|
rodsullivan.org
SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
October 26, 2012
Sullivan’s Salvos 10/30/12
In this edition:
* Vote!
*”Endorsement”?
*Taxes in Johnson County
*Seven Myths of Government Bashing, Part 5
*Did You Know?
*Vote!
If you have not voted yet, now is the time! Remember, Iowa law allows for Election Day registration! Plus, there are plenty of opportunities to vote between now and next Tuesday!
*”Endorsement”?
I recently received the “endorsement” of the Press Citizen in the race for Supervisor.
I put the word “endorsement” in quotes, because it was just about the most backhanded endorsement one could receive.
It was something akin to, “We disagree with these guys and would vote them out, but the challengers amazed us with their lack of knowledge.”
On one level, I am fine with that; they are free to say whatever they wish. But I have two major complaints:
First, the Press Citizen (among others) doesn’t even ask the right questions. It only serves to demonstrate how little the public understands about County government.
In fairness, Supervisors have an obligation to educate the public. We are clearly failing miserably in this regard.
My biggest complaint is that the Press Citizen (like virtually everyone else) thinks the three incumbent Supervisors are somehow one single candidate.
The Press Citizen disagrees with us? How? We do not agree ourselves! When were all three of us unanimous? I know I love the opportunity to share my own thoughts on things; my guess is that my colleagues feel the same way.
The public knows very little about anything the Supervisors do. What they do know, they learn from the media. And according to the media, we might as well be one man. Unfortunately, that view is quite flawed.
Is this sour grapes on my part? I have to be honest - that undoubtedly plays a part. I try to bust my butt, and I feel as though people here actually benefit from my work. It would be nice to think that people agreed with my assessment.
But you cannot go into politics hoping to be loved. If you do, you’ll end up very disappointed. I just wish I didn’t have to feel disappointed in the paper. I wish they would recognize us as individuals.
*Taxes in Johnson County
Taxes are high in Johnson County. Right? Uh, not so much. People love to hang onto the myth that Johnson County is a high tax county, but that simply is not the case.
According to data from the Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC), Johnson County ranks:
*36th in General Fund tax rate. 35 counties have higher tax rates, 63 have lower.
*69th in Rural Fund tax rate. 68 counties have higher tax rates, 30 have lower.
*44th in Combined tax rate. 43 counties have higher tax rates, 55 have lower.
As you can see, Johnson County does not rank particularly high when it comes to tax rates. We are actually very close to the middle of the pack when compared to the rest of the counties in Iowa.
Next time you hear someone say our county taxes are “highest in the state”, call them on their lie. I hear it a lot, and this misinformation needs to be challenged.
*Seven Myths of Government Bashing
A friend recently sent me a great piece by Gail Cohen entitled “Seven Myths of Government Bashing”. I like this piece so much that I have decided to divide it into seven parts and run it in Salvos.
Today, Part 5: CLAIM: Small government is good government.
ANSWER: Because of the desire to squeeze every dollar spent for maximum profit, businesses don’t function with a lot of common sense. In such a go-getter environment, a company is tempted to make-believe that their employees can actually live on 8 dollars per hour, or that by cutting health insurance, their employees will magically stay healthy and productive. A company is tempted to pretend that water runoff from animal waste will magically avoid the lettuce crops nearby, or that customers who purchase your pharmaceuticals will magically not notice the nasty side-effects that you’ve been hiding for years.
It is fair to say that big companies cannot function with our best interests at heart; “our,” meaning the regular people who drive their cars and buy their products and work at their factories and offices. Therefore, some entity needs to watch for stuff, watch for the salmonella in the lettuce, the shoddy workmanship in the cars, the pollutants in the air, the side effects in the medications, and so forth.
A person might live each day eating food that’s relatively free of poisons, living in a home constructed with safe materials, and believe that the world of commerce proceeds smoothly as if by magic. That’s not true. It’s because of “government.”
This fact won’t be obvious until you become one of those sad statistics whose plane trip ended in tragedy, whose liver was ruined from unlabeled medication, whose shoreline is covered with oil. You see them on TV, and it’s easy to assume they’re just trying to squeeze money from a company that made an honest mistake. But when you find yourself in a similar situation, you realize how easy it is for big companies to get away with . . . well, murder. You realize is perfectly fair to expect government to protect us from these economic entities that have such control over our daily lives. Such “government” oversight is indeed necessary.
