The Economics of Stalling
The Economics of Stalling
Year after year, Iowa ranks as one of the least friendly states in the nation to conduct business in, according to the Small Business Survival Index. While Iowa’s business climate seemed to improve in 2010, Iowa still ranked at the very low end of the list. Only nine other states and the District of Columbia were found to have a worse business climate.
And while Iowa scores some points for having a low number of health insurance mandates (6th lowest), low crime rate (10th), low electric utility costs (11th), and low gas tax rate (18th), Iowa doesn’t fare so well when it comes to corporate income tax rates, corporate capital gains tax rates, and adjusted unemployment tax rates.
Iowa ranks 49th for corporate income tax rates and 49th for corporate capital gains tax rates. Only the District of Columbia and the state of Pennsylvania have higher rates!
In figuring adjusted unemployment taxes, the index takes the maximum state tax rate and applies it to the state wage base and then takes that as a share of state average pay. In this category, Iowa ranks 48th, beating out only Minnesota, Utah, and North Dakota.
The reason I bring up all this dismal data is to tell you again what I told you in my campaign – I won’t vote for new taxes, and I know that improving Iowa’s business climate is crucial to attracting and growing businesses in this state and putting Iowans back to work.
But one man in the senate won’t let us do that.
You see, Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal has the power of controlling the committees that new legislation must go through. As such, he can either have a committee kill that legislation or bring it to the floor for a vote. There are a lot of good bills that have been introduced this session that are aimed directly at getting Iowa back on track.
But Gronstal stalls.
And he can do it, too. You know why? Because he decided right after the start of the legislative session that he’d change the 40 year old senate rules to remove the language that allows a senator like me to force legislation to the floor.
I bet you can imagine how I feel about that.
I call it tyranny, plain and simple.
Improving Iowa’s business climate is crucial to attracting and growing businesses in the state and putting Iowans back to work. I remain dedicated to helping reform our tax structure and identifying and removing unnecessary government rules and regulations to improve Iowa’s business climate and begin putting Iowans back to work.
If Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal doesn’t like what you have to say, he can stop it dead in its tracks.
So stay tuned for further updates. Our jobs and our economy are at the top of the list in everyone’s minds right now, and I pledge to remain steadfast in my stance on these issues.
As I’ve said before, I’m honored to be your Senator.
Sincerely,
Senator Kent Sorenson
An Open Letter to State Senator Gronstal
from citizen McCoy
Senator Mike Gronstal,
Article 1. Section 2. of the Iowa Constitution says, “All political power is inherent in the PEOPLE. Government
is instituted for the protection, security, and benefit of the PEOPLE, and they have the right, at all
times, to alter or reform the same, whenever the public good may require it.”
What part of Article 1. Section 2, do you not understand? You obviously do not comprehend that the electorate,
your employers, are sick and tired of politics as usual. They made their statement in 2008 and after being
duped have risen up once again in 2010 to restate their point.
The politics of the past is what the people are sick of. They are sick of party politics and the arrogance of their
employees. You have either forgotten, or did not know, or you are ignoring why we hired you. Regardless it’s
time for a refresher course. You were hired to represent the PEOPLE of this great state, and not to fulfil your
own particular agenda, the agenda of a special interest group or to feed your ego. Through your myopic view
you have convinced yourself that you are doing what is right. Denial is not a river in Egypt.
It is understandable and reasonable for the Senate and the House to adopt rules to provide for the expediting
of the workings of those two bodies. However; something is drastically wrong when those rules, made by the
employees, take priority over the employers and the constitution that the employees swore to uphold. Your
excuse that these are the same rules that Republicans adopted indicates you don’t get it. The people are sick
of non constitutional rules hindering the implementation of the constitution., whether the Republicans or the
Democrats adopted them. This is the party politics we are sick of. As a party you may express your difference
in ideology and you rightly should debate those ideologies, for they represent your constituency. However,
when you become so wrapped up in your party’s ideology or some special interest group’s ideology, you have
missed the point that you are representing the PEOPLE of Iowa. We the PEOPLE, your employers, gave you your job and we will fire you and every other employee who is on their own power trip and have disregarded their employer.
In your defense, I agree that the constitution is for the protection, security and rights of the people and to
avoid the tyranny of the majority, as you previously quoted in the Des Moines Register on January ninth. This
is why we are a Republic and not a Democracy. The constitution, however, does not provide rights and privileges for behavior because rights are granted by the creator as stated in the moral law of our nation, the
Declaration of Independence; “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these is Life, Liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness (right of property). That to SECURE these (Creator given) rights, Governments are
instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Governments have no
authority to grant rights. They have the responsibility and only the power the PEOPLE grant them.
There is no homosexual gene in the DNA code of man, so the scientific evidence reveals that homosexuality is
a behavior. You are correct when you state peoples rights should not be put to a vote; however, rights are not
the issue. Behavior is. So your whole premise of protecting the rights of a special interest group who struggles
with their own identity, is erroneous and reflects either your refusal to consider the scientific evidence of the
International Human Genome Consortium or it reflects your biases toward homosexuals.
You may remain full of self pride, and may even persuade some of your fellow Democrats to join you in being
an obstructionist, or you can decide to start serving the PEOPLE of Iowa. Your choice and your fellow employees’ choices on this issue and on other issues that will be presented to you during this session will determine how long you will be employed. The PEOPLE, your employer, will no longer put up with the petty, bickering, partisan politics of the past. It is yours and other politicians self-aggrandizement that has lead to the decline of this great nation and state.
In conclusion let me remind you of Article 1. Section 2. of the Iowa Constitution says, “All political power is
inherent in the PEOPLE. Government is instituted for the protection, security, and benefit of the PEOPLE,
and they have the right, at all times, to alter or reform the same, whenever the public good may require it