Harder says 20 years is too long

By BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Lee Harder is probably not your typical political candidate.

However, defining a typical political candidate may be more subjective than objective.

Harder, who admits he does not have deep pockets nor a lot of capital for campaigning, is making his third run at public office, seeking the Iowa House District 84 seat currently held by Republican Dave Heaton of Mt. Pleasant.

Previously, Harder, a Hillsboro resident, ran as a Republican for U.S. Congress in 2008 and for the GOP state senate nomination in 2014.

Harder is running as an Independent and feels he can make a strong showing. ?I got 15 percent of the vote the first time I ran and 30 percent the second time so who knows about this time.?

The former chaplain at the Mt. Pleasant Correctional Facility said the differences between himself and Heaton are minimal. The one thing Harder does mention frequently is Heaton?s 20 years of service in the Iowa House.

?It?s not that I don?t think Dave is a nice guy,? Harder began. ?I agree with him on a lot of issues. In fact, I probably would vote the same way he does about 85 percent of the time. However, about 85 percent of the people I talk to agree with me that 20 years is too long to be in office.?

If elected, Harder said he would not only push for term limits but would serve just one term in the legislature.

Harder believes freedom is about people having choices within the law. Being admittedly personally frugal, Harder believes that government should get the most bang for its buck. However, he does not and never has believed that government should not play a role in being arbitrator of and insuring justice, equality and fairness for all people, including the poor and needy.

A former Republican, Harder has distanced himself somewhat from the party because he believes the party is not following in the traditions of Ronald Reagan, Jack Kemp and Paul Crane in helping the poor.

?I am very concerned about the party?s attitude toward the poor,? he continued. ?Newt Gingerich in a speech said that government has no responsibility to help the poor.?

He is a strong believer in tax cuts and raising the minimum wage. ?Tax cuts are very special to me,? Harder began. ?It helps families and individuals of all races.

?The Republican party always argues that you can?t raise the minimum wage because you will lose jobs,? he continued. ?When the minimum wage was raised last (in the 1990s), unemployment actually decreased.?

Raising the minimum wage and funding of Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) are two issues that he and his opponent disagree, according to Harder. He said that Heaton?s vote to reduce funding to workforce development led to the closing of Mt. Pleasant?s IWD office.

The Dubuque native also supports lowering the sale tax, saying he would lower sales tax on clothing, disposable items (toilet tissue) and household goods and other items which are priced less than $80. He would lower the sales tax by one cent per year for three years.

?I believe the state will earn back most of the money because of higher sales and a rising economy,? he said. ?Lowering the sales tax on essentials like clothing will help working people day to day but we should encourage saving as well. The more Iowans save, the more wealth we have. A lower sales tax and other tax incentives also can help to keep senior citizens in Iowa.?

In a final tax matter, Harder is a strong supporter of the earned income tax credit. Ronald Reagan called it ?the best anti-poverty, the best pro-family and best job-creation measure to come out of Congress,? Harder said.

He said the law may have to be altered at the federal level to meet current conditions, and adds that it essentially encourages the poor to work by giving them financial incentives.

?Iowa should encourage poor Iowans to take advantage of this program. In fact, we should also be actively seeking out those who are not taking advantage of this program as well as what are called middle-class tax cuts,? the candidate said.

Billing himself as ?your choice for change,? Harder currently is employed by Hawkeye Steel in Houghton. He was chaplain at the Mt. Pleasant Correctional Facility from 1999-2007 and still counsels former prisoners.

Asked if he was optimistic about his chances next Tuesday, Harder said he ?thinks it is possible? to win the House seat.