From State Rep. Linda Upmeyer
November 4 — I spend a great deal of time going back and forth between Des Moines and North Iowa. Whether I’m in my car headed to do the people’s work in Des Moines or driving across my district, I just love traveling our beautiful state, especially in the fall.
During this time of the year in Iowa we’re used to seeing tractors in the fields and presidential candidates in our small towns. With the presence of presidential campaigns, comes a reminder of how contentious and broken politics in Washington D.C. have become.
Too often, Washington politics is about “winning” instead focusing on problem-solving. The solutions to many of our problems are not partisan issues. Real solutions are found when you have the leadership and cooperation of good people looking to better their community and country. If you are like me you are frustrated because you do not see enough of this in Washington.
Iowans vote to send 100 state representatives and 50 state senators to Des Moines to serve in our citizen-legislature. This means farmers, teachers, small business owners, veterans, and others of all ages and walks of life; gather to address the issues we face daily. Some of us come from rural areas, representing several counties and communities — others from urban areas, where the district is measured by city blocks. While we may be elected as Republicans or Democrats, we come to serve as Iowans first.
This is where the Iowa Legislature is different than Congress. The issues that affect rural Iowa are the same whether it’s a Republican or Democrat holding the position. More often than not, we reach across party lines to work on legislation that will ensure our small town way of life is preserved for future generations. In fact, most of the bills that are passed are done so without much contention and in an overwhelmingly bipartisan manner. Rarely will you read about these bills in the newspaper – bills that have input from multiple legislators from both parties that pass with little to no opposition don’t sell papers.
I believe it’s important to work together and be the voice for Iowans, which is why I would suggest Congress take a reasonable approach to governing like we do in the Iowa Legislature. It’s time to focus on what’s best for our country instead of what’s a better headline in tomorrow’s newspaper.
