ON THE BALLOT: Iowa House District 82

Jeff Shipley

Family: Son of Roch and Debbie Shipley, youngest of four

Occupation: Entrepreneur / Consultant / Sauerkraut Salesman

Political Experience: Student activist at University of Iowa, class of 2010; Former Iowa Republican State Central Committee, 2012-2014; Former Jefferson County Republican Chairman 2015-2016; 5th youngest Iowa legislator, record setting number of bills introduced for freshman lawmaker.

1) Why are you running for office?

I'm running to ensure a future of peace and prosperity for Iowa. My campaign builds genuine human connections and collaboration across our vibrant and diverse communities. Unity in diversity. We must be honest about the moral and spiritual decay afflicting society. The American dream once was personal responsibility, strong work ethic, and independence.

The comforts and ease of the information age brought about a despondent culture of laziness. Now we're faced with a generation acting self-indulgent, demanding instant-gratification. Our nation suffers as a result. Spiritual problems require spiritual solutions, our greatness lies in remembering and celebrating who we truly are.

2) What are your priorities if elected?

Articulate truth about corrupt government and corporations degrading our human dignity.

Foremost, create genuine health for Iowans. Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. By this definition, our public health is crumbling.

Second, we must examine the structures and systems governing public education. I would like to see flexible education financing options for parents to ensure the needs of each and every child are met. Also, vitalizing students with more focus on nutrition should be an easy area to make a big positive impact on our children.

3) Do you think the state government has responded well to the COVID-19 pandemic, and if not, how should it have responded differently?

Overall, Iowa did better than many other states, but knowing what we know now, there is vast room for improvement. For example, COVID-19 can be much more severe than the flu for elderly people. But for younger people, COVID-19 is much less severe than the flu. Therefore, testing resources could have been better focused on elderly care, to provide the best screening and protection, while maximizing normalcy for visits and residents' mental/social health. Instead, we wasted testing on people who weren't at high risk of illness or transmission. This is feedback from Harvard Medical Professor Dr. Martin Kulldorff.

4) What can the state Legislature do in 2021 about stopping the spread of the pandemic while also being mindful of the effects on the economy?

Iowa must create genuine health from the inside out. This means cultivating and nurturing the mental, emotional, and spiritual health of all Iowans. It makes sense to prevent viral transmission, but only if we're also taking measures to promote our overall health.

For instance, Vitamin D is a key component to the human immune system functioning, and a likely indicator of COVID-19 severity. Also, obesity is the leading predictor of death and hospitalization for all illnesses. We can serve the public by addressing these health issues holistically for each individual. True health and prosperity will only come from human freedom.