News from the Hill…
The Senate democrats continue to put taxpayers on the back burner as they plan their budget for the upcoming fiscal year. They seem to be fine with building a budget on the backs of small businesses that were under the assumption of the State of Iowa coupling with the Federal government on tax extenders. The State has coupled the past 6 years and the House passed the bill to do so the second week of session. Farmers and small businesses are angry and rightly so, it is no wonder the people of this country have lost faith in its elected leaders. Step up boys and girls and be leaders.
Post Funnel…
One of the functions the week after funnel is to see what bills are still alive and what bills that may be dead for the year. Invariably, there are some good bills that die and then there are some bad bills that may live. Of course that is always a matter of opinion and the reason why this can happen. Good or bad, any of the bills that have a fee, tax implication or deals with a subject that collects taxes are headed to the Ways and Means Committee. We will be doing our own research to as whether the bill has enough merit to proceed to the next level, which is full debate on the House Floor.
The Chairman…
The Chairman of the committees has a distinct responsibility to the committee members, the process and to their own particular caucus members. If done properly, the people of Iowa are well served. While we can all disagree on the subject or the path to take. As long as the process is honored and done with integrity, honor and respect for one another, justice is served. There are built in checks and balances in our form of government and while some people may have let us down over the years, the system has not. One of the responsibilities of the Chairman is to make sure the bills are well vetted and gone through before the bill is debated on the floor. If this is not done, the wheels are sure to come off and rightly so. Typically this is one of the reasons why Committee Chairs are more likely to be some of the more tenured members of the Chamber. Fresh ideas and junior members are important members to any team; it is hard to replace experience.
Fact or Fiction…
It never ceases to amaze me the amount of people willing to base a decision on fiction rather than fact or on emotion rather than facts. There is nothing wrong with disagreements when they are based on facts. In fact often times, it is healthy disagreement that can help find the best solution for problem solving. There is nothing wrong with emotion or being very passionate about certain subjects. But decisions should be based on facts that can be backed up with science, research, historical data and numbers. In my humble opinion, the people of Iowa are best served when their elected officials, have faith, compassion and will make their decisions on facts as they are presented and researched. Not when they base their decisions on which way the wind may be blowing that particular day of how they “feel”.
“I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” – George Washington
For more information on these and other bills: www.legis.iowa.gov
Until next time,
Tom Sands
Weekend Forum: Saturday, February 27th
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM Iowa Wesleyan College Library, Mt Pleasant, IA