SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
August 18, 2022
Sullivan’s Salvos 8/23/22
In this edition:
*Zuri Starts Kindergarten!
*Lone Tree Fall Festival
*Know THIS about inflation!
*Discussing Race
*Co-Crafting the Just City
*Did You Know?
*Zuri Starts Kindergarten!
My granddaughter Zuri starts kindergarten at Horace Mann this year, and our whole household is excited!
I love the improvements that were made at Mann! It is interesting; I was on the Facilities Master Plan (FMP) Committee that decided what the ICCSD would ask voters to approve in the huge 2017 bond issue. (I served on the bond campaign as well.) Mitch Gross (then a West High teacher, now the West High Principal) and I led the charge to ensure that as few schools as possible got closed, and that every school got improvements. The consultants would have closed Mann, Lincoln, Longfellow, Hills, and Coralville Central. We argued to not only keep those schools, but to invest heavily in them. Thankfully, our side won the day!
It is a bit ironic, because I never imagined that 5 years later, my granddaughter would be attending one of the schools we saved! But I am really glad she is!
Zuri and I had a fun moment this summer… we were walking by Mann, and an older couple was taking a photo. They said hello, and I asked why they were taking the photo. The woman, who was 82, had attended Mann K-6. She now lived in Cedar Rapids, but her and her husband were just spending the day in her old neighborhood. Zuri simply couldn’t believe that this old woman had attended the same school she was about to attend. She started kindergarten there in 1946, just a year after the end of World War II! I’ll admit, it was hard for me to believe, too! I am glad she still had a beautiful building to photograph!
I am really looking forward to the opportunities that await Zuri at Horace Mann. I have heard nothing but great things about the faculty and staff! Good luck, Zuri! Go get ‘em!
*Lone Tree Fall Festival
The Lone Tree Fall Festival is August 26 & 27 in Lone Tree. This event is a great opportunity to share some good times with the fine folks of Johnson County’s “panhandle”!
*Know THIS about inflation!
I have written here before that I LOVE local economist Peter Fisher. Well, at his retirement party, he dropped this incredible statistic about our recent bout of inflation:
We have inflation – we all agree with that. So basic goods and services cost us all a bit more. But where does the money go? We are paying more – where does the money ACTUALLY go?
In this case, 8% went for higher wages for frontline workers. That is good. 28% went toward the mess that is our supply chain. Unfortunate, but understandable. 53% - 53%! – went to higher corporate profits.
So, don’t buy the Fox News bullshit on this. Over half the inflation we see today is corporate profiteering. It is wrong. It is no different than when you have a flood or a tornado and retailers double the price of a generator. It is WRONG! It should be illegal, just as the generator scenario is illegal in many places.
So our 8% inflation could and should be 4%. Corporations simply needed to take 3% gains rather than 53% gains. If you want to blame someone for inflation, don’t blame Biden. Blame corporations!
*Discussing Race
I wrote this in Salvos a LONG time ago – almost exactly 14 years to the day. Unfortunately, we are still struggling over many of the same issues. I do have hope, however. The community seems much readier and able now than they were in 2008. Let’s hope!
Race continues to be a topic of discussion in Johnson County. I know this can be an uncomfortable topic, but we ignore it at our peril.
As the father of three African American children, I have dealt with issues of race more than most, but certainly less than those with lived experience. I have found several ways in which the discussion can break down quickly. Below is my personal list of do’s and don’t’s:
* We all have our own biases. We need to acknowledge this.
*Ask people of color what they think, and listen to what they say.
*Don’t be shocked when people of color disagree. White people disagree all the time!
*Try not to use absolutes such as “always” and “never”. If I am inclined to disagree with you anyway, that type of language simply assures me you are incorrect.
*People tend to fear things with which they are unfamiliar. This is a natural reaction. Exposure begets acceptance.
*There is no excuse for racist language. If you use it, quit using it. If you hear others use it, say something.
*We must stop equating race and criminal behavior. We do not blame all City Councilors for the things a few City Councilors have done. Why should we blame all African Americans for the crimes of a few?
*Similarly, we must stop equating Section 8 Housing and criminal behavior.
*It is easy to be critical. It is much more difficult to come up with constructive solutions. Work toward solutions.
Do you have opinions regarding a community dialogue on issues of race? If so, I would appreciate knowing what you think!
*Co-Crafting the Just City
I recently finished the book written by former Iowa City Mayor Jim Throgmorton called “Co-Crafting the Just City.” It is a very interesting read. I spoke to Jim about the book briefly, and I plan to speak with him again at greater length. So you will read more about this soon!
The book is actually intended as a textbook for planning students. One thing planning programs tend to overlook is that cities are run by councils, and those councils can be made up of very unpredictable people! I think Jim’s book will open some eyes among planning students who simply may never have considered some of the things that go on with councils.
That said, if you live in Johnson County and are reading Jim’s book, you will not be able to avoid reading this as a history. A flood of issues (including floods) come rushing back. Some of the things Jim describes are great triumphs; others are failures I’d just as soon have forgotten. But the book really tells the tale of the years 2012-2019 in Iowa City.
As I said, I will write more about this in the future. Let me just tease you with one quick takeaway:
People forget that as recently as December of 2013, Throgmorton couldn’t even get a motion seconded! “Liberal” Iowa City had a 7-person council unwilling to give him a second! As recently as December of 2015, development-at-all-costs held a majority on council. That is just 6 and a half years ago! We must be eternally vigilant, or the City Council will go right back to where it was.
Thanks, Jim, for writing this book! I look forward to more conversations about it in the future!
*DID YOU KNOW? Johnson County is about 8.5% black, 7% Asian, 6% Latinx, and 3% two or more races.
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 @ 10:42 AM
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