I am writing to urge people to vote no on the two proposed constitutional a…

By Bob McConnell

Dear Editor,

I am writing to urge people to vote no on the two proposed constitutional amendments in the special $1.5 million June 29th election. And I am not alone. Virtually every organized group of professionals in education oppose the changes as do the following associations: Iowa Professional Firefighters, Iowa State Police Association, the Iowa PTA, Iowa Citizen Action Network, Iowa State Association of Counties, the Iowa League of Cities, the Iowa AARP, the League of Women voters and many other groups.

What are the issues?

In the first proposal, it is a case of taking something that is already a law and trying to enshrine it in the Constitution. The reason to do this is to make it more difficult for legislators to deal with changing circumstances in the future. It would be like taking other state laws and making them part of the Constitution. Why not insert the 55-mph speed limit on state highways into the Constitution while we’re at it? It also puts Iowa property tax payers at risk of major increases if the economy goes bad in the future. In the second proposal, it is a case of trying to reduce the power of the majority by requiring a super-majority before a change can be made in several classes of taxes. So instead of one-person, one-vote will be some people with 1.2 votes and others with .8. This is fine if you happen to be on the winning side, but it is not democratic.

I have my own ideas about constitutional amendments. Let’s require that every Iowan have access to affordable healthcare, let’s guarantee that every elementary classroom below grade five has fewer than 20 students per teacher, let’s require mandatory jail time for insurance company executives whose companies defraud customers. But the current proposals are not about how to make Iowa a better or a fairer place to live. They are about protecting the cherished assets of Iowa’s wealthiest corporations and citizens. Similar laws have had a devastating impact in some other states, so let’s not let it happen here.

The Washington County Democrats are providing copies of the proposed amendments at local libraries for the general public. Please take the time to get informed and to vote.

Bob McConnell

Chair- Washington County Democrats