rodsullivan.org
SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
January 27, 2017
Sullivan’s
Salvos 1/31/17
In this edition:
*Women’s Marches
*DVIP Souper Bowl
*County Budget
*Composting Help
*Comprehensive Plan
*Highway 22 and Utah Intersection
*Did You Know?
*Women’s Marches
Last
week was filled with pink hats, as Women’s Marches took place in cities around
the world. Turnout was beyond belief – three quarters of a million people in
DC; ten thousand in Des Moines; perhaps three thousand in Iowa City. Clearly,
people feel the need to stand up and be counted!
Melissa
was in DC – and was featured in Salon! I had many friends travel to Des Moines.
Marie and I marched here in Iowa City. It was exhilarating!
I
am thrilled with this effort and this energy. I have heard a lot of people ask,
“What next?” While this is a fair question, I’m not certain anyone needs to
have the answer just yet. It is good to gather. It is good to speak out. It is
good to commiserate. That can be enough for now.
The
point is a good one, however. How can we harness all this energy? How can we
use it to improve the lives of those who need our help?
*DVIP Souper Bowl
The 20th Annual Domestic Violence
Intervention Program (DVIP) Souper Bowl will be held on Thursday, February 2 at
The Clarion Highlander Hotel from 5:30-7:30 pm. There are soups from scads of
local restaurants, attractive bowls, and Kevin B.F. Burt will be providing
entertainment once again!
More
importantly, this is the single biggest fundraiser for DVIP. Tickets are $25
for adults and $15 for students, and can be purchased at the door or online at
dvipiowa.org.
*County Budget
The
Board of Supervisors is putting the final touches on the FY18 budget. Frankly,
it is pretty tight. There are many things I would like to do that we simply
can’t afford. If you want to blame someone, blame every Iowa Legislator who
voted for the Commercial Property Tax cut of a few years ago.
The Public Hearing on the County Budget is Thursday, February 23
at 5:30 PM in the Boardroom at the County Administration Building. There
probably isn’t a lot to see this year, but the public is always welcome.
*Composting Help
Our
household has composted for years. It used to be a bit of a rarity; we were
always explaining it to others. The last few years have seen a significant
increase in the number of households that compost. This is a great thing for
the environment! I give credit to several local initiatives that have helped
promote composting in Johnson County.
North Liberty residents
have had curbside composting since late 2014! Residents can pay a refundable
deposit for a curbside collection bin, which they line with a yard waste bag,
available for $1.65 at a variety of stores in North Liberty. The compost will
be collected with their recycling and trash each week.
Iowa City made composting easier last year when they handed out
free tabletop compost bins. I have to tell you, I LOVE this little unit! It
used to be that unless you ran out to the compost pile a couple times every
day, you had stinky compost sitting around in your kitchen. Iowa City’s little
green buckets have a snap-tight lids and allow you to delay those trips.
Composting is a great thing, being made simpler by your local
governments!
*Comprehensive Plan
Johnson County is developing a
Comprehensive Plan. A comprehensive plan will do several important things. It
will articulate how residents expect development to occur in Johnson County’s
unincorporated areas, including balancing competing interests of development
and preservation. The plan also will document county residents’ interests and
desires; allow for a predicable future; and provide a firm basis for the
policies, ordinances and decisions made by the county Board of Supervisors. In
fact, the state requires development ordinances be based on an adopted
comprehensive plan.
Creating a comprehensive plan is
especially important for Johnson County because our county has transformed in
the last 10 years and continues to change. We are the second fastest growing
county in Iowa, with 18 percent population growth compared to 10 percent
nationally and 4 percent statewide (U.S. Census data). As cities grow,
development pressures in unincorporated areas increase.
Come help us set a vision, define
goals and sustain success in Johnson County for the next decade and beyond. We
need your participation. This is just the beginning of the process; there will
be other public gatherings, including sessions to discuss the draft plan. You
may also visit online at JoCoPlan.com to stay informed and participate in future input opportunities.
The entire process will take at least one year. The Board of Supervisors
encourages you to participate and values your ideas.
Public input sessions for the Johnson County
Comprehensive Plan:
•
Feb.
7: 6-8 p.m., Lone Tree Community Center
•
Feb.
16: 6-8 p.m., Kent Park Education Center
•
Feb.
22: 6-8 p.m., Solon High School, Media Room
•
Feb.
