SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
December 2, 2021
Sullivan’s Salvos 12/7/21
In this edition:
*Happy Hanukkah!
*Buy Local!
*ARPA Part 3
*Did You Know?
*Happy Hanukkah!
Happy Hanukkah to those of you who celebrate it! Chag urim sameach!
*Buy Local!
The holiday shopping season is upon us, and before you spend too much money, I’d like to exhort you to buy locally. It will be better for you, better for those for whom you are buying, and better for our community.
I have a long history with “Buy Local” policies. I helped get the County policy in place shortly after I was elected, and I helped convince the Chamber of Commerce to adopt their policy shortly thereafter. Both have been pretty successful.
Think about it – would you rather line the pockets of Jeff Bezos, or your neighbor? It is an easy decision. Personally, I have never purchased anything from Amazon. And other than needing to buy diapers for my granddaughter when out of state, I haven’t spent money at a Wal-Mart since 1985. I haven’t missed out. You will not miss out. This can be done!
Again, buying local is better for all of us. So please – buy local this holiday season!
*ARPA Part 3
In this installment, we will discuss a controversial issue surrounding ARPA: making payments to excluded workers.
One of the most frequent topics of conversation is how to handle people who were not eligible for the previous COVID relief money. Many refer to this group as “excluded workers.” I am not talking people who are in need here – though many of them might be. The General Assistance Program addresses need-based assistance. I am talking about payments to individuals who did NOT get the federal COVID relief. Should the City and/or County try to make up for this?
Like we said last time, Local government cannot afford to make up for everything the Feds get wrong. We should have universal health care coverage, but the County cannot fix that. We should have universal free childcare, but the County cannot fix that. We should universal paid sick leave, but the County cannot fix that. We should include all workers in unemployment insurance, but the County cannot fix that.
I believe the County should provide direct assistance to excluded workers. I have said so from the very beginning. I voted to do so. There are some details to be figured out, however. Johnson County has had attorneys and other staff combing the internet to learn what other counties and cities are doing. The answer, so far, is not much. While I had hoped we might get some aid out the door by now, it appears we are working more quickly than most jurisdictions.
Handling the many ARPA decisions has been a challenge. Unfortunately, it has been made much more difficult by a group of white “allies.” Understand, most of the people who have written us or spoken at our meetings are good hearted, well-intentioned people who care about immigrants. I salute them. The group that tells all the lies and causes all the problems consists of a small subgroup of about 6 people. I could name them here, but I will not, as they would love that.
These “allies” continue to put forth the lie that “workers have received no assistance.” But literally hundreds of people have accessed the Johnson County General Assistance program. Hundreds utilized the CWJ program. Yes, perhaps these folks did not get federal money. But to say they have gotten nothing is in most cases, completely false.
The white “allies” regularly exhort the County to avoid using a middleman and give assistance directly to the people. Then they turn around and demand that they be used as a middleman. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.
Should there be any rules as to who is eligible? Despite what the white “allies” have said, I believe so. If you already received federal money, you should not be eligible for a direct payment. I think the person receiving funding needs to be 18. If they are in need but younger than 18, the child welfare system should be involved. I think recipients should have a Johnson County address. I helped give away $50 food boxes twice during the pandemic. Lots of cars drove in from Washington, Iowa, Cedar, Muscatine, and Louisa counties. If people will drive 40 minutes for a $50 box of food, people will drive two hours for $500. To give money to people who do not live here is not fair to Johnson County residents. We have a lot of poor people in Johnson County, and we need to focus on the people that are here. There may be a few more common-sense considerations. The point being, the original “no rules” stance put forth by this group is a ridiculous position to have staked out.
It is interesting… this group is now putting out emails “taking credit” for securing money for excluded workers. I actually think excluded workers probably would have gotten more funding had their rude white allies simply not started their weekly showboating. I think some of my colleagues actually became less interested the longer the things went on. The privileged young white people who use immigrants to fulfill their savior complexes have done these immigrants no favors.
And just watch: this edition of Salvos will have small snippets taken from it, out of context, and used to attack me as anti-immigrant. The actions are as predictable as they are unproductive. It is also not new. This same subgroup has attacked staff people in Iowa City, Coralville, and Johnson County governments. They have attacked the Center for Worker Justice. They have attacked Shelter House. They are showboating liars who are only seeking to build their own progressive credentials at the expense of others. It is shameful.
Back to the details of an excluded worker fund: There are still many unanswered questions. If the County does try to help individuals who were excluded from federal assistance, who should be eligible? Will cities be helping? What rules will the Feds impose? What about people who were helped by the Center for Worker Justice? (The CWJ spent well over $500,000 in direct payments to over 700 families who were skipped by the feds. Should someone who received CWJ money still be eligible?)
We may also find ourselves limited in terms of exactly who is going to be eligible to receive the funding. The definition of “excluded worker” may not pass federal muster. We may have to spend the money based on need, where a person lives, or other factors. If “excluded worker” ends up not being an acceptable category, I’ll push for the assistance to be need-based.
I will note that I fully expect Johnson County to be the only county in Iowa that does anything to help these folks. As a matter of fact, I am fairly certain that demonstrations like those we have had in Johnson County would simply have other counties calling ICE. (Whereas personally, I don’t even believe ICE should have ever been created.) Yet you will only hear criticism levelled at Johnson County. Kind of ironic.
And yes, I have heard from many people who do not feel any ARPA funds should go to undocumented immigrants. Opponents exist in Johnson County in large numbers. I disagree with them; I want to help everyone in our community to thrive. I’m simply immersed in an exercise in futility – defending a group whose supporters are attacking you.
One final reminder: if a person needs assistance because they are poor? That assistance is available. Excluded workers can utilize this help right now assuming they meet the financial requirements. So can anyone else.
Johnson County has over 19,000 food insecure residents. Some of those folks are undoubtedly excluded workers. Most are not. I think it is critical that most of the funds we distribute be done so based upon need.
In the next installment, we will discuss the process used to distribute ARPA funds.
*DID YOU KNOW? More than 2/3 of Americans prefer to buy Christmas presents online. (Source: Fortunly.)
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 @ 12:36 PM
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