House Journal: Page 36: Tuesday, January 11, 2000
and we saw character. We looked into the faces of Iowans who are coping with the
unexplainable tragedy of children and firefighters who died recently in Keokuk-and we
saw strength. In all those experiences, and many others, we felt the strong bonds of
community. Even in our most challenging times, Iowans’ determination, character,
strength and dedication to community triumph.
In our travels across our great state, we have been struck by the renewed sense of
purpose in the air. It is our collective desire to move ahead. It is a longing for
greatness, so real you can reach out and touch it. All over the state we see a new era
unfolding. As it unfolds, people here, across our nation and around the world recognize
that Iowa is a great place to live, to work and, most importantly, to raise a family.
Iowa’s promise is its quality of life.
After meeting remarkable Iowans everywhere, the Lieutenant Governor, First Lady
and I are convinced that Iowa’s moment to lead is now.
The building we gather in today is an emblem of Iowa’s long-standing belief in
greatness. Those that came before us made a conscious choice not to construct a
pedestrian, ordinary Capitol. They built a shining edifice on a hill, solid and timeless. A
special building for a special people; a special place to write special laws. In the past
decades, this building fell victim to complacency. The plaster cracked, the ornament
crumbled. But our generation of Iowans rejected complacency and erected scaffolding to
repair and replace. Building on a solid foundation, we restore this building to
greatness.
For our state to reach its fullest potential, we too must build on our strengths with
clear goals in mind. Establishing clear goals begins by an honest assessment of where
we are.
In the past year, the Iowa 2010 Strategic Planning Group has done an admirable
job of outlining where this state is and where it is headed. The group’s work indicates
that without bold action, Iowa risks limited not limitless opportunities.
Our challenge is demographic. We know the statistics all too well. More than half
of our counties had their population peak in the year 1900 -- one hundred years ago.
Our present population grows at a rate one-fourth that of the nation’s. At current
growth rates, we will not return to our 1980 population until the year 2010 -- thirty
years to get back to where we were. Skilled worker shortages reflect the impact of this
stagnant growth.
To make the situation more daunting, our growth sectors involve Iowans no longer
in the workforce. The fastest growing segment of our population today is people over
the age of 100. For the first time in our state’s history, since we began keeping track,
we have more people over the age of 74 than we have five or under.
As we have struggled with these demographic trends, we also have struggled to
increase per capita and family incomes. Iowa ranks at the bottom third of states in per
capita income-a ranking that consistently corresponds with the percentage of our
workforce that holds a college degree. Simply put, these statistics and others point to
three key goals that must be reached to realize Iowa’s promise.
We need more Iowans. We need younger Iowans. We need better paid Iowans.
© 2000 Cornell College and
League of Women Voters of Iowa
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