SULLIVAN'S SALVOS

November 22, 2023

Sullivan’s Salvos 11/28/23

In this edition:

*Salvos Timing

*Supervisors Not Alike

*Budget

*Did You Know?

*Salvos Timing

A big change is coming to Salvos; hopefully it will increase the utility of what you read here. Bottom line, here is what you will see beginning with the next edition of Salvos:

1. Salvos will still show up in your inbox sometime on Wednesday of each week. That does not change.

2. The Salvos you get each Wednesday used to be dated for the following Tuesday. So a Salvos that came out on Wednesday, December 6 would be dated December 12. That will now be dated the following day. So the Salvos you get on Wednesday, December 6 (next week) will now be dated December 7. Moving forward, the 13^th will be dated the 14^th, the 20th will be dated the 21^st, and so forth.

You may ask, “Why did you do it that way in the first place?” Good question. I started doing this in December of 2004. That was a long time ago, and a lot has changed since then. It just so happened that right before I first got elected, I was chatting with someone in the magazine business. I asked him why magazines on store shelves are always dated a month ahead.

He explained that this simply reflected basic customer behavior. People are more likely to buy a magazine dated in the future than one they fear may be “yesterday’s news.” Several studies have demonstrated the same thing.

I kept that in mind as I began writing Salvos. Back then, I was sending it on Thursdays. And Salvos often refers to community events, which tend to occur predominantly Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. So if you didn’t see Salvos right away, you might miss those events.

Also remember, in 2004, many people still only had internet access at work. There was a decent chance that if you were out on Friday, you would not see Salvos until the following week at work. Then, in keeping with the advice of my magazine insider, I chose Tuesday instead of Monday.

With all of that in mind, I decided to date Salvos with the next Tuesday’s date. This was intended to give people lots of notice when I mentioned those community events. So for almost 20 years, I have tried to “write ahead” with the idea that people are seeing Salvos on Tuesdays. But that is not reality.

Over time, virtually everyone got a smart phone. So the way in which I write Salvos – several days ahead – was causing me more and more difficulties. (For my Jewish friends, this helps explain my Hannukah screw up!) This change will make it a bit more difficult for me to deal with late-breaking news, but it should improve the timeliness of the product.

Thanks for indulging me, and thanks for reading!

*Supervisors Not Alike!

This ran in Salvos way back in 2011. I edited out a part that wasn’t relevant any longer, but the rest of the piece stands the test of time. It also ran last year.

I get a couple E-mails every week that refer to “you Supervisors” and then take us to task for doing (or not doing) something.

I find these E-mails extremely frustrating, because they only serve to demonstrate that the public does not see the huge differences of opinion that exist on the Board.

I blame much of this on the media. First, we are not covered much. Secondly, we are rarely ever asked about the differences of opinion that are clear to anyone watching a meeting. The public deserves to know what debates are taking place in their name, and exactly what their elected representatives think.

Elected bodies are made up of individuals. Yes, you get lots of unanimous votes to approve the agenda or send a letter thanking a volunteer. Those votes are perfunctory.

As my friend and former Iowa City Councilor Larry Baker once said, “95% of all votes could be cast by a trained monkey. You elect people for the 5% that really matter.” Amen. Larry nailed it.

So, dear citizens – pay attention. You will not get any help from the media – you are going to need to dig. But meetings are all online. I urge you to tune in. Find out what individual elected officials really feel, and ask why they voted the way they did.

You will find that Boards and Councils are made up of individuals – VERY different individuals!

*Budget

Johnson County is beginning the budgeting process for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25), which will begin July 1^st of 2024. Here are some ongoing budget issues, and my take on them:

General Fund versus Rural Fund: If you pay property taxes in Johnson County, you pay into the General Fund. All taxpayers do. If you live in the unincorporated area of the county, you also pay into the Rural Fund. The Rural Fund covers expenses specific to rural residents – mostly roads, but also libraries, landfill, and a couple smaller expenses. There are wide variations between counties as to what should be supported by the rural fund.

Any single individual can easily create a budget: It isn’t that hard to support the programs and services you like, then cut the ones you don’t. It is much more difficult to do this for 160,000 people. Similarly, it isn’t that hard to decide how much you think you ought to pay in taxes, then apply that County wide. It is more difficult when you then recognize how many valuable services would need to be cut. Creating a budget that works for 160,000 people is challenging.

Taxes versus services: I had a man complain to me about his taxes. The next day, his wife complained about the condition of their road. They simply can’t have it both ways! Yes, this is an anecdote, but it sums up the fundamental budgetary difficulty- people want to pay less in taxes, but get more services. It cannot be done.

