A few weeks ago I wrote a post concerning “Iowa Nice.”      That is the perception that Iowans are by their nature nice people. That is a perception that is getting an update as the nation is astonished by Iowa’s exceptionally hard turn to the extreme right.

Today we have sometime contributor Don Paulson of Letts share his take on “Iowa Nice.”:

Whatever happened to ‘Iowa Nice”? Republicans in the Iowa legislature have filed dozens of bills that would take a sledgehammer to common decency and common sense.

Iowans prefer to have strong public schools, clean water, real health care centers, help with child care costs, no limits on trucking industry liabilities, independent State Auditors and State Consumer Advocates, leave SNAP alone, keep their children safe in the workplace, and a fair tax system.

Robert Leonard (Iowa Capital Dispatch, “Drowning Public Schools in the Bathtub to Promote GOP Ideology”, 3/18/23) explains what is going on here.

He states, “It’s a perfect formula. Underfund government, make sure it underperforms, let the underperformance be used to demonize the underfunded government efforts, and then make the arguments that public money should be diverted into the private sector instead because the private sector can allegedly do it ‘better’.”

Senate Study Bill 1126 is a case in point. As Mike Owen explains, (Common Good Iowa, 3/3/23) SSB 1126 would accelerate tax cuts passed last year and eventually eliminate the state income tax. The bill is reckless and irresponsible. Eliminating the income tax would shrink our General Fund by about half. This is a cut in services every bit as much it is a cut in taxes.”

This has been tried in other states- it doesn’t work.

When you factor in the cost of the Governor’s religious school voucher program, the contract to Odyssey to administer it, and the potential legal costs in discriminating against a targeted group of students, Iowa may need more revenue.

Well put, Don. 

It is sad what this extremist session of the legislature and our extremist governor have done to Iowa, its citizens and its reputation.