Tim Pawlenty talks public education, federal budget in Iowa City

When you talk about “family issues” in politics, you're not only talking about abortion and same-sex marriage but also about health care and the economy and education, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Monday during an Iowa City stop.

“Just about every issue can and should be viewed as having some impact on family,” the Republican said during a speech at the University of Iowa campus.

A fiscal and social conservative who is pro-life and a supporter of defining marriage as between one man and one woman, Pawlenty told the crowd of about 100 people that the country can be restored by restoring American priorities, and families play a large role in that.

“This is a country that was founded under God,” Pawlenty said.

It was billed as an educational event, and not a presidential campaign stop, by Bob Vander Plaats, president and chief executive officer of sponsoring group The Family Leader. The conservative group is holding a monthly Presidential Lecture Series, aimed at exposing Iowans to “pro-family leaders on the national scene,” Vander Plaats said.

Pawlenty also made stops in Pella and Sioux Center Monday as part of The Family Leader lecture series.

Public education must be improved, but families also deserve better access to more options, such as charter schools and home schooling, he said, calling the public school system a government-run, lethargic monopoly.

In public higher education, Pawlenty said there must be more accountability for measurable research results and teaching hours, fewer faculty sabbaticals and a push for more productivity as a way to control rising costs. Public universities should have a strategic focus for excellence in certain areas, not all areas, he said.

Regarding the federal budget, Pawlenty said the government must never spend more than it takes in. The cost-of-living adjustment in Social Security should be smaller for wealthy people than it is for the middle income and poor, he said. And a system like Medicare should move to a performance payment system, where the government pays for results of people getting better, Pawlenty said.

“To tackle this thing, the big kahuna here is we have to restructure and reform entitlements,” Pawlenty said of lowering the deficit and balancing the budget.

Retired Anamosa resident Roseann Stivers, 65,  is a Christian conservative who wants to see family values in government. Many political issues, like health care reform, are complicated, so she wants to hear from as many potential presidential candidates as possible, she said.

“For the most part it's good but I'm still not ready to say this is the one,” Stivers said of what she heard from Pawlenty. “I like the idea of restoring our nation and anything that can dial back the government involvement.”

Vander Plaats said he hopes Pawlenty throws his hat into the presidential ring because Vander Plaats believes he would be an outstanding voice for the pro-familyvision, though Vander Plaats clarified that was not an endorsement.

Congressman Ron Paul will be the next speaker in the series on March 7, followed by Congresswoman Michele Bachmann April 11.