A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea

Bruce Lear

When I think about Amendment 1 on Iowa’s election ballot, I’m reminded of the classic children’s book, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.”  Alexander wakes up with gum stuck in his hair, he doesn’t get a toy in his cereal, doesn't get the window seat in the carpool, gets scolded by his teacher, and there's no dessert at lunch.

There isn’t a happy ending because the central theme of the book is that bad days happen to everyone, and it's just a normal part of life.

But when there's a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea on the ballot voters can reject, it doesn't have to be a normal part of our lives.  

Amendment 1 is truly a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea, and the worst part is it sounds so reasonable. It sounds like a way to reign in government spending and it sounds like power to the people.

But like your mom warned, “If it sounds too good to be true, it is.”

It’s an extremely dangerous idea.

It allows the minority to rule, it doesn’t provide a way to deal with the unexpected, and it’s a gift to the ultra-rich. The proposed amendment would require personal and corporate income tax increases to be approved by two-thirds majority in both the Iowa House and Senate.

No one owns a crystal ball that predicts the future. We can’t know if the future holds a catastrophic weather event, a major financial collapse, or another deep farm crisis, but we expect our leaders to quickly react and to lead through these events. 

If Amendment 1 passes, there is no flexibility and the lawmakers we vote for have their hands tied. The majority no longer rules. A small minority is in charge. Under this amendment, 17 members of the Iowa Senate and 34 members of the Iowa House could prevent a timely reaction to catastrophic events.

The minority would have more power than the majority, and the governor elected statewide by the majority of voters would be powerless. It also means that even if there was bipartisan agreement, and the people of Iowa desperately needed help, it couldn’t happen. That’s not what our Founders envisioned. That’s not how our republic works. 

Most people who yell about wanting “small government” are really craving efficient government, and that means maintaining essential services like police and fire protection, quality public schools, safe roads and bridges, clean water quality, and available health care. To maintain these services, Iowa needs sustainable and predictable revenue. That’s lost under Amendment 1.

When Republican lawmakers were pushing for Amendment 1, they hadn’t started cutting income taxes aggressively. Since those cuts, and the private school voucher plan was passed, state revenue has taken a nosedive by 17%. Iowa’s budget is now $1 billion in deficit and revenue surpluses are estimated to evaporate in less than three years.  Iowa is headed for a fiscal cliff and Amendment 1 will make the fall deadly.

If there is a fiscal crisis, one of the few alternatives for lawmakers would be to raise the sales tax. Working families would be hit hard by this move because a higher percentage of their wages will be eaten by this increase. Sales tax is the most regressive tax that favors the rich.  Even if lawmakers raise sales tax, it wouldn’t be enough for essential programs to survive. Our schools, police and fire protection, roads, bridges, health care, and water would be at greater risk than they are now.

Before voting on this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea, take a minute and think about protecting your future, your children’s future, and the future of the state you love, and then vote NO on Amendment 1.

Bruce Lear lives in Sioux City. He has been connected to public schools for 38 years. He taught for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association Regional Director for 27 years until he retired.