Senate Journal: Page 46: Tuesday, January 12, 1999

  That attitude has a certain appeal to it.  We continue to be a place where
  you know
  your neighbor, where they know when you're sick, and they care when you die.
  Family, friends, community -- those constants of Iowa life give us a
  grounding that is
  unique in America today.

  But that doesn't mean we can escape change.  Too often, we Iowans idolize
  the past --
  reflecting on the loamy smell of newly tilled ground in the spring; the
  ringing of the
  dinner bell calling us from the hay barn; or a full harvest moon over a
  soon-to-be
  picked field of corn -- and we wonder why life can't always be filled with
  the sights,
  sounds, and smells of the way life used to be.

  But, in reality, our state almost from its inception, has been trying to
  resist the
  inexorable march of economic change.  A change that has displaced people
  with
  machines on our farms and sent some of our best and brightest packing for
  the bright
  lights of the cities.

  Now that we have stabilized this state, now that we are in good shape again,
  it is
  time to stop resisting change once and for all.

  It is time for Iowa to truly grow once again.  That is the first and most
  important
  challenge facing us.  How do we do that?  Historically, we have acceded to
  change only
  during times of catharsis -- our economic diversification program became a
  reality only
  once we hit a wall called the farm crisis.

  Our challenge today is to make changes in the good times so that Iowa can
  grow
  into even better times.  We need to open our arms and communities to 21st
  century
  immigrants who will make our state economically stronger and more culturally
  diverse.

  We must convince our own children and those from other states that they can
  make
  a great living and live a great life in Iowa.  We will not convince them
  with memories of
  a pastoral past.  You can't feed your family on memories.  We will convince
  them only
  by creating a climate of growth and unlimited opportunity for all.

  Therefore, I suggest that Iowans engage in a great conversation; a great
  conversation on growth over the next few years.  In every community,
  barriers to
  growth, whether they be statutory, regulatory, cultural, or economic, should
  be
  identified and broken down.  An era of responsible risk taking must be
  ushered in.  A
  new era of entrepreneurship must be fostered.  Successful risk-takers should
  be touted,
  not flouted.  We must make it OK to stand out above the crowd in Iowa.

  We need to nurture the next generation of Ruans and McLeods, John K. Hansons
  and Dwight Vredenburgs.  And then double and triple their number.

  That does not mean we have to depopulate rural Iowa while we build up only
  our
  cities, as some would say.  Our capacity for growth is not based on location
  --
  technology shortens all distances.  We don't need to create a greater
  disparity of wealth
  to create a better climate for wealth-creation.  We can have growth
  everywhere in this
  state.

  But it also means we must find ways to further process our own goods here in
  Iowa.
  We must give our producers and workers greater access to sources of capital
  and more

© 1999 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

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