FAST AND FURIOUS: Lawmakers rush to enact destructive legislation

In just 62 days, the Iowa Legislature has inflicted more damage on this state than anyone would have previously thought possible — and lawmakers aren’t done yet.

They’ve already undermined collective bargaining for 180,000 Iowans. Now, they’re working diligently to limit workers’ compensation benefits, dramatically expand access to guns, defund Planned Parenthood, outlaw local civil rights protections and limit the right of terminally ill Iowans to sue for asbestos exposure.

Over the objections of law enforcement, veterans groups and medical professionals, they’ve also moved to legalize fireworks. Over the objections of Des Moines city residents, they’re attempting to dismantle the city’s Water Works, which critics consider retaliation for the utility’s efforts to address the polluting of central Iowa waterways.

The common element in most of these efforts is that they’re intended not to improve the lives of everyday Iowans but to appease special interests — in many cases, corporate interests. That’s probably why so many of the bills were hatched in secrecy and then rammed through committees with as little public debate as possible. (When you’re doing the bidding of your corporate benefactors, rather than the average Iowan, it's best to operate with speed and stealth.)

Read more: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/editorials/2017/03/11/editorial-fast-and-furious-lawmakers-rush-enact-destructive-legislation/98981558/