Joni Ernst isn't a very good Iowan.

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9 Iowa values that Joni Ernst opposes
By Ralph Nader, October 28, 2014

Joni Ernst claims she will bring "Iowa values" to Washington. This sounds nice in a sound bite, but how do Ernst's actual positions live up to Hawkeye State commitments?

1. Rewarding hard work

Iowans don't want handouts; they believe in working for a living. That's why they believe in a fair day's wage for a fair day's work. Joni Ernst has stated that she does not support a federal minimum wage, calling the idea "ridiculous," and opposing a raise in the minimum wage supported by a vast majority of Americans.

2. Honoring your elders

Iowans follow the Fifth Commandment: Honor thy father and thy mother. They believe our elders, after a lifetime of work, deserve a decent living standard. Ernst has said she wants to transition workers onto individual savings accounts and is open to privatizing Social Security, an objective eagerly desired by Wall Street bankers.

3. Practicality

Iowans want politicians to have the same practical problem-solving spirit that they and their neighbors exhibit in daily life. Ernst has peddled debunked conspiracy theories and called for impeaching President Obama.

4. Education

Iowans, many of whom are graduates of the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, value education. Ernst wants to cut federal support for education, aiming to eliminate the national departments tasked with conducting education research, distributing grants to schools and preventing discrimination.

5.Being forthright

Iowans don't like politicians talking behind their back saying one thing to them in public and another in closed rooms full of fat cats. Ernst attended a seminar hosted by the billionaire Koch brothers in August 2013 to woo donors, eventually crediting her exposure to their donor network with starting her "trajectory." She told the millionaires and billionaires present that her election campaign "started right here with all of your folks ... this wonderful network." Despite spending the day with the Koch brothers, she canceled multiple scheduled meetings with Iowa newspapers or refused to meet with them.

6. Responsibility

Iowans believe people should be held responsible for how they treat others. They believe corporations should be held responsible for the harm they cause to their workers and communities. Ernst opposes the Clean Water Act, which passed 40 years ago with full bipartisan support, believing that multinational corporations should not be held accountable when they pollute water Iowans use for drinking, fishing and swimming.

7. Love thy neighbor

Iowans don't want their neighbors in hard times dying because they're struggling to make ends meet. That is why they don't want their neighbors subjected to "pay or die" health care, whether it is because of the staggering prices of drugs, operations, emergency treatments or health insurance. Ernst stands opposed to the most efficient health care system: single payer, full Medicare for all, everybody in, nobody out, with free choice of doctor and hospital. She wants to have Iowa health care decisions decided by distant, profit-minded corporations.

8. Your day in court

Iowans believe everybody who is wrongfully injured or defrauded should have, by constitutional right, their day in court against the perpetrators. Joni Ernst wants to reform laws to limit Iowans' access to full compensation for harm committed against them.

9. No one above the law

Iowans do not believe anyone should be above the law. They want Wall Street crooks who crashed our economy and were bailed out by taxpayers to be prosecuted and put in jail. Ernst wants more money managed by the same Wall Street investment firms and banks who helped crash the economy, arguing that more student loans and more retirement savings should be transferred from public-interested, nationally-secured funds to risky, profit-interested Wall Street accounts.

As Iowans head to the polls Tuesday, I hope they keep these facts in mind about how Ernst has opposed these longstanding Iowa values.
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