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rodsullivan.org
SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
March 26, 2011
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/29/11 In this edition: *Social Security and the Deficit *Most Admired *Fair Vs. Equal *Maps! *Democratic Party Hall of Fame *Did You Know? *Social Security and the Deficit I am tired of the hatchet job that is taking place on the Social Security program. Social Security has never added ONE CENT to the federal deficit. It is completely self-sufficient, and always has been. This is an incontrovertible FACT! Social Security is already set until 2034. Wealthier people only pay Social Security on the first $106,000 they earn. A tiny change, raising that $106,000 to say, $125,000, will make Social Security solvent for the next 50 or more years. So, next time you hear pundits talking about balancing the federal budget and they mention “Social Security”, contact that show and call them on it! Every time you see a “journalist” sit there and let this go unquestioned, call them on it! Social Security has NO relationship to the federal deficit! We know how this works. Repeat it over and over, and people begin to believe it, even though it is false. This is the same thing that happened with President Obama’s religion, Iraq’s ties to Bin Laden, and John Kerry’s military service. Do not allow that to happen to Social Security! *Most Admired Of all the many jobs out there, which do I admire most? Public school teachers. The school teachers edge out police, fire, and paramedics at the very top of my list. Do those jobs ring a bell? Have you heard much about them lately? If you get the opportunity, tell a teacher you appreciate her/him. They have been under attack, and they deserve SO much better! *Fair Vs. Equal As a Supervisor, I often find myself concerned with trying to determine what is “fair”. I find that this searching leads to some interesting struggles between the concepts of fairness and equality. In case you are thinking these two terms mean basically the same thing, you are incorrect! A quick check of the dictionary gives us the following definitions: Fair: free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice. Equal: the same. There are times where making things equal is being fair. There are other times where making things equal is unfair. Here are a few examples: You can kill someone in self-defense, through vehicular homicide, or through premeditated murder. Our justice system has wisely chosen to treat these three instances differently. In each case, one person took the life of another. So we could claim that the perpetrators should be treated equally. To do so, however, would not be fair. Imagine two employees who are both missing work. Employee A goes to the doctor and finds that she has leukemia, which explains why she has felt so poorly. She immediately begins treatment, meaning more missed work. Employee B continues to miss work with no explanation. To meet our definition of “fair”, we need to make sure there is no legitimate excuse for the poor attendance of Employee B. If there is no reason, Employee A will likely keep her job, while Employee B loses hers. They are not being treated equally, but they are being treated fairly. Look at income taxes. Some wealthy people like Steve Forbes would try to make you believe that we should all pay the same in income taxes. That would be equal, but it certainly would not be fair! Why should someone earning $20,000 pay 5%, while someone earning $20,000,000 also pays 5%? This is hardly fair. I spend a lot of time in my job trying to determine what is fair. It is not always easy. On some occasions, fair means equal. On other occasions, fair and equal mean very different things. *Maps! For political junkies like myself, March 31st is a big day! That is the day that Iowa’s Redistricting Commission releases the new Congressional and Legislative District maps. As you know, Iowa is a model for our nonpartisan method of determining the districts. Because of this, there is always great drama – no Member of Congress or Legislator is safe! This will be particularly true in 2011, as Iowa loses a Congressional seat. While the first map is unlikely to be the final map, the speculation begins in earnest on 3/31. Stay tuned for all the fun! *Democratic Party Hall of Fame Save the date! The Johnson County Democratic Party is holding a Hall of Fame awards ceremony on Saturday, May 7 at the Marriott in Coralville. Honorees are Ralph & Arlene Neuzil, Jae Retz & Roberta Till-Retz, and Dick & Doris Myers. Tickets to this event are $25; many sponsorship opportunities are available. For more info, please send me an E-mail! *DID YOU KNOW? In 2010, Johnson County cities annexed 339 acres of county land. (207 of these acres are now the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area in Iowa City.) That is up from zero acres in 2009, and 45 acres in 2008. 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 19, 2011
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/22/11
In this edition:
*Tragedy in Japan
*Roads and the Public Benefit
*Road Embargoes
*ISAC
*Mission Creek Festival
*Sound of Friendship Concert
*Chamber Ag Series
*Did You Know?
*Tragedy in Japan
My thoughts and prayers to all the victims of the disasters in Japan. Please do what you can to help.
As for nuclear power… can we learn from this? I would like to think so, but I doubt it. Just look at oil production in the Gulf of Mexico – we are right back to doing the same old things, no lessons learned.
Oh, for some real leadership from our elected officials on this critical matter!
