By Contributing Editor Christian Fong
Let the Eleventh hour quickly pass me by. – Jars of Clay
I have a lot of friends in the Iowa Legislature. I like them. I admire their dedication. But like a novice skier nearing the end of a double-black ski run, this session now begs the question, "Will they actually make it to the end, or crash and be hauled off the course on a stretcher?" I’m speaking of the mad rush to accomplish something…anything. They act as if they have not. I happen to think that a balanced budget is something to cheer, as is disaster relief (loud cheers from me, as the President of Corridor Recovery). But now we near the end. Human nature is strong to believe wrongly this truth:
The eleventh hour propels otherwise rational people into thinking that action is always better than inaction.
It’s not true. To choose not to act is an act in itself. Thoughtful inaction is an art. It requires great courage, conviction and at least a temporary suspension of the instinct that would rather drive through for fast food rather than wait an hour for a home-cooked dinner. And many of these last bills are the political equivalent of greasy fast food!
In the eleventh hour, ideas emerge and are voted on in days. Closed door sessions create compromises (or "shove it through" strategies) without time to think, discuss, debate, refine or at least have the exhilaration of earnest prayer when we disagree!
Legal disarray is born of hastily written law. Transparency is choked out by closed door sessions devoid of true democracy (from Democrats, no less!). Later we hear some vague, passive apology of "Mistakes were made," as an admission that things got royally screwed up in the scrum, though the leadership can’t figure out who or what is to blame!
Legislators, for Iowa’s sake, please slow down.
Shoot-from-the-hip intuition is just wrong, on these matters too important for failure. Malcalm Gladwell’s book, blink, celebrates the one-in-a-million person who can consistently get it right, just from intuition, without really thinking. One in a million? That means Iowa has, maybe, three of those unique geniuses. And I am pretty sure they don’t work at the Capitol.
I’d suggest these strategies on last issues that are turning into dog piles at the eleventh hour:
Tax Reform: Read about it here. It is clear that there is not good information. Too much data is being generated by partisan interests, instead of level-headed, objective analysis. The bill, according to one House sponsor with whom I spoke, accomplishes too little and is, at best, a half-way attempt at real reform. This is too important an issue to slap together.
Solution: Pass a bill creating a bi-partisan task force of economists, legislators and policy experts. Mandate a comprehensive revamp of the income tax code of Iowa in a way that is simple, fair, compassionate and pro-growth. Eliminate the loopholes and special interest credits that enable some to pay none, and mind-boggling complexity that turn honest folks into tax criminals. Then turn it into law the first month of the next session. It took us decades to work ourselves into this mess. It’s worth six months to get it right. With a rational income tax code, Iowa would be the envy of the nation.
Defense of Marriage:Legislature, let's agree that the judicial branch cavalierly gutted your clear and simple legislation on an issue. Democrats, too afraid of a liberal base to touch the issue, need to get a backbone to address the issue of the checks-and-balances of power. The GOP needs to stop playing political games. Their frantic calls for a marriage amendment, "or it’s too late," are counterfactual to the realities of how the constitutional process works. And, since I’m not making any friends with this paragraph, let me suggest that turning a moral issue into a political chip is both disrespectful to the people involved and trivializes an important debate. We all have deep feelings on this, which is why it is too important to be jammed through in a state of panic.
Solution: Republicans, come up with a real plan. If you want a political win, use the issue to advance a full pro-family plan that addresses the needs of the other 99% of Iowans. Need some ideas? Start by declaring a "Year of the Iowa Family," help families that are economically hurting and take steps to strengthen both marriages and family life.
Bonding: Let's call $700 million of bonds, detailed here, for what it is. A $700 million commitment to future taxes. (Technically, either taxes or diminished future services.) I’ve seen four versions of this bonding plan, and the level of waste for non-essential spending is mind-boggling. But included in the plan are a number of fantastic, new Iowa Economy projects that are going to pay off in big ways. These should be able to get clear bi-partisan support, if not stapled to pork.
Solution: Why the hurry to spend all this money? Any line-item of spending that can wait, should wait. One Iowa State economist demonstrated that there simply weren’t enough construction workers to tackle all the projects all at once anyhow. The Armchair Economist reminds us that we simply have no idea what next year’s economy will look like – we don’t know what we don’t know (more on that Monday). Pass a smaller, targeted bill, focused on the "slam dunk", no-nonsense capital projects that will pay off for years to come. Then save your fiscal gunpowder for next year.
Do these things, and I promise to get your back between sessions. I will not aim to humiliate you as a "do nothing" Legislature – that wouldn’t be truthful. I will not decry what you did not accomplish – deliberate and thoughtful inaction will take great courage. I will celebrate the return of thoughtful lawmaking, that is less "Git’er’dun" and more "Get it right."
well said, all of these little nibbles amount to a big yawn. Why don't they try something really bold:
- Eliminate the corporation income tax
- Reduce the Iowa individual tax rate to 4% by eliminating all the special deductions, exclusions and giveaway tax credits like the 50% Hollywood subsidy. Oh, and get rid of federal deductibility only when we get down to that 4% rate and only if....
- they move for a constitutional limit on spending based on economic and population growth.
- Eliminate the Iowa Power Fund, Vision Iowa and all of the other lame excuses for politicians to steer money to their friends.
If you are going to fight for something, at least make it worth the fight.
Posted by: jeremycobert | April 16, 2009 at 03:06 PM