Less is More
Iowa Senate District 40 candidate Tim Tripp is seen here at a recent candidate forum in Oskaloosa.
Editors Note: The views and opinions expressed in this editorial are not necessarily the views or opinions of Osky News.
by Tim Tripp
We hear a lot these days about government intrusion in our lives. Angry voices are raised about how evil “big government” has become. And yet, those politicians decrying big government collect big money from big PACs and big special interest groups and their lobbyists so that they can get elected and become part of the big problem.
In my run for Iowa Senate in District 40, I have refused all money from special interests and their lobbyists. This is not meant as an attack on their right to make their case to the legislature. But there is an obvious conflict of interest when they give large contributions to the people they are trying to influence. Lobbyists and special interests give money because it gives them privileged access. That’s why I reject their special interest money. I believe that Senators ought to represent the public, not special interests.
While meeting voters this summer in District 40, an elderly woman came to me and handed me a wadded up 10 dollar bill, and then shuffled off. She believes in my campaign. She believes in me. She believes that politics does not have be done as usual. That small donation has had a huge impact on me. It emboldens me NOT to take the big dollars dangled out there by special interests and lobbyists. This principled approach to politics—some call it old school, some call it common sense—has a down side. It means a whole lot less money is available to be used on a campaign. I was asked by a reporter once if I thought that this principle still makes sense if it means I could not win. I reminded her that principles are just that: principles. To bend them, twist them, get out from under them, is simply unprincipled.
But what I’ve learned with “less” is that “more” can be done. I’ve knocked on more doors in this district than I ever thought existed. I’ve been forced to be more creative in my approach of getting my message out. My white bicycle is bug smeared from riding on top of my car all summer to encourage people to be healthy, and to take a Tripp to the Senate.
Less financial backing has meant fewer yard signs. But amidst the noise of all the political ads and political signs, the small voice screams out, “less is more.”
The way I campaign will be the way I legislate. Voters who support me will be pleased to know that one of my values is that less is more, and every dollar my campaign collects has a face and name behind it. By the same token, for every tax dollar collected, there’s an Iowan behind that dollar, and we need to give every Iowan the results they deserve.
I am running for the Iowa State Senate because I want to bring a firm and reasoned voice to the political noise, to move Iowa forward to be the best she can be. We need to look ahead and plan for the future. Not just tomorrow, but for the next generation. We need to set clear goals for Iowa’s future, and structure a comprehensive plan to reach those goals.
Perhaps that means less talk about how bad things are, and fewer attacks on the opposition candidates, and more talk of real vision and real action to realize a better Iowa. Perhaps that means less anger and less fixation on what divides us and more creativity and more focus on what unites us.
