Roberts concerned about spending

Rod Roberts (R-Carroll) exchanges information with individuals following the Informed Voter Forum sponsored by the Clay County Tea Party Patriots at the Clay County Regional Events Center Thursday night. (Photo by Gabe Licht). [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

The 10-year Iowa House Rep. from Carroll who is in the race for governor highlighted responsible spending of tax dollars as one of his three main platforms as he spoke at an Informed Voter Forum sponsored by the Clay County Tea Party Patriots.

"I will be as careful with your money as I am with my own," he stated, citing the fact that his campaign spent just $22,000 of $124,000 raised in 2009.

An announcement that he filed a bill Wednesday to mandate the 99 percent spending limitation law was one of many statements garnering applause from the crowd.

Roberts' second platform centered around economic growth and creation of new jobs.

His plan includes "defending, celebrating and championing" Iowa's right to work statute, investing in infrastructure and energy projects and creating a "friendlier tax environment" for businesses by eliminating the corporate income tax.

Scaling back tax incentives -- currently costing $607 million -- would offset the loss of $250 million in corporate taxes, he believes.

"We need a governor who respects the people as being the people in charge of government," Roberts said as his third platform. "My service in the legislature has reflected that belief and that value."

As a part of that belief, Roberts strongly advocates for the opportunity to vote on same-sex marriage in Iowa. Legislators would be required to vote on the issue before he would approve the budget.

Following a 40-minute speech, Roberts took questions from the crowd, the first of which regarded how he would have done things differently than his opponent, former Gov. Terry Branstad.

He stated he would not have expanded legalized gambling, nor would he have diverted dollars from the road use tax fund to pay the Iowa State Patrol, a practice current Gov. Chet Culver wants to reinstate.

As for the possibility of a nuclear power plant in Iowa, Roberts said he would support it as well as other proponents of what he called a diverse power base in Iowa, including coal-fire plants, ethanol and biodiesel.

In regards to fiscal reform, Roberts referenced between $300 and $400 million of cost-cutting measures he and other representatives proposed. He now would like to see state-run preschool eliminated -- at a savings of between $55 and $60 million -- and the state-owned vehicle fleet reduced to prevent another across-the-board budget cut.

He also promised not to "scoop" finances from trust funds, such as the Capitol Building Infrastructure Fund of $140 million, which was transfered to the general fund recently.

The final question of the night regarded "Right to Carry" legislation in Iowa.

"You shall issue (a gun permit) unless there's good cause not to," Roberts said.

Throughout his speech, he made it clear he would not be dropping out of the gubernatorial race.

"Because, at the end of the day, this representative democracy that we have, it works better when the people have choices... I'd like to have my name on the ballot."