Note that this thread was written during the first trump administration as his administration forced USDA's Economic Research Service to relocate to Kansas City, hence the #ERS_strong as support hashtag.

#PlusçaChange still applies, alas.

Image of Heady Hall, the home of the Economics Dept. at Iowa State and the place where I studied and worked for 12 years.

Sources:
- An honest Ray Beneke first-person account in Choices (some of us ISU peeps have a modicum of self-awareness):
ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/13206...
- A terrific Annals of Iowa article for the broader context:
ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcont...
- Heady Hall gossip, my own #ERS_strong 12/12