SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
March 13, 2015
Sullivan’s
Salvos 3/17/15
In this edition:
*Saint Patrick’s Day!
*Bob Sullivan
*St. Patrick’s Day Party!
*Ready For Hillary?
*Trail Update
*Did You Know?
*Saint 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. March 17
is a Tuesday this year, but I don’t see much on the calendar. J
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 knew my dad and you are reading this – send me an e-mail some time. I could
really use a little time swapping stories and reminiscing.
And,
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.
*St. Patrick’s Day Party!
We
are having a St. Patrick’s Day Party on Tuesday, March 17 from 4:30-8:30pm at
our home in Iowa City.
The
party is serving as a fundraiser for Sullivan for Supervisor. That said, please
do not feel obligated to donate – you can just show up! We would request that
anyone who plans on attending please RSVP so we know what to expect. Just reply
to this email address. There is still time, but please do so ASAP!
*Ready For Hillary?
While
Republican Presidential candidates swarm our state, Iowa’s Democratic Party
activists shift restlessly in our seats.
Obviously,
the prospective campaign of Hillary Clinton looms over everything. Personally,
I do not believe it serves Iowa Democrats well to wait around for Secretary
Clinton, nor do I believe it serves Secretary Clinton well. Both would benefit
from her opening up a full-fledged campaign.
More
importantly, I wish another candidate would step into the gap. Most Democrats I
know are excited by the possibility of a primary challenge. They want some
choice! At the very least, they want to debate the issues that face our
country.
In
the interest of full disclosure, I have what could be perceived as an
anti-Clinton bias. I supported Tom Harkin for President in 1992. Though some
have rewritten history to claim we did not exist, I was one of several folks in
1996 who caucused “uncommitted” over sitting President Bill Clinton. And just
after the 2006 elections, I became one of the very early Obama supporters.
One
of the most frustrating things about the 2008 Caucus battle was the misogynist
vs. racist argument. Support Clinton? You are a racist. Support Obama? You are
a misogynist. While there were certainly some of those attitudes in existence,
it was all very overblown.
So
what about 2016? Yes, I’d like to see the US elect its first female President.
But at what cost? If electing the first female President means war in Iran, no
rules for Wall Street, more bad trade deals, maintaining the wage cap for
Social Security, increased use of nuclear power, unquestioning support of
Israel, and questionable ethics, then count me out.
In
addition, I continue to be troubled by Secretary Clinton’s previous votes for
the war in Iraq, against LGBT rights, for flag burning as a crime, in support
of the Patriot Act, in opposition to IDs for undocumented workers, and
supporting the death penalty.
I
firmly believe that her stances on most of these issues were opportunistic. She
was not the first political figure to base a position on poll numbers, and will
not be the last. Interestingly, as time has passed and the country’s attitude
on some of these topics has changed, so has Secretary Clinton’s position. Yet
not only does she not admit to being wrong previously; she tries to say she
never held the previous position.
I would be happy to see a debate about these issues. I believe
that reasonable people can disagree. I would not hold any one position against
a candidate, so long as I believed the candidate arrived there honestly. I can
respect the deeply held beliefs of another person. But we do not have that
here. This approach treats us as fools.
I
am “ready”, all right. Ready for a progressive Democrat to come to Iowa and
announce her/his candidacy. And I don’t think I’m alone.
*Trail Update
You have heard me speak
previously of the “missing link” in our trail system – a connection between
Solon and Ely. Once that section exists, the trail between Iowa City and Cedar
Rapids is pretty much complete.
Well, I am proud to announce that
things are moving forward! The Johnson County Conservation Board has selected
McClure Engineering Company in North Liberty to complete the Engineering and
Design phase of the Hoover Trail between Seven Sisters Road and Solon. They
will be hosting a preliminary public meeting in early April in Solon.
This is going to be great for
Solon, and great for Johnson County! We have been working on this a long time,
and it is great to see it coming to fruition. I will pass along information on
the meeting as it becomes available.
*DID YOU KNOW?
There are 33.7 million U.S. residents who are of
Irish ancestry. That 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-
"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 @ 3:55 PM
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