O’Malley can rebuild the American dream.

I was elected to serve northwest Iowa in the U.S. Congress in 1975, just a few decades after World War II, when America pulled together to make difficult choices together to build a strong middle class. It was a great time. Both Congress and the American people worked together to build a better nation, and a better life for all of the people.

My generation has been called “the greatest generation” and that period was coined “the great prosperity.” But the work we did then isn’t finished.

Now, after the economic collapse in 2008, it’s time for the next generation of new leadership to rebuild that American Dream. That’s why I’m endorsing Martin O’Malley for president.

As a World War II veteran, I saw what America can accomplish when we work together. We had to tax the wealthiest Americans to build the planes, tanks, guns, and equipment needed to defeat Hitler. And, during my time in Congress, we brought people together to fund our priorities that made the American dream possible for so many in our generation.

Then Ronald Reagan was elected president. While he was very popular, he proposed a massive tax cut that benefited the wealthy and introduced a new, toxic kind of economics that changed how we operate as a country. His tax cuts for the wealthy grew even larger under following Republican presidents — leading to an economy today where wealth is so concentrated at the top, and in the hands of a select few, that it is taking opportunity away from the many.

Today, another war is going on that few people are aware of — it’s a fight for our American dream. It’s a battle between the super-rich and the common people, between Main Street and Wall Street, between those who want to invest in the things that work and those who cling to a failed trickle-down economic model. How we choose to move forward during this difficult time will make all the difference.

We need new leadership — from someone with a record of getting progressive results — to rebuild the American dream. That’s why I am proud to endorse O’Malley for president.

If we were to just go back to the income tax rates we had when I was in Congress, we would nearly double our income tax revenue and give us about a trillion dollars to use in improving the lives of our people. Of course, most of our people cannot afford to pay higher income taxes in today’s economy. But surely it would not hurt the millionaires and billionaires to pay a little more to help build a better society for everyone, including themselves.

There is a long list of other changes needed to rebuild our great society, including eliminating the cost of college and student debt; combating climate change; rebuilding our infrastructure; eliminating the influence of money in politics; and ending foolish wars.

O’Malley is the right choice at this critical juncture in our country’s history. He looks and acts like a president. He has not been part of the Washington, D.C., establishment. He has proven himself as a successful executive by being a successful mayor and governor. He has proposed 15 goals he will address, together with specific timelines for their accomplishment. O’Malley has the strongest proposals of any of the candidates and would be our strongest candidate in the general election as well.

My wife Elinor and I are endorsing Martin O’Malley to bring back that “great prosperity” of the years we were in Congress.


BERKLEY BEDELL, a Democrat from Spirit Lake, represented northwestern Iowa in Congress from 1975 to 1986.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/caucus/2015/08/31/omalley-can-rebuild-american-dream/71422890/