Submitted by an NIT reader:
Ms. Ragan,
Reading your article I understand your Democratic code for lets tax and spend, tax and spend, and tax and spend, “The legislative session is going longer than scheduled. I hope it will wrap up soon, but we won’t gavel out until Iowa has a balanced state budget that keeps our commitments to students, working families and local communities on education, job creation and economic growth.”
As an Iowa working family you speak about, I can tell you’re out of touch with reality. It is easy to read between the lines what you are really saying. You want to take credit for the state’s budget being in good shape. Sound bipartisan management is a crock. Iowa voters sent the Republicans to Des Moines to put a stop to your run-a-way Democratic spending; it’s time you get real. The Iowa Senate is barley in Democratic control and there are some sensible Democratic Senators that are willing to stop spending. You are not one of them!
You are clearly holding on to spend the excess money in the budget when it is not your money in the first place. Return this tax money to working families and let us decide on how to spend it.
Also, by now you should know that government cannot create jobs. People that can make a profit providing a product or service create jobs. Government only impedes that by over taxing and socialist rules.
Then you say you want to increase our state’s investment in education at the local level, at our community colleges and at our state universities. Your call to give education MORE TAX MONEY is totally BS. We working families are tired of trying to make ends meet while you keep giving our money away for education. They have more then enough tax money to educate our children. This is all political pay back so the teachers union will keep supporting you stupid Democrats.
OH, and get this; you want to give Iowa’s community colleges more tools to help fix our state’s shortage of skilled worker. Are you nuts? The best training in the world is OJT. That’s ON THE JOB TRAINING for you elected schmucks that think the only place to learn anything is in a college. Well you are wrong, wrong, wrong. If you want to do something positive provide a break to business’s that will hire and TRAIN a new employee.
Then there is Health Care:
Reducing costs for 60,000 Iowa small businesses with a state tax credit on employee health insurance costs. The best way to do that is get Government out of the health care business and let us working families and employers compete for our health care. This frustrates us to no end because every time you government types get involved our costs for health care GO UP!
Then we have the solar joke and it isn’t at all funny:
You want to provide consumer rebates to create jobs on solar and wind projects at residences and businesses. This will only screw up the prices and cause electric rates to go up at the expense of the taxpayers. In case you didn’t know this these windmills are only making it because we are giving them tax credits. They are waiting so you elected idiots can keep raising our rate per kilowatt up high enough to make windmills profitable. I used to pay 7 cents per kilowatt and now it up to 14 cents and because of your stupid government mandates forcing us to buy wind energy, it is going to go to over 30 cents per kilowatt. How is that good for working families and Iowa’s economy? It is clear in you don’t have a clue!
If you want to help with economic growth get the Government off our backs and stop with the entire liberal BS. We are sick of it.
31 thoughts on “Op-ed: Open Letter to Ms. Ragan”
There it goes again—try not to make it personal. How about stop the name calling?
As the author of this letter, yes I am well known.
One of the biggest reasons I ask to remain anonymous is people always shoot the messenger instead of sticking with the issues. That is a common tactic by all political parties.
Also, from experience, when my children were young and I spoke out about issues, my children paid a terrible price from teachers in our school system.
I very much appreciate NIT for allowing discussion and feelings to be expressed without notoriety. I am not interested in political office or fame.
I admire the Matt Marquardts and Pete Childrens in this world who are willing to go public. At this point in my life I find I can be more affective remaining anonymous.
This letter does reflect my feelings and beliefs. Yes we need big change in this country and until we can find the thread that binds we need these exchanges.
Ms. Ragan sure don’t have the answers.
Re Matt Rezab, We all know very intelligent people that have well reasoned arguments on why far left politicians are taking us in the wrong direction. Why are people afraid to post using their identity? I think we all know the answer to that one too. The liberal main stream media will go after you and then some, on the left, instead of having a rational debate, will target you personally and try to smear your name or boycott your business or use some other tactic. We’ve seen it done over and over. What’s bizarre is the progressives tout they are for people’s rights and they use these tactics to shut down freedom of speech? What’s up with that?
Limbaugh,Hannity and Oreilly three of the biggest attack dogs the conservatives have. They do everything you just accused the liberals of doing. Don’t be a hypocrite they are all the same.
Limbaugh,Hannity and Oreilly, conservative?
What are you smokin?
Those fellows are just as liberal as the rest of you lefties. Only think they do is make money asking a bunch of questions of conservatives and liberal.
I am conservative and they would not let me near the microphone to expose their misguided liberal actions. It is because of them, the liberals have so much power. They don’t allow real conservative rebuttal.
Anyone who thinks the democrats or republicans know whats best has not been paying attention for the last 40 years. Wake up people the dems tax and spend and reps tax cut and spend. The middle class pays for it all. Conservatives didn’t call this a socialist country when Bush and the republicans passed the prescription drug entitlement program. they wrap themselves in the flag when the dixie chicks said they were embarresed by Bush but say nothing when Nugent says anything he wants. These people are all hypocrites. End the democrats and republicans that is the only way to fix this country.
