SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
May 20, 2016
Sullivan’s
Salvos 5/24/16
In this edition:
*Vote Sullivan!
*What is This Campaign About?
*Bathroom Politics
*Middle Class
*Don’t Mow the Ditch!
*Did You Know?
*Vote Sullivan for Supervisor!
Like
getting Salvos every week? If you want to keep them coming, you need to vote Sullivan
for Supervisor on or before June 7! I would sincerely appreciate your vote!
*What is This Campaign About?
This
Supervisor campaign has, unfortunately, been light on substance. I wish we
could have robust debates about where County Government should be going.
We
have all had the opportunity to tell you where we grew up. That is great, but
it is not enough.
One
thing you can do: go to City Channel 4 (citychannelfour.com) and take a look at
our forums. There have been five, and four can be found there: League of Women
Voters, Task Force on Aging, Environmental groups, and Social and Economic Justice.
The Farm Bureau also held a forum, but it was not recorded.
What issues do you want to see discussed in the campaign for the
Johnson County Board of Supervisors?
Personally, I want to
discuss issues of justice: social, racial, economic, environmental, legal,
criminal...I'm happy to engage my fellow candidates on these (or any other)
issues.
*Bathroom Politics
From the New York
Times: “The Obama administration made its stance on transgender rights
clear to public schools across the country, sending a letter telling districts
to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms that match their gender
identity. The directive isn’t a law, but the threat of lawsuits or loss of
federal aid is implicit. The move came at the end of a week that also saw the
Justice Department and North Carolina sue one another over access
to public restrooms.”
Hooray for President Obama and Attorney General Loretta Lynch! I
am so pleased to see them standing strong behind our transgender sisters and
brothers! Let’s face it – this is a small and relatively powerless community.
That is why it is especially important to stand up with and for them!
So
what are the real world impacts of this decision? For virtually all of us,
there will be no impacts whatsoever! Newsflash! Transgender folks have always
used bathrooms! I can honestly say that I have no idea how many times I have
shared a restroom with someone who was transgender. And if you are honest,
you’ll admit that you have no idea, either.
Let’s
be very clear – there are ZERO cases of boys claiming to be transgender just to
gain access to the girl’s locker room. Pretending you are transgender is not
worth it. That is because the REAL issue is that transgender individuals are
bullied and attacked at higher rates than any other group of people. If there
is one group in need of extra protections, it is our transgender sisters and
brothers.
North
Carolina Republicans should be ashamed. Picking on one of the most defenseless
groups in our society. Thanks to President Obama for standing up to the
bullies!
*Middle Class
Is it tougher to
make a go of it in today’s America? The answer is definitely YES!
A
2014 Bankrate survey found that only 38 percent of Americans could cover a $500
emergency-room visit or car repair with money they’d saved. A report published
last year by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that 55 percent of households
didn’t have enough liquid savings to replace a month’s worth of lost income.
Before
you go blaming this on the “bad choices” made by Americans today, consider
this: median net worth has declined steeply in the past generation—down 85.3
percent from 1983 to 2013 for the bottom income quintile, down 63.5 percent for
the second-lowest quintile, and down 25.8 percent for the third, or middle,
quintile.
People are living on
the edge because they simply are not making enough money! Income inequality –
behind climate change, the foremost issue facing America today!
We have seen this
first hand with Foster Children. Most of us have a place we could stay for two
weeks if need be. Most of us could get someone to let us use a printer. Many of
us could get a ride if we needed one. Many of us could borrow a bit of money if
necessary. Some of us have someone we could call to help change a tire. Some of
us have a person that would bail us out of jail.
For a whole bunch of
Americans, this is not true. And when you lack these things, you lose jobs.
Lose jobs, and you lose housing. And the downward spiral begins…We have created
a society full of people living on the edge. It simply has to change!
*Don’t Mow the Ditch!
The
County’s Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management (IRVM) program reminds
residents that Iowa law prohibits the mowing of ditches along county secondary
roads and state primary and interstate highways each year prior to July 15. The
no-mow order allows time for hatching and development of ground-nesting birds
and pollinators.
Johnson
County Roadside Vegetation Manager Chris Henze said that in 2010, legislation
changed the date from July 1 to July 15. “Studies have shown a significant
increase in nesting success, with more nestlings ready to fledge, given this
extra time,” Henze explained. The law also expanded the restrictions to include
county roads, thereby protecting an additional 500,000 acres of vegetated
right-of-way statewide.
“The
two-week extension also allows refugia—a suitable habitat—for pollinators
during these peak flowering times for many native plants,” Henze said.
Exceptions
to the law allow for maintaining sightlines and for controlling weeds. Cutting
for hay is not among the exceptions. The law reads:
Mowing
roadside vegetation on the rights-of-way or medians on any primary highway,
interstate highway, or secondary road prior to July 15 is prohibited, except as
follows:
- Within 200 yards of an inhabited dwelling
- On rights-of-way within one mile of the
corporate limits of a city
- To promote native species of vegetation or
other long-lived and adaptable vegetation
- To establish control of damaging insect
populations, noxious weeds, and invasive plant species
- For visibility and safety reasons
- Within rest areas, weigh stations, and wayside
parks
- Within 50 feet of a drainage tile or tile
intake
- For access to a mailbox or for other
accessibility purposes
- On rights-of-way adjacent to agricultural
demonstration or research plots
“In
an agricultural state like Iowa, the law serves as a reminder to mow only the
shoulder and leave the rest for the birds,” Henze said. “Aggressive mowing
weakens vegetation along slopes, which allows erosion and soil loss. That can
also create openings for weeds.”
Visit
the Secondary Roads page at www.johnson-county.com/roads and click on Roadside
Vegetation Management for more information on the County’s IRVM program.
*DID YOU KNOW?
Johnson
County’s IRVM policy was awarded the 2011 Achievement Award for Roadside
Vegetation Management for our Native Plant Community Policy. The award was
presented at the annual conference of the National Association of Counties, a
national organization representing county government with a membership of about
75 percent of US counties.
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 @ 7:16 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home