Regulatory agencies should be well funded and staffed, empowered with the right technology and skills to do their job, and enough regulatory teeth to make their findings legally binding and enforceable. If regulation agencies are not “big,” then they are no match for the corporations they much watch over, who are getting bigger and more concentrated by the minute. Still, in America, we don’t like to interfere with a man and his right to make a dollar. We’re inclined to side with the bloke who made the machine, rather than the guy who wants to burden him down with “safety” this and “safety” that.
What this means, then, is that the public supports regulations, but unfortunately, only toothless ones, regulations with huge loopholes. If politicians try to design regulations that honestly do the job, for example, force oil companies to install safety mechanisms so that oil spills can be contained, the companies complain of overregulation and start ragging on “government,” and usually get the support of the public.
From there, it gets worse: these toothless, ineffective regulations give the public more reason to complain “government can’t do anything right.” Sometimes, it all seems like a game of cat and mouse, and it’s only after you’ve been screwed out of your life savings, lost your house, a limb, or a family member, or had your coastline polluted by oil, do you realize that it’s not a game at all.
*DID YOU KNOW? Johnson County has a population density of 214 people per square mile, compared to the statewide average of 54 people per square mile. (Source: US Census Bureau.)
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
October 19, 2012
Sullivan’s Salvos 10/23/12
In this edition:
*Vote Stutsman and Schwab!
*Liberal Ideas?
*Seven Myths of Government Bashing, Part 4
*Did You Know?
*Vote Stutsman and Schwab!
Johnson County voters got a rare treat when the redistricting maps came out. Due to population growth, Johnson County got TWO new House seats in the Iowa Legislature! I have spoken to longtime observers of State Government, and no one recalls that happening previously.
I have very strong biases in these races. Please allow me a moment to talk about my picks for these seats.
House District 73 includes Solon, the northwest part of Johnson County, all of Cedar County, and the City of Wilton. In HD73, I support Dick Schwab.
Dick has had a very successful business career, including running a huge local employer and starting several successful small businesses. But it is his heart that really impresses me. Dick has dedicated his life to education (Solon School Board, Dollars for Scholars), the environment (Johnson County Heritage Trust, Conservation Bond), and human services (Goodwill, Shelter House). Many people talk about how much they care. Dick Schwab proves it. Dick and his wife Katherine are philanthropists of the first order. Plus, Dick is honest, smart, and hard working. This is truly a quality candidate and quality man.
House District 77 is the western and southern part of Johnson County, including Swisher, Shueyville, Tiffin, Oxford, North Liberty, and Lone Tree. In HD77, I support Sally Stutsman.
I have had the pleasure of serving with Sally for 8 years, and I can assure you that she knows how government works. As a matter of fact, she deserves most of the credit for improving the County government we have! Before Sally was elected, we had cronyism, sexism, secrecy, no plan for investing, a lack of transparency, and a lack of written policies. Over many objections, Sally led Johnson County to a government of laws rather than a government of personalities. Sally has never gotten the thanks she ought to for her work in those trying times. I know that I can count on Sally to be fair and consistent. She is a damn good Supervisor, and the people of HD77 should know that – she has represented them well for years! Sally will do government right for the people of HD77.
If you have a vote in HD 73 or 77, you have a real opportunity. Please vote Stutsman and Schwab!
*Liberal Ideas?
Since 1980, political negotiations in the US have largely been between the center and the right. On one hand, this makes some sense – conservatives controlled most of the branches of government for most of that period. But beyond simply controlling most of the levers of government, they succeeded in moving the national political conversation considerably to the right.
Debates over the Affordable Care Act and same sex marriage are the first really “liberal” ideas to become part of the mainstream political debate in quite some time. Even the Affordable Care Act was a conservative counter-offer to the more progressive idea of universal health care.
I believe we need to make sure that liberal ideas remain on the table. Many of the “big ideas” that make America great came from progressives. Think about it: free public education, ending slavery, exploring the west, expanding rights to more people, ending child labor, creating weekends and 40 hour weeks, public health initiatives, Medicare, Social Security, scientific discoveries – these are but a few of the “big ideas” that came from the liberals of the day.
These were all expansions of government, and expansions of the role of government. They all came from people who wanted to make the world a better place, and saw government as a way to accomplish those goals.
What could be done to improve life in the US? What if we really dedicated substantial resources to curing cancer? What if new mothers got to stay home with their child for a year, with health insurance coverage? What if we put nursing home resources into keeping seniors at home? What if we invested heavily in public transportation? What if, instead of focusing on cuts to Medicare, we lowered the eligibility age to 60?
