House Journal: Page 8: Monday, January 13, 2003
"There is not a question of legislation or administration; there is not a question to
be solved in connection with our complex industrial life, the life in which the wage
worker, the farmer, and the businessman now play the three chief parts; there is not a
question which we cannot solve or right if we will approach it in the spirit of sanity and
with patience, with courage, and with the firm determination to solve it in accordance
with the immutable laws of righteousness and fair dealing as between man and man."
Those were the words of President Theodore Roosevelt as he spoke on the west
steps of this Capitol building one hundred years ago. It was a time when this nation
faced serious economic challenges. The stock market crashed on a regular basis and
companies across the country went bankrupt. The people of our land were still split
between the rural south and the more urban, industrialized north. Labor and racial
unrest threatened to turn violent.
Yet, at the turn of the century none were more optimistic about what the promise of
America held than the "bully" President. Roosevelt’s words in 1903 ring true today.
The challenges that lay before us are great. However, they are no more
insurmountable than those faced by our predecessors if only our resolve to deal with
them with courage and honesty remains firm.
I believe that as we move through this session we must test our actions against
three principles. The first of those principles being, does it foster the creation of wealth
in Iowa. Whether it is more take home pay in a waitress’s pocket, or a larger dividend
check for a stockholder, all contribute to a wealthier Iowa.
Iowa’s economy suffers from a lack of capital, and that is where we must
concentrate our efforts. Whether it be the monetary form or the human form of
capital, capital will go where capital can grow. It is as fluid as any river, and our job
must be to build the dams that will keep it here, so that it can grow, and nourish the
young businesses that would spring up around it.
Last month I had the opportunity to visit one of our university research parks. I
was amazed with some of the ideas that are being turned into products, but I was
disappointed to hear tale after tale of young businesses that cannot obtain the
investment to expand their ventures because of a lack of financial capital here in Iowa.
We’ve all seen the state-by-state comparisons that show new business start-ups.
While I know Representatives Hoffman, and Van Fossen will have their committees
diligently working on that issue, I would suggest that it goes beyond just measures to
improve economic growth and our tax climate. All of state government has an impact
on whether or not Iowa is a state where economic growth can occur and business will
grow. It would be a small step, but I suggest that each committee review the mission
statement for the departments you oversee, and if fostering a good business climate is
not in it, put it there, for it will take all of us, working together, to make Iowa a place
where capital can grow.
The second of the three tests of principle is in regards to education. No doubt
discussions of school finance, infrastructure, transportation and others will occupy our
time. In those debates we must not, however, lose sight of a central question - will the
actions that we take improve student performance? Everything else should be a
secondary concern. On the surface it seems natural, an automatic. But answering that
question honestly may force all of us to reexamine some long held beliefs. To answer
© 2003 Cornell College and
League of Women Voters of Iowa
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