28: 11 a.m.-1 p.m., String Town Produce Barn
•
March
6: 6-8 p.m., Iowa City Public Library
*Highway 22 and Utah Intersection
Just
got word from the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) that the
intersection of Highway 22 and Utah Avenue is going to become a 4 way stop.
This
decision is interesting. The intersection, just north of the city of Lone Tree,
has been one of the most deadly in Johnson County – but no one can figure out
why.
Drivers
can see every direction; there are no obstacles; the road is straight and flat.
But for whatever reason, we get a lot of accidents there. Hopefully, this
change will be for the better.
*DID YOU KNOW?
There were Women’s Marches all across the globe. Over 5 million marchers
took to the streets worldwide, including 30 people in Antarctica!
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
January 19, 2017
Sullivan’s
Salvos 1/24/17
In this edition:
*Summer of the Arts
*Looking Back on Obama
*Free Tax Help!
*Did You Know?
*Summer of the Arts
I
have recently joined the Board of Directors for the Summer of the Arts (SOTA).
I am extremely honored to join this group!
You
are undoubtedly familiar with Arts Fest, Jazz Fest, Soul Fest, the Outdoor Movie
Series, and the Friday Night Concert Series. These are SOTA’s flagship events.
They also happen to be some of my favorite things about living in Iowa City!
According
to the SOTA website: “The mission of Summer of the Arts is
to build community by bringing people together in the heart of Iowa City to
experience, learn about, and enjoy free arts and cultural programs.”
“Summer of the Arts brings people
together to experience the arts, out loud, in the heart of Iowa City. Since
2005, Summer of the Arts has hosted summertime, family-friendly, arts and
cultural festivals. We create synergy with marketing, fundraising, and operations
while maintaining the unique identity of each of our five events. Our generous
sponsors and donors ensure we are able to offer free, family-friendly, high
quality entertainment every summer for our community to enjoy.”
I
hope you will continue to attend Summer of the Arts events, but also to support
SOTA with your time and talent! For more info, see: www.summerofthearts.org.
*Looking Back on Obama
The
Presidency of Barack Obama is coming to an end, and I decided to take a look
back at the past decade.
I
say decade, because I was a very early Obama supporter. The only local person I
know who was committed before me was former Iowa City Mayor Ross Wilburn. Ross
and I recruited many of the movers and shakers who joined onto the campaign
later. It may sound completely over the top and egotistical, and perhaps it is,
but I honestly believe Ross and I made a big difference in the election of the
44th President! Given where we live and how early we committed, I
really believe that!
Barack
Obama burst onto the national scene with his speech at the 2004 Democratic
National Convention. But he appeared on the local scene on Monday, November 6,
2006. That night Obama headlined a rally on the Iowa City Ped Mall that drew a
crowd unlike anything seen there before or since. I was one of the lucky folks
who got to stand alongside then-Senator, not-yet-candidate Obama on the stage,
and it remains one of the coolest moments of my life!
Over
the next few months, I met the staff people as they arrived. I helped them
locate an office. I introduced the Obama staff to the glories of UI Surplus,
and spent a few hundred dollars of my own money on getting the Obama office off
the ground. I went through lists of hundreds of people in an attempt to identify
future supporters. It was a lot of work! Slowly but surely, others signed on,
and momentum grew.
The staff people were special, too. Chris Liddell-Westefeld,
Simeon Talley, and many other young people carved out a special place in my
heart. Wise beyond their years, I learned a lot more from them than they ever
learned from me.
It had been a long time since I was in so early on a candidate… I
had just finished serving 4 years as the Chair of the Johnson County Democrats,
and though I supported a candidate in each race (Bradley, then Dean) I had to
walk a fine line as Party Chair. Prior to that, I had not particularly cared
for Bill Clinton. So Obama was my first opportunity in quite some time to go
all in on a candidate, and I made the most of it!
Caucus
night 2008 was another amazing moment. Given what has happened politically
since then, I think that night may go down as the greatest night in the history
of Iowa politics. The combination of the turnout, the young people, the “upset”
– I do not think it will ever be topped! Candidate Obama returned to Iowa
several times after that, as did President Obama. But Caucus night ’08 remains
special.
So,
we elected the first African American President. We elected the first President
of my generation. We set records for turnout. We elected President Obama twice.
