People Over Politics Visits House District 91

On Thursday, Aug. 17, the Iowa House Democrats People Over Politics tour of conservative districts came to House District 91. About 20 people, all residents of the district, attended the town hall-style meeting at the Shueyville Community Center. About all we had in common was that we were Democrats who held a deep dislike for our Republican State Representative Brad Sherman.

The 90-minute session was mostly an airing of grievances as State Representatives Amy Nielsen, who previously represented Shueyville, and Elinor Levin from Iowa City moderated the discussion. Until now, there had been few gatherings of Democrats in the district. It was a great opportunity to hear from Democratic representatives about what’s happened at the statehouse, ask questions about the legislative session, and express our legislative priorities.

People Over Politics was the Iowa House Democrats response to increasing extremism among majority Republicans. After surveying the electorate, Democrats distilled four issues about which most Iowans (not just Democrats) can agree. Following are the four key issues from their website:

Lower Costs for Iowans

Too many Iowans are still struggling to make ends meet today. Their wages simply aren’t keeping up with the rising costs of healthcare, food costs, child care, and utility bills. While we recognize the state legislature cannot control all the ups and downs of the national economy, we can take action to help lower costs and reduce living expenses for Iowans.

Here is how we put more money in the pockets of Iowans:

Expand access to affordable child care.
Lower taxes for working families instead of more handouts to big corporations.
Create more affordable housing options.
Expand the use of renewable energy to lower gas prices and utility costs as well as create good jobs.

Supporting Iowa’s Public Schools

For generations, Iowans have counted on great public schools to educate our kids and be the heart of communities large and small. But we’ve lost ground and our public school kids are losing out and teachers are leaving the classroom.

Here is how we renew our commitment to great public schools:

Fully fund public schools to keep up with rising costs and guarantee every kid in every zip code gets a great education.
Raise pay for educators and give them a seat at the table.
Stop the Governor’s private school voucher plan to ensure public money is used to help public school.

Protecting Reproductive Freedom

Everyone deserves the right to make their own health care decisions, especially when it comes to reproductive care and abortion. Lawmakers have no place interfering in someone else’s decisions about when to start a family. A majority of Iowans support reproductive freedom and believe that private health care decisions belong between an individual, their family, and their doctor.

Here is how we will protect the reproductive freedom of Iowans:

Stop the Governor and Iowa Republican ban on all abortion.
Guarantee reproductive freedom by putting it in Iowa’s Constitution.
Expand access to reproductive health care across Iowa.

Legalizing Marijuana

It’s time. A majority of adult Iowans support legalizing marijuana for recreational use. Legalizing marijuana for adult use will keep Iowans safe, stop our tax dollars from going to neighboring states, improve the quality of life for Iowans suffering from chronic illnesses, and stop wasting state resources to unfairly punish Iowans

Here is how we can do the right thing and keep Iowans safe, while moving Iowa’s future forward:

Regulate a safe product that Iowans already use
Use new tax revenue to invest in education and local communities.
Save taxpayer dollars and stop clogging up our courts and prison system with non-violent offenders.
Fixing Iowa’s broken medicinal cannabis program to help those undergoing cancer treatment, and others with chronic conditions like epilepsy, deserve access to improve their quality of life.

Iowa House Democrats People Over Politics website.

Iowans are tired of their representatives playing politics in the statehouse instead of listening to their constituents. Brad Sherman is one of the worst in that regard. The grievances of the group covered a broad span of topics. While a single meeting among voters won’t accomplish much. The hope is it is the beginning of an organizing process that will provide an opportunity to replace radical conservatives currently representing us.

To learn more, visit the Iowa House Democrats People Over Politics website, found here.