SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
May 17, 2023
Sullivan’s Salvos 5/23/23
In this edition:
*Debt Ceiling
*Loneliness Part 3
*Expectations of Government
*Did You Know?
*Debt Ceiling
This appeared in Salvos back in January of this year. I made two small changes; otherwise, it remains true today.
The fight over the Debt Ceiling is about to begin once again. Here are just a few things you should know:
1.) This is *NOT* about spending! That is done during the budget. This is about simply paying bills you have already accrued. If you feel spending is too great, address it at budget time.
2.) This is the fault of Republicans in the House of Representatives. No one else – just House Republicans. Democrats stand ready to pay our bills. Republicans are trying to tank the economy.
3.) What do these Republicans want? Cuts to SNAP (food stamps), cuts to the IRS (which will COST the federal government $120 million), cutting renewable energy, and more.
4.) There are two additional people you can be angry with – Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. If they would have agreed to end the filibuster JUST FOR THIS MATTER, Democrats could have taken the issue off the table permanently. So whatever economic damage is done, they have blood on their hands.
Let’s hope the standoff ends quickly, with minimal damage. But please understand, this is *NOT* a political negotiation. It is akin to hostage taking.
*Loneliness Part 3
As I noted over the past couple of weeks, I am hoping Johnson County can do some things to assist in addressing the Loneliness Pandemic that is sweeping the US. I am very committed to doing more. But what, exactly, can local governments do?
The obvious things are to support our local mental health providers. We need to do that as a government and as individuals. But I think there are many additional ways in which local governments can and should think about loneliness.
Think for a moment about our built environment. In some neighborhoods you have greater density, sidewalks, curb cuts, front porches, parks, Little Free Libraries, public transit, and so much more. In other “neighborhoods,” you have low density. You have snub nosed houses with no porches, where you enter your car without leaving your house. They often lack sidewalks. Public land and public transit are nowhere nearby. Which “neighborhood” contributes to greater isolation? Obviously, we need more neighborhoods that encourage the former, and we need to encourage folks to live in them.
Government can also actively go to people and invite them in. We can cosponsor neighborhood events. We can reach out in every way possible. In fairness, several of these efforts have been tried in the past. But we need to keep trying.
When we consider the Loneliness Pandemic, it is important to think about the things that have changed in our society. Everyone has a phone now, and they are on it constantly. Social media has replaced human contact. People go out less – no need to leave the house to work, shop, or get food from a restaurant. There is more tribalism. There is more anger. It is easy to see how loneliness is on the rise.
One of the things that I think can really help is the idea of responsibility. One of the causes of our Loneliness Pandemic has to be that people do not feel a collective responsibility for public outcomes. People don’t vote. They do not see picking up dog poop as their responsibility. They do not feel a sense of ownership when it comes to parks, or schools, or social services programs. It seems as though loneliness would lessen if we all felt as though we had real agency in running things. Knowing you are responsible for your share – that the rest of us have expectations - just might help.
What are your thoughts? How can government help to address loneliness?
I said these things last time, but I want to be certain to say them again: First, if you are reading this, I’d be happy to chat with you. On the phone or in person. We can have coffee, play catch, sit on my porch, whatever. Reach out. I am game.
Secondly, please seek out help if you need it. All you need to do is pick up any phone and dial 988. Professionals will pick up, ready and willing to help. There is help out there!
*Expectations of Government
A very thoughtful friend recently had a great discussion going on his Facebook page. (I know, right?) It really struck a nerve with me, so I wanted to bring the discussion here.
My friend was expressing his frustration re: something government has not accomplished. I’m not even going to mention the topic, because I’m not sure it matters. After introducing the topic, my friend said, “Why doesn’t anyone care?”
That struck a nerve with some of his friends, who obviously DO care about the topic. One of his friends responded with something like this: “What do you want us to do? The government has proven it is going to do whatever it wants, regardless of the opinion of the people. What is your plan for fixing the situation?”
My friend replied, “It’s not my job to come up with a plan for fixing the situation. But the fact that I don’t have a plan does not mean I lose my right to demand action.”
What a great conversation! I am so glad I got to be a fly on the wall! I have a few thoughts here; I’m curious what you think.
My friend obviously got a rise out of people when he asked, “Why doesn’t anyone care?” On one hand, perhaps this is the only way to get attention for his topic. I understand using the tactic in that sense. On the other hand, people clearly took offense. You could almost see an exhausted, frustrated, compassion-fatigued group scraping themselves up to say, “No! I care!” I can totally empathize with those people.
I recently had a constituent that I like very much castigate me for Johnson County’s “lack of fight” when it came to all the environmental damage the GOP is doing in Des Moines. (And it is a LOT of damage!) I’m not unaware; we have been trying to make it better. But just mentioning that Johnson County/Iowa City/Coralville cares about something is a poison pill with this Legislature. So how do we fight back? We enlisted some surrogates, and did a few things, but it wasn’t enough. I know that. I also know we dodged some bullets; perhaps our efforts made a difference. But like my friends’ friend, I feel like screaming out, “What is your plan for fixing the situation?”
The Legislative session was so full of attacks on LGBTQ+ folks, including book banning, etc. that it was hard to move past it all. Then there were assaults on women, children, the poor, people of color… as a social worker, this stuff has always been more in my wheelhouse. I care deeply about the environment. But I care about these other issues, too. It was all very exhausting.
I am sure people are frustrated by the inability of Johnson County to achieve certain milestones. Here is an example - I spent the better part of ten years fighting for justice when it comes to mobile home parks. We improved some things. We got a couple people sent to jail. We might have marginally improved the lives of some people. All in all, it was the most frustrating thing I ever dealt with a County Supervisor. There were no right answers. We needed (and still need) legislation, and it never got done despite tremendous efforts from Johnson County legislators. (They had more power and more experience then, btw.)
So when I see new efforts to improve the lives of mobile home residents? I applaud these efforts! I want these efforts to succeed where I failed. I want to support these efforts. I feel as though I have a great deal of knowledge and experience on this topic, and I’m willing to bring it to the table. But when I hear “Supervisors have never done anything about this!”? It hurts. It really hurts. I am one of hundreds who tried SO hard to “fix” this situation. And it is not that we quit caring. We just couldn’t close the deal. Then we got exhausted, and other issues came up. Is that an excuse? I suppose so. But it is also reality.
I remember back during the aftermath of the George Floyd protests. I heard a young woman speak about my dear friend Orville Townsend, who has been doing civil rights work in Iowa City for 60 years. When told that, the young activist replied, “Well, he hasn’t done it very f’ing well, because here we are!”
My heart broke for Orville. I think the young woman was very wrong in both attitude and approach. But I could also see where she was coming from. She didn’t give a damn that I felt she was taking the wrong approach. She wanted results, and my opinion did not matter. I think we can both learn from that moment.
Man, did this Facebook post ever hit a nerve! How do we do advocacy in a way that demands action but also respects both the people involved and the constraints they face? I’d like to know your thoughts!
*DID YOU KNOW? Iowa used to consistently rank in the top 2-3 states with the best educational systems. World Population Review now ranks Iowa at no. 13, Wallet Hub puts Iowa at no. 19, and US News and World Report, one of the most well-known organizations for education rankings, lists Iowa at no. 24.
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 @ 4:18 PM
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