In 2001, I moved back
to Iowa with my family. I am on the brink of my second child graduating from
Iowa schools, but I’m not encouraging her to stay in this state – because Iowa
has no economic vision. Her brother ended up in Minnesota, whose economy is more
stable.
Since I was a kid, I
have watched this state lose ground. And state leaders have done little to stem
the bleeding.
Instead, I’ve watched
leadership, particularly under Republican administrations, cut funding for
vital services and defund government under the guise that lowering taxes
stimulates growth. That’s a marketing message with no evidence to back it up.
Lining historic U.S. tax cuts up with periods of growth quickly debunks it.
More recent state level experiments with it in Kansas also clearly demonstrate
its debilitating effects.
I’ve also watched legislation
written in recent years focus on outside entities and their interests, rather
than constituents in Iowa. Iowa’s Stand Your Ground law is an example.
As is education and its
funding. In 1992, Governor Branstad politicized school funding by doing away
with the funding formula, which was one of the premier school funding models in
the U.S. By eliminating it, Branstad and his Republican colleagues were able to
consistently defund our schools and erode our public education system. This is death by a thousand cuts. Meanwhile,
the state has increased funding for private schools, home schooling and online
schools. If an educational program is private, it should NOT receive public
funding. Parents choose private schools; they should pay. Period.
But decreased school funding
doesn’t just affect schools. Iowa communities fighting for life have
constricted further as schools, often the largest employer, close. Meanwhile,
state government has not invested in building Iowa-based businesses and
infrastructure to sustain and attract residents. Instead, we’ve courted outside
corporations to bring in jobs – most of which haven’t materialized.
These decisions are
always disguised as balancing the budget and being fiscally responsible. But
it’s more marketing messaging. Take it from this former marketing and PR
professional. As the state has cut, cut, cut, local taxing authorities have hit
property owners harder. So our state officials may say, “We cut taxes,” but
really all they’ve done is shift the burden. Eventually people catch on.
If we want to rebuild
Iowa, we must invest in our people – starting with education. We also must take
care of our people with health care (This includes mental and women’s health
care. As a woman who experienced recurrent miscarriages and had multiple
D&Cs, I know abortion needs to be part of that.), and we need to provide
support for economic development with financing and infrastructure.
So does our one-party
state government even have a vision for Iowa? Or is it simply out to protect the
interests of that party and its primary funders? Do representatives vote with
the caucus and accept the party’s talking points, or are they really dreaming
big for Iowa?
Iowans don’t have to be
fighting for crumbs. We can build a better state if we have a vision and
political will. But we must stop being led around by unproven political and
economic ideologies and engage in some critical thinking. We must get over
party loyalty and be willing to stand up and question leadership, especially
our governor and state legislators.
