Republicans have hoodwinked Iowans

My fellow Iowans: we're being hoodwinked. Our governor and Legislature are offering us a future with no income taxes. Already they have slashed the tax rate and want to charge everyone the same flat rate regardless of income. The justification for this dramatic move is that we have a large surplus and, I suppose, the worn Republican anti-government/anti-tax trope. They seem to have forgotten that No. 1 the surplus is mainly due to federal dollars that stimulated the economy since the beginning of the COVID epidemic, money that Iowa has failed to spend on designated projects and needs; and No. 2 when the federal money is depleted we will have fewer resources to fund needed social projects such as education, social services, road and infrastructure repair, etc.

At the same time, these folks who want to get government off our backs and out of our pockets by eliminating needed taxes are equally hard at work dictating women's bodies, morality in schools (sing that national anthem, get rid of those nasty books) and overriding the U.S. Constitution's principle of separation of church and state by giving public money to private schools. Where has the Republican Party of my youth gone? I guess they've been hoodwinked too.

Robert Sessions

Iowa City