SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
March 6, 2015
Sullivan’s
Salvos 3/10/15
In this edition:
*Prairie Preview
*Gas Tax
*Foster Care
*Bullying
*Did You Know?
*Prairie Preview
The
Burr Oak Land Trust presents the 32nd annual Prairie Preview
Thursday, March 12 at the Celebration Farm off Highway 1 north of Iowa City.
Doors
open for registration and exhibits at 6:30. Biology Professor Jim Kessler will
provide the keynote on “The Importance of Native Prairie” at 7:30 PM.
For
more information or to become a sponsor, please contact Tammy Wright at
338-7030 or info@buroaklandtrust.org.
I
love this event, so I’m sorry to say that I’ll have to miss it this year. (I’ll
be attending the Iowa State Association of Counties meeting in Des Moines.) I
hope all the attendees have a great time and learn a lot!
*Gas Tax
Iowa
just raised its gas tax by ten cents to 31 cents, effective March 1. This is
the first increase in the tax since 1989. Iowa’s tax rate on gas was quite low,
ranking number 36 in the nation.
We will talk about the
politics in a moment. First, let’s lay out some more facts. A recent industry
report cited federal data showing 27 percent of Iowa's major urban roads and
highways have pavement in poor condition, while 13 percent of rural roads are
in poor condition. In addition, the research noted more than a quarter of the
state's bridges are rated as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.
The tax will raise an
additional $200 million or so, all of it constitutionally protected for roads
only. In Johnson County, our share will be around $800,000 annually. To give
you a sense of how far that goes, $800k would build two small bridges, or pave
just under a mile of road.
So you are not going to
see lots of big projects because of this. It really only keeps our heads above
water. But that is OK. Several cities and counties were in jeopardy of falling
so far behind that things would get dangerous. This should keep that from
happening.
For a person who drives
15,000 miles a year in a vehicle that gets 25 miles per gallon, the higher fuel
tax would cost an additional $60 annually, or an average of $5 a month. About
25% would be paid by non-Iowans just driving through.
As
for the politics – they were interesting, to say the least. The GOP was tugged
in different directions; road builders and the Farm Bureau wanted the tax,
while anti-tax groups did not. Democrats wanted the increase, but forced
Republicans to come up with at least 50% support before they would act.
When
businesses are asked what is most important to them, infrastructure polls
number two, just behind workforce. It is the second MOST important factor.
Taxes fall much further down the list, barely in the top ten. Businesses must
have good roads and bridges to succeed. Period. Our economy depends upon this.
What I find scary is the work that was required to get done
something so basic. As I just noted, our economy depends upon good
infrastructure. Yet only about half the Republicans in the Iowa House and Iowa
Senate could be convinced to vote for it. The MOST important factor for
businesses, and it can only get half the necessary votes. Scary.
I
appreciate the reasonable GOP members who helped to get this done. Speaker
Paulson, Representative Byrnes, and Senator Kapuchian, in particular, put the
needs of Iowa ahead of politics in this case.
*Foster Care
I
have mentioned foster care previously in Salvos. As you may recall, Melissa and
I have been foster parents for 17 years. During that time, we have had just
over 40 children in our home. Some stayed only a few hours; 3 kids we adopted.
All in all, it has definitely been the best thing we have ever done.
Melissa and I recently provided respite care for another foster
family. We kept a 2 year old and 7 month old for about 10 days. During this
stint, I began questioning my continued commitment to serving as a foster
parent.
I know the need is there; that is not even a question. And I want
to do my part. Foster Care numbers are actually down – nearing an all-time low.
While Iowa had about 8,000 kids in care just 7-8 years ago, the numbers now are
around 5,000. The problem is, the number of foster families has also dropped.
In fairness, I should mention a story that happened this week.
While picking the kids up at daycare, classmates of the oldest child started
yelling, “Is that your Grandpa?” I certainly felt like it!
Fact is, I’m getting old. (Melissa is still up to the task. I’m
just not as helpful as I used to be.) I think it is time for the next
generation of foster parents to step up.
Are you that person? Is your son or daughter that person? Your
neighbor? Iowa is in desperate need. I strongly encourage you to check it out!
For more information, contact Iowa KidsNet at https://www.iowakidsnet.com.
*Bullying
I recently shared this story on a
cousin's Facebook page, and I thought it might be good to share it more widely.
As our schools try to decide what to do about bullying, I remember my own story
like it was yesterday.
When I was in kindergarten, a
high school boy took a small toy from me on the school bus. (Oh, yes, I
remember who he was. I spent years thinking about what I'd do to him if I ever
got the chance. But I'm not going to embarrass him here.) I was the oldest in
my family, so I had no one to turn to. I told my mom, who called his mom. The
next day, he took something else from me. He pushed me around, and there was
nothing I could do. I had just turned 5, and he was 16, maybe 17.
I was really upset, and I'm not
sure what would have happened next, but thank God a neighbor kid named Randy
Alger stood up for me. (He was my friend's older brother.) Randy was in about
8th grade, but he was big, and he pushed the other boy against the side of the
bus and said, "What the hell do you think you are doing? Pick on someone
your own size!"
The high school boy never
bothered me again, and Randy Alger became my hero! (It didn't hurt that he was
a pudgy kid, and so was I!) But I have often wondered what would have happened
to me if Randy hadn't intervened. I still remember how helpless I felt, even
though it was 45 years ago!
If there is a moral
to my story, it is to intervene. Don't let that stuff go on. And don't assume
the person being bullied can fight back.
*DID YOU KNOW?
Over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying every year.
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
"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.
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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 @ 2:30 PM
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