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rodsullivan.org
SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
March 29, 2009
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/31/09 Only 6 days until Opening Day! Even if one is not a baseball fan, there is a wonderful rebirth that happens every year with Opening Day. Like so many things we associate with spring, a new baseball season is a fresh start. Every team is 0-0, with an opportunity to do great things. Once again, there is hope. And we all need that! I hope your team (however you wish to define it!) has a “dream season” this summer! Congratulations to the United Way of Johnson County, which exceeded all goals and brought in over $2.6 million in 2008. Special congrats to my pal Sandy Pickup of the Free Medical Clinic, the Agency Director of the Year. Another big congrats to emergency phone bank coordinators Barb Davis and Celia Burger and disaster relief coordinators Mark and Carol Martin, who were named the Volunteers of the Year for their service during and after the flood. All of these folks are tremendously deserving of our thanks, as are the staff, board, and donors of the United Way! Great job all around! My family and I try to be generous when it comes to giving to charities. I worked for over ten years in the nonprofit sector, so I appreciate that gig. I have been on nonprofit boards, and my family and I have benefitted from the services of nonprofits. Given this history, I really enjoyed the March/April edition of the Utne Reader. There are a few articles on nonprofits, all very thought provoking. Some advocate for governments replacing nonprofits; others argue for governments leaving them alone. All agree that the nonprofit sector is facing a challenging era. I urge any interested person to check it out! http://www.utne.com/Table-of-Contents-March-April-2009.aspx There are numerous opportunities out there for Volunteers In Service To America (VISTAs) in Johnson County this summer. If you are interested in a position or know someone who might be, contact Linda Yanney at 319-538-2276. Similarly, if you have ideas for VISTA projects, give Linda a call. I find it interesting that the same people who wholeheartedly approve of a 90% tax on AIG bonuses (or just taking the bonuses back) DISAPPROVE of raising the top income tax rate from 35% to something closer to 50%. Why does Senator Grassley express outrage at AIG, and not at other large salaries and bonuses of other top executives? While the other companies might not have received bailout money, they have received the benefit of Congressional largesse for decades. The top income tax rate under President Eisenhower was 91%. And the US economy grew tremendously during that period. It is time we demand that the rich to carry more of the load. A 90% tax on a $500,000 bonus still gives the recipient $50,000. That is what I earn in a year, and more than most Iowans earn. I hope the populist outrage over AIG bonuses will translate into real progressive taxation. I am not the only person who feels this way. Check out the following thoughts from the world’s second richest man, Warren Buffet. I prefer to throw the money-changers out of the temple. But if you worship at the altar of capitalism, well… Buffet is one of America’s greatest capitalists. Buffet writes: "The world is unfair, and I have been very lucky. I was born white - and male - in the world's richest country, to parents that took care of me, and inspired me. I could, for example, have been born a woman - in Bangladesh - with few possibilities of development. It's a big lottery. "Imagine that you were asked - 24 hours before your own birth - what kind of a world you would create. You know nothing about who you are, where you're heading or what kind of talents you've got. Most people would want two things: a system that works for production of goods and services, and fair distribution of them. In this lottery it is necessary to take care of the people with the lousy tickets," Buffet says. DID YOU KNOW? It takes 47 million barrels of oil to produce the 4 billion pounds of plastic water bottles used each year. 47 million barrels of oil is enough to fuel 1 million cars for a year. (Source: Physicians for Social Responsibility.) 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
March 21, 2009
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/24/09
I sent the following letter to the Press Citizen as a letter to the editor. I also sent it (TWICE!) to the top brass (who are, of course, in Des Moines). I have not received any response, so I guess the PC has chosen to disregard this critical issue.
This is an important issue, but the PC has chosen to ignore it. Heck, they have ignored me – I do not even get a call or E-mail in response! It is sad to see this corporation behave so gutlessly.
I will self-publish here; if you agree with the following letter, E-mail your comments to Susan Patterson-Plank at mailto:splank@dmreg.com .
There are several factors that encourage racism. Fear and ignorance are big contributors. Another important factor is cowardice. When people can hide their identities, be it behind sheets or behind pseudonyms, racism has an opportunity to thrive.
There is plenty of racism in Johnson County. Unfortunately, the Press Citizen has decided to make the single biggest contribution to these racist attitudes. The Press Citizen online forums allow people to post anonymously. The most outrageous and most racist comments come from people who hide behind false names.
Require posters to use their real names. It has always been good enough for the opinion page; why not apply the same rules online? By providing an anonymous forum for racist speech, you are providing the Klansmen with their sheets.
If I were a Fortune 500 company considering opening up shop in Johnson County, I would probably go online and look at the local paper. After reading the PC website, I would immediately look to put my business elsewhere.
The racist comments that permeate the PC website give us all a bad name. Shame on you, Press Citizen. You have an obligation to this community, and you have chosen sensationalism instead. You can, should, and must do better.
I recently attended the Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC) Spring School in Des Moines, and one of the presenters made an interesting point regarding government finance.
