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What should be the Iowa Legislature’s top priority in 2013?
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Majority and minority leaders in the Iowa Legislative leaders said last week they are trying to keep as many options on the table as possible — except when it comes to gun legislation.
Proposals to relax or tighten gun legislation are the “ultimate dog whistle for the base on the left and right,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, D-Des Moines, told reporters at a pre-session press conference in Des Moines Jan. 9. “Dog whistle” refers to political speech using coded language that appears to mean one thing, but has a different meaning for a targeted audience. “It’s hard to have a calm conversation” about gun laws,” he said.
That’s because “guns are important to Iowans,” said Sen. Rick Bertrand, R-Sioux City. And while school is important to Iowans, too, leaders see little likelihood that authorization for armed school guards will be approved in the legislative session that opens Jan. 14.
It’s clear that consensus may be a challenge when it comes to expansion of Medicaid as part of the federal health care reform.
“It’s real important we set aside the partisan rhetoric and look for common ground,” Gronstal said, specifically referring to Democratic proposals to extend Medicaid benefits to another 150,000 Iowans as part of federal health care reform. About 400,000 Iowans are on Medicaid now, according to Gov. Terry Branstad’s office, which estimated a cost increase of 129 percent if Medicaid is expanded.
Meanwhile, proponents of revamping Iowa’s property tax system to reduce commercial rates and slow growth for other property classes are bringing the same hope-springs-eternal attitude to the 2013 legislative session that begins Jan. 14.
“We’re willing to look at anything,” said Mike Ralston, leader of the Iowa Association of Business & Industry, who saw the split-control Legislature come close last year to resolving Iowa’s property tax inequity that dates back to the 1970s.
What do you think? Should one of these issues be the Legislature’s highest priority during this year’s session? Or should lawmakers’ attention be focused in a different area?
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Iowa has historically been known for a very good public education system. There has been slippage on that front. Iowa no longer ranks near the top. I believe improving our public education system should be the top priority and I see 2 sub-priorities: (1) smaller class sizes for elementary and secondary schools and (2) making a good college education affordable for any Iowan with academic potential.
Before we squander more money on reducing class sizes we should examine why educational achievement declined in spite of Governor Culver’s reduced class size initiative.
Smaller class sizes have failed. Promoting smaller class sizes is primarily a motive to pad the union pay rolls at tax payers expense. It’s no secret why Iowa is sinking in educational scores.
Here is some information from studies on student class size and achievement.
“At a glance” :http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Organizing-a-school/Class-size-and-student-achievement-At-a-glance
More in depth: http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Organizing-a-school/Class-size-and-student-achievement-At-a-glance/Class-size-and-student-achievement-Research-review.html
That’s a pure Liberal Link. The best thing for American school system is to get rid of the unions. Our sytem continues to be a global disgrace declining yearly for more than 30 years.
It’s certainly not a surprise that you can find support for reduced class size at the Center for Public Education web site. For a more balanced view check this link: http://www.wested.org/policy/pubs/full_text/pb_ft_csr23.htm
Smith,
Did a google search of the Center for Public Education and couldn’t find any information that would suggest that it was a “pure liberal” anything as Dave Ahart suggests.
It’s an initiative of the the National School Boards Association (founded 1940), which is about as fuddy duddy as the PTA, and whose primary function appears to be making education professionals aware of research in their field.
I don’t know how we’re supposed to have any kind of discussion with regard to education when 40, 50, 60 years of research is summarily dismissed as “pure liberal”. If would help if Ahart would come up with some research that would indicate that class size has no effect, but he doesn’t, he won’t, and most likely he can’t. Because it’s not out there.
What should be the Iowa Legislature’s top priority in 2013? Capping out of state welfare. Enough is enough. Neighboring states need to step up to the plate and take responsibility for their own messes instead of exporting their problems to Iowa.
I know what the two main issues for the Iowa GOP will be. They will be abortion and gay marriage.
If that is correct, it will most likely be only some sound and fury followed by nothing.
Top Issues
#1 – reforming education to incentivize teachers and administrators to put student academic performance first and social engineering last
#2 – making Iowa’s business climate competitive with the surrounding states to attract companies and jobs – included here is minimizing the burden of Obamacare (or Abomination care).
#3 – reduce taxes by streamlining the regulatory climate and making government smaller
DO NOT FOCUS ON
- Gun control. If you want to address the Sandy Hook tragedy address mental health – doesn’t mean throwing money away like typical government solutions.
Ellis,
With regard to your list of priorities, “incentivize” is one of those nails on the chalkboard words that says a lot about where you are coming from but virtually nothing about what you want.
Further, your objection to “social engineering” is equally meaningless. And especially so given that schools are all about “social engineering”. The primary function of pre-school, kindergarten, and early grades is to teach children how to behave—how to sit still, be quiet, listen, follow directions, share, cooperate, not hit, and all that other social engineering stuff so that they can be taught.
And what do you mean by “academic performance? Standardized test scores?
As far as making Iowa’s business climate more competitive, Iowa has been underbidding and raiding for as long as I’ve lived here. Given the track record, it doesn’t look like attracting companies already established in other states is working. You also need to explain how ensuring health care is bad for business. Or do you think that productivity is improved if employees are sick.
Smaller government? Iowa’s most prosperous counties are heavily dependent on government—and you live in one of them. How is downsizing government going to help given the tens of thousands of jobs generated, directly and indirectly, by the University of Iowa and UIHC.
Gun control? That’s out of your hands. If the NRA keeps up with its current PR campaign, we’re all going to be following the lead taken by New York