Grassley should look at own leadership issues

Sen. Chuck Grassley in a July 12 guest column advocates “Better leadership needed to boost economy and job market.”

However, sad to say, our own senator has become a big part of the problem. Look no further than a couple of his recent votes.

He complains about our country's deficit, yet he voted to continue giving oil companies billions of dollars in subsidies even after the CEOs of five major oil companies, at their meeting before Congress, stated they did not need the subsidies.

For those people who are unemployed or underemployed, do you know he recently voted against a bill using tax incentives to spur small business hiring this year? This bill was projected to add 1 million jobs.

I find it depressing that Grassley's GOP friends in the House found it necessary to vote 33 times to repeal the National Health Care Act. Yet they continually fail to bring President Obama's job bill plan to a vote.

So, Sen. Grassley, with all the above just said, add in the ongoing expense of our involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the world, plus our own natural disasters here in the USA, and we the people understand why our national debt keeps growing.

If you really want “better leadership,” then you and your fellow legislators should pass a bill that no senator or representative shall serve more than two consecutive terms in Congress. Problem solved.

Larry Sharp

Cedar Rapids