A few years ago, the accounting and auditing standards for local governments were revised. As a part of this, governmental entities were required to show assets and liabilities. Previously, the relative financial health of local governments were judged solely on incomes, expenses, and cash in reserve.
There was a big problem with the old method. Local governments own millions of dollars worth of roads, bridges, buildings, land, vehicles, computers, equipment, and more. If local governments allow those assets to deteriorate, they create a huge liability for their citizens.
Too many times, we ascribe financial acumen to elected officials who spend very little money. But in reality, governments can be penny wise and pound-foolish.
The presenter noted that one Iowa county was downgraded from a AA bond rating to an A rating simply because they allowed their assets to depreciate from $110 million to $85 million. By putting off maintenance and upgrades, this county cost itself a lot of money.
Speaking of bond ratings, Johnson County now has one! This is a first for Johnson County, which has done relatively little bonding in the past.
Why get bond rated? It saves taxpayer money. Oftentimes, Johnson County can get better rates on the bond market than by just going to a local bank. This happened just two weeks ago in our first bond-rated transaction… Johnson County taxpayers saved over $100,000.
After a couple months of work with Moody’s, Johnson County was given an Aa3 rating. There are only three better ratings… Aa2, Aa1, and AAA. This is actually very positive. Cities and counties around the country are being downgraded; the “grade inflation” of the past 20 years is fading away just like the real estate bubble. So an Aa3 rating today would probably have been Aa1 just a year ago. Once this all shakes out, Johnson County will compare quite favorably.
Johnson County was acclaimed for having strong financial management, good policies, a history of saving up to pay for projects, and extremely low debt. On the downside, Johnson County did not have much credit history, and has very small reserves relative to our budget. As we do a bit more bonding, our credit rating should improve. The challenge will be increasing our reserves during tight budget times.
The Arc of Southeast Iowa is holding a chili supper on Friday, March 27 from 4:30-7:30 PM at River Community Church in Iowa City. The cost is $10 for adults, $5 for ages 3-12, and under 3 eat free.
All proceeds support the Arc mission of serving people with disabilities and helping to make Southeast Iowa a great place for people with disabilities to live, learn, work, and play.
DID YOU KNOW? It takes 24 gallons of water to make one pound of plastic. It takes 1.5 gallons to produce the average plastic water bottle. (Source: Physicians for Social Responsibility.)
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
March 14, 2009
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/17/09
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Anyone who knows me well knows that St. Patrick’s Day is a very special day for my family.
I cannot let St. Pat’s pass without saying a few words about my late father, Bob Sullivan.
Dad was a proud Irishman. He was even born on March 17! Many of the things I love and the opinions I hold were influenced by Dad. I guess you could say he helped make me who I am today.
He was a really fun person to be around; probably the most fun person I have ever known. That is a neat thing to be able to say about your father.
Dad passed away 10 years ago. I still think of him every day… especially on St. Patty’s Day. I miss you, Dad.
Here are some interesting St. Patrick’s Day facts:
*With 23 percent of the population of Celtic ancestry, Massachusetts has a higher proportion of residents of Irish descent than any other state, edging out New Hampshire (20 percent) and Rhode Island (18 percent). The remaining New England states -- Connecticut, Vermont and Maine -- also rank among the top 10 in this category, as do Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Montana.
*New York City has more residents of Irish descent than any city in the world, including Dublin! Boston, however, has the largest percentage of Irish residents of any large American city.
*22 - Gallons of beer consumed per capita by Americans annually.
*9 - Number of places in the US which share the name of Dublin, Ireland's capital. Dublin, OH was the most populous, at 31,392, followed closely by Dublin, CA at 29,973.
Now we move to a different type of green… I-Renew is celebrating renewable energy Sunday, March 22 from 6-10 PM at the Mill. Musical acts include The Gilded Bats and Ben Schmidt with Larry Mossman. There will be free giveaways, a silent auction, and other fun things. Check it out!
The Linn County Board of Supervisors came under tremendous scrutiny the past couple of years for salary-related issues. There are some interesting comparisons that can be made here.
*Linn County Sups are paid $1 for every $1302 in their budget. They are paid 44 cents per resident.
*Here in Johnson County, we are paid $1 for every $1680 in the budget. We are paid 38 cents per resident.
*Iowa County Sups earn $1 for every $238 in the budget. They are paid $1.28 per resident. Numbers for Cedar County are almost identical.
*In Adams County (Iowa’s least populous) Sups earn $1 for every $150 in the budget. They are paid $3.20 per resident.
As you can see, while County budgets and Supervisor salaries come under fire in larger counties, residents there pay far a lower per capita amount.
The fact that rural counties pay more for government makes some sense. There are 500-1500 miles of rural roads in every county, regardless of population. Every county has to have a jail and a courthouse. Every county must hold elections, assess homes and farmland, record documents, and so on.
Yes, there are rural counties where taxes are lower. Those counties also have far fewer services. If it is governmental efficiency you are seeking, larger counties seem to fare better.
