TV Ad: Cooked
Posted on Thursday, June 17 at 6:15am
The Culver/Judge Campaign has launched a new ad entitled, "Cooked."
The ad focuses on Terry Branstad's dishonest budgeting practices. Share it with your friends and neighbors because, when the people of Iowa learn that Terry Branstad cooked the books for years, they'll know they cannot trust him.
SCRIPT When the Republican State Auditor says a Republican Governor 'Cooked the books' and "kept two sets of books"… you take notice.
As Governor Terry Branstad admitted, "the books were never balanced."
The state was so broke they couldn't pay their bills.
Branstad doubled state spending, raised the state's sales tax, raised the gas tax, even wanted to tax social security.
Cooked books, deficit spending, increased taxes.
Terry Branstad, a record not worth repeating.
BACKGROUND: Auditor Johnson said that Branstad cooked the books. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported in June 1994 that "'It's another political ploy to cook the books so to speak to make it look good for him," Johnson said.'" [Cedar Rapids Gazette, 6/1/1994]
Auditor Johnson said that Branstad kept two sets of books. The Des Moines Register reported in June 2010 that "Branstad, the Republican candidate for governor, later acknowledged budgeting issues that made headlines in the early 1990s, but he said the 'two sets of books' phrase was more of a figure of speech than a reality. Former State Auditor Richard Johnson, also a Republican, disagreed. 'I certainly don't want to be critical of Governor Branstad, but I think he does need to be transparent to the public about what actually happened,' said Johnson, who backed Branstad opponent Bob Vander Plaats in Tuesday's primary election. [Des Moines Register, 6/12/2010]
Branstad said the "books were never balanced." On Iowa Press Branstad said "There never were two sets of books but the books were never balanced on generally accepted accounting principles." [Iowa Press, 6/11/2010]
The state was too broke to pay its bills. The Des Moines Register reported in January 1993 that "For fiscal 1992, which ended June 30, Iowa's budget deficit soared to a record $408 million under generally accepted accounting principles, which are set by a national board. According to financial reports, the state's own, non-standard bookkeeping system would have showed an $18 million deficit if the state hadn't moved some money in special trust funds to make up the difference […]Another example of how the state's budget problems continue to vex Iowans and their lawmakers are the delays in school aid payments. The state can't pay state aid to school districts quickly, and some districts say that means they can't hire the extra teachers or are forced to borrow money." [Des Moines Register, 1/3/1993]
State Budget Figures
Appropriations Report 1981-1983 Biennium (Graybook), Legislative Fiscal Bureau; 1998 Session Fiscal Report (Graybook), Legislative Fiscal Bureau
http://staffweb.legis.state.ia.us/lfb/docs/graybook/Archives/GB1982.pdf http://staffweb.legis.state.ia.us/lfb/docs/graybook/Archives/GB1982.pdf Branstad raised the sales and gas tax. Sales and Gas Tax rate history
http://www.iowa.gov/tax/taxlaw/taxhistory.html - Available online.
Branstad Plan Would Raise Social Security Taxes Over $16 Million. The Des Moines Register reported in January 1994 that, "The increase for Social Security recipients would come from Branstad's proposal that state lawmakers follow the lead of Congress by increasing the percentage of benefits that high-income recipients must pay Iowa income taxes on. That action would raise about $17 million, but Branstad proposes that the money be redistributed among elderly Iowans by increasing to $100 from $20 the special state income tax credit for taxpayers 65 or older." [Des Moines Register, 1/12/94]
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