We cannot simply debate between the center and the right. We need big ideas. Yes, there will always be the matter of how to pay for big ideas. (We could actually use some big ideas on this topic!)
Nothing great has ever happened in the US without a few people dreaming big dreams. So please join me in keeping big ideas at the table!
*Seven Myths of Government Bashing
A friend recently sent me a great piece by Gail Cohen entitled “Seven Myths of Government Bashing”. I like this piece so much that I have decided to divide it into seven parts and run it in Salvos.
Today, Part 4: CLAIM: Before Reagan came along and reduced government and lowered taxes, America was worse off.
ANSWER: Reagan’s answer was to radically cut taxes. In doing so, he created massive deficits. In 1983, Reagan backed off his tax cuts, and raised the amount that each worker had to contribute to Social Security. However Reagan continued to cut corporate taxes and taxes for the very wealthy, so the deficit grew. To curb it, he borrowed hundreds of billions from the Social Security trust fund, the first President to do so in significant amounts. Americans still pay 100 billion dollars a year in interest on the money that Reagan took from Social Security.
The 2008 and 2009 “bailouts” were not the first time the taxpayers footed the bill for Wall Street’s betting frenzy. They were only the first giveaways to be called what they really were. All of this was presaged by the Reagan-era Savings & Loan scandal, which was but the first of the now-familiar bankers’ games that cost the taxpayer hundreds of billions of dollars. But it was under Reagan that taxpayers began shoring up bankers after they failed at dice. Before his Presidency, such a practice was unheard of.
What else did the Reagan-rich do with their newly-minted billions? Buy other companies. The Reagan billionaires treated newly acquired firms as if they were ATMs, firing employees, gutting communities, stripping legacy businesses of their assets, and draining money to the new corporate headquarters. The resulting dearth of small businesses, the lack of local flavor, the corporate bigness that reduces every town to a series of strip malls each with a Starbucks and a Subway, that all started under Reagan.
Reagan’s America was indeed awash in cash. But those billions created relatively few jobs, and the ones created were not robust. The 1980’s saw the decline of well-paying manufacturing jobs and the rise of the “service sector.” American workers emerged from early-1980’s recession to find themselves wearing aprons, colorful hats and serving hamburgers. But rather than invest in industries that would create good jobs, the Reagan-rich invested in financial schemes that created a quick buck.
Why didn’t the rich invest in stable, multifaceted industries that created a vast array of products that regular people could actually buy? Because during the Reagan years, regular people couldn’t afford to buy much of anything. During Reagan’s first term, 10% of all working Americans had no job, and the jobs they found later didn’t pay very well. Thus industry had little incentive to re-invent the Boom Years of 1955-75, during which products and all their parts were made at home. During that era, regular Americans could afford to buy the things they manufactured, a dual role which encouraged industry to manufacture more, creating a healthy cycle. But under Reagan, the middle class lost buying power, making up for this loss only by going into debt.
*DID YOU KNOW? Through methods such as failure to pay overtime, working folks off the clock, etc. - employers stole over $106 billion in wages from their employees in 2011. (Source: Barbara Ehrenreich.)
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
October 13, 2012
Sullivan’s Salvos 10/16/12
In this edition:
*Justice Center
*100 Grannies
*Book Talks in Coralville
*Seven Myths of Government Bashing, Part 3
*Did You Know?
*Justice Center
Johnson County residents now have the opportunity to vote yes or no on a new Justice Center. I support this measure. Here is some background:
The current jail was built in 1981 to house 46 residents, which was inadequate from the start. It also was built with insufficient footings to expand vertically. The surrounding land is a high priority for the UI, so it is not available. Double bunking allowed the jail to house 92 inmates, but it does so neither adequately nor comfortably. This move also cost the jail all available space for treatment, exercise, small groups, visitations, worship, and the like.
Fast forward to the present. The average daily population in 2011 exceeded 170. That means on an average day, 80-90 inmates get shipped to other counties. That leads to $1.3 million in annual expenses. Other counties charge between $45 and $70 per day to house each prisoner. Add in transportation costs, and it runs roughly $75/day to house an inmate out of county. Interestingly, it also costs roughly $75/day to house inmates in our own jail. While exact figures are extremely difficult to nail down in either instance, it is clear that the costs are very close.
