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rodsullivan.org
SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
May 26, 2008
Sullivan’s Salvos 5/27/08 Happy Memorial Day! Thanks to all who have served, particularly those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The upcoming primaries have an interesting twist. In Johnson County, many longtime local Republicans vote in every Democratic Primary. This makes sense; they recognize that their best shot at influencing the ultimate outcome is to register as a Dem, then vote for the most conservative candidate in the Democratic Primary. I have never done this myself, though I know people of both parties who do. It has always felt intellectually dishonest to me. I know I’m not a Republican; therefore, I should not interfere in their affairs. That said, there are many people who straddle the fence when it comes to politics– I have no issue with those folks following their instincts. The GOP folks are faced with a dilemma this year. Because there is a hotly contested Republican Congressional race, Republicans in Johnson County will need to decide if they prefer to weigh in on local government or help choose the GOP opponent for Dave Loebsack. When you show up to vote in a primary, you have to choose one party or the other, so these folks cannot vote on both issues. It will be interesting to see if local conservatives put more weight on choosing a Congressional candidate or put more on local elections. I would assume there will be a big push from the GOP candidates to get their voters to stay home and vote Republican. At the same time, lots of recognizable GOP yards have Supervisor yard signs. (Not many have mine. But I have a few GOP supporters.) Lots of local Republicans have donated to campaigns; one Democratic candidate has received campaign contributions from literally three dozen or more Republicans. Do these GOP folks choose to donate, but then vote in the other primary? I guess time will tell. From a personal perspective, I just hope Democrats vote! I am a big fan of our Department of Public Health, often singing its praises. But even a booster like me was impressed by this tidbit: Americans in the year 2000 live 30 years longer on average than Americans did in 1900. Of this 30-year increase in lifespan, 25 years can be directly attributed to public health initiatives. (Clean drinking water, improved sewage systems, improved food safety, vaccinations, disease prevention, and much more.) The recent Postville raids bring two issues to mind: First, our Congress and Supreme Court GUARANTEES the right of Coca Cola and other multinationals to sell their products in Mexico. They GUARANTEE companies the right to move their operations to Matamoros. The verdict is clear – we will not interfere with capitalism. That is, unless the labor force wants to cross the border. That simply must not be allowed! What kind of world would we have if actual people got the same rights as corporations? Secondly, the State of Iowa is running into all sorts of problems due to the ill-conceived “English Only” law that was signed by former Governor Tom Vilsack. Vilsack should be ashamed that he signed this racist, xenophobic, unwelcoming, unproductive piece of legislation. It comes as no surprise that this legislation is causing Iowa problems. It is also frustrating to hear Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal say that the Legislature will not repeal this horrible law. Why on Earth not? He should be ashamed, too. The recent UI flap over benefits makes me want to say, “I told you so.” Remember just 3 short years ago when P&S staff decided not to unionize? Unless workers assert some control in the workplace, they will continue to lose benefits. You are invited to the world premier of a 90 minute documentary "A Friend Indeed: the Bill Sackter Story" to be held at Hancher Auditorium, Saturday, June 7th at 7PM. The film was produced by Iowa Citian and Emmy award winning documentarian Lane Wyrick, with music composed by Iowa Citian Peter Bloesch. For reserved tickets ($10) call the Hancher Box Office at 335-1160. The Iowa Policy Project is looking for original writings on water quality. Writers for this project may be anyone: farmers, students, seniors, researchers, advocates, fishers and boaters. Whatever their background, participants will share a common characteristic – people who have thought carefully about Iowa’s water. IPP will also be accepting black and white photographs featuring Iowa water. Prizes will be awarded to the top three submissions in each category – first prize will be $500; second, $250; and third $100. IPP hopes this contest ultimately advances policy that will improve Iowa’s water quality. Essays and/or photographs should be submitted by July 11, 2008. Please send your submission to: Teresa Galluzzo, Iowa Policy Project, 120 N. Dubuque Street #208, Iowa City, IA 52245 or tgalluzzo@iowapolicyproject.org. 319.338.0773. DID YOU KNOW? Iowa is the third largest producer of wind energy in the US, just behind California and Texas. (Source: Iowa Energy Center.) 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. If you do NOT want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line. If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan@mchsi.com with "subscribe" in the subject line. As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to serving you! ---Rod
May 20, 2008
Sullivan’s Salvos 5/20/08
Congratulations to all the graduates out there. I know I am a big softy, but I get a lump in my throat every time I hear Pomp and Circumstance.
