In January I’ll begin my 25th annual road trip across Iowa. Since Iowans first elected me in 1980 to the U.S. Senate, I’ve pledged to stay in touch. Nearly every weekend and during breaks in the congressional calendar, I’m home in Iowa listening to Iowans.
At the start of every calendar year, I map out a plan to make sure I reach each of Iowa’s 99 counties at least once to hold a town meeting, tour a local business, visit a school or attend a community event.
Some of my colleagues in Congress wonder why I bother to keep up my pledge after so many years. For sure, representing Iowans in Washington is a full-time job. And I take that job seriously. In fact I currently hold the Senate record for not missing a vote.
But representative government is a two-way street. That’s why this annual road trip is so important. I get first–hand feedback from Iowans in the communities in which they work and live.
Looking back over the last quarter-century of crisscrossing Iowa brings back so many good memories. For better or for worse, some things have changed. Others stay the same.
A few comparisons between then and now come to mind.
In 1980, a gallon of gas went for about $1.25. Today Iowans will pay about $1.71 per gallon at the pump. A first-class postage stamp was 15 cents. Today you’ll need 37 cents to mail a letter anywhere in the United States. Double-digit interest rates at the beginning of the ‘80s pinched consumers and homeowners. They also contributed to one of our state’s darkest hours when the farm crisis hit so close to home for so many Iowa families. Today interest rates remain at historical lows. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measurement of the rate of inflation, was 13.5% in 1980. Today inflation remains in check, measuring in the low single digits.
During my first 99-county annual road trip I was Iowa's junior senator. When I took the oath of office on January 4, for the fifth time, I became the 16th most senior member out of the 100-member Congress. This seniority gives Iowa a front-row seat at the policy tables in Washington.
As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, I'll lead consideration in the Senate of the President’s goal to rebuild and strengthen Social Security for younger generations. Efforts to simplify the federal tax code and close tax loopholes also will develop through the Finance Committee. I’m also keeping close tabs on the implementation of the new Medicare law as enrollment for the first-ever prescription drug benefit begins later this year.
For the next six years, I also will continue to work for policies to develop renewable energy like ethanol, soy-based biodiesel and wind energy; open new markets around the world for Iowa's job-creating exports; create strong pension protections that make it easier through the tax code to save for retirement; make it legal to import safe prescription drugs from Canada; expand health insurance coverage; tighten federal bankruptcy laws and curb 'jackpot justice' lawsuits; strengthen the family farm by making sure independent producers can compete; make the workings of government more transparent; and, hold the federal bureaucracy accountable.
For 24 years, I've worked in the Senate in a bipartisan way to get things done. As I begin my 25th annual road trip across Iowa, I invite Iowans to come meet with me when I'm in your home area. Please come and bend my ear. Together, we can work to make things for the better.