The Johnson County Soil and Water Conservation District is having its annual Tree, Wildflower, Prairie Grass, and Seed Sale fundraiser.
This is a great way to get your yard and garden started for 2009! The selection is unbelievable! This is the biggest fundraiser each year for the JCSWCD. You can order online at www.jcswcd.org; the orders are due by March 24.
It is not fun to remind folks of this, but the US continues to be engaged in a war in Iraq that is at least unwise and probably illegal. It has been over 7 years now. Millions of Iraqis have been displaced; perhaps 600,000 or more Iraqis are dead. US troops have suffered 4,182 casualties and over 30,000 serious injuries. The war costs US taxpayers $18 million per hour, every hour.
To remind people of this ongoing issue, there will be a Peace Walk at 7 PM on March 19th. Meet at the corner of Clinton Street and Iowa Avenue. Refreshments will follow at Old Brick.
DID YOU KNOW? Kalona is the largest Amish community west of the Mississippi River.
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
March 8, 2009
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/10/09
A sure sign of global warming: the annual blizzard that accompanies the Iowa Girl’s High School State Basketball Tournament came down as rain.
I want to begin this edition of Salvos with a mention of one of my favorite events (and a sure sign of spring!)
The 26th annual Prairie Preview is on Tuesday, March 10 at Parkview Church. (Please note the new location!)
The keynote speaker is Dr. Bill Zales is a retired college botany professor, now prairie restorationist and open lands advocate. Dr. Zales will speak about the Loess Hill’s unique geology and biology both past and present, explain the successes and failures of their protection, and how optimism must prevail if what little native habitat remaining is to be protected.
The Prairie Preview program includes information and displays from your local environmental organizations and agencies. Doors open to the public at 6:30 p.m. with Dr. Zales speaking at 7:30; refreshments will be provided following his presentation. Contact Tammy Richardson (319) 857-4741 for additional information.
You have probably heard the tempest surrounding the recent Local Option Sales Tax vote. I thought I would share my perspectives.
First, as you probably know, Iowa law is a bit odd in this situation. It allows a municipality with 50% or more of the population of a county to call a sales tax election in that county. Since Iowa City has roughly 68,000 of Johnson County’s roughly 130,000 residents, Iowa City has the ability to call an election. They did so, and an election will be held May 5.
The odd part is that State law gives the responsibility for setting a sunset date to the Board of Supervisors. It would seem that if the city can call the election, they could also set the terms of that election, but that is not the case.
So, Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, and other cities contacted Johnson County and requested a 5-year sunset. After two long meetings worth of debate, Johnson County voted 3-2 for a 4-year sunset.
Where did 4 years come from? A couple Supervisors had been leaning toward 3 years, but wanted to make any vote to renew the tax line up with the next Presidential election. So 4 years was chosen.
Supervisors Meyers, Harney, and Stutsman voted for the 4 years. Supervisor Neuzil voted against the measure (I believe he wanted a 3-year sunset); I voted against the measure because I felt the cities ought to have an opportunity to ask the public for the 5 years they were seeking.
Then the Board needed to vote on the uses of any County sales tax revenue. Again, the vote was 3-2, with Supervisors Meyers, Harney, and Stutsman voting to spend 50% on roads and bridges and 50% on property tax relief. Supervisor Neuzil voted against the measure (I believe he wanted 100% property tax relief); I voted against the measure because I think replacing property taxes with sales taxes has the effect of shifting the cost of government to people with less money.
(Obviously, I am treading into dangerous territory by trying to explain the votes of any of my colleagues. I can tell you HOW they voted, but they need to tell you WHY. If you have questions as to what an individual Supervisor was thinking, I strongly urge you to contact her or him.)
I have written at length on sales taxes in previous editions of Salvos. There will be more to come in a future edition. Meanwhile, let’s continue to focus on process.
While Supervisors disagreed on these votes, I do believe the Board is unanimous in feeling as though the needs of County government are largely being ignored by the cities. Obviously, this is not good. There is some serious work to be done between local governments to heal the wounds that exist. This may be even more difficult now in light of this vote; I do not know. I just know that we need to talk.
I hope local governments can have some meaningful conversations very soon. The public deserves governments who work together for the collective good.
For the past five years, the Iowa City Human Rights Commission has recognized activities performed by local youth that promote and/or contribute to Human Rights in the Iowa City area and abroad.
Activities that the Commission is aware of that would be worthy of an Award include, but are not limited to:
*Collecting money for a Human Rights related organization/cause
*Organizing a Human Rights related activity
*Collecting food/clothing/personal hygiene items for local or national organizations
Students should not be nominated for participation in class activities or pre-organized events. However, any additional activity that comes as a result of a class activity or pre-organized event would be a welcome nomination. Nominations will be accepted until 5 p.m. on April 10, 2009.
For additional information or nominations forms, please visit www.icgov.org/humanrights or call 356-5022.
DID YOU KNOW? 80% of plastic water bottles are not recycled, meaning 1.5 million tons of plastic waste annually. (Source: Physicians for Social Responsibility.)
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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