The LPIA’s response to the governor’s 2017 Condition of the State speech is now available for viewing here. A transcript of the speech is below:
Hello, fellow Iowans. I am Keith Laube, chair of the Libertarian Party of Iowa. It is my pleasure to present the Libertarian response to Governor Terry Branstad’s 2017 Condition of the State speech. This year marked Governor Branstad’s twenty-third time giving a condition of the state speech, and it is expected to be his last. The speech was more of a farewell than a statement of policy. The governor left the job of setting the direction for the future of the state to those who will follow him. The Libertarian Party of Iowa, now eligible for political party status, is excited to be part of the future. We look forward to working with Kim Reynolds for the next two years as she completes Terry Branstad’s term as governor.
Libertarians are hard-working Iowans. We care deeply about our families, our communities, and our country. We want Iowa to be a state where everyone has the freedom to pursue their own happiness as long as they do not hurt anyone or take another’s rightful possessions.
Libertarians believe the way to increase human freedom and productivity is to reduce government control. This includes the control of taxpayers’ money. The governor claimed Iowans have had tax relief over the past five years. We believe Iowans continue to pay a high amount of taxes – sales tax, property tax, and income tax. We are concerned about the size of state government when a downward projection of revenue in the middle of a fiscal year sends the governor searching for ways to cut spending.
The governor called for people to ask questions, not just accept the status quo. The Libertarians agree, and particularly urge the voters not to accept the status quo at the next election. We would go beyond the spending cuts the governor was speaking of, though, and ask if the project or service should be funded by state dollars. This goes for family planning services funding, which is a form of corporate welfare.
Libertarians fully support the governor in calling for reducing traffic accidents and improving water quality. However, we do not believe legislation is the best way to reach these goals. Libertarians prefer to lead by example rather than increase the rules and laws that lessen the power of the people and increase the number of state employees working to set regulations and administer the laws.
Libertarians would raise two issues that the governor did not even touch upon in his speech. The Bakken Pipeline being constructed across the state was granted eminent domain to forcibly gain the right to use property owned by Iowa citizens. This pipeline is not a public utility. The pipeline is owned and operated by a private company for private gain. The pipeline crosses several Iowa watersheds raising concerns that when there is a spill or leak, Iowans will be left with the cleanup bill and the property owner will be left with unusable and devalued property. If Libertarians were in the legislature, we would seek a solution to the damage caused by the power a three-person appointed Iowa Utility Board has to decide who has the right to use our land.
Reform of the criminal justice system is another area Libertarians would pursue if we were serving in the legislature this session. Why does someone possessing medical marijuana get twenty years in prison while a drunk driver is given a slap on the wrist? Someone behind the wheel drunk can do a lot more harm than a cancer patient or epileptic taking cannabis oil.
It is a great time to be a Libertarian. We reach out to you to share our values and concerns. Together we will have a strong, vibrant Iowa for ourselves and our families for generations to come. Thank you.