Graduations are big events in our lives; I hope those involved this year cherish the events. All my best to all the grads and their families.
The Johnson County Democratic Party is hosting a first-annual Awards Banquet Saturday, May 31 at 6:30 PM in the Richey Ballroom at the IMU. Tickets are $35; to reserve your seats, visit the website at www.jcdems.org.
Award winners being honored include Activist of the Year John Deeth, Rookies of the Year Dawn Suter and Geoff Seamens, and Pioneer Democrats Claudine Harris, Carol Spaziani, Dwight & Pat Jensen, Verne & Pat Kelley, Edith Hargrave, Mori Costantino, and Jean Martin.
Congrats to all these worthy recipients!
I have no idea how many people out there are fans of country music… if you are, the following analogy just might work. If not, bear with me.
George Jones is one of the all-time greats of country music. In 1985, he did a song called “Who’s Gonna Fill their Shoes?” The basic premise is that he looks around the country music scene and notices that a lot of good people are already gone, and lots of others are getting up in age. The future looks uncertain. George asks a simple question: Who’s gonna fill their shoes?
Unfortunately, I find myself empathizing with George. When I look around at the groups to which I belong, people 60 and over play very important roles. Many are 75 and older. When I look at the people I respect and to whom I go for advice, people 60 and over play very important roles. Many are 75 and older. When I look at key participants in civic life, people 60 and over play very important roles. Many are 75 and older. Same goes for my church, my neighborhood, my political party, my section at Kinnick – I am concerned about the future.
So I ask… who’s gonna fill their shoes? I’ll be 42 this summer, and all too often, I’m the youngest person in the room. I realize that many people in their 40s are busy raising kids, and I know personally that doing so is one heck of a time commitment.
In addition, I think we have a very problematic increasing lack of respect for our elders. There are many younger folks who are unwilling to sit back and allow their elders to be the leaders. Instead, they choose to start their own groups and organizations.
On the other hand, perhaps seniors need to do more to recruit and mentor younger people. We need to build the bench. We need people 50 and younger to step up and get involved in pretty much every facet of our lives.
Clearly, we all need to work to build the next generation of leaders. Let’s not wait to answer the question - Who’s gonna fill their shoes?
Johnson County has road atlases for sale in the Auditor’s Office. I have found mine to be very useful; I urge you to check it out.
I had the occasion to read through some past Board Meeting minutes recently, and I was really struck by the outstanding work of former Supervisor Mike Lehman. Mike has a great ability to cut through all the fluff and get to the heart of an issue. I read three completely different discussions, and Mike was totally on point in each one. I hope I am able to serve that well.
We got some great statistics on the County’s Free Tax Help program – “You Earned it – Now Claim It!” Get this:
56 volunteers did 960 hours of work. They put on 31 clinics in 6 locations. Volunteers provided Spanish translation. Volunteers helped complete 660 returns, which is a 100% increase from one year ago. Tax filers got $651,000 in total returns, including $352,000 in Earned Income Tax Credits.
I am very proud of this program – I brought the idea home from a conference I attended in 2005. It costs Johnson County very little, and helps many of our poorest residents. The IRS is even using the Johnson County program as a model for other programs!
Thanks to County Social Services Coordinator Amy Correia for her outstanding work in this area!
Just in case you are interested, the AARP forum with candidates for Supervisor and Auditor will be replayed on Thursday, May 29 at 1:51 AM. Set the VCR! (Or TiVo, if you are cooler than me.)
DID YOU KNOW? You can vote now in the June 3rd Primary; see the Auditor’s website (http://www.johnson-county.com/auditor/) for early voting locations.
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.
If you do NOT want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan@mchsi.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
May 18, 2008
Sullivan’s Salvos 5/20/08
Congratulations to all the graduates out there. I know I am a big softy, but I get a lump in my throat every time I hear Pomp and Circumstance.
Graduations are big events in our lives; I hope those involved this year cherish the events. All my best to all the grads and their families.