*Roads and the Public Benefit
Like every county, Johnson County faces a funding crisis as far as the Secondary Road system is concerned. Road Use Tax funds are down, and state and federal funding is drying up. The bill for long deferred maintenance is coming due.
We acknowledge that our needs outstrip our resources, and that things are getting worse. We claim to have no appetite for raising taxes. That leaves very few options – cutting services first among them.
If we are going to cut services, I propose cutting in places that affect the health, safety, and welfare of the lowest possible number of people. When I look at the Secondary Roads network, the thing that rises to the top of the “cut” list is Level B roads.
What is a Level B road, you ask? Basically, those are our dirt roads. Johnson County has about 950 miles of road, 50 of which are Level B. Level B roads receive minimum maintenance – this means a maximum of one pass with the blade in the spring, and another in the fall.
Perhaps even more importantly, Level B roads typically lack adequate right of way. Level A roads have at least 66 feet of right of way; Level B roads are often 40 feet or less. This significantly impacts our ability to upgrade the road in question.
I believe Johnson County needs to consider vacating several of these roads. Vacating is another term that requires definition. Vacation refers to vacating the county’s interest. In other words, the property reverts to the landowners. They may maintain it as a private lane, plant crops on it, let it go wild, or basically do anything they like.
We have some Level B roads that are very close to cities, and others that are very close to recreational areas. So there are a few instances in which maintaining them as Level Bs may make sense. But in most cases, my opinion is that roads should either be upgraded to Level A (gravel), or vacated.
When push comes to shove, there is little public benefit to maintaining these roads. They are basically private lanes maintained at public expense. I say it is time to slowly but surely get out of the Level B road business.
Unfortunately, vacating a road is not a popular political decision. Vacating a Level B road only affects 3-4 people, but those people show up at the meeting, and they are angry! So it is definitely easier to simply maintain the status quo.
The problem is, the status quo is not cutting it. We are falling farther and farther behind. At some point, someone is going to have to make a series of tough decisions. I suggest we start with Level Bs.
*Road Embargoes
Speaking of roads, Johnson County now has a few roads that are embargoed.
For a complete list, see the county website at www.johnson-county.com. The list is updated daily.
*ISAC
I will be joining several of my fellow Johnson County employees at the Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC) meetings in Des Moines Wednesday and Thursday of this week.
One prominent addition to this year’s ISAC Conference is the first official meeting of the ISAC Urban Caucus. This will allow the Supervisors from Iowa’s more populous counties to specifically address the issues unique to them. I will report on the success of this initiative.
*Mission Creek Festival
The Mission Creek Festival is March 28-April 4 in various locations throughout Iowa City.
Mission Creek Festival Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing fun artistic experiences in the Iowa City region. Our primary event is the five-day Mission Creek Festival, which takes place in downtown Iowa City every spring. The festival takes over the venues and downtown spaces of Iowa City creating an easily navigated nexus of live music, literary readings, and art events. There will be tons of bands, a lot of writers, and a host of other art happenings.
For the whole schedule of events, see: http://festival.missionfreak.com/index.html
*Sound of Friendship Concert
The 2011 Sound of Friendship Concert is 7 PM on Saturday, March 26 at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in University Heights. Tickets are $20 for music, desserts, and fun.
This concert is a fundraiser for Compeer, which matches people with mental illnesses with community volunteers. For more info, contact kfox@meimhc.org.
*Chamber Ag Series
Session 3 is March 25, and features GREEN ENERGY FOR THE FUTURE.
Panelists: Liz Christiansen, The University of Iowa Office of Sustainability; Steve Fugate, Iowa Renewable Energy Association (iRenew); Mike Ott, Iowa Biotechnology Association; and Sheila Samuelson, Bright Green Strategy.
For more info on the series, call the Chamber at 337-9637.
*DID YOU KNOW? In 2010, Johnson County only rezoned 11 acres from Agricultural to Residential.
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 12, 2011
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/15/11
In this edition:
*St. Patrick’s Day!
*Bob Sullivan
*Spring Break
*Sanctuary City
*War in Iraq
*A Good Joke! (Or is it?)
*Did You Know?
*St. Patrick’s Day!
Happy St. Patty’s Day on March 17! St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite days of the year. While not an “official” holiday, this day has long been celebrated heartily by my Irish family.
The tradition lives on… I almost always take St. Patrick’s Day off work. We have a Board meeting on March 17 this year, so I’ll be forced to put in a few hours this time.
Meanwhile, I hope each and every one of you is touched by a little luck o’ the Irish!