Mandated versus optional services: Some services are required by law. For example, Johnson County is obligated to hold elections. Other services are optional. For example, Johnson County has no legal obligation to fund DVIP. This is a very real phenomenon, and Board Members need to be aware of it. On the other hand, I take issue with things being portrayed this simply. Let’s go back to elections. While elections are mandated, there is no mandate as to the amount of elections staff, computer equipment, or other expenses. The law says we must do it, but it does not specify the amount we must spend. Funding DVIP may, in fact, be a very productive way to work toward Johnson County’s mission.

Conservative budgeting versus low taxes: It is important for folks to recognize that the lowest possible tax rate does not equate to the most conservative budgeting. For example – the most conservative budgeting includes money for maintenance. You need to spend money on upkeep, whether roads, buildings, or vehicles – or you’ll spend more in the long run. And I REFUSE to buy into the idea that taxes are inherently evil! Taxes are the price of supporting a civilized society.

Want to know a government’s priorities? Look at the budget. With that said, I encourage citizens to join us at our budget meetings. (The calendar is on the website.) Meanwhile, what are your priorities? Now is the time to let us know!

*DID YOU KNOW? Johnson County has never had a violation of its Human Rights Ordinance, although the County Attorney’s Office has had to explain the ordinance on a few occasions where it appeared a violation could be imminent. It has been a good deterrent.

Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-

www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov.

"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.

These messages come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the whole Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise mentioned.

If you do NOT want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan29@gmail.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.

As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan29@gmail.com. I look forward to serving you!

---Rod

November 15, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving to Salvos readers! In many ways, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. (Imagine that coming from a fat guy, huh?)

Actually, I love the idea of giving thanks. It is a simple act that does not happen enough.

While I am at it – thanks to all of you who read Salvos each week. And a special thanks to those of you who follow up by sharing your thoughts. I appreciate it! Happy Thanksgiving!

The calendar has turned to November, when many of us begin to think about charitable giving. Personally, I hope you will consider gifts to the United Way and Iowa Shares.

The United Way of Johnson and Washington Counties is in its’ 104^th year. It consists of 32 partner organizations that serve thousands of local residents. Meanwhile, Iowa Shares is 25 years old, and consists of 21 social justice organizations.

We hope to increase charitable giving among county employees. It is easy to give you time and money. Please consider making a contribution today!

I had a couple of Salvos readers ask me, “What happened?” regarding Tuesday’s red wave through Iowa. One was talking about just Tuesday; one was talking about the past 50 years.

While I am flattered that they care what I think, it is probably worth noting that I am no expert. But I have some explanations that I find persuasive. So let’s start there.

First, a little history is important. Iowa is a state that has typically been led by Republicans. There were only two windows EVER – one in the 60s and one from ’06-’10 – where Iowa Democrats held a trifecta of the House, Senate, and Governor. Democrats typically did not run things, but made up a large enough minority that the GOP needed them to govern. So compromises were struck.

More importantly, the Republicans of my youth were a VERY different party. For one, they supported education almost as much as the Democrats; in individual cases, even more. Most Iowa Republicans would have been considered moderates; some, notably longtime Governor Bob Ray, would be viewed as a liberal today. Newt Gingerich had not come along yet with the idea of “zero sum game” politics. Negotiations were the order of the day, and that is what you got.

Honestly, it is pretty hard to argue the results. Iowa was #1 in education. The economy was strong. Iowa’s “live and let live” approach put us decades, sometimes centuries, ahead of other states on civil rights matters. The budget was in good shape. You could do a lot worse. But the Iowa Republican Party has changed dramatically, and with it, our state.

Now let’s move to the work of Iowa State Economist Dave Swenson. I love his work! It doesn’t always tell me what I want to hear, but it is always enlightening. A few years ago Swenson began talking about “micropolitan” areas of Iowa. These are those cities in the 20,000-30,000 population range that do not serve as suburbs to larger cities. They are typically home to a hospital, community college, and serve as a regional employment center. Iowa has several of these places – Fort Dodge, Mason City, Ottumwa, Clinton, Burlington, Muscatine, Ft. Madison/Keokuk, Marshalltown, Newton, and maybe 1-2 more. (The definition doesn’t fit perfectly everywhere.)

If you look at those cities in the 1960s, each was home to a thriving manufacturing base. And most of those manufacturing jobs were union jobs. People in these micropolitan cities (and the smaller cities near them) lived the classic American Dream.

When things were going well, voters in these areas supported Democrats. Democrats supported the unions, and made sure the schools were good. Thousands of Iowa moms and dads watched proudly as their sons and daughters got diplomas from ISU, UNI, and Iowa. All was well.

What happened? Manufacturers had trouble competing with Germany and Japan. Manufacturers like Maytag that once cared deeply about these communities decided to instead put shareholder profits first. Good union jobs were lost. Then the farm crisis hit. Manufacturers like Deere made deep cuts. Unions were broken at meatpacking plants. Locally owned banks disappeared. Then NAFTA put the final nail in the coffin. Jobs that used to be in micropolitan Iowa were now in Mexico and China.

