Tom Harkin: Phony Iowan

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack....

Not only is Tom Harkin a phony soldier who lied about what his experience during the Vietnam years, but he's also a phony Iowan.

A lot of questions have been raised over the years about Harkin's residency.

From the NY Times in 1992:

According to public records and 1990 tax returns, the Harkins' greatest assets are in real estate, including a home in Alexandria, Va., valued at $278,270; a vacation house and adjacent property in Abaco, Bahamas, worth $190,000, and an apartment duplex in Indianola, Iowa, a small town southeast of Des Moines, that they rent out. It is assessed at $78,906.

If you read Ruth Harkin's bio as a member of the board at ConocoPhillips it says she lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

An Iowa Assessors lookup shows that Tom and Ruth Harkin own a property at 528 N 43rd St in Cumming, located in Warren County. This was a shack owned by the Harkin Family (including other relatives besides Tom and Ruth) and occupied by Tom's deaf brother Frank until he died. In 2000, Tom and Ruth Harkin bought the shack. The deed holder is listed as Harkin, Thomas R/Ruth, 1900 Ancilla CT, Alexandria, VA 22307.

The house in Cumming is the address Ruth Harkin uses as a member of the Iowa Board of Regents. When questioned about her residency in 2005 before becoming a member, she said:

"Let me just say, the last 12 years we have had a legal residence in Iowa and during that time, as you know, Tom has been in Congress; we have also maintained a home in Virginia," Harkin said.

She said she could not make an estimate on how much time she has spent in either state because she has been "[in Iowa] for so many reasons, both personal and professional."

Harkin also pointed out that she holds a legal residence in Iowa and pays Iowa state taxes.

Er, so was Ruth Harkin saying that before 1993 the Harkins didn't have a legal residence in Iowa? What did they use before 1993?

Sure, the shack in Cumming is a legal residence. Sure, you file taxes in Iowa. But how often do you sleep there?

It's not like Ruth Harkin stays in the shack very often for Iowa Board Of Regents meetings. The Board only meets 10 times a year for two days, and the closest meeting to the Des Moines/Cumming area is in Ames, 52 miles away. And the Ames meeting location is only three times a year.

When Tom Harkin isn't in Congress he's usually out raising money or campaigning for others. I would imagine that Harkin might show up at the shack during his Steak Fry, the location of which is 22 miles away outside of Indianola, but that's only for one day a year.

Somebody ought to ask Tom Harkin how often he's at that little shack in Cumming. I'd be willing to bet that he spends much more time at his resort in Abaco, Bahamas far more than at the shack in Cumming, Iowa.