Former Gov. Terry Branstad spoke with about 50 people Friday in Denison as part of his “Leading Iowa’s Comeback” tour. Daily Times Herald photo by Douglas Burns
DENISON — Former Gov. Terry Branstad Friday delivered a campaign speech in Denison focused heavily on economics and his call for smaller government.
“Government’s trying to do too many things,” said Branstad.
Branstad, a former four-term government who led Iowa through much of the 1980s and 1990s, is seeking a fifth term this year. He stopped in Denison Friday as part of his “Leading Iowa’s Comeback” tour in which Branstad, the just-retired president of Des Moines University, hit 17 cities.
About 50 people attended the event at Cronk’s restaurant.
While Branstad was governor in the mid-1990s the state eliminated the property tax on machinery and equipment. If he’s elected in 2010, Branstad said, one of his primary missions would be to reduce the property-tax burden on commercial facilities. Homeowners already get relief through a residential rollback and ag land also receives relief in Iowa, he noted.
He also pledged to create 200,000 jobs over the next five years.
Branstad said that at the start of his first term in 1983 Iowa’s unemployment rate was 8.5 percent and had dropped to 2.5 percent by the time he left office in 1999.
“It’s not going to be government that creates those jobs,” Branstad said.
Branstad outlined a plan in which he would reduce constraints on business and spend his time promoting Iowa businesses around the world. He pledged to reduce the size of Iowa government by 15 percent.
“We have more government than we can afford,” he said.
Branstad’s only reference in the speech to social issues came in the area of gay marriage where he said Iowans should be able to vote up or down on its legalization. Branstad said he believes marriage should be between one man and one woman.
This question of gay marriage has emerged as a major issue among some conservatives who are measuring the resolve of Republican candidates to deal with it. In the GOP primary Branstad is joined by Sioux City businessman Bob Vander Plaats, and state Reps. Rod Roberts, R-Carroll, and Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City.
Following his speech Branstad told the Daily Times Herald that he planned to adhere to Ronald Reagan’s 11th commandment: don’t speak ill of another Republican.
In his remarks Friday Branstad strongly criticized a potential plan to eliminate the requirement for certain government public notices in county newspapers of record. The obscure Web sites where government would place such notices would not be as easily accessed by the public as newspapers, he said.
“We don’t need a more secretive government,” Branstad said. “We need a more open government.”
Overall, Branstad said he’s been a public servant long enough to listen to what Iowans want.
“Politicians sometimes get too arrogant,” Branstad said. “Truth is, we have to be humble enough to listen to the people.”
