Why is Iowa struggling?
To the editor:
Watching the state legislature and the governor grapple with Iowa’s budget woes, they remind me of a flock of chickens scratching in the dirt looking for morsels, while right beside them is a trough filled with feed waiting to be consumed. However, human aren’t chickens, humans are supposed to use common sense, logic and reason to solve problems.
The trough full of feed I refer to is Iowa’s recently harvested 2.4 billion bushels of corn and almost 500 bushels of soybeans. Iowa is No. 1 in pork and egg production. We produce millions of gallons of milk, and millions of pounds of beef and lamb and a variety of vegetables and fruit.
We are a small state of 3 million humans and yet there are small nations with larger populations that cannot match our food production capability – and yet Iowa is facing a billion-dollar deficit. Why?
I would argue that Iowa should be rolling in the dough. We have:
- One of the strongest work ethics in the nation.
- An intelligent, highly-literate populace.
- An excellent climate for ag production.
- A decent manufacturing base.
- A fairly decent transportation system.
- Lots of recreational opportunities.
- A good retail base.
Yet, Iowa continues to struggle economically. Why and where do we go from here?
Family farmers did their part. They took the risks and, with the help of nature, the job got done.
The biggest stumbling block to Iowa’s future is its pride. The Bible says that “pride goes before the fall.”
We have people in high places that have been taught certain economic principles, such as the myth of the free market, and hell will freeze over before they admit that free marketeering has led this nation’s economy to the edge of the cliff.
There are many reasons why Iowa is suffering, but here is one lingering thought – Iowa’s family farmers, and their farm production, are gradually being taken over by agribusiness conglomerates. Read history and understand how England colonized India and you will see the similarities.