CLINTONCOUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

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Monday, May 2, 2005

THE HALL OF FAME DINNER:  Social hour: 6-7.  Dinner is at 7 at the Frontier.  If you haven't received your tickets yet, please contact County Chair, Jean Pardee, 242-8111 or Dick Kissack, 242-9951.  We'll deliver the tickets to you.  We're looking forward to a very successful event that will make it possible for the Clinton County Democratic Party to support progressive legislative programs and elect more Democrats to public office.

United States Senator Chuck Grassley has invited everyone to a Town Hall meeting, Wednesday, May 4 from 7:30 - 8:30 A.M. at the ClintonCountyAdministrationBuilding. It would be nice to have Democrats well represented. The Senator should hear from loyal American citizens other than his Republican friends.

State Representative Ed Fallon, candidate for Governor, was in town Saturday.  He met with a large group of Democrats at Democratic Headquarters. The group had a very thorough discussion of issues which included:  developing energy independence, making Iowa more self sufficient in food, making highway 30 a four lane divided road from Chicago to Cedar Rapids, providing health care to all citizens, improving funding for education, developing more responsible land use policies, reforming campaign finance and increasing funding for research at our State Universities. Early in a campaign is an ideal time to meet with candidates, inform them of grassroots problems, give them ideas for solutions and call to their attention areas where they need to be better informed.  If you would like to know more about Ed Fallon, visit his website:  www.fallonforgovernor.org

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SHOULD WE ELIMINATE THE ESTATE TAX?

"Eliminating the estate tax would widen the gap between rich and poor and deepen the divide for generations to come, passing wealth on to those who never earned it, creating a plutocratic leisure class."  (Mortimer B. Zuckerman, Editor-in-Chief,  U.S. New and World Report, May 2, 2005)

"Man of great wealth owes a particular obligation to the state because he derives special advantage from the mere existence of government."  (President Theodore Roosevelt)

"The tax doesn't kick in until the assets exceed $1.5 million and much of the wealth transferred has never been taxed.  Eliminating the tax would be another gift to the super-rich"

BETTERSCHOOLS, SMALLER PRISONS

To curb spiraling prison costs, put more resources into schools.

Two-thirds of state prison inmates lack a high school diploma.  (The Bureau of Justice Statistics)

There is hard evidence that quality education, as early as preschool, can keep people out of jail.

$15,000. spent on preschool yielded a $260,000. return to society, mostly because the children were much less likely to get into trouble with the law when they grew up.

Research shows that anticrime effects of good schools are not limited to tiny tikes.  (NEA Today April 2005)

The Tax Payers Association of Iowa has labored for thirty-five plus years to limit funding for public education.  Now conservative groups who mistakenly call themselves "Christian" and ";People of Faith" are pushing to execute more people mostly in a spirit of revenge for recent specific heinous crimes.  Where do they intend to get the money to finance the executions?

MORE ON ONE OF THE REPUBLICANS' LEADING DEMAGOGUES

Zieman finds room at the bottom.

Why am I so disturbed by the remarks made by Senator Mark Zieman in the Iowa General Assembly?  I think they represent deeply embedded prejudices shared by members of the conservative (religious?) extremists and the Iowa Taxpayers' Association that have seized control of the Republican Party.

Senator Zieman is also a hypocrite.  He hasn'trefused more one million Federal dollars in crop support payments nor his check, expenses and IPERS benefits he receives as a member of the Iowa General Assembly.

I have printed a few excerpts from a Quad City Times editorial of Monday, April 25.  If you would like to read the entire editorial, go on line.  If you think the printed text sounds bad, you should listen to the audio.

"Take a look at the groups Iowa State Sen. Mark Zieman clearly, articulately, vindictively and -- after the fact -- regretfully labeled as 'bottom feeders.'  Last week on the Iowa Senate floor, Zieman snarled the names with escalating venom. The text is damning enough. Listen online to get the full effect of the rant. Find a link to audio of the remarks online at www.qctimes.com/opinion  or you may contact him personally: E-mail: mark.zieman@legis.state.ia.us  Phone: (563) 864-3104"

"His tirade was about the public employee groups who are invited members of the State's Benefits Advisory Committee. None bullied its way into these meetings. Each was invited. They meet monthly to work with the state's retirement system and the Legislature about benefits for all kinds of public employees: teachers, cops, street sweepers, prison guards, librarians."

"Zieman could have picked a less provocative insult, but the meaning is clear: He holds contempt for Iowa's public employees and views his role as adversarial.  Iowa doesn't need a combatant involved in top-level negotiations with the state's workforce."