SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
August 12, 2016
Sullivan’s
Salvos 8/16/16
In this edition:
*RIP Dottie Ray
*Happy Birthday Melissa!
*Happy Birthday BJ!
*Lone Tree Fall Festival
*St. Peter’s Cosgrove Pork Day
*Johnson County Wins Award!
*Democratic Party “Activists”?
*Is Education the Answer?
*BJ Vs. Alzheimer’s
*Did You Know?
*RIP Dottie Ray
Like
pretty much everyone else in Johnson County, I was saddened to hear of the
death of Dottie Ray. I had the opportunity to be a guest on Dottie’s show on
three or four occasions, and I found her to be a charming and gracious host.
More
importantly, I found that we cared about many of the same things. While Dottie
always came across as “proper”, she was a fierce and effective advocate for
many progressive issues.
RIP,
Dottie!
*Happy Birthday, Melissa!
My
wife Melissa celebrates her birthday on August 17th. Those of you
who know her know that I am a very lucky man!
Happy
Birthday, Honey! I love you!
*Happy Birthday BJ!
Son BJ turns 20 on
August 22. He is starting his second year of college at Kirkwood, while working
two jobs. Happy Birthday, BJ! I love you!
*Lone Tree Fall Festival
The
Lone Tree Fall Festival is August 19 and 20 in Lone Tree. This event is a great
opportunity to share some good times with the fine folks of Johnson County’s
“panhandle”!
*St. Peter’s Cosgrove Pork Day
I
urge you to check out St. Peter’s Pork Day in Cosgrove on Sunday, August 21.
Cosgrove
is a small, unincorporated village about 8 miles west of Iowa City, and 7 miles
south of Oxford. It is home to St. Peter’s Catholic Church, the Cosgrove
Institute, and lots of cool people! I urge you to join them for fellowship,
food, beer, and fun!
*Johnson County Wins Award!
Johnson County has received an Award
for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting (PAFR) for
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015, from the Government Finance Officers
Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA). This is the first time
Johnson County has submitted a PAFR for review.
In order to receive the prestigious
Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting, a
government unit must publish a PAFR whose contents conform to program standards
of creativity, presentation, understandability and reader appeal. Johnson
County’s PAFR is available at www.johnson-county.com, by clicking on the Board
of Supervisors, News Releases and Publications.
The Board’s strategic plan continues
to include goals to make thorough and accurate information about County
finances available to the public. The Finance Department’s financial transparency
portal makes financial and budget information available through the County’s
website.
The GFOA is a nonprofit
professional association serving approximately 17,500 government finance
professionals, with offices in Chicago, Illinois, and Washington, D.C.
*Democratic Party “Activists”?
It is easy to find a local “Democratic Party
Activist”. Just peek at Facebook, and you will find hundreds of people who have
opinions on the issues of the day. But does this make someone an activist?
How about being an elected official? Does that make
a person a “Democratic Party Activist”? Are you a Democrat all the time, or
only when you need the votes of Democrats?
Remember the June Supervisor Primary? There were
lots of people making the case that you should listen to their opinions,
because they had Democratic Party bona fides. Same goes for the July ICCSD
special election.
Where have those people been since? We have had several
meetings, a few fundraisers, a few parades, and the County Fair over the past 8
weeks, and these folks are nowhere to be found.
And unfortunately, that is typically the way it
works. I show up when I want something from you, but I won’t lift a finger when
you need something from me. It is sad, really, how often this goes on.
*Is Education the Answer?
I
write a lot about poverty and inequality. Often, people who read Salvos will
write something in response. Almost without fail, they will emphasize the need
for more education as a cure for economic inequality.
I
understand this notion. I am certainly pro-education. But statistics prove that
education alone is NOT the answer to economic inequality. Here is why:
The
American workforce has never been better educated. The American workforce has
never been more productive. Yet inequality has never been worse.
In
1940, less than 50% of Americans finished high school. That number has
gradually increased, and while there have been some ups and downs, the rate hit
an all-time high of 82% in 2015.
Similarly,
the percentage of college grads was 4.6% in 1940. It was 7.7% in 1960, 17% in
1980, and 30% in 2010. (Source: US Census Bureau.)
So
– American workers ARE better educated. They are doing what they have been
asked to do. They are getting better educated. They are upholding their end of
the bargain; it is the corporations who have let us down.
I
understand why we are attracted to the myth that education is the key to all
our problems. There are plenty of anecdotal instances of a poor kid using
education to rise to the top. Larry Ellison, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton, and Barack
and Michelle Obama are all examples of poor/middle class kids using education
to better their position. It makes for a great rags-to-riches story. It also
puts all the responsibility on the individual.
But any statistician will tell you –
these high-profile stories are just anecdotes. These are just data points. For
most people, education is hard to attain, especially an elite education. And
even once you have gotten an education, it serves as no guarantee. Just look at
my earlier statistics. The myth sounds good, and feels good – but it is a myth.
We
will not solve inequality by focusing on workers. They are doing what they need
to do. We need to focus on the corporations that have done so much to keep our
workers down.
*BJ Vs. Alzheimer’s
What: a
fundraiser at Shorts Eastside
When: August
17th
Why: raise
money to combat the 6th leading cause of death in the United States.
If you would
like to donate but can't make the event please feel free to email me at Bj.sullivan@icloud.com or donate directly to my page:
http://act.alz.org/site/TR/Walk2016/IA-EastCentralIowa?px=12118660&pg=personal&fr_id=8939
http://act.alz.org/site/TR/Walk2016/IA-EastCentralIowa?px=12118660&pg=personal&fr_id=8939
Thank you for
your support and with your help we can find a cure!
*DID YOU KNOW?
Johnson County Public Health brought in almost $1.6 million in grants in
FY2015.
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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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 @ 1:46 PM
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