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Republican Party needs to think big again

The Gazette Opinion Staff

Nov. 7, 2013 9:38 am

What has happened to the Republican Party of “big ideas?”

Lincoln strongly supported the intercontinental railroad. Teddy Roosevelt championed and enlarged the national park system. We have Dwight Eisenhower to thank for our extensive and vital interstate highway system. Ronald Reagan envisioned a world where the power of nuclear weapons would be neutralized by the Strategic Defense System.

But today, any mention of high-speed passenger rail service is met by Republican opposition. Iowa House Speaker Kraig Paulsen says passenger rail service to Chicago will be too expensive for taxpayers - $3 million a year.

Come on, guys. Try to think big again.

Philip Andrew

Iowa City

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