| Dear Friends,
In response to all of the encouragement, support and
kind inquiries I have received from so many of you,
I want to let you know what I have been doing the last
several months as I seriously consider running for Governor
in 2006.
I have continued to travel the state listening to and
learning from Iowans in all walks of life.
I have met with farmers, teachers, students, nurses,
union members, main street business people, health and
childcare providers, senior citizens, alternative fuel
experts and many others.
We share a common belief that this is a critical
time in the history of Iowa. We have discussed
the problems and the promise of our state to better
understand the challenges we face and begin to formulate
some possible solutions.
I have heard stories and seen firsthand that
Iowans believe in our great state and its future.
My own optimism has been affirmed, and I am even more
convinced that with strong leadership, common sense
and hard work, together we can make Iowa an even better
place in which to live, work and raise our families.
As a former high school teacher, I believe
early childhood education is one of the cornerstones
of our Iowa way of life. Yet, today only 57
percent of our school districts have accredited preschool
programs. As a proud parent of two children under the
age of four, I believe strongly that we need a quality
early childhood education system in Iowa.
We need to redouble our commitment to affordable,
high quality education. Along with providing
a quality preschool experience for all of our kids,
we need to ensure that in K-12 education our teachers
and schools have the resources they need to best prepare
students for college and the 21st Century workforce.
And, higher education needs to be affordable.
As I move forward I am going to be laying out
my hopeful vision for the future of Iowa. Whether
in the area of education policy, reversing the 'brain
drain', supporting value-added agricultural opportunities,
or creating jobs and opportunity across our entire state,
I look forward to sharing my ideas about possible solutions
in the months ahead.
I am a proud Democrat, and I am going
to continue to stand up for Iowafs future as I
visit with Iowans in all 99 counties.
If you would like to stand with me and join this effort,
please click
here. I would be grateful for your help and support.
Sincerely,
Chet
P.S. If you have ideas or concerns you would like to
discuss, please do not hesitate to contact me.
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