Problems exist with the current arrangements, however. First, transporting prisoners is a logistical nightmare. They need to appear in court frequently, and also have a right to visitors, which is hard if they are in another county. Secondly, there is not adequate room for exercise, study, religious services, or classes. These are all part of a humane and rehabilitative system for housing inmates. Finally, the current jail is also less than ideal for the deputies that work there; they are more at risk than we would like.
One of the clear messages from the failed 2000 referendum was that the public expected alternatives to incarceration. This is an area where Sheriff Pulkrabek and County Attorney Lyness and their staffs have excelled. Most of the alternatives that could be used are already in place. The public has gotten what they asked for, and the results have been very positive. There are still a few more measures that can be taken, but not without more space in which to work.
While positive, the results have not alleviated the overcrowding to the extent we had hoped. Alternatives eliminate an average of a few inmates per day, but when the average daily population is 170, that total is not a big enough impact to change the big picture. The biggest obstacle to more alternatives is, ironically, a lack of space.
The other related issue that must not be ignored is the courthouse. The courthouse is just as crowded as the jail, and courthouse overcrowding leads to inmates waiting for court dates, thereby spending more days in jail. In addition, there are serious security issues at the current courthouse. Obviously, the current facility is on the National Register of Historic Places, so it cannot be altered too dramatically. The architecture severely limits the ability to utilize the existing building.
I view the jail situation as being similar to private home ownership. If the cost of renting exceeds the cost of a mortgage, you probably ought to consider buying. Obviously, there are other factors, but if trends continue, Johnson County is certainly getting close to paying more to house prisoners elsewhere than it might cost to build and operate a new facility. The key will be not just the cost of erecting a new building, but the costs of operating said building. Right now, things look like a wash. Consider the record-low borrowing costs, and I think it is time to buy.
We are often reminded that the US leads the world in the percentage of people incarcerated. But arrest rates locally are among the lowest in the nation. To those who claim, “build it and they will fill it,” I say – your argument is being proven false every day. We have nothing to fill now – yet our jail population continues to rise. No officer on the scene of a crime stops to think about jail bed availability. They don’t do it now, and they won’t do it with a new facility.
The jail population is related to three things: population growth, federal and state laws, and the economy. Johnson County has little control over any of these factors.
The bottom line is, most residents use neither the jail nor the courthouse. For most residents of Johnson County, the jail and courthouse are simply expenses. I hope these folks see that we are doing what we can to take control of our costs.
We need the safety, security, and space that would come with a new Justice Center. I am voting yes, and I hope you will do the same!
*100 Grannies
The Board recently entertained a presentation from a local group called “100 Grannies For a Livable Future”. This group of women is a local chapter of a national organization that has banded together to work on environmental issues.
The group is not limited to 100, and any woman “of a certain maturity” is welcome! For more info, see 100grannies.org or call 351-4380.
*Book Talks in Coralville
The UNESCO City of Literature organization is hosting another round of Book Talks on Wednesday, October 17 from noon-1pm at the Coralville Public Library.
Presenters will include: Rex Brandstatter, RE/MAX; Megan Flanagan, Coralville Center for Performing Arts; Bill Hoeft, Coralville City Council; Keith Jones, Hills Bank; Margaret McCaffrey, wife of Hawkeye Basketball Coach Fran McCaffrey; Christine Scheetz, United Way of Johnson County; Ryan West, West Music.
The event is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch. The City of Literature will provide drinks and dessert. The event is sponsored by Willis and Willis/Security Abstract Company.
The first Community Book Talk was held at the Iowa City Public Library in April. It can be viewed on City Channel 4′s web site.
*Seven Myths of Government Bashing
A friend recently sent me a great piece by Gail Cohen entitled “Seven Myths of Government Bashing”. I like this piece so much that I have decided to divide it into seven parts and run it in Salvos.
Today, Part 3: CLAIM: Government can’t do anything right.
ANSWER: Everything you do is protected by government. We drive on paved highways, eat food, drink water, breath air and take medicines that are relatively safe, and contain ingredients that bear some similarity to what’s on the label, all because of government.
The dealer who sold you a car can’t sell you a lemon, because of government. The restaurant you eat at, can’t serve you spoiled food, because of government. We live in homes that are built according to legal codes, codes that punish builders who use shoddy workmanship and toxic materials. These benefits also come from government. We are paid regular wages by employers who are obligated to do so by law.
Because of government oversight, the policeman who pulls you over can’t punch you in the stomach just because he’s in a bad mood. When we go to the hospital, we are treated according to standards that carry the force of regulations that come from government. When we hire a lawyer, he or she must do the same, or risk disbarment. The elderly among us are not obliged to beg, or die in the streets when they get sick, because a government program takes care of them.
