SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
April 9, 2015
Sullivan’s
Salvos 4/14/15
In this edition:
*Bad News…
*Community ID
*Your Vision?
*Personalities and Politics
*Did You Know?
*Bad News…
My
wife Melissa recently received some bad news. She has invasive ductal
carcinoma, otherwise known as breast cancer.
She started
chemotherapy on Tuesday, April 7. It will go on for about 18 weeks, after which
time she will have surgery and radiation.
Ironically, Melissa studies breast cancer. This is highly treatable
and the prognosis is pretty good, but she is facing a difficult road ahead. So
please keep her in your prayers, and don't forget to do self breast exams!
Sometimes you actually find something!
*Community ID
Johnson
County is preparing to roll out a Community ID program. I am excited about
this, and I want to take a little time to explain why I believe this is a good
thing for our community.
First,
a bit of history – the impetus for this came from the Center for Worker Justice
(CWJ), a remarkable local organization dedicated to securing fair treatment for
immigrant workers.
Like
every other organization that has ever existed in Johnson County, the CWJ
thought they should start with Iowa City and Coralville. Soon they realized
that working with Johnson County might be a better avenue for getting this
done.
A
committee was formed, consisting of CWJ members, local labor leaders, and three
Johnson County officials: Recorder Kim Painter, Auditor Travis Weipert, and
County Attorney Janet Lyness. These folks have moved the process forward to
where we are today.
We also have an ace in the hole when it comes to going through
this process. UI Law Professor Stella Burch Elias specializes in Immigration
Law. More importantly, she was centrally involved in the successful effort to
create a Community ID in New Haven, Connecticut. Having her involved ensures
that Johnson County follows applicable federal laws, and prevents us from
reinventing the wheel.
The
ID itself will be a laminated card with a holographic image applied, the same
size as a driver’s license. The cost to get an ID will be $5 or $10.
Because
there are already 700 people who have signed forms requesting IDs, we will need
to determine a process for getting the first wave their IDs. This will likely be
a weekend effort, utilize existing County staff. After the initial group of
700, we expect the ongoing numbers to be more like 5-10 IDs per month. Given
that, we expect people to simply be able to call the Board of Supervisors
Office to schedule an appointment to get their IDs. We may work with local
libraries to arrange some weekend hours.
Why
do we need a Community ID? I have a very personal story. After years of doing
nothing, a few years ago, the Board of Supervisors finally began taking action
against the criminals that own Regency Mobile Home Park. State law severely
limits the ability of the Board to intervene, but there were dozens of credible
reports of fraud coming from Regency.
Johnson
County detectives swooped in, gathered all the info they could, and began
following up on leads. Then they ran into a stone wall. Most of the people they
needed to speak with refused to talk to them. These folks saw law enforcement
coming, and they went the other way – even when they were innocent victims!
I
spoke at length with the lead detective on the case, and he said that this
avoidance of law enforcement was common. When I asked why, he said it all came
back to a lack of ID.
This
illustrates the number one reason for instituting a Community ID – public
safety. We need victims and witnesses to come forward in order to solve crimes
and see to it that justice is served. The Community ID will help with this.
There
are many additional benefits: immigrants can open bank accounts and cash
checks; cardholders can access municipal services such as the library, rec
centers, etc.; it can serve as a second ID for employment purposes; it can
serve as an ID for local schools; the list goes on and on.
The
Community ID will be available to anyone who can provide the proper
documentation. The bar will not be as high as an Iowa Driver ID, but there will
be protections to ensure that the person is who they claim to be.
Johnson
County is home to thousands of immigrants. China, India, Korea, Mexico, Sudan,
Senegal, Honduras… the people of Johnson County are increasingly diverse. We
need to do a better job welcoming these folks to our community. They are our
future!
*Your Vision?
What
are you for? What is your vision? Those seem like simple questions, right? And
they are very basic questions for any elected official. Why else would one run
for office?
So
- how many of your local elected officials could answer those questions? My
guess is precious few. Why is that? Simple! Because we fail to hold our local
elected officials accountable.
That
is it. I have no silver bullet; I have no pithy observation. We are simply
failing as citizens.
*Personalities and Politics
One
of my biggest pet peeves is when people conflate personality traits with
politics.
Yes,
there are several studies out there that attempt to figure out what makes one
person a liberal and another conservative. Liberals are maternalistic, while
conservatives are paternalistic. Conservatives have a “negativity bias” that
leads them to seek certainty. While these studies are fascinating, I think we
must be careful as we move down this path.
Over
the years, less and less people want to be identified as “liberal”. That is
because some on the right have so savaged the term. But what does being liberal
really mean?
A
quick Google search provided the following definition: “Liberals believe in government action to achieve
equal opportunity and equality for all. It is the duty of the government to
alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human
rights. Believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one
is in need.”
That doesn’t sound
so bad. I can also see many of my conservative friends taking issue with the
definition. They would argue that conservatives also fit that definition – it
is simply a matter of degree.
I know that I personify several of the traits considered
conservative. I love loyalty and tradition. And ask my wife – it is almost
impossible to get me to spend money on clothes or household items. I use things
until they require duct tape, then use them some more. Yet I would not consider
myself a conservative.
As comedian Steven Colbert left the air, I heard a number of
people make comments such as, “Conservatives are humorless”, and “The Right
can’t take a joke.” I disagree. First, while Colbert definitely savaged
conservatives, a third or more of his material attacked liberals. There were
plenty of jokes at the expense of each side. Secondly, I know from my own
experiences – a couple of the funniest people I know are conservative. Humor
knows no ideological bounds.
Our next-door neighbors are very conservative. And we love them!
While we have our disagreements, both households go to church. Both work hard.
Both give generously. Both laugh. Both cry. We are all just people.
I
have known conservatives who were liars, cheats, and thieves. I have known
liberals who were liars, cheats, and thieves. Political differences never came
into play.
I get angry when one group tries to tar the other group with
generalities. For example, you hear liberals talk about conservatives, saying
they are humorless, uncaring, and hawkish. On the other hand, you hear conservatives
claim that liberals are lazy, weak, and immoral. Generalizations like this are
almost never true when applied to a large group.
Most importantly, these are the kinds of statements that serve to
unnecessarily divide us. We need more “us”, and less “them”. Let’s work on
that.
*DID YOU KNOW?
Johnson County is home to over 14,000 foreign born residents. (Source:
US Census Bureau.)
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
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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 @ 10:00 PM
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