SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
November 7, 2009
Sullivan’s Salvos 11/10/09
A belated Happy Birthday to my daughter Rachel, who turned 18 on November 6. It is pretty hard to believe that Rachel is now a legal adult! It is a little scary, too!
Happy Birthday, Honey. I know it has not been easy, but you have come very far. I love you with all my heart!
Happy Veteran’s Day on November 11. I salute the women and men who have worn the uniform of our country. I hope we soon get to a point where we are not putting so many of our young people in harm’s way. Until that day, thank you to all who have sacrificed.
Congratulations to all the winners of the recent City Council elections, and thanks to everyone who ran for office. The next four years will undoubtedly present us with several challenges – best of luck!
All the wet weather this fall is making it very tough on my friends and family in agriculture. You may have noticed that the combining is running behind. Please join me in hoping for continued dry weather!
In keeping with the wet theme, “Water In – Water Out in Johnson County” will be presented by the Johnson County League of Women Voters Regional Governance Committee Thursday, November 12th at 7:00 PM at the Coralville Public Library.
Four regional experts in water management issues will give brief presentations and answer questions. For more information call Carol Spaziani, 338-6140.
I have been on Twitter for some time now. While I was dubious at first, I really like tweeting!
I do not have texting on my phone, so I only get tweets from the people I follow when I log onto the Twitter site. Because of this, it goes without saying that I am much more into sending than receiving. I follow about 25 other tweeters.
My tweets have tended to be at night, and tend to describe the upcoming day. But there is a bit of everything. If you are interested, feel free to follow me! And if you are following someone really interesting, please recommend her!
As you know, I frequently write about issues of poverty, class, taxes, and the like. People take from it what they will. I just came across some interesting statistics that may add some perspective to the discussion.
The median income for a household in the US is $48,000. That may include one or two incomes; it may include one family member or seven. The median household income is $48,000.
If you take the middle 60 percent of all household incomes, they range between $25,000 and $97,000. That is one definition of middle class. 20 percent of households earn over $97,000. More strikingly, 20 percent of households earn less than $25,000. Yet fully five out of six Americans describe themselves as being middle class.
A household that earns over $250,000 (again, regardless of one or two wage earners) is in the top 2% of all American households. Imagine where that places them among all the people of the world! Yet few people earning $250,000 consider themselves wealthy.
I know Melissa and I have always viewed ourselves as middle class… for the first time ever this year we now earn $100,000 between us. So I guess we are statistically actually wealthy! And realistically, compared to everyone else, we are. We need to remember that, particularly when we are asked to donate our time, talents, and finances to various charities.
As we approach Thanksgiving, keep in mind how well we do compared to our fellow human beings. Life is good, and we are truly blessed.
Government is GOOD! How do I know? Because FEMA exists to act when disasters strike. Face it – there is no way a local government could ever possibly save enough money to cover the losses from a natural disaster. The only way we can address these types of issues is through federal intervention.
Yes, FEMA has problems. But where would we be without the help of that agency following our recent floods? FEMA helped tremendously. Brought to you by your GOVERNMENT!
DID YOU KNOW? More Iowa females own farmland now than ever before. (Many were joint owners who are now widows.)
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 @ 7:33 PM
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