The Johnson County Democratic Party is hosting a first-annual Awards Banquet Saturday, May 31 at 6:30 PM in the Richey Ballroom at the IMU. Tickets are $35; to reserve your seats, visit the website at www.jcdems.org.
Award winners being honored include Activist of the Year John Deeth, Rookies of the Year Dawn Suter and Geoff Seamens, and Pioneer Democrats Claudine Harris, Carol Spaziani, Dwight & Pat Jensen, Verne & Pat Kelley, Edith Hargrave, Mori Costantino, and Jean Martin.
Congrats to all these worthy recipients!
I have no idea how many people out there are fans of country music… if you are, the following analogy just might work. If not, bear with me.
George Jones is one of the all-time greats of country music. In 1985, he did a song called “Who’s Gonna Fill their Shoes?” The basic premise is that he looks around the country music scene and notices that a lot of good people are already gone, and lots of others are getting up in age. The future looks uncertain. George asks a simple question: Who’s gonna fill their shoes?
Unfortunately, I find myself empathizing with George. When I look around at the groups to which I belong, people 60 and over play very important roles. Many are 75 and older. When I look at the people I respect and to whom I go for advice, people 60 and over play very important roles. Many are 75 and older. When I look at key participants in civic life, people 60 and over play very important roles. Many are 75 and older. Same goes for my church, my neighborhood, my political party, my section at Kinnick – I am concerned about the future.
So I ask… who’s gonna fill their shoes? I’ll be 42 this summer, and all too often, I’m the youngest person in the room. I realize that many people in their 40s are busy raising kids, and I know personally that doing so is one heck of a time commitment.
In addition, I think we have a very problematic increasing lack of respect for our elders. There are many younger folks who are unwilling to sit back and allow their elders to be the leaders. Instead, they choose to start their own groups and organizations.
On the other hand, perhaps seniors need to do more to recruit and mentor younger people. We need to build the bench. We need people 50 and younger to step up and get involved in pretty much every facet of our lives.
Clearly, we all need to work to build the next generation of leaders. Let’s not wait to answer the question - Who’s gonna fill their shoes?
Johnson County has road atlases for sale in the Auditor’s Office. I have found mine to be very useful; I urge you to check it out.
I had the occasion to read through some past Board Meeting minutes recently, and I was really struck by the outstanding work of former Supervisor Mike Lehman. Mike has a great ability to cut through all the fluff and get to the heart of an issue. I read three completely different discussions, and Mike was totally on point in each one. I hope I am able to serve that well.
We got some great statistics on the County’s Free Tax Help program – “You Earned it – Now Claim It!” Get this:
56 volunteers did 960 hours of work. They put on 31 clinics in 6 locations. Volunteers provided Spanish translation. Volunteers helped complete 660 returns, which is a 100% increase from one year ago. Tax filers got $651,000 in total returns, including $352,000 in Earned Income Tax Credits.
I am very proud of this program – I brought the idea home from a conference I attended in 2005. It costs Johnson County very little, and helps many of our poorest residents. The IRS is even using the Johnson County program as a model for other programs!
Thanks to County Social Services Coordinator Amy Correia for her outstanding work in this area!
Just in case you are interested, the AARP forum with candidates for Supervisor and Auditor will be replayed on Thursday, May 29 at 1:51 AM. Set the VCR! (Or TiVo, if you are cooler than me.)
DID YOU KNOW? You can vote now in the June 3rd Primary; see the Auditor’s website (http://www.johnson-county.com/auditor/) for early voting locations.
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.
If you do NOT want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan@mchsi.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
May 11, 2008
Sullivan’s Salvos 5/13/08
Happy Mother’s Day (a day or two late). If you forgot to call your mother, I’m sure it is not too late! Pick up that phone! Meanwhile, Happy Mother’s Day to my wife, my mom, and my two grandmothers. I love you all!
I have had my fill of the Press Citizen. The most recent racist diatribe on their message boards actually calls for ethnic cleansing! (It is true; I have printed it and copied it. I am not interested in reprinting it here; if you really want to know the specifics, check it out yourself.)
As the father of three African American children, I find this insulting, offensive, and totally lacking in class. I am thoroughly embarrassed for my community. I am going to contact the Iowa City Human Rights Commission to see if my children have any recourse.
I know, I know… I do not need to read the message boards. That is true. It is something akin to a car crash – it is difficult to look away. And even if I do not see it, others do. This is my community, and I expect better!
