances, according to the forthcoming book Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change. Typically, Americans living in compact urban neighborhoods where cars are not the only transportation option drive a third fewer miles than those in automobile-oriented suburbs, the researchers found.

[…]

“Clearly, the development industry has a key role in the search for solutions to offset the impact of climate change,” said ULI Senior Resident Fellow William H. Hudnut, III, former mayor of Indianapolis. “Whether close-in or in suburbs, well-planned communities give residents the option to walk, bike or take transit to nearby shopping, retail and entertainment. Being able to spend less time behind the wheel will benefit our health, our pocketbooks and the environment.”

Implementing the policies recommended in the report would reverse a decades-long trend. Since 1980, the number of miles Americans drive has grown three times faster than population, and almost twice as fast as vehicle registrations. Spread-out development is the key factor in that rate of growth, the research team found.

The findings show that people who move into compact, “green neighborhoods” are making as big a contribution to fighting global warming as those who buy the most efficient hybrid vehicles, but remain in car-dependent areas.

Second, apartments or condominiums in mixed-use buildings like the ones described in Elbert’s piece cost less to heat and cool. If you’ve ever used one of those online tools to calculate your carbon footprint, you know that having a stand-alone house with four exterior walls significantly increases your energy usage.

In Las Vegas this Thursday, at the Democratic debate, the elephant in the room will be housing.  With the housing market meltdown, foreclosures are sweeping the country. Nevada has the worst rate with one foreclosure filing in every 61 households, while the nationwide rate is one foreclosure filing for every 196 households.

One of the few things the Federal government does to actually assist working families to gain first time homeownership is the downpayment assistance program.

I've written about the downpayment assistance issue before, with support from several of the most popular Black bloggers. The Bush Admin and HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson has been trying to close down the downpayment program– which allows nonprofits to help qualified first time home buyers with getting the downpayment they need to move into their first home. The GAO reports that if the Bush admin is allowed to close downpayment assistance, then 40% of African-American homebuyers and potentially 30% of Latinos will be unable to utilize FHA loans and will be unable to become homeowners.

In the house, Democrats Maxine Waters and Barney Frank have championed a bill to block Alphonso Jackson's regressive efforts. In the courts, a Federal judge ruled October 31st that HUD cannot issue its decision banning downpayment assistance because of lack of a public hearing and with concern for how many people would be adversely affected.

Now with those kind of odds, shouldn't the Bush admnistration be backing down? No- and that's because they still have support in the Senate. Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd is still siding with the Bush administration, echoing Republican Senator Richard Selby by saying he thinks downpayment assistance ought to go…

Clearly, Eliminating downpayment assistance is just another way to put Blacks into a modern day sharecropping system the apartment renting plantation. Without rich parents and inherited wealth, many minorities are trapped in cycles of poverty…never owning assets and always renting…

Let's hope Senator Obama and Senator Clinton takes leadership of this issue that is affecting communities all over the country. Will Blitzer ask a question about how to deal with the housing crises? Will he have the cojones to challenge Dodd for supporting Bush on shutting down the lifeline to these people?

Downpayment assistance is the best way people can AVOID the predatory loans and subprime mortgages which have caused the bubble to burst. Taking downpayment assistance away will only exacerbate problems.

Sign this petition and act now!