Prairie Dog's Profiles in Courage
The Prairie Progressive
In
a session not yet known for its profiles in courage, two Democratic
legislators are distinguishing themselves as elected officials we can
be proud of. One is Michael Connolly of Dubuque. He has
championed the inclusion of sexual orientation in a bill that would
demand more accountability of school officials in cases of bullying and
harassment.
Connolly is also fighting – sometimes against his own
Democratic colleagues who seem afraid to distinguish themselves from
their GOP counterparts in any meaningful way – for the Iowa Dream Act,
which would permit all students, regardless of immigration status, to
be classified as Iowa residents for tuition and admission
scholarships. Iowa disgraced itself with the English Only Act; to
deny access to affordable education for the children of immigrants
would deepen that disgrace beyond measure.
The
other champion is Joe Bolkcom of Iowa City, who has persevered almost
single-handedly in educating legislators and the public about the
abuses of payday lending, tax refund anticipation lending, car title
loans, and other predatory but legal forms of loan-sharking that
victimize low-income Iowans and steal from their communities.
Since 2003 Bolkcom has introduced bills to curb exorbitant interest
rates and fees that accompany these practices. If his colleagues
show some courage, this may be the year that Iowa’s ‘economic
development’ strategy finally begins to protect the hard-earned savings
of our neighborhoods and rural areas.
– Prairie Dog
From the
Spring 2005 issue of the Prairie Progressive, Iowa's oldest progressive
newsletter, available only in hard copy for $12/yr. to PP, Box 1945, Iowa City
52244. Co-editors
of The Prairie Progressive are Jeff Cox and Dave Leshtz.
Center for Responsible Lending
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