*Bob Sullivan
March 17 holds a special place in my heart that goes beyond St. Patrick’s Day. That was also the birthday of my late father, Bob Sullivan.
Dad was a proud union man, Hawkeye fan, and Irishman. We were father and son, but also best friends. I can honestly say he was probably the most fun person I have ever known.
Unfortunately, he left this world much too soon, and never got the chance to meet any of his nine grandchildren. I miss him every single day, but especially on St. Patty’s Day.
If you are looking for an extra toast on St. Patrick’s Day, allow me to suggest that you raise a glass to Bob Sullivan.
Happy birthday, Dad.
*Spring Break
Most Johnson County students are on Spring Break this week. I hope that those of you who are travelling have safe and enjoyable trips! Come back refreshed!
*Sanctuary City
I have followed Iowa City’s discussions on “Sanctuary City” status with interest. I understand the apprehension of councilors who think this could create problems; they are right to be concerned. Personally, I am even more concerned with the victimization our current laws create.
Think about it for a moment. A Mexican-owned business has a legal right to open up shop in Iowa City. If anyone attempted to stop them, national and international law would rush to their side. The right of the business to operate in the US MUST NOT be infringed!
Now, consider an actual human being of Mexican origin. She has no right to enter the US to work. As a matter of fact, if she tries, national and international law would rush to stop her. She has no rights.
The law favors corporations over people, capital over labor, and profits above all else. It would be nice to see government at any level put people ahead of money. This argument is simple and secular.
If you are a Christian, you should be glad the people on the Sanctuary City committee are reminding us of the teachings of Jesus. Greater worship of money is certainly not the answer.
*War in Iraq
I wish this edition of Salvos could be completely positive. Alas, there is a very unfortunate anniversary that needs to be acknowledged.
On March 19 we will have spent nine years of war in Iraq. What a travesty. How many lives have been ruined, and how much money has been wasted?
I have proudly displayed a “Support the Troops, End the War” sign since the start of the war. (It gets stolen periodically, but thanks to my friend Ed Flaherty, we always manage to get a replacement.)
When Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, etc. say that hindsight is 20/20? Well, I am an old Iowa farm boy. A basic schmuck. And I knew war with Iraq was wrong! So did millions of other Americans, including Barack Obama. I think that issue vaulted him to a win in the Iowa Caucuses, and ultimately the Presidency.
Problem is, President Obama has not done enough to remove American troops from Iraq. I say, get them ALL out, and get them out NOW. Then do the same thing in Afghanistan.
There is a local event to commemorate this unfortunate anniversary. The event begins on the Courthouse lawn. Music starts at 10:50 a.m., speakers & music until 11:30.
The group will then march to Iowa City Public Library for 3 scenes from Dreamwell Theatre's "Stuff Happens," a political (recent) history play exploring the often notorious events and decisions that led to the war in Iraq."
Sponsors: Veterans for Peace, Green Party of Johnson County,
PEACE Iowa, International Socialist Organization, Workers International League Eastern Iowa, Campaign for a Mass Party of Labor.
Meanwhile, my thoughts and prayers to all the people whose lives have been impacted by this pointless war.
*A Good Joke! (Or is it?)
A friend sent me this on Facebook a while ago. Since it has been on Facebook, the odds are good you have all seen it already. Still, I find it so simply poignant that it must be repeated here:
A CEO, a Tea Party activist, and a Union member sit down at a table. On the table are a dozen cookies. The CEO takes eleven cookies, turns to the Tea Partier, and says, "Watch that Union guy. He has his eye on your cookie!"
*DID YOU KNOW? In the US today, there are 33.7 million residents who claim Irish ancestry. This number is almost nine times the population of Ireland itself.
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 6, 2011
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/8/11
In this edition:
*Happy Mardis Gras!
*Income in Johnson County
*Income Tax Issues
*Night of 1,000 Dinners
*Did You Know?
*Happy Mardis Gras!
March 8 is Fat Tuesday, the 9th is Ash Wednesday, and Easter is 40 days away. Sounds like a reason to celebrate! Laissez les bons temps rouler!
*Income in Johnson County
As you may know, the United Way of Johnson County recently did a comprehensive Community Needs Assessment. While there is a lot of fascinating information in the study, one of the most interesting tidbits is the division of Johnson County households into income quintiles.
What does that mean? First, you take every person in Johnson County and divide them into households. A household can be a single adult, two roommates, or a family with two parents and 6 kids. The key is maintaining a separate household.
Then you take the households, and divide them into fifths based upon income. So you get the poorest 20%, the lower middle 20%, the middle 20%, the upper middle 20%, and the wealthiest 20%.
