~by State Sen Jesse Green, R, 24th District
Greetings from the Capitol. This week we debated and voted on various bills that survived last week’s funnel week. I would like to highlight SF2096 which repeals gender balance requirements for appointive bodies.
There was a time that gender balance requirements had been seen as a floor for women. Evidence shows that having this requirement is now a ceiling for women. Education is obviously not the only metric to use for predicting success and capability, but it is certainly a component. Senator Quirmbach, a Democrat from Ames, listed off the following statistics to bolster this argument:
*High school students that graduate on time – 88 percent girls, 82 percent boys
*Undergraduate population during 2022 – 58 percent women
*Master’s program – 62 percent women
PhD – 53 percent women
Medical degrees – 54 percent women
Law degrees – 56 percent women
In conclusion to my colleague’s points, it appears women are increasingly becoming more educated and better suited for public service than their male counterparts. I want to applaud Senator Quirmbach for his courage to be the lone dissenting vote from the Senate Democrats on SF 2096. He and I do not agree on a lot, but I do listen intently when he speaks. I serve on various committees with him, and he brings to light various viewpoints that would otherwise be left in the dark.
To begin my personal takeaway from this debate, most would agree that we do not live in a fair world, but what makes America the “Shiny City on a Hill” is that most of us try our best to be fair in providing equal opportunity to everyone. This is much different than focusing on equal outcomes. I’m pleased to see that we are re-thinking how we look at public policy that attempts to right the wrongs of society’s past. I am continually scratching my head at some of my colleagues who seem to keep living in the 1960s as though the world has never changed. I sit back sometimes and watch some of the protests that take place at the Capitol and am convinced that about 1/3 of our population refuse to move forward in the name of “progress,” the same name they continually attempt to lift up so highly as some sort of virtue.
Circumstances have changed tremendously over the past few decades, and as a result, many of our public policies will inevitably shift to reflect these realities. After this week, it has become clear to me that we must continue to look to elect people that will reflect and advocate for these changes. Having some of these new conversations are hard and take courage. The only way to have some of these tough conversations is to elect people who are humble enough to accept that some of their ideas might not actually be good, but nevertheless, have enough courage to force respectful conversations to take place.
In closing, there is a big difference between wrestling and fighting. I have learned through this political process that if we just surround ourselves with friends who do not challenge or correct us, it is to our detriment. It is easy within our political circles to be afraid to discuss ideas out of fear of humiliation or offending people. It is through wrestling that one achieves growth and learns. Let’s continue to honestly wrestle with ideas among one another so that our society continues to grow and become more resilient. Our rising generation so desperately needs this.
