Guest opinions

It might not be this year, or next, but Iowans in the near future will realize the destructive course set by Governor Kim Reynolds and the tax-cutting leadership of the Legislature.

Forget the adage: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” In the Iowa Legislature, it’s different: “We broke it, so let’s break it some more, and then make sure nobody can fix it.”That in short is the picture of tax-cut proposals gaining steam in Iowa.

Legislators are elected for a two- or four-year term that expires. Lawmakers in office today have no rightful claim to tie the hands of their successors. The same goes for voters.

A time of strong revenues is the right time to use surplus dollars for critical, one-time needs that otherwise are likely to go unmet. Fixing Iowa's $1.35 billion lead-pipe problem is one example of how we can do better for our health and that of future Iowans. Tax cuts don't meet that test.

Iowans are going to hate it. They are going to hate the crowded classrooms, loss of exceptional teachers, and ballooning college tuition. They will hate it when friends and family lose health coverage, their local hospitals slash services or close altogether, and the state does even less to protect our air and water. They’re also going to hate they were not told the hard truth about tax cuts by the people promoting them, including Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Dishonest employers steal $900 million from Iowa workers each year — 10 times as much as all other theft combined. Wage theft harms workers, families and communities throughout Iowa. Not nearly enough is being done to stop it. And, it's getting worse.

The working families of America pay taxes on their wages and salaries, but the wealthy get most of their income from wealth, particularly dividends and capital gains. That income is taxed more lightly, and sometimes not at all. Read More

July 13, 2021

The Iowa Legislature recently made a very generous tax credit for private school scholarships even more costly and more generous, at the same time expanding a boondoggle for wealthy taxpayers. As that credit grows more expensive, the rest of the taxpayers must either pay more to make up the difference, or deal with a reduction in public school funding or other state services.

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We all would do better to see the solar industry for the opportunity it presents, and the constructive uses that it can provide, when crops are not always the best use for Iowa’s good land.

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