When we turn on the radio or TV, the airwaves broadcast as expected. Programs not suitable for families are labeled accordingly, and aired only when the kids are (supposed to be) in bed.
Despite all our complaints, our lives are improved greatly by that evil boogeyman, “government,” the institution we love to hate, those mousy regulators that are the butt of everyone’s jokes. These faceless, plodding, uninspiring bureaucrats that we endlessly make fun of, actually make it so that our lives run relatively smoothly.
*DID YOU KNOW? When the Johnson County Jail was built, the county population was 80,000. It is now 135,000. When the Johnson County Courthouse was built, the county population was 24,000.
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
October 5, 2012
Sullivan’s Salvos 10/9/12
In this edition:
*Supervisor Forum
*Sutliff Bridge
*Seven Myths of Government Bashing, Part 2
*Did You Know?
*Supervisor Forum
The League of Women Voters and the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce are cosponsoring a forum for the 5 candidates for Supervisor on Monday, October 15 from 7-8:30 pm at the Iowa City Public Library.
I recognize that races for President and Congress are much higher profile. But local government is important, too. There are significant issues at hand, and significant differences in the views of the incumbents, let alone the challengers.
I am proud of my work on the Board of Supervisors, and it is exciting to have an opportunity to discuss it. I hope folks will take the opportunity to turn out and ask us some questions.
*Sutliff Bridge
The debate over whether or not to rebuild the Sutliff Bridge will undoubtedly be back now that the bridge is open to the public. I believe the vote to allow FEMA to repair the bridge was a very good thing for Johnson County.
As most of you probably know, I have biases here. I grew up at Sutliff. My younger sister lives within 200 yards of the bridge. My family has lived in the area since before Iowa was a state. My friends and family fought to keep the bridge in the early 80s. My senior class picture was taken on the bridge. The bridge is tied up in family, friends, childhood memories, current relationships, and more. I want to state that in the interest of full disclosure.
The Sutliff Bridge was built a couple decades prior to the advent of motorized vehicles. It is the longest Parker Truss Bridge in the US. It is listed on the National Historic Registry. To people in the area, it defines the place they call home.
As for those deep questions - What is history worth? What is ANYTHING worth? If we get rid of an old bridge because it does not function the way it used to, should we apply that logic across the board? Should we quit spending tax dollars on senior citizens, many of whom no longer function the way they used to? Should we have torn down the Old Capital Dome after it burnt, and instead built a new office building? Should we preserve the ruins in Athens and Rome? Do Iowa’s Century and Heritage Farm programs make any sense? Why do we mark graves? Should history be taught in our schools? What is history worth?
Frankly, it is impossible to place a value on history. I have been in the Old Capital probably ten times in the past year – almost certainly five times more often than most Johnson County residents. Do more people visit the Old Capital, or do more folks visit Sutliff? (My guess is Sutliff by a 20:1 margin.) Should attendance matter? Must history focus only on government, or is there value in preserving the people’s history? What makes one thing historic and worth saving, and another less so?
The Sutliff Bridge is a destination for cyclists, motorcyclists, snowmobilers, farmers, anglers, hunters, boaters, birdwatchers, people exploring their Czech backgrounds, history buffs, and more. What is that worth? Can we accurately measure the economic impact of such a place? Thousands of tourists spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in the area – to businesses that pay lots of taxes. Doesn’t that qualify as economic development? Or can economic development only occur in the “big city”? Is this economic development worth more than a 2 mile road resurfacing? Is it worth more than a few loads of gravel?
There is ZERO local match required to restore the bridge. So no County dollars will go toward the project. ZERO. The cost of future maintenance would be a County expense, but given the fact that FEMA would be bringing it up to code, there should be very little in the way of maintenance expenses for 10-20 years at a minimum.
Even the future maintenance looks good from a taxpayer’s perspective. The Sutliff Bridge Authority (SBA) has raised tens of thousands of dollars over 25+ years to maintain and insure this bridge. They are willing to put roughly $30,000 toward the future maintenance right now, with more to come very shortly. $30,000 should cover the maintenance costs for a long, long time. Plus, they have pledged to continue to raise funds into the future. I trust them and believe in them. History is on their side.
So the people of Johnson County are getting this replaced courtesy of the federal government. I can already hear the familiar refrain – “they are still our tax dollars!” Of course. No one wants to see the federal government waste money.