The numbers are as follows: The wealthiest 20% of households earn a mean of $171,000 annually. The next wealthiest 20% earns $82,000. The middle 20% earns $53,000. The lower middle 20% earns $31,000. Finally, the poorest 20% earns about $11,000.
So, let’s analyze the numbers. Obviously, the large number of students in Johnson County skews our lowest quintile down. But a person whose only income is Social Security often earns less than $11,000 per year. So this quintile includes some students, yes, but also many seniors and people with disabilities.
A fifth of the households average $31,000 in annual income. According to the United Way, a two adult, two child household needs to make $25/hour just to meet basic needs. (That could be one wage earner at $25/hour, or two at $12.50 each.)
Obviously, almost 40% of our residents are not making it! We need to reach the middle quintile, with an average income of $53,000, before families are living comfortably.
Keep this in mind when you hear people say we do not need affordable housing in this community. The statistics do not lie – we clearly have nearly 40% of our households who meet the definition of “housing burdened”.
Also keep this in mind when you hear people talking about being “middle class”. I frequently hear bankers, attorneys, and others talk about being “middle class”. They clearly are NOT middle class by Johnson County standards!
I am not middle class, either, for that matter. Melissa and I each make $50,000. Our household’s $100,000 income puts us in the second-wealthiest quintile. I imagine most Salvos readers are in the top two quintiles as well.
For the wealthiest 20%, the average income is $171,000 annually. That works out to over $80/hour. Not many union positions pay $80/hour.
Why do I bring this up? Because we are generally ignorant as to the facts on income distribution in our community. We are going to talk soon about income taxes. Who can and should pay? We are NOT all equal when it comes to finances. Clearly, a small portion of the public holds the vast majority of the wealth.
*Income Tax Issues
From the Iowa Fiscal Partnership: House File 194 provides a 20% cut in Iowa’s individual income tax rates. The issue is not just that the state of Iowa, recovering from a recession and major cuts to education and other public services, cannot afford such a tax cut and sustain essential public services — though that issue is very real. The Fiscal Note for HF194 puts the cost at $330 million for FY2012, $704.1 million for FY2013, $711.5 million for FY2014, and $750.6 million in FY2015. This comes when Iowans are told revenues are low.
The problem also is that such a tax cut is very much misdirected, taking Iowa tax policy further down the path of helping the wealthiest the most.
This is a trend building since the mid-1990s, starting with a 10 percent cut in income tax rates in 1997. Since then, Iowa lawmakers have passed more income-tax cuts, avoided equitable income-tax reform, and raised and encouraged local governments to raise sales and property taxes, which take a greater share of income of low-income and middle-income taxpayers than of high-income taxpayers.
HF194 provides yet another windfall for the wealthiest. According to an analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the effect of the tax cut will average $18 for taxpayers in the lowest quintile of Iowa taxpayers (with incomes below $21,000) and $6,822 for taxpayers in the top 1 percent of Iowa taxpayers (with incomes of 358,000 or more).
While the bottom one-fifth of Iowa taxpayers see their overall taxes (sales, property and income combined) reduced by about 1.6 percent, the top 1 percent see their overall tax burden reduced by about 9.3 percent. Further, a disproportionate share of those in the top 1 percent of income are out-of-state tax filers who made profits in Iowa and they (and their home states) would be big beneficiaries of such cuts.
*Night of 1,000 Dinners
The Iowa United Nations Association (Iowa UNA) is holding its annual Night of 1,000 Dinners on Thursday, March 10 at 6PM at Old Brick. Tickets are $12 advance/$15 door.
In recognition of International Women's Month, the Iowa UNA will be holding the annual "Night of 1,000 Dinners" to fundraise for UN Women's missions in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Haiti. Formerly known as UNIFEM, UN Women seeks to aid and empower women in conflict zones, natural disaster areas, and socially repressive societies.
The event will feature: A silent art auction with all proceeds going to UN Women! Over $400 in door prizes! An international buffet! International music! Featured speaker Martine SongaSonga, a Chicago-based Congo human rights activist.
Ticket sales for the event will help Iowa UNA, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, continue its annual programs and fundraisers including "Night of 1,000 Dinners". To learn more about UN Women (formerly UNIFEM), please visit http://www.unwomen.org/ To learn more about Iowa UNA, please visit http://www.unaiowa.org
*DID YOU KNOW? The 2010 average cost of a new single family home in Johnson County was $344,307. That is up dramatically from the 2009 average of $258,668.
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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