The United States created the strongest economy in the world by building a large middle class. Unfortunately, it has become more difficult since the Great Recession for lower- and middle-income Iowans to climb the ladder to prosperity. We’ve seen an uneven economic recovery that has increased the gap between the very well off and just about everyone else, according to the Washington Center for Equitable Growth.
Though the worst of the recession is over, many of our families, friends and neighbors continue to struggle. It’s hard to believe that right here in America’s heartland, one in eight Iowa families regularly went hungry last year.
This session, we can take steps to turn that trend around and strengthen Iowa’s economy by:
1. Ensuring that free, high-quality preschool is a reality for all four year olds. Investing in children is the smartest investment we can make.
2. Expanding affordable workforce training at our community colleges so that Iowans can get the skills local businesses need to grow and expand.
3. Making our state’s tax system fairer. Middle-class Iowans shouldn’t have to fork over an ever increasing portion of their hard-earned wages while the wealthy pay a smaller percentage of their income in taxes.
These three steps are just a start. We’d like to hear your ideas for setting us on the right path to strengthening Iowa’s middle class.