House Journal: Page 14: Monday, January 14, 2002
during the special sessions. But now they will see it in its prime. It is a family that
resembles most families we are familiar with. We work, we fight, we achieve, and we
respect one another. As I watched my son, Evan, and daughter, Harriet, over the
weekend, I thought about this place and this family. I watched them play together and
help each other and laugh together. Then ten minutes later, I would hear the
screaming and arguing when one of them would push the other one and start a dispute.
And then a few minutes later, they would be playing peacefully again. It really did
remind me of this body of people. We by and large work well together, but we certainly
have our differences and disputes throughout the year. This session will be no
different.
As we begin our work here today, we are looking at a very challenging year. The
state and national economy has yet to rebound. State revenues continue to lag. As the
band, Styx, sings in Paradise Theater, "To tell you the truth, we’ve all seen better
days." Indeed we have. And yet, the outlook for the state is much better than it was in
previous economic downturns. Iowa is not in debt and we have money in the bank so
that we can pay our bills on time. In reality, if we make the proper and sometimes
difficult decisions this session, the outlook by next year should be very much improved.
Therein lies the challenge for all of us. We must fashion a budget that recognizes
the needs of Iowa’s citizens without mortgaging our future budget. Raising taxes isn’t
the answer. Spending a substantial amount of one-time money for ongoing programs
only pushes the problem into the next budget year and continues to cause budget
problems. The fact of the matter is that there are no easy answers to this budget we
are facing. It will be a process that will test each and every one of us. It is a budget
that will force us to be innovative, fiscally prudent, and flexible. One thing I am sure of
is that at various times this year, we will all be unhappy with decisions that are made.
We will be like many other families in Iowa that are balancing their family budget. We
have to live within our means. That means making the tough decisions and not just
running up the credit card. I know that we will sometimes hear that we must spend
more money to help some Iowans. In many cases, the reality will be that for most Iowa
citizens, it will be better if we do not spend more money. After all, like all Iowans, we
have to balance the budget.
I don’t know about you, but I remain upbeat about our state. I couldn’t agree with
the Governor more than when he says the budget difficulties present a tremendous
opportunity. It is an opportunity that is being forced on us by the budget, but if we
meet it head-on, we can make significant systemic changes in how our state
government operates. We are being forced to look at and evaluate the services that
government offers. That will certainly lead to the elimination of some services that the
state currently provides. Done properly, we can streamline government and make it
more efficient. You may recall that last May, the Republican majority passed a bill to
restructure the Department of Human Services. That bill was vetoed, but during the
special session, we passed a plan by Governor Vilsack that was put together with the
major components of the bill this House passed. The Republican majority stands ready
to work with the Governor and the Minority party on any and all proposals to
consolidate, streamline, and make state government smaller. We look forward to the
Governor’s government streamlining plans in his State of the State address. Reducing
the size of state government is a positive thing to do.
We all know that the major focus of this legislative session will be the budget. It
has to be. However, we will be looking at many other issues that are important to
© 2002 Cornell College and
League of Women Voters of Iowa
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