But this is an issue with any and every tax expenditure. If it benefits me, you think it is wasteful. If it benefits you, I think it is wasteful. People complain about waste in federal health programs, but ignore billions of waste in defense. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. There is little agreement as to how federal tax dollars are spent. That will not change any time soon.
Most importantly, FEMA awarded this money to the people of Sutliff for the bridge. What right would Johnson County have to take it? The money was intended for the bridge. Stealing the money and using it for anything else would be wrong.
Some try to make this an issue of fiscal accountability on the part of the Board. Want to track how Supervisors vote when it comes to the County budget? I have kept track of the public record. Those who opposed the Sutliff Bridge have voted for far more spending and to forego far more revenue than those who voted for it. The totals go well over $1 million. Ask me some time if you want to see the record.
Interestingly, the State of Iowa, Polk County, Des Moines, and Principal have combined forces to build a $12 million pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the Des Moines River. Linn County built the $1.6 million Lundby Bridge in a County park. Local tourism and economic development folks are calling this a huge draw. The DM project is 1/3 the length of the Sutliff Bridge, and spans a much smaller river. Why don’t we market our own treasure?
Johnson County has 59 structures on National Historic Registry, 41 of which are in Iowa City. These recognized structures include the Old Capitol, Plum Grove, Old Brick, the old Coralville Schoolhouse, the Johnson County Courthouse, the Englert Theater, Bethel AME Church, St. Mary's Catholic Church, and yes, the Sutliff Bridge. Federal, State, and local experts determined years ago that the bridge was one of 59 historic things in Johnson County worthy of saving. Can you imagine tearing any of these other structures down over a fear of future maintenance expenses?
My general inclination is to lean toward preserving things. I think we benefit from having a connection to and understanding of history. Too much of our past is gone, never to return. Do I think everything is worth saving? No. But I happen to believe that the investment in the Sutliff Bridge is worth it.
*Seven Myths of Government Bashing
A friend recently sent me a great piece by Gail Cohen entitled “Seven Myths of Government Bashing”. I like this piece so much that I have decided to divide it into seven parts and run it in Salvos.
Today, Part 2: CLAIM: When government steps in to fix a problem, they never get it right. They should just leave business to fix itself.
ANSWER: It’s quite true that government’s fixes never seem to work, but that’s by design. We don’t want a government with absolute power to dictate policies, even if those policies seem good for the short term. We’re too smart for that. We know very well that giving government lots of power to fix today’s crises would create rules that, later on, would be burdensome. This is true by and large, but there are times we should rethink that notion.
Take the example of the BP oil mess. For decades, America has let Big Oil pretty much have its own way, let them sign off on their own safety reports, accept their verbal assurances that they will play nice and not hurt the pretty fishes when they drill. Now, BP has created a crisis they can’t control, so we want Obama to step up and take over. But since America has always let oil companies manage their own problems, we lack the expertise to come in behind BP and play cleanup. Obama will now try his best to jump in and fix things, and the results will appear clumsy and poorly-thought-out, simply because a spill of this magnitude is quite new to all of us, and we’ll have to learn as we go. One might say that the government should have been keeping closer watch of Big Oil all along, so as not to be caught in this sort of mess. But then, Republicans would have seized that opportunity to whine even more about “government” interference.
Another example of government’s partial solutions to big problems is Obama’s foreclosure prevention plan. It’s a flop. Why? Because the plan is voluntary. Obama’s plan would work just fine, if Congress forced the banks to play, but who has the political stomach for that? Force the banks to take pennies on the dollar? There’d be cries of “socialism.” Very few people want to grant the government the broad powers and regulatory teeth required to craft a workable solution to the foreclosure problem. Such a plan would be very good for the economy, but enacting it is a matter of political will. Who wants to tell the banks that they need to take a haircut for the good of the nation? Obama could, if he had enough political support to weather the character assassination that is sure to follow.
Since Americans want Obama to be both “in charge,” but also let the private sector run its own ship, then he’s bound to fail in many people’s eyes. Americans seem destined to accept ineffective half-solutions to the problems we want the government to address, rather than give the President the mandate to enact something far-reaching and comprehensive.
So pick your poison: Give government the wide-ranging power to fix a problem, or live with that problem and feel “free” from government oppression. Just don’t complain that “government can’t fix things.”
*DID YOU KNOW? The Johnson County Board of Supervisors expanded from 3 to 5 members following the 1978 election.
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
|
|
