Republican scare tactics are the oldest trick in the book

The oldest ploy in the political handbag: find an enemy (or better yet, create one) to pile blame on to scare voters into voting for you. Desperate politicians always need a boogeyman, the current tact of Republican leadership. Create a frenzy, by all means! Watch out! The Chinese Communists are coming to get your farmland!

It’s unlawful in our state for foreigners to own farmland here. Nationwide, China owns a minuscule amount. It’s our own billionaires who are buying up huge swaths of productive farmland. Chinese investors and corporations combined own 383,000 acres of U.S. farmland. Bill Gates alone owns roughly 275,000.

During the lengthy reign of Republicans in Iowa, GOP politicians have actively encouraged China to invest here. Reps. Randy Feenstra and Joni Ernst have both been highly supportive of Smithfield Foods becoming a subsidiary of “China, Inc.” while big food corporations in Iowa just happened to give huge support to Republicans.

But why would the Chinese even want to buy Iowa farmland when they can simply own corporate facilities here that make the final products that can be shipped directly to China?

Gov. Kim Reynolds has long fought hard against workers rights and collective bargaining, keeping wages low and working conditions so severe that few would risk taking jobs in our corporate food factories, other than immigrants. Yet now she’s down on the Mexican border shouting that immigrants are yet another boogeyman and she will help keep those scoundrels out. So, by golly, you need to vote for her.

Mary McBee

Tama