I know there are some really good folks who work at the Press Citizen. But I think it is time they all looked in a mirror. Each of them needs to be advocating for a change in this company policy. What does it say if you continue to stand by silently while your employer prints hate speech? At what point do you act?
What really irks me is that I have sent not one but two letters on the topic. One was dated March 25, the other April 15. Both letters were sent to Susan Patterson Plank, the Des Moines-based Gannett employee who supposedly runs the Press Citizen. Ms. Patterson Plank has not responded to either of my letters.
Gannett should be ashamed. The Press Citizen should be ashamed. We should all be ashamed. This reflects terribly upon our community. University of Iowa officials, City Councils, Chamber of Commerce folks, ICAD, and everyone else who has a vested interest in how our community is portrayed should be very concerned.
I would invite you to join me in calling Ms. Patterson Plank to complain, but I am fairly certain she does not give a damn. Besides, you would have to call Des Moines to reach her. She has no E-mail address listed on the Press Citizen website.
The Press Citizen ran a series over the weekend that touched on the difficulties that can arise when a school is trying to teach children who are poor.
The number of poor children in the ICCSD is on the rise, and folks are having difficulty explaining it. I am not surprised when I hear there are more poor kids. The economy is worse for people making $10 an hour than people earning $30 an hour. The poor feel economic troubles earlier and these troubles hurt them worse.
The average wage in Johnson County is about $14/hour. That works out to about $28,000 a year in income. Since that figure is an average, we know that lots of people earn more, while others earn less. For every professor earning $80,000, there are six people earning only $20,000. For every bank Vice President earning $120,000, there are eight people earning only $15,000.
Here is my argument. We have always had poor people here. Unfortunately, their lives are often invisible to those of us who earn more. Most of us seldom speak to a person who is earning $15,000, unless we are at a drive up window. These folks do not live in our neighborhoods, they do not work with us, and we do not socialize with them. If you are reading this, the odds are good that these generalizations apply to you.
(I will admit, I have always liked to pretend that I was somehow different. We have foster children on occasion, and we are exposed in that way. I am a social worker by trade. But I do not break bread with poor people any more than anyone else.)
The one place where the poor interact with the rest of us is the public schools. Our kids are exposed to people who have much less than they do. School is one place where these families are NOT invisible.
Below is a list of Bike Week activities going on this week in Johnson County:
Monday, May 12
Bike Commuter Breakfast, 7 to 9am
College Green Park
Bike/Car/Bus Race
12:30pm Depart Coralville City offices
Conclude at Iowa City City Hall/Chauncey Swan Park
Bike Rodeo
6pm Sugar Bottom Bikes, North Liberty
Tuesday, May 13
Bike Commuter Breakfast, 7 to 9am
On Melrose, in front of Kinnick Stadium (Krause Family Plaza)
Wednesday, May 14
Commuter Doughnuts and Coffee, 6:30-7:30am
Sugar Bottom Bikes, North Liberty
Bike Friendly Cities Forum, Noon-1pm
Iowa City Public Library, Meeting Room A
A lunchtime discussion on how to make Iowa City more bike friendly. Sponsored by the Bicyclist of Iowa City.
Mayor’s Ride from Old Pi to New Pi
Riders meet at Chauncey Swan Park in Iowa City beginning at 5:00pm. The ride will depart for Coralville’s New Pioneer Coop at 5:45PM.
Prizes and refreshments at the end of the ride hosted by New Pioneer Food Co-op. Everyone is welcome! Interesting or dressed-up bikes encouraged. First 150 riders receive a free bike light courtesy of World of Bikes in Iowa City
Friday, May 16
Bike to Work Week Celebration, 6-9pm (Location to be announced)
Join fellow biking/walking enthusiasts for an end-of-the-week party. There will be food, drink and live music—as well as lively conversation and drawings for prizes, including a grand prize.
DID YOU KNOW? One in every seventeen adults has a serious mental illness. (Source: NAMI.)
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.
If you do NOT want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan@mchsi.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
May 4, 2008
Sullivan’s Salvos 5/6/08
I was pleased to see the Iowa Legislature pass a smoking ban. Other states have done the same thing, with few ill effects. Frankly, this also makes it much easier on local elected officials, who might have been faced with local control. Had the State passed this on to local governments, you could have North Liberty with one set of rules, Coralville with another, and Iowa City with a third. Now the playing field is level, with a couple tiny exceptions.
