SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
September 27, 2023
Sullivan’s Salvos 10/3/23
In this edition:
*Happy Homecoming!
*Iowa City Book Festival
*Domestic Violence Awareness Month
*Sacrifice in Politics
*Can You Be Progressive Without Being Pro-Labor?
*Did You Know?
*Happy Homecoming!
The UI celebrates Homecoming the weekend of October 6&7. Happy Homecoming to all the Hawkeyes out there! I love the traditions of Homecoming; the parade, the pomp and circumstance, alumni returning from afar. Homecoming is one of the real benefits of living in a university town. Be bold in your black and gold… but be safe, too! Go Hawks!
*Iowa City Book Festival
Mark your calendars for the Iowa City Book Festival, October 8-15. We are proud to offer a week of excellent, one-of-a-kind, free, literary programming as part of the 2023 Festival.
Presenters include Sarah Cypher, Nathan Hill, Werner Herzog, John Irving, Eskor David Johnson, Chris Jones, Daniel Kraus, Jonathan Lethem, Marta McDowell, Mindy Mejia, Tracie Morris, Joanne Ramos, Kristen Roupenian, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Justin Torres, and many more.
Visit iowacitybookfestival.org for the full schedule.
*Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and I want to take this opportunity to share some statistics with you.
The Domestic Violence Intervention Program (DVIP) has been serving Johnson County since 1979. Services include emergency shelter, 24-hour crisis line, support and advocacy services, youth services, and community education.
The State of Iowa mandated some consolidations a few years ago, and DVIP now serves 8 counties for most services, and 13 counties with their 24-hour crisis line. Johnson County sources make up about 25% of DVIP’s funding, but 60% of their clients come from Johnson County. They serve about 350 individuals in the shelter each year; 80% of them are Johnson County residents. Another 60 or so people annually are served through contracts with hotels. The average shelter stay is about 45 days.
There are many events scheduled for October; to see the whole list and/or to learn more about the Domestic Violence Intervention Project (DVIP), visit dvipiowa.org.
*Sacrifice in Politics
Over 70% of the people who support Donald Trump have lost relationships with friends and family over that decision. There are grandparents who will never see their grandchildren again. People have made big sacrifices for Trump.
This was part of a fascinating 20-minute-long National Public Radio (NPR) podcast. It struck such a chord with me that I feel the need to share it with you. The podcast is called On Point, with host Magna Chakravarty and news analyst Jack Beatty. The episode came out Friday, September 15, and is called “Sacrifice.” I highly recommend it!
*Can You Be Progressive Without Being Pro-Labor?
You can be pro-labor and not be progressive. We know this. There are lots of Republican union members. Some of them are anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ+, and more. They would NEVER consent to being described as “progressive.” Yet they appreciate the economic benefits that come from their status as a union member.
We hear about union members who are not progressive all the time. But we almost never ask the opposite question. What about the inverse? Can a person be progressive without being pro-labor?
We talk a lot about social justice, and we should. America has a history of intolerance based upon gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and more. We need to recognize this, remember it, and strive to do better. Social justice deserves the attention it receives.
At the same time, we do not talk enough about economic justice. America has, for about 202 out of our 247 years, catered almost exclusively to the rich and powerful. Virtually all economic benefits flow to the top 1%, with most of those benefits flowing to the top 1/100th of a percent, or just a few thousand people.
Americans have fought back before. Just after the Civil War it was women who got the labor movement going. They were joined by recent immigrants. Many workers died throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, and some gains were realized. But mainly, it is the Golden Age of 1935-1980 that saw workers finally achieve some semblance of economic justice. And not only did it help lower-wage workers; it helped everyone!
Consider a few of the economic justice initiatives that were instituted: child labor laws, 40-hour weeks, weekends, overtime, vacations, the minimum wage, sick leave, parental leave, OSHA, employment nondiscrimination, pensions, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP benefits (food stamps), health insurance, and so much more.
Progressives definitionally want progress; an improvement in the human condition. There was no period in American history where the human condition improved more than between 1935 and 1980. What made this progress happen? Organized labor fighting for economic justice.
But fast forward to today, and some folks seem to think they can be progressive without fighting for economic justice. Our greatest activists knew better. No one fought harder for economic justice than MLK. He was murdered the evening before a rally for striking sanitation workers in Memphis, TN.
Too many people who want to wear the “progressive” label support Uber over cabs, buy stuff from Wal-Mart and Amazon, buy shoes made in sweatshops, and fail to join unions when they are available. They feel unions have a place; just not at the place they work/own/manage.
In the Democratic Party of the 90s, Bill Clinton catered to a certain wealthier, white group. We called them “limousine liberals.” They wanted things to be better for minorities; they just didn’t want to live near them. They wanted to help the poor, but not at their own expense. They blamed the poor for making choices that were economically necessary but environmental harmful. They simply couldn’t understand “those people” who smoked, dropped f-bombs, listened to rap (or country), and had to shower after work rather than before work. Needless to say, it was a much smaller coalition.
I am also reminded of the ill-fated attempt by my friends at SEIU to unionize the Professional and Scientific (P&S) workers at the UI in the mid ‘00s. The UI workers voted the union down. Many laughed at the organizers, saying, “You don’t understand – I have a Ph.D.!” Unions were for “uneducated” people. Fast forward 20 years and that Ph.D. hasn’t gotten them jack shit. P&S missed the boat when they failed to unionize. It has been a difficult 15 years for them as a result.
Following an Iowa City Federation of Labor Candidate Academy a few years ago, an Iowa City Councilor (who always made a point of noting their registration as a Democrat) actually told Pauline Taylor and I, “People here were smarter than I expected.” How much more condescending can a politician get?
This attitude affects local politics, too. Do “progressives” care if municipal workers are underpaid? Do “progressives” overpay bosses at the expense of front-line workers? Do “progressives” care if municipalities rely upon temporary workers where permanent workers should be used? Do “progressives” care if municipal projects get built by union labor? Do “progressives” oppose sales taxes when property taxes are available? Do “progressives” oppose outsourcing? Do “progressives” support efforts to end wage theft?
Why is it that people who would draw a line at a candidate being anti-gay are so willing to look the other way when the candidate is anti-labor? Is it just an issue of social class?
We have a handful of immigrant rights activists in Johnson County who undoubtedly consider themselves progressive, but have tried to undermine local unions and the Center For Worker Justice at every turn. I don’t find these folks very progressive. I find them to be egotistical, hypocritical assholes.
To answer my own question, no, I do not believe one can be truly progressive without a commitment to economic justice. Economic justice is at the root of being a true progressive.
I leave you with the following quote from William Jennings Bryan:
“The poor man is called a socialist if he believes that the wealth of the rich should be divided among the poor, but the rich man is called a financier if he devises a plan by which the pittance of the poor can be converted to his use.”
―
*DID YOU KNOW? Iowa's first Homecoming game was held on November 23, 1912, versus Wisconsin. Although that contest resulted in a loss, the Hawkeyes compiled a Homecoming record of 54 wins, 40 losses, and five ties in the 100 years to follow.
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 @ 2:42 PM
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