Blog For Iowa

Hubbell and Hart stand for traditional Iowa values

One of the most telling remarks following the 2016 election was what the election said about US citizens. The myth of America is that we are a tolerant people who care about the lesser among us. This would line up with the myth that America is a Christian nation.

Yet in the 2016 election America via the electoral college elevated a man to the presidency who preached racism and hate during the campaign, who has never exhibited even an ounce of empathy for anyone, who openly mocked our legal system and systemically stole from the poor and who exhibited a thorough lack of knowledge of how our government works.

Trump’s working medium is blatant lies. Once this country was proud of how they could ferret out and expose hucksters, now perhaps the greatest huckster of all was elevated to the countries highest office. 

 Among the myths that our country is based on is that its institutions are stronger than individual leaders. We are finding out that that is not true if leaders, whether they be in the administrative, judicial or legislative branch, simply refuse to follow the laws, regulations and norms that have been established over long periods of time.

Now we are coming up on another national election. The choice is just as plain this time as it was in the last election. Will American cast its votes for what has now become a party of hucksters and blatant liars or will Americans find their roots and go back to what made this country great?

Over the past two years we have seen our country kick its allies in the teeth on the national level while cozying up to its enemies. The least educated amongst us should be able to see this is a losing policy, yet that is our national policy. Meanwhile we turn a hostile face to anyone seeking asylum from terror and famine in their own countries. The separation of children from their families is one of the darkest chapters in America’s history.

On the domestic front, the leader of the senate in Trump’s Party (note: no longer Republicans) has promised to work on ending Social Security and Medicare to pay for the tax cuts to the rich the Trump Party delivered to their donors last December. Doesn’t that feel like you’ve been taken to the cleaners?

This is in addition to tightening policies that cut food to the poor, that make going to college something only the rich can afford and working overtime to end access to health care and the protections on pre-existing conditions.

On the economy they have destroyed as much of the protections as they have been able to that were supposed to keep the financial companies in control. There are many warning signs that another financial meltdown could be triggered easily, but this administration is doing nothing to stop it.

Meanwhile America’s workers are still working for 1970s wages as the gap between the rich and the poor approaches the widest ever in America. 

And when did using the wheels of government to punish political enemies become national policy?

Iowa’s Trump Party congress members are a major part of the problem. They are proudly lining up to be in Trump’s favor. For the past two years they have stood by and cheered as Trump has ignored laws in his effort to amass power to the presidency. Where once Iowans would call out their politicians for lying to them, these days we seemingly accept their lies about being in favor of protecting pre-existing conditions when they have voted to kill that protection multiple times.

At the state level we have had a state legislature and governor whose focus has been on destroying unions, cutting education, restricting voting and paying off their donors with huge and unjustified tax cuts rather than keeping the state running. We have seen budgets way out of balance and a promise of more to come as the the Trump Party pays its donors with you tax dollars. 

We have a governor who looks at a disastrous Medicaid program meant to take care of the neediest of our citizens and declares it to be working well.

So in 2018 Iowans have a chance to regain their reputations as people who can discern the difference between sincere people who will look out for their concerns versus those who will lie and cheat to get into positions of power. In this election it is as simple as looking for the (D) behind the candidates name.

Please, Iowa, your reputation is on the line.