Legislators’ priorities are disturbing

I tried to give the current state political leadership in Des Moines the benefit of the doubt when it comes to how they may serve all Iowans. But after seeing their choices and hearing of the proposed constitutional amendment to impose rights restrictions solely on the basis of sexual identity, I could no longer stay silent.

If we speak of conservative philosophy in terms of limited government and respect for individual rights and freedoms, the priorities of the current political leaders cannot be justified. If they succeed, government can tell individuals who they can and can’t love and withhold important rights and protections from anyone who strays.

They also want a government that can veto and assign criminal penalties for decisions made privately between a woman and her doctor. Is that conservatism? No.

All these policies really amount to is the current political leadership in the state going out of their way to do harm to people (our neighbors) they don’t bother to understand because it might not fit into some idealized myth of an ‘average Iowan’.

At a time when Iowa is clamoring for more workers, what sense is there in our politicians making our state aggressively unwelcoming to more and more current and prospective Iowans? I think Iowa is bigger and better than the narrow-minded policies and priorities of the current leadership.

Wayne Clayton

Anamosa

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