Balancing the state budget

Opinion

Discussion

February 11, 2010

Anonymous The Zope Gazette Thu Feb 11, 2010, 01:56 PM CST

To the editor:

Governor Culver and the legislators will again balance the state budget in the 2010 session without raising taxes. They will work to reduce the size of state government and create greater efficiencies while still making public schools and jobs a priority.

Iowa, and almost every other state, is facing a budget crisis. This disaster is the focus of two popular Iowa advocacy groups: 1) Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (ICCI), a nationally respected grass roots organization that goes to bat for everyday, ordinary Iowans; and 2) the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) that has been serving Iowa farmers since 1934. ICCI objects to balancing the budget on the "backs of hardworking Iowans"; and the IFBF objects to balancing the budget on the "backs of property taxpayers". (IFBF Spokesman, 1/27/10; www.iowacci.org.)

These organizations occasionally take different stands on issues. Since the farmers I know are the hardest working Iowans I have ever met and many of the hardworking Iowans I know are property taxpayers, I think we can find common ground.

ICCI knows what we all know--that the budget crisis is the direct result of big banks, like Wells Fargo and Bank of America, and Wall Street crashing our economy. The big banks are back to record profits, lavish bonuses, and business as usual while ordinary, hardworking, property taxpaying Iowans continue to suffer. ICCI says, “Our state budget deficits could be wiped out if the big banks gave their total bonus packages--estimated to be about $140 BILLION--back to our states.” These grass roots activists have taken their cause to the streets, and it is a movement that is gaining national attention and momentum.

If you are an ordinary, hardworking, or property taxpaying Iowan, join the movement. Write letters, march, and speak out. Put balancing our state budget on the “backs of the large national banks”. “Their bonuses are our bonuses,” says ICCI, “because we bailed them out and put them back in working order!” And, aren’t our states their states?

Phyllis Weeks

Knoxville

Text Only

Opinion

In the House of Wood
If there is any hope of Iowa having two viable political parties, there need to be some changes made to the Iowa Republican Party's leadership.

January 26, 2012
Why is Coaches vs. Cancer so successful in Knoxville?
January 26, 2012
Beware of Scam
January 26, 2012
Another View
It just so happened this week that the holiday honoring Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. fell on the very night the Rural History Buffs were honoring our own history – a story-filled event at Peace Tree Brewery.

January 19, 2012
In the House of Wood
I know I’m probably going to get hammered for this, but this question has been nagging at me all week.

January 13, 2012
Iowa vs. Illinois: A comparison
To be fair, I only lived in Iowa for four years, but they were what I would call very formative ones.

December 30, 2011
Will miss Steve Mitchell
December 30, 2011
In the House of Wood
December 30, 2011
Duffy's Christmas greeting
Brian Duffy wishes you a merry Christmas.

December 22, 2011 1 Photo
Another View
I got caught again. I tend to take on too much, and at Christmas it really catches me.

December 22, 2011
More Opinion Headlines

Opinion

Search Results

Discussion

Balancing the state budget

Do you think Mitt Romney will definitely have the Republican Presidential Nomination?

Site Map

Contact Us