Bob Vander Plaats – Candidate for Iowa Governor in 2010

Bob Vander Plaats spoke at the Optimist Club on Saturday, April 11.  His father died this week and the funeral was yesterday.  In spite of all the visitors from the funeral, he drove down from Sioux City to keep his speaking engagement.

Bob talked about his father, a World War II veteran who had been married for 60 years on February 25.  He was 83 years old when he died.  His parents and brother were killed when he was 13, but he always lived with an optimistic spirit.  He participated in the invasion of Iwo Jima and saw many of his companions die.  At age 74 he received an honorary diploma from his High School, along with eleven others.  He instilled in his children a love of country, family, and a faith in God.

Bob is the youngest of eight children.  He has never held a public office, but has served as a high school teacher, coach, and principal for eleven years in the Iowa public schools.  His third child, Lucas, was severely disabled at birth.  Bob wrote a book about him titled “Light from Lucas”, a story of God using the weak to inspire us.  In 1996, Bob was offered the opportunity to lead Opportunities Unlimited, a Sioux City-based service provider for people who have suffered brain and spinal injuries.

Bob Vander Plaats said that we do many things in Government that don’t make sense.  His father said “If you ever find yourself on a dead horse, dismount.”  Bob said that the government needs to be redesigned because we cannot continue to grow the public sector at the current rate.  In two years the state budget has grown 21% and added 2600 employees.

For Iowa education, “No child left behind” should be left behind.  There is a movement in Iowa to create a model core curriculum that adds more bureaucracy.  The state would dictate what to teach.  However, Bob said that school districts learn best from each other.  Currently only 58% of funds allocated to public schools goes to the classroom.

Bob Vander Plaats said that the key office in Iowa is the Governor.  The Governor controls what happens in the state.  He says that the current issue on marriage should be decided by the people of the state not the courts.  He also stands for property tax relief.

Bob Vander Plaats is networked in all 99 counties in Iowa for the 2010 election.  He is the only Republican candidate organizing at this time.  For more information, look at his website, www.teamvp2010.com.