I feel sorry for smokers. Most would like to quit, but they can’t. I do not want to see these folks treated as second class. But the Legislature needed to weigh the concerns of the smokers versus the health of everyone else. They decided that public health won out; I agree with this decision.
Yes, it is unfair that casinos have an exemption. But future Legislatures can fight that out. It is better that they passed something. Politics is the art of compromise, and sometimes the perfect can be the enemy of the good.
I know this took courage. I know that the people who supported a ban will take some abuse. I hope you will join me in applauding the Legislators who took this on.
As a follow up to Earth Day, I thought it might be interesting to share an interesting exercise our family recently undertook.
We are members at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in University Heights. Several church Elders decided to look into St. Andrew becoming a Sierra Club “Cool Congregation”. As a part of this process, a few families served as guinea pigs, measuring their carbon footprints.
My family served as one of the test cases, and I found the information quite fascinating.
For starters, it was an eye-opener. Melissa and I work very hard to be green – we specifically chose to live in an area where the kids could easily walk to school K-12. Our home is well insulated, and most of our appliances have an Energy Star rating. All of our light bulbs are compact florescents. We keep the house very cold through the heating season. We recycle pretty much everything, and use only recycled paper products. We reuse grocery sacks. We compost. We have a big garden. We do not buy bottled water. Melissa only drives to work 5 or 6 times per year; she rides her bike or takes the bus the rest of the time. My commute is less than 3 miles each way. But we still have work to do.
One area that hurt us was air travel. Melissa and I visited Costa Rica last fall, and air travel REALLY makes an impact on your carbon footprint. (A note: we each flew to DC for work last year. But that goes on our employer’s carbon footprint rather than ours personally.) Plus our vehicles, while not terrible gas hogs, only get 22-23 mpg each.
The results? Our carbon footprint is only 61% of the average American family our size. (We smoked the other families who participated. Even though they were very conscientious, they had larger homes, and a daily commute to CR is a huge impact.) So we are doing extremely well when compared to other Americans. To reach the Kyoto goals, however, we would need to be at 53% of the footprint of the average American family.
So what steps are we taking? I am commuting to work by bicycle as much as possible. Rachel is taking shorter showers. Jordan is watching less television. BJ is shutting off lights when he leaves a room. We are hanging clothes out to dry when possible. These are not huge changes, but when coupled with the fact that we are unlikely to fly that far again this year, we should dip below the goals set forth in the Kyoto Protocols.
Johnson County is once again offering a year-round clean up program. Through this program, rural residents may take 2,000 pounds per household to the landfill annually free of charge.
Johnson County used to have a week in the spring and a week in the fall where rural residents could dump for free. But those two weeks got very busy at the landfill. We changed this program to year round my first year on the Board, and by all accounts, it has worked quite well.
The County will not reimburse for yard waste, appliances, and electronics. For more information, contact the Landfill at 356-5185.
I have a problem with this whole idea of a one-cent tax for school infrastructure.
First, schools should not be funded by sales taxes, our MOST REGRESSIVE available tax. Sales taxes have a role in society. They should be used when we are trying to discourage a certain behavior, or at least try to get those engaging in the behavior to pay their own way. Examples where a sales tax makes sense are on the sale of cigarettes, gas, and the like. Regressive taxes, which hit poor students the hardest, are a very poor choice for funding schools.
Secondly, all State taxes ought to go toward teachers and equipment. Leave decisions about funding buildings to the locals. The decision to build in a community should be a local call. Put state dollars into teacher salaries, so that a teacher in Lineville-Clio earns the same as a teacher in West Des Moines. Ensure that Lineville has the same technology as West Des Moines. Equal pay and resources will lead more teachers to choose rural districts.
The sales tax is a poor choice as a funding mechanism, and it is a bad idea to use the money for buildings rather than people. I see this as a lose-lose proposition.
DID YOU KNOW? The six county Iowa Valley RC&D region (Benton, Iowa, Johnson, Linn, Powesheik, and Tama Counties) had $730 million in crops and livestock sold in 2002.
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.
If you do NOT want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan@mchsi.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
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