Iowans haven't changed, our leadership has

Lately, on my walks, I’ve pondered changes in Iowa. I’ve written about it. I’ve also read some great articles chronicling a comparison of Iowa now to Iowa of the past and how our beloved state is going to “hell in hand basket.”

Around mile three of my walk I concluded Iowans haven’t changed, but Iowa leadership has.

If you go to almost any town in this state, you’ll see posters and a bucket for donating to a neighbor struck down by illness. There are so many pancake benefits for families in need, the cholesterol of the town’s population is dubious. Every year local news is full of stories where farmer friends help an ailing neighbor harvest their crop.

During the recent devastating tornadoes there were hundreds of stories of folks in towns like Greenfield helping one another cope and rebuild. I bet a lot of the red hats worked side by side with those who bleed blue.

That’s not Iowa of the past. That’s Iowa now.

High school football and basketball unite a town. No one cares if the star running back is from a Republican or Democratic family or if the girl scoring point after point is “woke.”

Iowa nice isn’t dead. It just seems dormant under the Golden Dome.

But wait, weren’t those legislators who changed Iowa sent there by the voters? Didn’t Iowa vote decisively for the change Gov. Kim Reynolds and her party ushered in?

The simple answer is yes. But like most simple answers, that’s not the whole story. At least a few of the major changes were the product of some political bait and switch.

No matter which party owns the political trifecta of power, there are frequent problems because there aren’t adequate checks and balances. The party with power believes it can’t do wrong because they have a mandate. Often, it doesn’t.

In 2016, if candidates mentioned destroying public sector collective bargaining as a goal, I sure missed it. None of the candidates talked about banning books during the 2022 campaign or that Iowa needed a huge private school voucher entitlement.

During this legislative session, neither party campaigned on dismantling the 50-year-old Area Education Agency structure. But it happened because of one party control.

There’s still fundamental agreement on many issues.

• Iowans want strong public schools. Private schools play a role, but not at the expense of the public system.

• Iowans want and need clean rivers, lakes, and streams.

• Iowans believe eminent domain should not be used to provide land to for profit companies.

• Iowans want their nursing homes to be safe, clean, and honest about the care provided.

• Iowans believe children shouldn’t go hungry.

• Iowans believe health care decisions should be made by doctors and patients, not big government.

Iowans haven’t changed but our leaders have. We need candidates who are honest when they campaign, so voters understand what they really favor. If elected, lawmakers need to be transparent about their agendas.

Bruce Lear lives in Sioux City, taught in public schools for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association Regional Director for 27 years until retiring. BruceLear2419@gmail.com