So
what was accomplished during the Obama Presidency? The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
provided health insurance to 20 million people who were previously without. It required
coverage for preexisting conditions, and allowed children to stay on their
parent’s insurance until age 26. I wish he had gone further, but he lacked
support in the Congress. The Stimulus Program saved our economy, and Dodd Frank
and other Wall Street reforms reduced the risk of another financial
catastrophe. Again, I wish he had gone further, but he lacked support in the
Congress. He brought troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan; again, I wish he
had gone further. He brought Osama bin Laden to justice. He saved US auto
industry (and their suppliers!) He ended “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. He ended the Bush
torture policies. He removed banks from student loan process. He increased fuel
efficiency standards. He passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. He appointed
two progressive Supreme Court Justices. He protected over 2 million acres of public
land. He invested heavily in renewable energy. He helped legalize same sex
marriage. He opened up relations with Cuba. He signed the Iran Nuclear deal. He
signed the Paris Climate Accords. That is a VERY consequential record! And he did
it all with no scandals, and facing more opposition than any President since Andrew
Johnson.
I
was proud to Caucus for him twice, and proud to vote for him twice. Seeing my
name on the ballot with his is another thing I will never forget!
I
remain a fan of President Obama. Yes, I wanted more. But don’t we always? I
really believe in 50 years he will be viewed as a great President. And I feel
blessed to have played a small part in the whole thing!
Ross,
my friend… we have had our political differences, but we both got this one
right! The Country may have just taken a step backwards, but the arc of history
still bends toward justice. The future is bright. YES WE CAN!
*Free Tax Help!
Don’t
pay a fee to get your refund! The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
Program provides trained volunteers that will help you file your taxes. This
service is available FOR FREE to people who earned less than $55,000 in 2016. E-filing
is available, and interpretation services are available at many sites or by
appointment.
“You Earned It. Now Claim
It!”
Sites
are the Iowa City Public Library, SEJH in Iowa City, NWJH in Coralville, and
Garner Elementary in North Liberty. Services are available Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday – see http://www.johnson-county.com/dept_soc_ser.aspx?id=247
for
the complete schedule.
Spanish
interpreters are available; interpreters for other languages can be scheduled
by calling 356-6090.
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
January 12, 2017
Sullivan’s
Salvos 1/17/17
In this edition:
*Damn Yankees? Or Damn Cubs?
*Melissa in DC
*Cheese Factory!
*Hecate Demeter Article
*Did You Know?
*Damn Yankees? Or Damn Cubs?
You
are likely familiar with the musical Damn Yankees. A long-suffering Washington
Senators fan sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for the Senators’ finally
winning the pennant over the hated Yankees. It is a classic, but I never took
it too seriously.
Given
what has occurred since the Cubs won the World Series… are you wondering if
there isn’t some similar deal out there?
*Melissa in DC
My
wife Melissa is in Washington, DC for a few days, doing some protesting and
some sightseeing. Please keep her in your prayers!
*Cheese Factory!
The
Cheese Factory is coming back, better than ever! Now known as the Kalona
Creamery, I got a sneak peek, and it is gorgeous! Please join them for their
opening day on January 19th!
*Hecate Demeter Article
A
friend of mine passed along the following blog post from a site called “Hecate
Demeter”. I had never visited the site before, and know nothing about the author.
But she offers a bold and thought-provoking take on the recent elections. I am
not in total agreement with this, but it is a good read. It is reprinted below.
I want to talk
a little bit more about what I call, in our blissfully post-PC era, Red State
Stupid.
Red State
Stupid is also really Red State Mean.
It’s shoot-off-your-nose-to-spite-your-face mean.
And I don’t
think that we can separate the two.
My friend J.
says that you can identify, with 100% accuracy, Democrats vs. Republicans with
one simple test. Democrats, he
says, don’t care if some “undeserving” folks cash in on, for example, a free
lunch program, as long as not one child goes out to recess hungry. While Republicans, according to J.,
don’t really care how many children starve as long as not one, single
“undeserving” child gets a free meal.
I think J. is
right. It’s pretty clear where I
come down.
And I’ve been
coming back to his test over and over as I ponder this article that I cited
earlier about a woman whose husband will die without Obamacare but who voted
for Trump in spite of Trump’s and the Republican Party’s explicitly-avowed
intent to destroy the very program keeping her husband alive.
But her
frustration [with Obamacare] isn’t just about the money she has to pay. She
sees other people signing up for Medicaid, the health program for the poor that
is arguably better coverage than she receives and almost free for enrollees.
She is not eligible for Medicaid because her husband works and they are above
the earnings threshold.
