House Journal: Page 61: Tuesday, January 9, 2001
Let us invite young people to Iowa’s exciting future through the use of traditional
economic development tools in new ways to develop the industry clusters of life
sciences for companies like Kemin and Trans Ova, for advanced manufacturers like
Rockwell Collins or Maytag, and information solutions for companies like ABC Virtual
Communications and Diversified Software Industries. Let us invite young people to
Iowa’s exciting future through increased investment in the cutting edge research and
development taking place at our Regents’ universities. Let us invite young people to
Iowa’s future through increased investment in entrepreneurship with a tax credit for
investors, providing the venture capital for new start-ups.
Let us begin today to extend the invitation to higher incomes, better quality of life,
and leadership in the new economy.
The new economy will not help everyone. The over 100,000 workers in Iowa earning
the minimum wage likely will not be helped. A majority of them are women and many
are raising families. The purchasing power of the minimum wage today is much less
than it was in 1982. If we are to restore the purchasing power of the minimum wage
and provide a better chance for women and their children, in particular, we should
raise the minimum wage by $1.00 over the next 2 years. Currently, a person making
minimum wage, working 40 hours a week, makes a little over $10,500 a year. With two
wage earners at that level, a family of four would still qualify for some levels of
assistance. Let us restore some measure of dignity for a hard day’s work. Let us raise
the minimum wage so many Iowans working full time don’t need assistance, but can
have the satisfaction of doing it all on their own.
My time with you today is limited and does not allow a full discussion of all the
proposals designed to help Iowa move forward. Rest assured that a continued and
expanded effort at protecting and enhancing our natural resources and expanding
cultural and recreational opportunities remain a priority. More resources for Vision
Iowa, Enrich Iowa, REAP, Destination Parks, the Clean Water Initiative, and private
land conservation are proposed. We will persist in our efforts for more local control over
the location of large livestock facilities and we will support an expansion of Iowa’s
successful Bottle Bill called for by an ever-growing grassroots environmental effort.
Jarren Ozburn, Trevor Boldra and Joel Vasquez. Who are these Iowans? They were
Iowans with compelling, untold, and tragic stories. They were Iowans who never
experienced the joy of learning something new. They will not experience the joy of
falling in love, of welcoming new life into the world. They were children in Iowa who,
along with Shelby Duis and seven more children, died recently as a result of child
abuse. These 11 children join seven adults who died from domestic abuse last year.
They join the 65 children and adults who have died from abuse in the last five years. A
number that would grow if we had accurate figures of elder abuse. A number that
would grow by tens of thousands if we added those physically and psychologically hurt
by abuse.
Shelby Duis’ bruised and battered body put a name, a face, and a story to abuse in
Iowa. Tragically, before her death and after her death, there were many others.
How many have to be injured or die before we get serious about abuse? How many
have to be injured or die before we increase the protection services and improve
training? How many have to be injured or die before we recognize the link between
© 2001 Cornell College and
League of Women Voters of Iowa
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