“Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” – Joe Biden, said during comments made on John McCain’s policies during the 2008 presidential campaign

It’s been a long time since I’ve been so blistering, seething angry. Usually, that kind of hot anger is left for my beautiful, talented, but sassy youngest daughter. This anger is directed squarely at Des Moines.

#whereareourprioritiesIowa

 

At first, I deleted this. It’s been a long day all ready in a long week, and I don’t know how much more bullshit I can take. I was up late when our legislature buzz sawed through the a woman’s constitutional right to make choices for her own body. It showed the majority’s true colors in that they are not a pro-choice party, they are a pro-birth party. Everyone can have a baby, but if you are poor or down on your luck, well, you are pretty much out of luck because someone needs that funding.

#whereareourprioritiesIowa

Why do I say this? Because next comes our “tax reform bill”, a bill our governor touted last Friday for the “hard working people of Iowa” but it wasn’t written, and only released yesterday. The so called debate, will take place simultaneously in the House and Senate on Saturday, with the victory lap on Saturday afternoon. This bill will cut $2.7 billion dollars out of our budget. $100 million dollars will be cut in 2019 and by 2023, that number leaps to $400 million. If revenue targets are hit, this number goes to $643 million dollars! All this come from Iowa Policy Project:

The Iowa Policy Project (IPP) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 2001 to produce research and analysis to engage Iowans in state policy decisions. IPP focuses on tax and budget issues, economic opportunity and family prosperity, and energy and environmental policy.

They do an awesome job of breaking down the real numbers and putting them into terms shmucks like me can understand. Iowan for Prosperity, a Koch brothers funded organization, would prefer that the revenue targets are lowered, because they want our state to look EXACTLY like Kansas. Google Kansas Experiment and see how that turned out.

46% of this “tax cut” will got to those who make more than $250,000. If we drop it down to those who make $100,000, the “tax cut” goes to 74% of our Iowans. So those who make less than $100,000, they get 26% of the money cut. So, a focus on the middle class, I think not.

And how will this $2.7 billion dollars be filled into our budget? Unicorn poop and rainbows.

#seriously

This money will be filled in when growth happens, because you know, trickle down economics! We all know that when tax cuts happen, that economy just springs to life.

If the bill’s backers are counting on growth to come to the rescue, they are willfully ignoring all evidence to the contrary. The last major income tax cuts in Iowa, in 1997-98, not only failed to stimulate growth, but likely contributed to the subsequent slowing of the state’s economy. The tax cuts in Kansas led to slower growth.

UPDATE: This blog was meant to be posted on Friday, but I do teach and yesterday’s weather begged me to work outside, so I did. Last night, Rob Hogg (D) tweeted this out:
 12h12 hours ago

Iowa Senate GOP acknowledged tonight they are using rare procedure Saturday to prevent Democratic amendments to tax bill (SF2417)

So I asked, what does this mean?
 1h1 hour ago
Replying to 

Two strike-and-replace amendments in a row, knocking any other amendments “out of order”

So, not only is our Republican majority planning on passing this monstroty, they are planning on doing it in a way where there is NO public input and in a way that allows Democrats ZERO avenue to question them on their decision making process.

#makesperfectsense
When the bill is passed, old white men and women will stand and pat themselves on the back, congratulating themselves on a job well done. They’ve managed to make Iowa a hugely regressive state, creating a hostile atmosphere for women, a place where social services, where college education is for those who can afford it, and where the opinions of others really don’t matter.

UPDATE: The “tax reform” bill was passed on Saturday and the legislative session was done, 8 days beyond the scheduled finishing time.

This blog was started Friday, updated Saturday, but not published. I’m not, by nature, a political person, all though my daughter tells me that my FB page is way too much so. 🙂 I was/am hesitant in publishing this post because it’s not what I want this blog to become. However, I have a voice, and I’ve found it here with the help of those who read my Slice of Life. Thank you for assisting me in finding that courage to press publish and to feel like my voice can make a difference.