I was so grateful for a successful exercise in democracy at the listening post in West Branch. People could talk without being harassed. Strangers from across the political spectrum even discovered they shared things in common.
But it just couldn’t last, could it? In Lowden the next week, Rep. Bobby Kaufmann had to start out provocative and misleading. Thankfully, he eventually calmed down. Constituents have the right to describe their concerns about government without elected leaders demonizing or castigating them. Bobby cited that same right when he declared the federal government can’t do anything right. (Interesting how that works. Local Republicans continue to hand out millions in federal money as if they - and not the federal government - appropriated those funds.)
We ask our elected leaders to address these remaining issues:
Skyrocketing insurance costs. Unlike property taxes, insurance premiums don’t support local schools and public services. They line the pockets of the ultra-wealthy, most living out of state. It’s time to cap insurance costs on our fire departments, farms, homes and healthcare and regulate corporate control over availability. State government can stop the gouging.
Selective health education. We agree with Sen. Gruenhagen that young children should understand the biology of fetuses. We recommend including age-appropriate education on how babies are made. Imagine if more young people understood that before it was too late.
Water pollution. A clear, clean river would bring tourists and jobs like rivers in Wisconsin and Minnesota do. Why have Republicans gutted programs that tell us how polluted our waters are? Or why, after spending millions on conservation, they’re still filthy?
Higher education. Out of hundreds of thousands of employees, contractors and students, it’s easy to find outliers to use for provocative stories. That’s no reason to restrict freedom of speech or load up our colleges with red tape. That just makes them less effective so conservatives can then claim our schools are failing us.
Farmers’ right to sue. Bobby said twice, “Everyone knows glyphosate causes cancer.” So why can’t farmers who get cancer have their day in court, in front of a jury of their peers? Maybe because Bayer owns Monsanto. Bayer’s a German company with a history of supporting Nazis and testing its products on unwilling concentration camp victims, according to the Holocaust Encyclopedia. The Modern Ag Alliance, funded by Bayer, has poured millions into Iowa to support this bill.
How come elected Republicans are regulating farmers’ rights and free speech in schools while insurance companies and polluters get off scot free?
Let’s talk about it. Next 82nd Indivisible Gathering this Thursday, Feb. 13, Mexico Lindo, West Branch, 5 p.m. Friends from across the 82nd House District welcome.
Suzan Erem
Gower Township,
Cedar County