02 October 2009 // 01:58 pm // Comments Closed
Fong visits Denison during tour campaigning for governor
During a visit to Denison on Thursday Christian Fong said he is running for governor to preserve access to the American dream.
As the fourth of eight kids born to a Chinese immigrant who came to Iowa seeking political freedom at a time when his country was blanketed in communism, Fong said he “grew up hearing about what happens when freedoms slip away.
“It took an entire community to give me a chance – that’s the Iowa dream,” Fong said.
Every kid in Iowa should have the chance to emerge and compete on an international level, he continued.
Two of the problems facing Iowans, Fong commented, include low wages and a decline in the competitiveness of the education system.
“If hard work and education don’t pay off, what are we left with?” Fong asked.
“I grew up in the education system when Iowa was number one,” remarked Fong.
He theorized that there is money available in the educational system that could be repurposed back to the classroom to provide teachers and students with the resources they need.
But, Fong cautioned, improving education is not just a money issue. Merit based reward systems for teachers and students with enhanced teacher standards will ensure that all Iowa’s teacher are excellent.
Fong also commented on the “brain drain” affecting many of Iowa’s communities and the state as a whole. Young, educated people are unable to find competitive paying jobs in Iowa and so leave the state.
He said that Iowa’s wages are substantially lower for the same jobs when compared to neighboring states.
“How do wages go up? Job creation,” Fong insisted.
The theory is simple supply and demand, he explained. When there are many qualified candidates for a few jobs, employers do not have to pay much to secure workers. If the situation were reversed, he continued, and there were more employers competing for candidates they would have to offer higher salaries to recruit workers.
To achieve job creation Fong recommended decreasing income taxes and growing the industries that are already in Iowa.
Fong said, “The most productive small businesses are the ones adding jobs.”
He likened productivity to efficiency; and income taxes to a tax on productivity.
“If you want more productivity you shouldn’t tax productivity,” he said.
Additionally, Fong said that Iowa’s income taxes are anti-competitive so it is difficult to recruit new businesses to the state and retain those that start here.
Fong offered the formula: increased productivity will lead to increased wages and population growth.
“The solution is simple but it’s not easy,” he said.
The next Iowa governor will be elected in November of 2010.
