John Drury is Iowa's first Dean Dozen candidate.  He's running for the Iowa Senate in District 6, North Iowa.





Back in
March of this year, Arianna Huffington, a political columnist, wrote an
article on the upcoming national election. She argued that this
election isn’t about Republican or Democrat, right or left, but that
it’s about right or wrong. That article has stuck with me because I
think it applies to the upcoming election here at home as well.



The Iowa legislature has been just plain wrong. Here are some examples on a few key issues:



The Iowa legislature has grossly underfunded our public schools, while at the same time
finding money for private schools. They have allowed outdated materials
in the classrooms. I talked to a teacher the other day and she told me
they are using 17-year-old textbooks in her classroom. We have lost
quality teachers to neighboring states for better pay. I was told that
a teacher could drive to Minnesota and make $11,000 more for the same
position. This is just plain wrong. We can and we must invest in our
children with smaller class sizes and up-to-date textbooks. We can and
we must make sure we have the highest quality teachers in our
classrooms. We can and we must regain our number one status in
education.


The Iowa
Values Fund, a proven economic development tool, has been an election
year political football, putting the state’s future at risk. The
legislature has cut aid to local governments, which has resulted in
property tax increases. They have refused to discuss raising the
minimum wage. Currently, the minimum wage in Iowa is $5.15 per hour;
200,000 Iowa workers work for minimum wage. Working full-time at this
wage brings in $10,712/yearly. That is $5,000 below the poverty level
for a family of three. This is just plain wrong. We can and we must
work towards bringing high quality, high paying jobs into the state. We
can and we must stop using election year political games with our
economic development programs.



The
legislature has refused to put reasonable regulations on agriculture
that would rein in the corporate abuse while at the same time
protecting the family farmer. They have refused to ensure that Iowa’s
drinking water remains safe and rivers and streams are clean. They have
refused to mandate the use of ethanol in the state. This is just plain
wrong. Our environment and agriculture do not have to be in conflict
with each other. We can and we must work together to protect our
environment and still support our agriculture base.



Over the
last 10 years, the Iowa General Assembly passed tax cuts that, when
fully phased in, will reduce state revenue by over $800 million dollars
annually. The biggest share of these cuts went to the wealthiest
Iowans, those earning over $200,000 per year. In short, from 1990 to
2000, the rich got richer … and then they got tax breaks. This is just
plain wrong. We can and we must examine our tax system. We should
eliminate tax loopholes that do not serve a public benefit, and we
should make the tax system fairer to all Iowans.



Which
Iowa do you want to live in? One where we put tax cuts for the rich
above the education of our children? One where corporations are more
important than the family farmer? One where it is okay for families to
work two jobs and still live in poverty? These are not necessarily
political issues. I believe they are moral ones.



We have
the power to right these wrongs. We have the responsibility to right
these wrongs. We can make Iowa a state that values our families, our
children, and our workers. We can make Iowa a great place to live, work
and to raise a family.



John Drury
Democratic Candidate for Iowa Senate, District 6