The Dickey Dispatch

Happy Friday!

Well, it was week two of session in the Iowa Senate. This week, I want to focus the Dickey Dispatch on something much larger: the inauguration of President Trump!

I was very fortunate to have been able to attend many of the ceremonies in Washington D.C. this week. Yes, it was cold. Yes, the lines were crazy. Yes, you had to walk miles to everything because all of the vehicle traffic was shut down. But with all the hassles, the experience was amazing. Being around 2 million people throughout our country who traveled to Washington to just be there, with the vast majority of them unable to attend any of the events or inauguration, was beyond inspiring.

I waited in line for over 3 hours to enter the Capital One arena to watch the inauguration and never got in. So we found warmth in a pub to watch the ceremonies. Sitting there for 4 hours watching everything with 500 strangers was pretty neat! Out of nowhere, the crowd was simultaneously chanting “USA! USA! USA!” When Carrie Underwood began to sing, the entire crowd sang with her. The atmosphere of being with 2 million people who love our country so much that they just wanted to be a part of it, was one of the neatest things I've experienced.

Back in Des Moines, the week was filled with traditional meetings and hearings on proposed legislation. However, the highlight clearly was visiting with constituents.

The Oskaloosa and Mount Pleasant FFA groups were in the Capitol on Wednesday, and I spent an hour visiting with them. The same day, the Iowa veterans were being honored and many of them were in the Capitol building. Again, visiting with our veterans and hearing their stories and how certain bills will help them is a great experience.

However, of all the things I experienced this week, I can simply tell you that the most amazing one happened with both groups that I mentioned above in our Capitol. As our veterans started off their ceremonies Wednesday morning, they sang the national anthem. I was in the Senate Chamber when I heard this taking place outside in the rotunda, so I got up to walk out to be a part of it. The view that I saw was GREAT! Thousands of FFA students were packed in the upper level of the rotunda, and as the singing took place on the floor below them, every single person paused, saluted, and paid respect to the flag. I absolutely would not expect anything less from these young men and women, but it was darn neat to see!

Finally, I had a forum in Fairfield last Saturday morning, and will have another in Oskaloosa this Saturday morning. These forums are great opportunities for people to ask questions.

Have a GREAT weekend, and I look forward to chatting with you next week!