SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
April 15, 2008
Sullivan’s Salvos 4/15/08
I asked readers last week to opine on the idea of a State of the County Address. I heard 9 votes for, 7 against, and 6 “other”. All the feedback was valuable. There were some interesting comments… “State of the County” seems awfully self-important,” was one I particularly liked!
My fellow Supervisors and I discussed the issue at a Key Issues meeting on April 9, and they said that any decisions in this area had always been the prerogative of the Chair.
So, after considering all your feedback, I decided to take the advice of a couple of you who voted “other”, and wrote an op-ed for the local papers. (It ran in the Press Citizen on Saturday.)
I appreciate your ideas – I think I did a better job as a result of your feedback. Now I am interested in your reactions to the op-ed itself.
Today is known throughout the US as Tax Day. I had a tax anecdote from a couple weeks ago that I wanted to share.
When most Americans refer to Tax Day, they are talking income taxes. The County has another couple tax days - it is required that property taxes be paid by March 31st and September 30th every year. On March 31, I had a friend make a comment to me about how he needed to go pay his property taxes. He seemed to be looking for some type of sympathy.
I do not have any particular sympathy for the guy who complained. Taxes are the price we pay to live in a civilized society. What’s more, anybody who is going to the Treasurer’s Office to pay her/his taxes is doing OK. Paying property taxes this way indicates you own VALUABLE property OUTRIGHT!
Some of you probably know the March & September dates, because you pay your taxes at these times. Many of you are unaware, however, because you do not own property outright. You have a mortgage, and your property taxes are paid monthly to your mortgage lender, who then pays the taxes.
What’s more, the home ownership rate in Johnson County is about 55% (source: US Census Bureau). So 45% of the households in Johnson County do not feel this “pain”, because they do not own real property!
Owning property is an investment. It is not the job of government to ensure that your investment turns a profit. If you really think property taxes are too high, sell the property and invest in something else! You have options that most residents of Johnson County can only dream of!
So I am supposed to feel sorry for those people who own property outright? I think not! My job, as FDR put it, is “not to comfort the comfortable.”
My aforementioned friend is the type of guy who will talk openly about religion, and how blessed he is. Apparently his blessings do not include the taxable property he owns.
Look – I understand that people do not like taxes. I know that governments must be responsible stewards of tax dollars. I also understand that some folks are property rich and cash poor. The problem is, we never want to acknowledge that others are property poor and cash poor BOTH.
I am always willing to listen to suggestions to improve the system. But I rarely get thoughtful discussion; instead, I get the slings and arrows of people, most who claim to be progressives.
Questions about taxes (who pays, how much, when, why, and how) are important. Economic justice is important. But we are unlikely to discuss either in a meaningful, public way.
DVIP presents internationally recognized author Jackson Katz for two programs on Mentoring Nonviolence. Both are April 17 – 3 PM at West High and 7 PM at MacBride Auditorium. For more info, contact Kristie at 351-1042 Extension 112.
Four Oaks Iowa City Book & Bake Sale will be held Saturday, April 19 from 8:00 – 11:30 am at First Presbyterian Church 2701 Rochester Avenue, Iowa City. Proceeds will go to support multiple Four Oaks community outreach programs. For more information, contact Janice Baumback 337-5898.
Iowa City Hospice Walk for Dignity is Sunday, April 20. For more information, see the website www.iowacityhospice.org.
The second annual local food summit, entitled Changing the Face of School Lunch will be held from 3-6 PM April 24 at West High. Sponsored by the Johnson County Local Food Alliance, this event includes both small group and panel discussions, info booths, and tasting! Registration is required. For more info, contact James Nisley at james.Nisely@jclfa.org or 936-6510.
The Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce is holding its annual Business Fair Wednesday, April 16 from 4-7 PM at the Holiday Inn in Coralville.
The theme is Buy Here, a successful program of the local Chamber. Up to 50 local businesses will be on hand. I encourage you to give them a chance to demonstrate how your needs can be met by local businesses.
No one expects you to buy locally if the cost is greater or the service is worse. What people are finding is much the opposite – local businesses can compete on price, quality, and service. Check them out!
The 2008 Hoover-Wallace Dinner will be held April 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Coralville Marriott. This dinner will honor three Iowans whose careers in public and humanitarian service have impacted the world – Senator John Culver, Congressman Jim Leach, and Dr. Ignacio Ponseti.
The Hoover-Wallace Dinner was established in 2004 to recognize Iowa’s humanitarian leaders and to honor Iowa’s humanitarian heritage.
The dinner is sponsored by the World Food Prize Foundation and the Rotary Clubs of Iowa. Proceeds from the event help fund the World Food Prize Borlaug-Ruan International Internship Program.
For more information, see: http://www.worldfoodprize.org/events/hooverwallace/2008.htm.
Someone asked about my campaign website – the address is: http://rodsullivan.org/.
DID YOU KNOW? The UI Alumni Association has a feature that allows UI Alumni to locate each other. Check it out at https://www.iowalum.com/find/
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
www.johnson-county.com.
"Sullivan’s Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
These messages come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the whole Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise mentioned.
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As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 8:08 PM
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