Senate Journal: Page 37: Tuesday, January 11, 2000

  for the project were taught in English for half of the school day and in
  Spanish for the
  other half.

  We have with us today 37 first-grade students who are in this dual-language
  program.  Their principal, Nancy Gardner, also is with them, as well as
  several
  teachers.

  Now, these students may be in first grade, but they already know more than I
  do
  regarding languages.  Think of what they'll be able to do in the world
  economy when
  they graduate!

  Students, I've been practicing and I have a question to ask you.  I'll ask
  it in
  Spanish, and you can answer in English.

  My question is:  En cual estado es mejor vivir y estudiar?
  (In what state is it best to live and study?)
  Students answer:  The state of Iowa!
  Muy bien.  Muchas gracias!
  (Very good students.  Thank you!)

  Quality of value-added economic opportuity is our promise to these students.

  State government needs to be more accountable and operated like a business.
  We've started by initiating a massive and comprehensive effort at regulatory
  reform.
  This is just a beginning.

  An accountable government means a government who knows who the boss really
  is.
  It is not the immediate supervisor, or the department head, the Governor, or
  legislative
  leader.  It's the people.  Government is of, for, and by the people.  To
  reach that goal,
  we must reconnect Iowans to their government by making it available 24 hours
  a day,
  seven days a week.  Currently, our state's information technology systems
  are a
  patchwork of computer systems that often are incompatible with each other
  and not
  capable of 24/7 service.  We need an IT department with a dedicated,
  uninterrupted,
  and reliable funding stream for information technology.  Delivering 24/7
  service.

  For years, we have talked about how uncompetitive our tax system is-how high
  our
  highest tax rate appears to be-how it discourages growth and expansion-how
  difficult
  it makes recruiting top talent from outside the state.  Here again, we have
  a choice.  To
  play politics as usual and fail to take action, or solve this problem once
  and for all.  An
  accountable government does what is right for the people, not what is
  politically
  expedient for special interests.  Let's eliminate our high tax rates.  Let's
  simplify our
  tax system.  Let's reduce the number of tax brackets.  Let's eliminate
  federal
  deductibility.  For those who are skeptical that tax rates will creep right
  back up, let's
  recognize who the boss really is in our systems-let's give the people the
  power to vote
  on future tax rate increases.

  An accountable government is also built on trust.  We establish trust by
  guaranteeing that our service is what the customer expects-that is why we
  propose a
  series of money-back guarantees for certain state services such as licenses
  and permits
  to ensure quality and satisfaction.

© 2000 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

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