Medicaid is
reserved for people who earn less than 138 percent of the poverty line — about
$22,000 for a couple. This woman understood the Medicaid expansion is also part
of Obamacare, and she doesn’t think the system is fair.
“They can go
to the emergency room for a headache,” she says. “They’re going to the doctor
for pills, and that’s what they’re on.”
She felt like
this happened a lot to her: that she and her husband have worked most their
lives but don’t seem to get nearly as much help as the poorer people she knows.
She told a story about when she used to work as a school secretary: “They had a
Christmas program. Some of the area programs would talk to teachers, and ask
for a list of their poorest kids and get them clothes and toys and stuff. They’re
not the ones who need help. They’re the ones getting the welfare and food
stamps. I’m the one who is the working poor.”
Oller, the
enrollment worker, expressed similar ideas the day we met.
“I really
think Medicaid is good, but I’m really having a problem with the people that
don’t want to work,” she said. “Us middle-class people are really, really upset
about having to work constantly, and then these people are not responsible.”
Oller had told
me earlier that she had enrolled on Medicaid for a few months, right before she
started this job. She was taking some time off to care for her husband, who has
cancer and was in chemotherapy treatment. I asked how she felt about enrolling
in a program she sometimes criticizes.
“Oh, no,” she
said quickly. “I worked my whole life, so I know I paid into it. I just felt
like it was a time that I needed it. That’s what the system is set up for.”
Just to be
crystal clear, we’re talking about a woman who voted for the candidate who
promised to cut off the only thing that is keeping her husband alive because
she’s just that pissed at some poor elementary-school kid who got an Xmas
gift. (Be sure to tell her “Merry
Christmas” and not “Happy Holidays.”
She’s sent off more money than she can afford to some Elmer Gantry who
got her all hepped up on the War on Xmas.
Jebuz is the reason for the season. She’s a devout Xian but some poor kid getting an Xmas
present is JUST TOO GODDAMN MUCH FOR HER.) That damn kid got an Xmas gift even though his parents
received a few dollars of welfare and food stamps and she’s just NOT HAVING IT
anymore.
Here’s a
six-year old who got a Tonka truck and a stocking cap at Xmas and here’s her
husband getting the health care that keeps him alive. And she’s so damn mad at that six-year old that she’s
willing to risk her husband. Fuck
the love of her life. If he dies,
so be it, but at least Trump won’t be handing out hand-knit scarves and tea
sets to those undeserving brats. *
My friend J.
is right.
Look, can I
say something very un-PC to you?
Lean closer; I want to whisper.
Oh, wait. We don’t have to be politically correct
anymore. Back off. I can yell.
So let me say
this loud and clear: That woman is
evil, and venal, and stupid and she’s not going to stop voting out of hate even
if Democrats nominate another white man and even if he, what . . . ? What is it that the Democrat is
supposed to do to win her vote?
Wave the Confederate flag?
Cheer about black people who don’t vote? I keep hearing this assertion that Democrats have to find
the exact, magic, politically-correct words to “reach out” to people like this
woman, although no one will give me, and I’m a woman who would recognize it,
the magic incantation. Bernie
Sanders, who’s not even a Democrat, can hardly look in the mirror of the third
guest room of his lake house to shave every morning due to his shame that
Democrats can’t, according to him, “talk” to people from what Senator Sanders
calls the “white working class.”
He’s from
Queens and he would know.
Apparently, offering
assistance with the skyrocketing costs of childcare that plague white working
class families (not to mention working class families of color but, apparently,
those votes don’t count, plus, see above re: J.) isn’t PC enough.
Providing free college for working class families and debt-free college
for everyone isn’t PC enough.
Offering Medicare for everyone over over 55 isn’t PC enough. An entire, comprehensive plan to care
for current coal workers and to train a new generation to build clean energy
infrastructure doesn’t appropriately “reach out” to the “white working class,”
at least not in a PC-enough manner.
Talking almost exclusively about jobs, workers, and the economy more
than any other topic apparently wasn’t the way to reach out in an appropriately
PC manner to that all-important “white working class.” Tax credits for the working class do
not reach out, at least not in a PC enough manner, to the “white working
class,” either. **
Sadly,
according to Propane Jane, the Democratic party has not been able to “talk” in
some magically-PC manner to the
“white working class” ever since, oh, wait, I know: ever since Lyndon Johnson, who was a
better President because he was a good teacher, signed the Civil Rights Act and
may or may not have said that Democrats had lost the South for (he was
optimistic) a generation. Before
then, Democrats had this magical ability to “talk” to the “white working
class,” and then, suddenly, they lost it.
