Why I’m Running
I am running because I want a stronger Iowa, with broader prosperity and a better future – an Iowa with an effective government that recognizes a shared responsibility for building a brighter future for all of us.
My commitment is anchored in these five goals:
- More family-sustaining jobs
- Genuine tax fairness
- Incentives and support for small businesses and entrepreneurs
- A cleaner and safer environment
- Improved schools and educational training opportunities for our children and our workers
This means that I will work for an economy centered on innovation and focused on existing businesses – an economy that creates greater numbers of good-paying jobs, spreads the responsibility of taxation equitably, and gives every Iowan a fair opportunity to prosper.
This means that I will back a cleaner, safer environment for us and our children, where every Iowan feels safe at home and safe in their community. It also means attracting visitors and tourists to Iowa to enjoy our quality of life – with its natural beauty, clean waterways and beautiful trails.
It also means supporting a world-class, well-funded, public education system, with the highest standards for every child and school, where well-trained teachers nurture our children’s minds. This includes supporting high-quality early childhood education, K-12 schools, community colleges, and our universities.
Position on Climate Change
Extraordinary and intense climate events in the last decade have again focused our attention on the need to address the reality of our changing climate.
Decades of respected scientific research have shown that climate is changed by both natural and environmental pollutants, including those originating from human activity. The Geological Society of America, the National Academies of Science, the National Research Council, the intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and a large, distinguished group of science faculty members, from academic institutions throughout Iowa, have all concluded that global climate has warmed the earth and that human activity (primarily greenhouse gas emissions) account for most of the warming since the middle of the 1900s.
Global warming is real, undeniable, and demands acknowledgement and action. Decisive leadership – leadership that embraces the plethora of information that our scientists are providing us, is required to effectively address the challenges.
The consequences of climate change are already affecting Iowa, with unusual weather patterns (severe drought and torrential rains) impacting businesses and jobs throughout the state.
Iowa legislators can help lead the way when it comes to impacting national policy on climate change by committing Iowa as a participant in regional and national atmospheric carbon reduction and sequestration initiatives, by increasing conservation practices in construction and manufacturing, and by expanding Iowa’s renewable energy initiatives to harness more renewable energy from wind and solar. You can count me in, as one of the Iowa Senators who will be leading and supporting these efforts.
Sincerely,
Representative Art Staed
