Why I'm Running
I'm running for a few reasons. The first reason is that there
hasn't been a democrat on the House ticket for 12 years. That seems
to me to be terribly undemocratic. The voters have to have a way to
show their disapproval of their legislators and not have their
representative chosen for them by one political party. I can promise
you that as long as I'm around, there will always be a choice on the
ballot.
The second reason that I'm running has to do with our current
representative, Chuck Soderberg. Mr. Soderberg
has gone on the
record as stating that he wouldn't vote for any legislation intended
to address global warming. The reason he gave for taking that stance
was "because it would hurt our economy". Now it doesn't matter if
you believe in global warming or not. It doesn't matter if you think
Al Gore is a nutcase. One thing is for certain: The green movement
is here and the push for clean renewable energy provides Iowa with
an incredible economic opportunity. Anywhere there has been
investment in green-collar jobs, investment in renewable energy,
anywhere where an ethanol plant has gone up, we've seen an
increase in jobs and a boost to our economy. Last year was the first
year in the history of Iowa that we were actually able to create a
surplus of energy and export it to another state. Now we're either
going to wind up buying energy or selling energy. I'd prefer to see
us continue selling energy. If we capitalize on this opportunity on
a grand scale, we could fund our roads and bridges, fund our
schools, fulfill the Democratic initiative of getting every child in
Iowa health insurance, and possibly even create a fund for
healthcare and education.
But here's the thing... This is going to force innovation on the
part of the utility companies. And that's where our current
representative Chuck Soderberg comes in. He's the
Vice President of Legislative Planning for a utility company. He's looking out
for their bottom line. He wants to hold us back from this progress
to protect his employer and I want to take us forward for the
benefit of all of Iowa. I'm completely confident that I can be the
catalyst for this progress and at the same time eliminate or
substantially reduce any financial pinch that the utility companies
will feel. Governor Culver and the Iowa State Legislature have
already created an apparatus to offset the costs to the utility
companies by creating the
Office of Energy
Independence and the Iowa Power Fund. Our current
representative
voted against that creation (last paragraph), yet ironically,
now occupies
a seat
on the board. I'll not only work
to introduce power companies to these programs, but I will also work to
create incentives and expand
these programs so that we can have a win/win for all parties
involved in this
issue.
What sets me apart
I'm not a politician and I'm not a corporate business man. I'm not in this race for any kind of personal gain. By entering this race and by assuming our seat in the House of Representatives, I'll be taking a substantial financial hit. That doesn't bother me. I've been poor much of my life and I don't mind letting go of some creature comforts in order to do right by the good people of Iowa. I love my state and I love my community and I want to do what's best for us all. I believe that we need someone like myself, now more than ever, to fill that role.
When I leave office, I won't become a lobbyist or the legislative liaison for a big corporation. I'll simply go back to doing what I did before, maintaining a website, my garden, and enjoying my life with my wife.