But keep trying, Dems. One
of these days, Lucy’s sure to hold that football in place.
I’m a clever
girl who sings for her supper by crafting messages geared to any specific
audience you can name. And I’m
flummoxed. What exactly did those
precious “white working class” snowflakes need to hear? Well apparently, they needed to hear
that Mexicans are rapists, that African Americans all live in urban hellholes
with nothing left to lose, that women should be grabbed by the pussy, that
women who seek power are “crooked” and that we should ”Trump that bitch,”
and “lock her up!” That’s the language that brought them
to the voting booth. Apparently,
they needed to be protected, in warm, safe, PC spaces, from those un-PC black
people talking about racism. Once
those black people open their yaps and complain (at least when they complain in
language that is not sufficiently PC) about getting shot walking home from 7-11
or in their churches, bam!, the white working class has to vote against their
own self-interest and there’s just nothing anyone can do.
So get on
that, will you, Dems? Make sure
black people stop talking about racism and triggering those delicate
snowflakes. Do it now.
Also, if you
could shut up those women who have to be punished for having abortions, that
would be good. Damn bitches aren’t
even 10s and they talk too much about things that give those “white working
class” voters the vapors and send them running for safe spaces where they can
vote for one of the two white men who are running. As they should be.
I have two
things to say: (1) Shunning,
shaming, and blaming are actually effective tactics of social control. See, e.g., Mothers v. Drunk
Driving. And pretending that
stupid people are really just simple farmers, people of the land, the common clay
of the new West who would suddenly vote in their own best interests if only a
Democrat would finally go hunting, or ride a motorcycle, or get in a tank
hasn’t worked for the last half century or so and I’m now ready to try shaming
them and focusing on how they’re not the cool kids who are in with the in
crowd; (2) If we’re not going to magically convince Ms. Red State Mean to vote
in her her own self interest (and we’re almost certainly not), then we’re going
to have to figure out how to get other voters to the polls with the needed
ID. And that effort needs to start
now. Waiting until a few weeks
before the election to get them IDs is too late.
*Let’s just
set aside that this woman and her husband certainly don’t get nearly the amount
of government largesse that, say, Lockheed Martin shareholders get, or that
Donald Trump gets, or that even the children of your basic millionaires
get. She’s not standing in the
doctor’s office behind, say, me and, even if she were, she doesn’t see the
advantages that I get on my capital gains. Since she can’t see those things, and since she’s too stupid
to inquire, she’s angrier at the poor man ahead of her in line who’s getting
his pain pills for free due to Medicaid while she, relegated to Obamacare, must
pay a few dollars for her pap smear, than she is at me for the thousands and
thousands of dollars of government assistance that I get on my sales of stock.
** I’ll
stipulate here that, as Atrios often notes, we should stop having (albeit that
we do this to make the Republicans happy) programs that make people jump
through hoops and fill out forms in order to get benefits. We’re just trying to placate the
Republicans who can’t stand for any child to go out to recess with a really
full stomach. The real solution, and one that we’re going to need to reach
sooner rather than later, is a basic economic income. Now that robots and computers can do all of our jobs, we
need: (1) far fewer people on the planet and (2) an income for all of the
people who are left. We can’t even
begin to have this conversation until we stop trying to placate Ms. Umbridge.
See how easy
that was? That was shaming and
blaming.
*DID YOU KNOW?
The Washington Senators won the 1924 World Series, but were pretty awful
for the rest of their time in Washington (through 1971), never again reaching
another World Series. Senators teams even moved twice, reorganizing as the
Minnesota Twins in 1960, and the Texas Rangers in 1972. In 2005, the Montreal
Expos moved to DC and became a new Washington team – the Nationals
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
January 5, 2017
Sullivan’s
Salvos 1/10/17
In this edition:
*Goodbye, BJ!
*MLK
*American Dream, Chapter 2
*Did You Know?
*Goodbye, BJ!
Good
luck to my son BJ as he sets out on a big adventure! BJ is a sophomore at
Kirkwood, but recently left for an internship at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
He will go through the highly regarded Disney customer service training, and
should be back in May. Good luck, BJ! I love you and I’m proud of you!
*MLK
Next Monday marks the federal holiday celebrating the birthday of the
Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Junior. I am so pleased that our country has
chosen to honor this great man, and I hope you enjoy the holiday in his name.
