Political reasons behind Dandekar’s appointment

It seems Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad could not wait to see if his party would be successful in gaining a majority in the Legislature and Senate by waiting for the next election that would, in theory, reflect the will of the people. Instead, he gave himself an early Christmas present by using his power to implement good old-fashioned cronyism and bribery. Are there really no other Republicans or Democrats other than Swati Dandekar who would be qualified for the $135,000 position on the utilities board?

Our Democratic leaders have pointed out that with a majority, the Republican legislative agenda for 2012 will contain measures to:

l Disqualify more than 26,000 Iowa children from receiving quality, affordable health care through Hawk-i, and shifting the burden onto the already strained budget of Iowa middle class families.

l Eliminate Iowa's voluntary preschool program, a direct assault on middle class families who need access to affordable, quality early childhood education.

l Eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees. This is clearly an attempt to chip away at basic employment rights of every Iowan. Do we want another Wisconsin and run the risk of further degradation of our public schools?

So the balance lies in the hands of the voters in the district that encompasses Marion and part of Cedar Rapids. Vote!

Kristen Roland

Cedar Rapids