Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger once said, “the task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.” There aren’t many leaders in Iowa these days.
The Iowa General Assembly remains deadlocked. Budget negotiations have stalled because the Democrats in the Senate, the Republicans in the House and Governor Terry Branstad have put partisanship above leadership. Meanwhile, school districts, local governments and the people of Iowa muster on under a governmental cloud of uncertainty. A leader would have acted to prevent such gridlock.
Governor Branstad can end Iowa's budget impasse by choosing to lead. Register file photo.
One of the cruel ironies is Governor Branstad is unwilling to compromise on his proposal to replace Iowa’s annual budget process with a two-year budget cycle, because he wants schools and others to be able to better plan for the future. Oddly, Branstad is making it impossible for others to plan by insisting on something he believes will make it easier for people to plan.
The two-year budget is worth pursuing aggressively, but Branstad is under the mistaken impression that stubbornness is akin to leadership.
Democrats say the major sticking points are a biennial budget gives a governor too much power and 0% allowable growth for public schools is unacceptable. Governor Branstad has the ability to break the impasse, yet he is choosing to stand his partisan ground.
Governor, the time has come for you to act. Acquiescing on one point in order to win an even more important one isn’t weakness; it is a show of strength by a leader who wants to move his people to that new and better place.
Governor Branstad and House Republicans should agree to the Democrats reasonable demand for 2% allowable growth for public education for the next two years and, in return for a two year budget, allow Democrats to put a few safeguards into the budget process to address their concerns about how such a budget might give a governor too much control. The Legislature will still meet every year and should be allowed to make minor adjustments during the budget cycle. A governor should not be allowed to alter a budget significantly during that time without legislative input.
By funding public education with a reasonable 2% allowable growth formula and reaching a compromise to enable Senate Democrats to approve the logical biennial budget process, Governor Branstad and the General Assembly will be seen as leaders and Iowa will be better for it. If both continue to put partisanship ahead of progress, Iowans will lose.
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Graham Gillette can be reached at grahamgillette@gmail.com
This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register blog entry.
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