House Journal: Page 41: Tuesday, January 11, 2000
Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 1998, she decided to stay. Why? She says a big draw was
a good job with Hy-Vee, and the family atmosphere of the company. Also, she believes
she has more opportunities in pharmacy here, such as conducting regular teaching
seminars at a residence for senior citizens. She expected Iowa to be slower-paced than
Chicago, but has found herself busier than before with activities that range from being
a fitness instructor, to her sorority to her church. Quality of health care opportunities
was Iowa’s promise to Yukio. Welcome home to Iowa, Yukio.
However, being a national leader in education or preventative health care will
mean little if we can not drink the water or breathe the air. Aldo Leopold once said
that "We abuse the land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When
we see the land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love
and respect." We face a severe threat to water quality from the 159 polluted
waterways that crisscross our state. We clean up these waterways by recognizing what
the land and water are to all of us - the essential building blocks of our future - the
essential infrastructure of our state. We must invest in our working land and water.
Our clean water initiative proposes to do just that. For a small investment of state
dollars, we generate over $50 million from the federal government to put in the pockets
of our farm families in the form of incentives for farmer participation in private land
conservation programs. These programs support the establishment of vegetative
buffers, field borders and wetlands, as well as encourage soil conservation practices.
The clean water initiative we propose is a catalyst for positive change and builds on
what we know works. Fully fund the clean water initiative and watch the native
prairie grasses grow and become home to natural habitat that will draw people from all
over the country. Fully fund the clean water initiative and measure the improvement
of our water. Fully fund the clean water initiative and welcome more prosperity back
to rural Iowa. This clean water initiative will establish Iowa as a national leader in
private land conservation.
One other program also must be fully funded to improve Iowa’s environment. Isn’t
it about time to fulfill the promise made to the people of Iowa in the last century, in the
last millennium, shouldn’t we finally fund REAP at $20 million?
Leadership involves accepting the challenge of finding solutions to what appears to
be unsolvable problems. Leadership in land stewardship and the environment
mandates that we resolve the hog lot issue in our state. We propose a reasonable
solution, shared responsibility with integrators and statewide standards based on
sound science with modifications allowed based on a county’s land use plans. We pride
ourselves on our local control of schools and the empowerment of local officials to make
decisions about a broad array of human services. Aren’t local officials as qualified to
help make decisions about their environment? Let’s find a way to give local control to
the siting and location of large livestock facilities.
Will investing in our natural resources by being a national leader in private land
conservation, our parks, our roadsides, and our trails lead to more Iowans, younger
Iowans, and better paid Iowans?
Let me tell you the story of Dave Carr and Mark Chelgren, co-founders of Frog Legs
in Vinton. Dave grew up in Charles City, graduated in aerospace engineering from
Iowa State and did his graduate work in California. He is a cyclist who has ridden in
13 Ragbrais, and Ragbrai lured him and native Californian Mark Chelgren back in
© 2000 Cornell College and
League of Women Voters of Iowa
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