As usual, the Board of Supervisors will be doing a proclamation in his honor;
this year, that will be Thursday, January 12 at 5:30 PM.
We
often hear about Christians who feel that Christmas has lost its meaning, and
workers who feel the same about Labor Day. I fear that this could be happening
to MLK Day as well.
We
would like to think America has come a long way since the 60s. After the 2016
elections, I’m not certain I feel that way any longer. Race was a HUGE issue in
the 2016 election, and the team the racists supported won.
Look
at America today. Black Lives Matter is a response to the epidemic of black men
being killed by police. The US Supreme Court killed much of the Voting Rights
Act, and they are likely to kill Affirmative Action. Black men are more likely
to go to prison than college. The list goes on and on. Our society still has a deep
racial divide.
We also need to recognize that King was a radical. America
grudgingly accepted racial reforms because they were less dangerous to the
status quo than the other issues King championed. King took seriously the
Biblical teachings that the love of money is a sin, and that rich men will not
be welcomed into Heaven. (Yes, King was a Social Democrat!) He proposed seismic
changes to the political and social structures that exist in America. In
addition, King was adamantly anti-war. To the status quo, he was the most
dangerous man in the world.
Take
some time this week to read some of the great books that are out there on Dr.
King. More importantly, take some time to read the things he wrote himself.
And if you are so inclined, there are several worthwhile local
celebrations. Here are just two:
The Consultation of Religious Communities is
holding its annual MLK service on Sunday, 1/15 at 7 PM at First Mennonite
Church in Iowa City. We go every year, and every year it restores my faith!
I would also urge you to attend the community celebration held
Monday, January 16 at Grant Wood Elementary in Iowa City. From 10-3 will be a
time of “giving back”; food, children’s activities, and performances are part
of the event. The event is co-sponsored by Johnson County, but for more info
contact Raquisha Harrington at 354-7989.
We have SO much work to do. We cannot forget that. But we also
need to take the time to celebrate our successes. Happy MLK Day!
*American Dream, Chapter 2
We
are all familiar with “The American Dream.” While there are several different
versions, they are all about the same thing: If you just work hard enough, you
can hit it big. This can happen to anyone, so long as she/he is willing to work
for it.
Wikipedia
defines the American Dream this way: “The American Dream is a national ethos of
the United States, a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity
for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility for the family and
children, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers.”
Horatio
Alger, Abe Lincoln, Andrew Carnegie, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bezos…
American history is full of successful, famous, wealthy people who started life
with very little. All of these people rose to prominence through some
combination of grit, hard work, brains, and good luck. We hold these folks up
as examples, and say, “They did it – so can you!”
I
love this part of the American Dream. It offers hope to a lot of people, and
that is a great thing! But I would argue that this definition of the American
Dream is far too narrow.
Obviously,
for every Oprah Winfrey, there are literally millions of poor women who did not
achieve the same success. Is she just that special? Perhaps. But if the
American system is so good at producing these rags to riches stories, why don’t
they happen more often? More importantly, why don’t we see more people move
just a few rungs up the ladder of success?
This
gets to what I consider “Chapter 2” of the American Dream. While we certainly
want to be a place where a few individuals can go from rags to riches, I would
argue that it is much more important that we be a country that helps each
person achieve her/his potential.
The
other problem with that definition of the American Dream is that it puts all
the onus upon the individual. Society has nothing to do with your success or
failure; it is all about individual effort.
We
know this is untrue. One only need look back to the period between 1945-1980 to
see that things can be different. We all know people (probably our parents
and/or grandparents) who did pretty well during that period. Some were small
businesspeople, some farmers, some factory workers, some government employees…
their occupation really didn’t matter. They worked hard and followed the rules,
and in exchange, they earned decent salaries and benefits.
These
people could work 40 hours, own a home, own a car or two, retire at or before
65 with a pension, put kids through college, and maybe take a family vacation.
Often, this was accomplished with only one parent working! Usually a labor
union of some sort was involved.
I am not describing Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous here! The
lifestyle I described was available to the vast majority of Americans. The
American Dream was less of a dream and more of a reality.
We
need to adjust our thinking. End the focus on one special person and her/his
rags to riches story. The focus needs to be on creating a positive story for as
many Americans as possible. Not only do we have a moral obligation to do this, but
we all benefit when it happens!
*DID YOU KNOW?
MLK was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN. The site is
now incorporated into the National Civil Rights Museum. My daughter Jordan now
lives in Memphis, and I have visited the museum – it is worth your time!
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
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