GOP never explained promises

Speaker Pat Grassley described Republican bills as “issues voters expressed concern about” such as private school scholarships and liability limits. He also said, “I think that’s what our number one priority is, is we need to campaign on a set of policies and whatever those are, if Iowans reward us with majorities, I think we want to follow through with that.”

But Republicans never explained their promises. In Gov. Kim Reynolds’ one debate, she failed to describe drastic changes in her school choice plan. Scholarships for 10,000 low-income students became spending about $1 billion on vouchers for all students. Too often Republicans fail to participate in voter forums or answer questionnaires from newspapers leaving their constituents in the dark about where they stand on issues.

Dr. Ryan Wise, Dean of the School of Education at Drake University and former director of the Iowa Department of Education, explains education majors are trained not to push a political agenda, but instead create learning communities that foster academic success and civic engagement — two primary educational objectives. GOP-controlled curriculum and reading lists will not prepare Iowa students to be productive, informed citizens in a diverse, globally interconnected world.

Low-income families will be required to jump through hoops to qualify for SNAP (food). Do not forget parents’ rights do not apply to complex decisions regarding appropriate medical care for a trans child. U.S. Department of Labor officials have criticized proposed child labor law changes.

Lack of GOP transparency had consequences. Iowans must pay attention.

Diane Duncan-Goldsmith

Iowa City

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