Iowa finally moving in right direction

Iowa is making economic progress. A little over three years ago, we could not say that. In 2010, Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds promised to get Iowa moving in the right direction. A tall task, but it appears we've finally dug out of the mess we all inherited.

Just think about the past legislative session. Working with the Legislature, Branstad signed the largest tax cut in Iowa's history, saving Iowans $4.4 billion in property taxes and $90 million a year in income taxes. He also signed transformational education reform representing the largest investment in children in our state's long, proud history.

Under Branstad's leadership, Iowa's unemployment rate is at 4.6 percent, the fifth best in the nation. Our state's budget is balanced and our rainy day fund is fully funded and ranked eighth best in the nation.

Branstad and Reynolds are managing Iowa for the future. They know that if we're going to keep our children in Iowa, we must work to bring jobs to the state, expand job opportunities within the state, balance our budget, giving stability and predictability to business, and provide our children a world-class education.

Mark Hudson

Marion