My name is Kurt Meyer and I want to be your next congressman.
I was born and raised in northern Mitchell County, where I now live in a home overlooking a small stream. On the other side of that stream is the farm homesteaded by my great-, great-grandfather, in 1854. On the back side of our acreage, my parents live on the small farm where I grew up. I live on the edge of this history... by birth, yes, but also by choice.
My wife, Paula, is here today and she, too, is a fifth-generation Iowan, with her ancestors from Allamakee and Winneshiek Counties. While I am deeply rooted in Mitchell County, I haven't lived there all my life. I attended Luther College in Decorah. My wife and I lived in Des Moines in 1980 when we worked for Senator John Culver, after which we moved to Philadelphia to attend graduate school and to launch our careers. We have also lived in Wisconsin and Minnesota. In 2004, we moved into our current house in north Iowa, knowing this would be home for the rest of our lives.
Nine weeks ago, I announced my candidacy for Congress. Why? Because I, like you, am gravely concerned about our country's future. Like you, I believe concerned citizens must help our country make essential course corrections. And like you, I'm committed to transformational change that begins by electing a Democratic congressman to represent us in Washington.
None of us seeking the Democratic nomination has served in elected office, so none of us has a voting record. But we all have a "life record" and, believing the past is the best indicator of our future, let me tell you about mine.
In 1981, I began a 27-year career of consulting with nonprofit organizations - hospitals, colleges, nursing homes, and churches. This includes 16 years during which I founded and ran my own company to help organizations plan and grow... to help them reach more people... to help them raise the funds needed to fulfill their missions.
For more than 200 clients, my responsibilities were to assess possibilities, to determine strategies, to strengthen programs, to build facilities, to balance budgets, to focus energies... and ultimately to achieve results. For almost three decades, I helped make communities better by leading and managing change. If ever there was a time when these skills were needed in Washington... it's now.
My career emphasized leadership and required capacity, while giving me practical, hands-on experience. I learned about healthcare from medical providers, ecology from environmental organizations, and domestic violence from shelter providers. I learned in-depth about childcare and eldercare, about mental illness and medical research.
This is the background I bring to this race. Now let's talk about my beliefs.
I believe we must extract ourselves from a misguided venture in Iraq. We must do so swiftly and responsibility. This war has dragged on too long and our country has paid too much... in lives lost, in dollars spent, in opportunities diverted. Congress must set a timetable for withdrawing our troops, and I'll do everything I can to drive home this point in the House.
Second, in recent months we've seen our economy go from bad to worse and the price of gas go from high to higher. These trends won't be reversed until Democrats drive a stake through the heart of Bush-Latham economic policies. Their backward approach is grounded in the mistaken belief that tax cuts for the wealthy will eventually benefit the middle-class. Democrats know better... and I will drive home this point in the House.
Third, I believe in a universal healthcare system that includes every citizen in our great country. Almost 50 million Americans now live without health care coverage, including some of us here today. With Democratic leadership, we must implement a plan that provides high quality, accessible, affordable care for all. I will drive home this point in the House.
I'll fight to end this war. I'll fight to strengthen our economy. I'll fight for universal healthcare. But these battles all take place after I'm elected. First there's another fight that awaits us.
An energetic candidate supported by a committed Democratic Party will defeat Tom Latham on November 4th. That's the fight I'm ready to lead... and I can hardly wait. Tom Latham has been in Congress since January of ‘95. Any assessment would say he has a lengthy and consistent voting record. Yes, he's voted long and he's voted wrong.
Tom Latham is one reason Iowans are committed to change. He's the poster boy for a disastrous Bush administration. And, as I have said in each corner of the district, I intend to take him on and I intend to take him out!
November 4th represents a great opportunity for us... as Americans, as Iowans, and as Democrats. At the congressional level, we have important work to do, first to select our best candidate and then, to elect our best candidate.
My name is Kurt Meyer. I seek to be your agent of change in Congress. I ask for your vote in June and again in November. Thank you all for your support.
