Iowa politicians can learn from a massacre

As Feb. 14 approaches, I’ve been reading about the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Even though it happened 95 years ago, there’s a few political lessons to learn from this bloody event.

“Bugs” Moran was a gang leader on the North Side of Chicago. His rival was Al Capone. Two gangs were competing for control of Chicago’s bootlegging trade, and each would do anything to gain advantage. On the morning of Feb. 14, 7 men were inside a warehouse on Clark Street. Four rival gang members waited outside disguised as police officers and detectives.

On the signal, the fake officers raided the warehouse, lined up the 7 men inside, and gunned them down. Although, the crime was never officially solved, most historians believe Capone instigated the attack. The intended target, Moran, wasn’t in the warehouse that day and later, said “Only Capone kills like that.”

There were two results from this vicious attack. Moran was weakened as a gang leader and never regained power. But the unintended consequence for Capone was it brought significant pressure against law enforcement to crack down on gang violence. Both sides ultimately lost.

Iowa political leaders could learn from the unintended consequences of these two Chicago gangs. Like the 1929 massacre, there could be far reaching and unintended consequences for both sides in the escalating, political attack unfolding on public schools by Gov. Kim Reynolds and her GOP gang in the House and Senate.

The voucher bill that recently past is a slow-moving attack on Iowa communities. We won’t feel the full impact until tax cuts passed in 2022 collide with the new voucher entitlement, and Federal COVID relief evaporates. Iowa will be rattling a tin cup for revenue.

It might take five years, but the unintended consequence is going to be a state desperate for revenue needing to gut one part of the new two tiered publicly funded school system. If Republicans still hold the trifecta of political power, public schools as we know them will crumble.

The other bills attacking public schools also will spawn unintended consequences. The teacher shortage is real. Most school districts started this school year short of teachers.

This shortage will compound on itself if the governor and the GOP legislators don’t tone down the attacks. Here’s what Reynolds said about teachers in front of her “Moms for Liberty” friends. “They think patriotism is racist and pornographic library books are education. They believe that the content of our character is less important than the color of our skin.”

But Reynolds and her gang may also face unintended consequences. A power trip is often detoured. These attacks play well long-term with about 30 percent of a MAGA base. For the other 70 percent of Iowans, seeing their public schools crumble and their child’s beloved second grade teacher retiring or quitting will produce a backlash.

Most Iowans don’t think their teachers are brainwashing kids. Parents should be an integral part of their child’s education, but they don’t want to manage schools.

Like Moran and Capone discovered, “It’s a short walk from the hallelujah to the hoot.”

Bruce Lear lives in Sioux City and has been connected to public schools for 38 years.