SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
April 11, 2019
Sullivan’s Salvos 4/16/19
In this edition:
*RIP Rosalie Rose
*Easter
*Passover
*Kites for Kids
*The Candidates – Joe Biden
*Did You Know?
*RIP Rosalie Rose
I was sad to see that Rosalie Rose passed away. Rosalie served as the Executive Director of the Visiting Nurse’s Association (VNA) from 1985-2002.
I worked closely with her in the early 90s when I worked with Iowa’s Medicaid program. Later, when I served as Executive Director of The Arc, Rosalie was a trusted advisor.
Hats off to a lady who spent a long professional career in service to folks who were poor and sick. She treated every person she encountered like the most important person in the world. Because they were! RIP, Rosalie!
*Easter
Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it! I hope you have a great holiday!
*Passover
A Kosher and happy Passover to all my Jewish friends. I am still brushing up on my Hebrew calendar; please know that I wish you all the best!
*Kites for Kids
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Johnson County Community Partnership for Protecting Children (JC-CPPC) and our partners invite all community members, especially families with children, to come fly a kite.
Kites for Kids events recognize the importance of community in the prevention of child abuse and will again take place in Iowa City, North Liberty, and Tiffin. This year, Solon will host their first Kites for Kids event co-hosted by the City of Solon and the Solon Optimists.
Events are all free of charge and include free kites, pinwheels, food, hot cocoa, and information about community resources. Participants can also bring their own kite to fly.
Johnson County Kites for Kids schedule:
North Liberty:Saturday, April 13, noon to 2 p.m., Liberty High School, 1400 Dubuque Street NE
Iowa City:Saturday, April 20, noon to 2 p.m., Lower City Park, Shelter #5, 200 Park Road
Tiffin:Saturday, April 20, noon to 2 p.m., New soccer fields, 105 Park Road
Solon:Saturday, April 20, 1 to 3 p.m., Solon Recreation and Nature Area, 700 W. Sovers Street
Research shows that protective factors are present in healthy families. Promoting these factors is among the most effective ways to reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect.
Kites for Kids provides a free, fun activity for all families to promote positive interactions, increase connection to community and meet other parents and their children. This month and throughout the year, JC-CPPC encourages all individuals and organizations to play a role in making Johnson County a better place for children and families. Every year approximately 1,500 children die from child abuse in the United States. That is four children per day, with more than three million child abuse reports filed each year. There were 798 reports of child abuse in Johnson County alone in 2017.
For more information about child abuse prevention programs and activities during the month of April and throughout the year, contact Laurie Nash at 319-356-6090 orlnash@co.johnson.ia.us. Like the Johnson County Social Services Facebook page or visit the website at www.johnson-county.com/ss for more information about these and other community events.
*The Candidates – Joe Biden
I will be honest – Joe Biden ranks near the bottom of my choices for President. I respect his personal story, and I feel he served honorably for eight years as Vice President. But we are in desperate need of some change – change I do not see Biden providing.
The LA Times offered this look at Biden’s record: Biden opposed school busing for desegregation in the 1970s. He voted for a measure aimed at outlawing gay marriage in the 1990s. He was a career-long ally of the banking and credit card industries.
He chaired the 1991 Clarence Thomas hearings that gave short shrift to the sexual harassment allegations raised by Anita Hill. He backed crime legislation that many blamed for helping fuel an explosion in prison populations. He eulogized Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.), who rose to prominence as a segregationist. He backed the Iraq war.
In fairness, the Democratic Party has evolved during this time, and it is safe to assume that Biden has evolved as well. But is it enough? There are literally scores of Biden’s “oops” moments during his eight years as VP.
Perhaps even more importantly, Biden seems to feel that he can still sit down in a smoke filled back room and come out with something that helps the American people. That ain’t how it works any longer.
We may not like it, but over the past 25 years, everything about DC has changed. The 1994 elections ushered out the Ronald Reagan – Tip O’ Neil style compromises, and Newt Gingerich brought us the idea of politics as a zero-sum game. Nobody has played zero-sum game politics better than Mitch McConnell. Biden SHOULD recognize this, as McConnell spent eight years refusing to negotiate with Biden’s boss.
Again, I am not suggesting this style of politics is good. But it exists. So what can Democrats do in the meantime? Now is a good time to go ahead and abolish the silly filibuster rule in the Senate. I do not see Biden taking this or any other step that upsets the “institution” of the Senate.
You might respond that Biden leads in the polls, and even leads among younger voters. I acknowledge that fact. I also believe that at this point, a lot of polling is name recognition. Once these candidates get a chance to question each other, I see Joe dropping in the polls.
We also have to address the “personal space” issue. This is something we knew was coming if Biden decided to run. My take on this may not be popular, but here it goes:
Women have had to put up with this crap for thousands of years. Men feel like they can do whatever they want; a woman who complains is “uptight”. Well, it is wrong. It has always been wrong. And the fact that things are changing is GOOD, not bad! It is a few thousand years overdue!
Do I feel sorry for Joe? Is he being picked on? Poor old dog being forced to learn new tricks? I say tough. Women had to deal with the opposite for far too long. Men need to get on board, and they need to get on board now.
Though they are very different candidates, much of my response to Bernie Sanders also applies to Joe Biden: I am interested in a younger candidate. That does NOT mean I am saying Biden is too old. But I AM saying that he has had his turn. The whole Boomer generation has spent way too much time in charge! 8 years of Clinton, 8 years of Bush, and 4 years of Trump – Boomers have had their turn! It is time to get out of the way!
I am also interested in a female candidate. It is time. It is actually WELL PAST time! We have several progressive women in this field; I feel as though there are several good options. Right now, I want to see if a younger, preferably female candidate can express the policy views I feel are important.
Would Joe Biden be a better President than the current occupant of the White House? There is no doubt. And if he wins the nomination, I will work my tail off for him. I just think America has better choices right now.
I will be writing about more candidates in the very near future! Stay tuned!
*DID YOU KNOW? Scholars believe that Easter originated as an Anglo-Saxon festival honoring the coming of spring and a goddess named Eastre, whose sacred symbols are the hare and the egg. Some Christian missionaries hoped that by aligning the days of celebration of their festivals and by adopting some pagan traditions, Anglo-Saxon followers would become more inclined to convert to Christianity.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 9:14 AM
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