The Iowa Legislature has swung the state toward far-right politics. November has to change that to return Iowa to its moderate tradition.
Jacob Prall
As the final days of the semester near, I can’t help but look back on my time at the University of Iowa. I won’t go on and on about some wild college adventures — I didn’t really have them. In fact, when I think about the last four years, a decidedly unexciting, deeply disconcerting trend comes to mind. Iowa’s state government has veered dangerously right, abandoning our traditions as a moderate state for the allures of far-right, draconian governance. I certainly spent more time worrying about our wayward political drift than, say, a fraternity formal or how I was going to explain a particularly large wine spill to my roommates.
I know I won’t be around next November to speak my mind, but that won’t stop me. So, at the risk of being incredibly pre-emptive to the point of absurdity, I’ll make my case against the incumbent Republicans governing from Des Moines.
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If there’s one thing Iowa’s legislators have loved doing over the last couple years, it’s stripping away rights. In the 2017 session, the Legislature dealt a devastating blow to the state’s public unions. Union teachers, firefighters, and police officers all lost a great deal, and the dissolution of unions inevitably leads to less pay for Iowa’s public servants. A fitting thank-you, right?
A woman’s right to choose is protected by the Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade, but the Legislature has gone to extravagant measures to squeeze that right out of existence. First was the 20-week abortion ban in 2017, and now, the fetal-heartbeat ban from this year’s legislative session. The ban prohibits abortions from taking place when a fetal heartbeat can be detected — long before many women even know they’re pregnant. The ban will be fought in the courts, but the lengths the Legislature will go to decimate women’s rights is reason enough for a turnover in both chambers.
Then there’s the enshrining of gun rights into the state Constitution, an unnecessary move that seems to serve only as a middle finger to the national movement against gun violence. Beyond this move, Gov. Kim Reynolds and her GOP pals voted to allow unlicensed concealed carry back in 2010, and have slowly chipped away at public safety by making it easier and easier for anyone to buy and carry a weapon.
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When it comes to Reynolds, things could be worse. She’s more moderate than some of the loons in the Senate and House for sure, but she is still far too extreme to stay in power. Beyond her politics, she’s done an awful job with her handling of sexual-harassment allegations against a close ally, Dave Jamison. Reynolds has flip-flopped on the facts and been as opaque as possible, raising ethical questions about her administration.
If the GOP majority holds, we can expect Iowa to go the way of Kansas — that is to say, bankruptcy and deterioration. Austerity spending cuts on public goods combined with massive tax cuts (that haven’t stimulated any growth in Kansas) led to a state government with empty coffers and people with more cash in their pockets — to move out of state with. Why stay when the schools, roads, and parks are all falling apart from lack of funding?
This next election is an important one at the federal level, but don’t forget about your state representatives. Iowa’s future is in the balance this November, so get out there and vote … in a few months. For now, just put it in your calendar, yeah?