SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
June 1, 2012
Sullivan’s Salvos 6/5/12 In this edition: *Primary Elections *Congratulations Leo! *Public Health and Science *Low Income Housing *North Liberty Fun Days *Sanders Birthday Bash! *Did You Know? *Primary Elections Primary elections are Tuesday, June 5. I am supporting Dave Loebsack for Congress and Travis Weipert for County Auditor. Oh yeah – and myself for County Supervisor! If you have not already voted early, please vote on June 5th! *Congratulations Leo! Congratulations to Johnson County’s Veteran’s Affairs Director Leo Baier. Leo is leaving Johnson County after almost 19 years of serving our veterans. I worked in the same building with Leo before I became a Supervisor. Leo is a true gentleman, and one of the nicest people with whom I have ever had the opportunity to work. I wish him well in the future! *Public Health and Science I like science, though I am not particularly good at it. I respect the scientific process, and the work of people who do scientific research. When possible, I try to base my political decisions on sound science. Because of this, it drives me nuts when people simply choose to discount science and believe whatever is convenient. Obvious examples of this include questioning evolution and denying global warming. The facts simply do not support these conclusions. But that does not matter to folks who deny science. People choose to believe whatever suits their personal wants, facts be damned. I find this attitude dangerous and shortsighted. It is important to point out that both the right and left have instances whereby science is ignored. Our Department of Public Health has recently weighed in on two issues; one of those is often opposed by the right, the other by the left. First, Johnson County Public Health has reaffirmed its support for Fluoride treatments in public water supplies. While often opposed by extremists on the right, many experts feel this is among the top ten public health initiatives of the past 50 years! Scientists have studied fluoridation long and hard, and find no ill effects. Meanwhile, dental health is much better today, particularly for the urban poor, than it was 50 years ago. Secondly, Johnson County Public Health has reaffirmed its support for a ban on the sale of raw milk. Although many on the far left see this as healthier because it is more natural, science does not bear this out. Raw milk is responsible for virtually all milk-related diseases, up to and including deaths in many cases. Plus, researchers have demonstrated consistently that pasteurization does not decrease the nutrients present in milk. While taking these two stances may be viewed as unnecessary, I applaud the Board of Health for taking these positions. Science is good. We should embrace knowledge. Please join me in supporting the use of science in our policy decisions. *Low Income Housing I attended the May 15 meeting of the Iowa City City Council. At that meeting, the Council got a presentation from Doug Boothroy and Steve Rackis regarding city-owned low-income housing. Rackis spent a lot of time emphasizing that most occupants are elderly and/or disabled, and the majority have no children. Why does he feel the need to emphasize this? Well, first, I’m certain he wants the correct information out there. But the unspoken point is clear – he is concerned that the Council thinks this housing is only for poor black people. My question? So what if it were? What if every person occupying this housing were black? Then what? Perhaps we should ask ourselves why seniors and people with disabilities are so preferable to African Americans. Both Boothroy and Rackis offered numerous bits of financial data demonstrating that this housing does not cost the City anything; as a matter of fact, it brings hundreds of thousands of federal dollars into the city. (It does not “make” the City money per se, but it does not cost them anything. The benefit is to the economy - federal dollars flow to local contractors and vendors.) Both men showed that providing less units would actually COST Iowa City money. So - every Council member but Throgmorton opted to have staff research selling several of these units. Granted, they only voted to CONSIDER this. But why? The data does not support this decision. It is clearly another attack upon the poor people of color in our community. The newspapers did not cover this. We have our work to do. We must contact the Council and let them know that we will not stand by and accept another attack on poor people of color perpetrated in our name! *North Liberty Fun Days North Liberty Fun Days runs June 7-10 in the bustling city of North Liberty. Get up there and enjoy all the fun activities! See the Fun Days Facebook page for further details. *Sanders Birthday Bash! Local raconteur Gary Sanders is celebrating his 65th birthday with a party on Sunday, June 10 from 1-4 at Lower City Park Shelter #6. The party will not only mark Gary’s birthday, but will celebrate the Medicare program. Everyone in Iowa City is invited; however registered Republicans must wear a Scarlett “R”. Bring food if you wish, but don’t feel obligated. In case of rain, the party will be held at 2326 E. Court Street in Iowa City. Call 337-7739 with questions. *DID YOU KNOW? Wright County, Iowa has the highest percentage of “Grade A” topsoil in the world. 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
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 10:48 PM
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