Ed I’m sure you remember a time when the Republican Party preached less government, fiscal responsibility, “family values”, national defense, local control, and support of the constitution. While their understanding of “family values” and mine differ, I long for the day to a return to something close to normalcy. It is clear that less government interference just means less taxes, no judiciary, no FBI, and only legislate issues connected to their values and in the case of Washington not at all. The Republicans want to dictate what a woman can do with her body, what parents can do with their children and what books our schools and libraries should have on their shelves. Democracy is about free choice and as long as you don’t harm another person through your actions you should be allowed to think, speak and act how you deem appropriate. I don’t need government legislating away my freedoms. The Republicans may think they know better than me about moral or ethical issues and maybe they do, but they cross the line imposing them on me through legislation.
Don't forget how the Republican-led Statehouse also preempted local governments' ability to set higher minimum wages than the State's $7.25/hr rate after the Johnson County Board of Supervisors voted to establish a $8.20/hr minimum wage in 2015.
And in 2017, then-Gov. Branstad signed a GOP bill into law that preempts local governments' ability to require project labor agreements for procured construction projects.
I often hear Quad Citizens (strangely, mostly of the Iowan variety) gripe about how Chicago dominates all of Illinois politics. As a locally elected official from an Illinois municipality, this is absurd. If I look at the kind of preemption that Des Moines doles out for Iowan municipalities and compare it to what I experience coming from Springfield (or Chicago, if you believe the Chicago-dominates-everything whiners), I count my lucky stars to be in Illinois.
Thanks, Ed. All of this nonsense comes from a party that at one time believed in local control. Irony is dead...again 🤦♀️
Thanks so much, Ed, for applying the power of your pen to this effort to overthrow nonpartisan library governance. It's much appreciated.
Ed I’m sure you remember a time when the Republican Party preached less government, fiscal responsibility, “family values”, national defense, local control, and support of the constitution. While their understanding of “family values” and mine differ, I long for the day to a return to something close to normalcy. It is clear that less government interference just means less taxes, no judiciary, no FBI, and only legislate issues connected to their values and in the case of Washington not at all. The Republicans want to dictate what a woman can do with her body, what parents can do with their children and what books our schools and libraries should have on their shelves. Democracy is about free choice and as long as you don’t harm another person through your actions you should be allowed to think, speak and act how you deem appropriate. I don’t need government legislating away my freedoms. The Republicans may think they know better than me about moral or ethical issues and maybe they do, but they cross the line imposing them on me through legislation.
Don't forget how the Republican-led Statehouse also preempted local governments' ability to set higher minimum wages than the State's $7.25/hr rate after the Johnson County Board of Supervisors voted to establish a $8.20/hr minimum wage in 2015.
And in 2017, then-Gov. Branstad signed a GOP bill into law that preempts local governments' ability to require project labor agreements for procured construction projects.
I often hear Quad Citizens (strangely, mostly of the Iowan variety) gripe about how Chicago dominates all of Illinois politics. As a locally elected official from an Illinois municipality, this is absurd. If I look at the kind of preemption that Des Moines doles out for Iowan municipalities and compare it to what I experience coming from Springfield (or Chicago, if you believe the Chicago-dominates-everything whiners), I count my lucky stars to be in Illinois.