Iowa taxpayers deserve a watchdog

Iowans value honesty and fairness and want waste, fraud and abuse of their hard-earned tax dollars exposed, prosecuted and stopped. State Auditor Rob Sand has done exactly that. He audits those who are spending taxpayers' dollars, be it Republicans, Democrats, or corporations to make sure they are following the law and can account for how they are using our tax money. Basically, Auditor Sand ensures that taxpayers aren't being ripped off.

Kim Reynolds and the Republicans say they believe in "transparency." So, why are Reynolds and her fellow MAGA Republicans pushing SF 478, which would make it more difficult for Sand to audit, allows state officials to bury records and deny the auditor access to the courts to compel compliance? No watchdog means no accountability and leads to corruption.

By tying the auditors hands, Iowa could lose billions of dollars and our credit rating would suffer. This would decimate the integrity of our auditing system and make us ineligible for federal funds for all the roads, bridges, businesses and inventions Iowans are trying to fix, grow and innovate.

Taxpayers deserve honesty and accountability in the use of their tax dollars.

But SF 478 lets corrupt officials off the hook and would hurt Iowa's access to federal funds and partnerships. Call your Republican Representatives and tell them to vote no on the pro-corruption, anti-watchdog bill SF 478.

Karen Pratte

Waterville