A vision for the Condition of the State

As Gov. Kim Reynolds prepares for her Condition of the State address, I wish my vision of the condition of our state were true.

My Iowa would not rank third per capita for COVID cases. Long term care residents and essential workers in packing plants would've been better protected. And Iowans would not be concerned about losing their small businesses, eviction and hunger. Food insecurity grew from roughly 7 percent of all Iowans in February to 18.7 percent in August.

In my Iowa I could kayak, fish and feel confident in drinking from our state waterways instead of having 700-plus impaired waterways. My state would have a racial profiling ban and 25 percent of those imprisoned would not be Black but more like 4 percent, which is in line with their percentage of the Iowa population. Health care, including robust mental health services, would be available for everyone and not be ran by profit motivated entities.

Gov. Reynolds has the power to make the State of Iowa one I would be proud to live in and help all Iowans, not just those at the top.

Jane Alderman

Ankeny