Senate Journal: Page 3: Monday, January 11, 1999

  On a banner in a downtown Des Moines building is a mission statement from
  a group of people who called themselves Iowa's ambassadors several years
  ago.
  It goes something like this. . .

  "Iowa is the America you grew up believing in.  It is hope and caring for
  each
  other.

  It is freedom, bought by hard work and integrity.

  It is the belief that the future will be even better than today. . . if WE
  MAKE it
  that way.

  Iowa is a place where the dream still works."

  I once worked for a visionary CEO who reminded his staff weekly - the danger
  of being very good is we won't try very hard to get better.

  It is our challenge - indeed our obligation - here in this chamber,
  beginning
  anew today, to make sure the dream does still work for all Iowans and - if
  we
  believe in ourselves - we will try very hard to get better!

  Thank you for listening . . . for your attention.

  REMARKS BY THE MAJORITY LEADER

  Senator Iverson addressed the Senate as follows:

  I want to welcome all Senators, staff, and visitors who are present today in
  the
  Capitol, especially those new Senators who are joining us for the first time
  today.
  These opening day speeches remind me of a line in President Abraham
  Lincoln's
  Gettysburg Address: "The world will little note nor long remember what is
  said
  here today."  While that's not true for that famous speech, it probably
  holds true
  today.  However, I do want to take this opportunity to point out that the
  next 110
  days provide all of us with a unique opportunity to move Iowa forward.  If
  we care
  deeply about the future of Iowa's families, we will work together during
  session.
  Occasionally in caucus I've been heard to say, "We can hang together, or
  hang
  separately."  I firmly believe the same holds true for the entire Iowa
  legislature.
  We must all make a commitment to working together to move Iowa forward
  without violating our core principals.

  I think we owe it to each other  to remember that if a legislator wasn't
  committed to moving Iowa forward, that legislator wouldn't be here.  While
  we
  may have different ideas on the best way to improve our schools or support
  Iowa
  families, we all are committed to having the best schools in the world  and
  we all
  care deeply about the future of Iowa's families.  Some in this room may
  believe the
  best way to move Iowa forward is to  reduce   state spending by 10%; some may
  believe the only way to move Iowa forward is to  increase   spending by 10%.
  The truth, and the likely final result, is probably somewhere in between.
  Today,
  lets all make a commitment to work together to find groundbreaking solutions
  to
  challenges facing Iowa.  Working  together to move Iowa forward can be a
  great

© 1999 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

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