Thursday’s Des Moines Register included a guest editorial by State Senator Joe Bolkcom. In his editorial Bolkcom lays it right on the line: Iowa’s current poor condition is due fully to the very poor leadership Iowa has endured under Kim Reynolds and the Republicans in the legislature.

After listing the many ways Republican leadership has failed the state, its citizens and its various sectors, Bolkcom ends with a great summary:

“Just recently, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and U.S. Reps. Randy Feenstra, Ashley Hinson and Mariannette Miller-Meeks all voted against rural Iowa communities and farmers when they voted “no” on generational funding for rural internet, roads, bridges and water systems. Democrats passed the infrastructure bill that will bring blue-state money to fix our dilapidated red-state infrastructure. What are they thinking?

Reynolds and legislative Republicans have controlled all of Iowa government for the past five years. Every decision. Are rural communities better off today than they were five years ago? More consolidated schools? Longer bus rides? More closed businesses? More low wage jobs? Poor internet services? Population decline? More COVID deaths? More anger. Massive tax cuts for Des Moines millionaires and big corporations time and time again have only made things worse for the average rural Iowan.

If their policies were working, why are they not telling rural Iowans how great they have it? Instead, they peddle rage, grievance and victimhood to Iowans with racial fear, anti-immigrant, anti-government slogans and constant name-calling. 

In 2022, Kim Reynolds and legislative Republicans are proposing more tax cuts and more rural austerity. Tax cuts have failed to grow jobs or quality of life in rural Iowa. Tax cuts will not educate our kids or keep them from leaving, create higher wage jobs, solve the teacher or workforce shortage, create more health care services for rural Iowans, improve internet services or clean up our filthy rivers and lakes.”

Bolkcom’s words are right on the money. But instead of working to fix the state’s problems and creating an environment to lead us into the future, Governor Reynolds sends Highway Patrol officers to Texas for Texas Governor Abbot’s fake border crisis. 

Instead of working to fix Iowa’s health situation or make workplaces safer or deal with the coming eviction crisis, two of Iowa’s members of congress continue to try to stir up fear of (for goodness sake) COMMUNISTS. I kid you not.  

Never mind that both Miller-Meeks and Hinson along with Randy Feenstra voted to throw the country into economic disaster by voting NOT to raise the debt ceiling. Did I mention they also want to ignore the attempted overthrow of our government last year by voting against contempt of congress for Mark Meadows. 

Please read the full Bolkcom article. This will help you understand why the wonderful, warm Iowa of your youth no longer exists. It explains why Iowa is now merely a commodity for sale.