SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
August 20, 2020
Sullivan’s Salvos 8/25/20
In this edition:
*RIP Mary Anne Madden
*Derecho
*Big News from the Iowa Policy Project!
*Congressional Wealth
*Did You Know?
*RIP Mary Anne Madden
I apologize for the lack of timeliness here; my vacation made this remembrance unfashionably late. I still feel the need to give a shout out to Mary Anne Madden of Iowa City, who passed away a couple of weeks ago.
Mary Anne was a former Executive Director of the United Way of Johnson County, and helped to raise the profile of that organization. I knew Mary Anne primarily through Democratic Party politics, where she served in many different roles.
Mary Anne was smart, funny, and committed to those in need. A wonderful human being. RIP.
*Derecho
2020 just keeps on giving! This time it struck in the form of a derecho, a rare but powerful wind storm. The results are devastating; 80% of the structures in Cedar Rapids were damaged; one third of Iowa’s crops are damaged. Johnson County also suffered tremendous damage, and help is available for those who need it. Just call 211 to get connected to any services you may need!
On a personal note, this was unlike anything I have ever experienced. We were on vacation, in a National Park, without internet or cell service. We knew that the storm hit Iowa hard, then we lost all contact. We knew our friends and family were getting hit, but that was about it. It made it difficult to focus on relaxing, though we did our best. (The Serenity Prayer helped!)
As we approached Iowa on our way home, the stories and images came flooding in. Unfortunately, those images included our own home. We have always been blessed with several majestic trees on our property. But after the derecho, our two-story house was almost completely obscured by fallen branches. We couldn’t get in the driveway, and limbs hung precipitously everywhere we looked.
In the interest of full disclosure, it was evident fairly quickly that we were extremely lucky. It appears the only damage to our house is to gutters and a fence. Our cars were somehow spared. And just before we arrived back home, our power came back. So this just simply wasn’t that bad; nothing compared to CR.
Still, we were buried. So just before midnight Friday, I put a post on Facebook asking for help. And the response floored me!
Thanks to the incredible kindness of our family, friends, and our St. Andrew family, there are piles of branches 5' high extending 100' on both sides of the street, but the street, sidewalk, and our driveway are all clear! There are still a couple of tree jobs that will need to be handled by professionals, but most of the work is finished. I tried calculating it, and I think we were the beneficiaries of almost 120 hours of volunteer help!
I am going to regret even starting to thank people, because I am going to leave people out, but please let me at least try...Our fantastic neighbors Dan and Beth Daly were hard at work before 8AM. Anthony Miller spent over 5 hours hard at work with his chainsaw. Seriously, Tony, I cannot thank you enough! Tony's wife Renee Speh and son Alex hauled wood for a few hours. My brother, sister in law, and my Mom came down from Cedar Rapids and worked like crazy, even though they have no power themselves! Then there are St. Andrew peeps – Ryan O’Leary was amazing! He showed up with an arsenal of tools, and worked his tail off for several hours! His kids even raked leaves! Doug Wildes, the DeGroot family, Scott - everyone was cutting, sawing, carrying, and working like no tomorrow! The Anderson family even helped on their anniversary!
Friends Missie Forbes, Connie Moore, Megan Alter, Mark Crooks, and others all came by and pitched in. Wonderful neighbors Lynn and Ruth Crow loaned us the BIG ladder! And I am sure I have forgotten others, for which I apologize. THANK YOU ALL!
The derecho was a horrible thing for Iowa. It was not a good thing for us. But it did remind us how very blessed we are!
*Big News from the Iowa Policy Project!
The Iowa Policy Project has joined with our longtime partners at the Child and Family Policy Center to formally create a new organization, Common Good Iowa. Look to Common Good Iowa for the solid research, rigorous policy analysis and focused advocacy that Iowans have come to expect from both organizations.
Since our founding in 2001, IPP has followed the vision of a "three-legged stool” for our work: economic opportunity (to include wages, jobs, education, wage theft, collective bargaining, economic development, pensions, and work supports including child care and Food Stamps); tax and budget issues, particularly tax fairness and revenue adequacy; and energy and the environment.
Every staff member for both IPP and CFPC has a place in the new organization. Anne Discher will be the executive director of Common Good Iowa, headquartered in Des Moines. We will retain an Iowa City office, with IPP executive director Mike Owen becoming deputy director of Common Good Iowa.
The merger is official now, although we will be putting finishing touches on our new brand over the next months. Until then you can reach Common Good Iowa staff at their existing email addresses, websites and social media accounts.
*Congressional Wealth
A few times every year I see a meme demanding that we cut the pay of our members of Congress. Frankly, I think this is just pandering to our worst instincts, and it pisses me off. What’s more, cutting Congressional pay would be one of the dumbest things we could ever do! If Congressional pay was cut, the *ONLY* people who could run for Congress would be millionaires and billionaires. We already have way too much of that!
As it is, members of Congress need to maintain a home in their Districts AND find living arrangements in DC. Given the cost of that, no – these folks are NOT overpaid. I would actually like to see Congress pass a bill that links Congressional pay to the Consumer Price Index for the DC Metro. If the CPI went up 2% last year, Congress gets a 2% raise. Just take the issue off the table for good.
This does not mean that we are without problems when it comes to the wealth of Members of Congress. My friend Karen Fesler recently put something on Facebook about this very topic. Karen and I certainly have our political disagreements, but she NAILED this one!
Think about this for a moment: the median household net worth in the US is about $96,000. In an average year? It barely changes. Some years it goes up a tiny bit; other years it goes down a tiny bit. Basically, the net worth of most Americans has not changed in a LONG time.
So what about members of Congress? Their net worth is anything but stagnant. It goes up an ASTONISHING 15% PER YEAR on average! Yes, you heard that correctly – it goes up 15% PER YEAR on average!
Granted, there are a couple things that influence this a lot. Many members of Congress are already fabulously wealthy when elected. As you know, all our gains in the US accrue at the top. So a few VERY wealthy members skew the math.
But neither is it a case of poor people joining the ranks of Congress and getting a big pay boost, ala Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. Because the first-year jump for a member of Congress is about 8%. So that is not the issue. The longer you are in Congress, the wealthier you become. And both Democrats and Republicans see these incredible increases.
Here are just a few reforms that would help:
· Stronger ethics, disclosure, and anti-corruption laws;
· Ban individual stock ownership;
· Close loopholes that allow foreign influence;
· Ban lobbyists from fundraising for politicians;
· Close the “revolving door” between industry and government regulators.
I was a supporter of the Presidential candidacy of Senator Elizabeth Warren. She has introduced legislation to deal with every issue listed above. When we spoke about her campaign, she said that her anti-corruption ideas were the most well-received of anything in her platform. I hope we get a new administration in January, and these issues get another chance. Regardless of political party, this is just good policy.
*DID YOU KNOW? Remember, you can call 211 to get information on any services you might need as a result of the derecho.
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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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 1:04 PM
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