Finally, somebody said it for me. I sure hope Senator Ragan and her friends are listening. This kind of straight talk is helpful. Now I know I am not alone the way I feel about politicians.
FLAT TAX for all Americans is the only fair system ! Close tax loopholes. NO to SOCIALISM ! Dems spend & tax ! HOLY YIKES – wake up America before we turn into a 3rd world nation. NO to Obamacare .. get the government out of healthcare once & for all. Pouring more $$$$$$$ into the failing education system is not the answer … eliminate the teachers union and watch the education system flourish. Does China have a teachers union? HELL NO!
I am fed up with punishing the “haves” in this country. They worked hard for their rewards, so why punish them? Obama wants to eliminate the “haves” and give it to the “have nots” and then when that money is gone, where will more come from?????? Hope not China, like Obama’s stimulus package did 🙁
I understand NIT has no control over the people posting comments anonymously, but now they’re posting anonymous op-eds? All credibility and accountability fly straight out the window when you don’t have the balls to attach your name to an attack piece. Shame on NIT for publishing something without a source.
Matt, thanks for your comment. NIT will run an anonymous op-ed if it raises intelligent questions. I didn’t see anything wrong with the points this writer made. Sen. Ragan is more than capable of dealing with these points. The writer simply has issues with her policies. What is wrong with that? I see absolutely nothing wrong with putting this material out for public consumption and debate. Community dialogue is part of the goal here. Many tell me that the state level politicians have received a “free pass” in the media for too long; I am eager to have more material like this op-ed sent to NIT.
Okay, Matt, but wouldn’t you recommend mailing (by snail mail) pieces of this nature, since anyone who specializes in computer science would be able to discover the identity of the author? Just how private are “anonymous” submissions on this site? Please be truthful, as you always seem to be.
I have no issues with the content of the submission, everyone has a right to an opinion, it simply adds context to that content when you know who it’s coming from.
Matt, I would agree 100% and then some that it would be much better if the writer would use his/her name. They asked me to leave it off, fear of repercussions.
So sorry — I was asking the question of Matt Marquardt. I should have specified that.
If we keep getting the truth out like this letter to Ragan does, eventually people will stop voting for these liberal idiots who want to tell us how to live, spend our money for us, and turn America into a 3rd world country.
Great Letter!!!
and once we vote them out of office, those idiot conservatives will come into office and tell us how to live, spend our money, give corporation executives a much-needed pay raise, give corporations free reign to do what they want, and turn the majority of America into a 3rd world country. I’m worried.
Better a conservative idiot than a liberal idiot. At least we got a shot at getting ahead with conservatives that won’t tax us to death.
This spreading the wealth, class warfare, and more, more, government that the Democrats want has to stop. It is destroying families!
It was President Obama and the Democrats that was in charge of the “Bailout” money that gave all pay raises and bonus’s to the fat cats.
You liberals are always lying about who does what.
What did the republicans do to stop telling us how to live and I dont think any year under bush we didn’t borrow money and I know the standard of living didnt go up under the republicans leadership. So lets get rid of the conservitives we cant afford their lies. All they want to do is give big oil, big corporations, banks and the very wealthy tax breaks and make the rest of us pay for them. Flat tax is the only way no one will get out of paying their share of taxes.
Until the Democrats get off this socialist kick I am voting for the Republicans. I have voted Democratic in the past but since the Democrats decided to turn America into a Communist/Socialist 3rd world country I won’t support them.
The flat tax would be good.
I would appreciate it too if you would quit spending so much of our money. Thank you.
100% support? Someone flunked simple math.
The statement was “the majority of North Iowans support you 100%” ie those people that are in agreement with the Ms Ragan do so 100%. Perhaps you missed basic comprehension or logic class due to budget cuts?
100% support? Someone flunked very simple math.
Judy…someone flunked readeing conprehension!!!
Ya, it was happyguy that flunked reading comprehension!!!
Spelling too; readeing conprehension
Thank you Amanda for all the hard work you do and for not letting this kind of BS get to you. Keep up the good work and know that the majority of North Iowans support you 100%
Fact Chet Culver and the democrats had this state on a very sound fiscal path when brain dead took office, so dont think anyone is dunb enough to believe the republicans are better with our money it simply is not true. Look at the first time this govenor was in office he had double books and he did not help iowa at all. As far as health care goes its obvious we need the government to step in and have a program for all americans, companies just aren’t providing health care anymore and who can blame them with the cost so out of control and the american workers aren’t making enough to pay for their own health care so that is when a government is suppose to step in and fill the void. There is no excuse why this country can not provide health care to all legal americans.
you must be smoking your socks if you believe that propaganda!
What communists turnip truck did you fall off. All she wants to do is spend, spend, spend. It is her answer to everythig and on top of that she can not be trusted to do what she says. I used to vote democrat but not anymore. Glad I am Independent.
MS Ragen,
You have just been given a lesson in what the real people thin of the BS you are trying to shove down our throats. Please read and LEARN.