Communities did the best they could. Many made huge efforts at job creation. Unfortunately, they were often trading a $20/hour union manufacturing job for a $9/hour telemarketing gig. Bottom line? Large numbers of unemployed and underemployed people were stuck. Poverty increased, and with it, crime and drug abuse. Many of the college educated folks moved away. Properties and public spaces were less well-maintained. Property values dropped, and with them, funding for schools and roads. The community becomes a less desirable place to live, and even more people move away. It is a downward spiral.

Those that are left are now poorer and less educated. They feel as though they got screwed. Because they did. So, they go to the ballot box looking for someone to blame. In this case, Dems took the hit. Did they deserve all the blame? Definitely not. Not even the majority of the blame. But they were gutless while corporations ran roughshod over our state. Losing big was the result.

If I had to blame one person? I’d blame Bill Clinton. But it isn’t that easy. The problems began in the late 70s. Then Iowa faced amazing struggles in the 80s, before Clinton was even on the national scene. It wasn’t one thing or one person that got us here, and it will not be one person or one thing that fixes everything.

Don’t tell that to the GOP, though. They are great at casting blame. Whose fault is this? Gays, trans folks, people of color, immigrants, non-Christians, women getting abortions, welfare moms, teacher’s unions, etc. There is ample anger out there, and instead of focusing that anger on Chuck Grassley (who has overseen this shit show) they focus their anger on vulnerable minorities. It is evil, but effective.

The two Obama elections gave us a momentary reprieve from this slide. Why? An incredible candidate with a message of hope following a lackluster and corrupt Bush II administration. But then the House and Senate (including Grassley) decided to sabotage Obama at the expense of the American people. Obama could not deliver as much as people needed, let alone hoped for. This led to even greater anger.

Let’s stop talking politics and look at demographics. Look at the populations of these micropolitan areas since 1960. Most have lost people. If they have not lost population, it is only because of immigration, which many old timers resent. Talk to someone who has moved to the fast-growing cities or suburbs in Iowa. Everyone who lives in Tiffin is originally from Sigourney, or Mount Pleasant, or Oelwein, or Montezuma. You get the idea. Iowa is not growing as a state; people are simply moving from certain parts of Iowa to other parts where greater opportunities exist.

Iowa’s micropolitan areas used to reliably vote 60% Democrat. They now vote 60% Republican. Do the math: 30,000 voters in these counties. 18,000 used to vote Democratic. Now 18,000 vote Republican. That is a 12,000 vote swing each place. Multiply that by the 10 micropolitan areas. That is a vote swing of 120,000 statewide. This is where 120,000 voters switched from Democrats to Republicans. That is the ballgame, folks! Grassley won by 150,000 votes. I just found you 120,000 of them!

It is not just the micropolitan areas, either. Counties like Dubuque, Scott, and Woodbury are not as Democratic as they used to be, either. It is pretty much the same formula, just in a more populous place.

Obviously, this did not change overnight. And it will not change back overnight. Structurally, every day we spend in this deep red status makes it harder to crawl back out of the hole we have dug.

But we will get there. Someday. Democrats just have to keep fighting for the people in this story. Do what is right. That is always the answer. Sooner or later, things will turn. I just hope we learn some lessons along the way.

*DID YOU KNOW? The annual tradition (which I detest) of a “Presidential Pardon" for a turkey began under President Reagan.

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.

These messages come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the whole Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise mentioned.

If you do NOT want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan29@gmail.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.

As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan29@gmail.com. I look forward to serving you!

November 8, 2023

I am terribly sad to report the death of Lora Shramek, longtime Johnson County Human Resources Director. Lora had been with Johnson County over 25 years; in fact, she was the only HR Director Johnson County ever had!

Lora was a Johnson County girl through and through, having been born, raised, and lived most of her adult life in Monroe Township west of Swisher. Lora was smart, hardworking, and really cared about Johnson County employees.

Lora treated every nickel of taxpayer money as though it was her own; I’d love to see more of that! She will be deeply missed by everyone at Johnson County. My prayers to her family and all who loved her. RIP, Lora.

School and municipal elections are in the books. Let’s chat about some of the results:

In a very unusual circumstance, the Swisher and Shueyville areas led the way in terms of turnout. That was driven by a large College Community School District Bond referendum, which was one of the few in Eastern Iowa to pass.

In the ICCSD elections, the incumbents plus one (Lisa Williams, Molly Abraham, Mitch Lingo, and Charlie Eastham) easily defeated a right-wing slate of three, defeating them by margins of greater than 85-15. Way to go, ICCSD! We needed to make a statement, and we did!

In the Iowa City Council elections, there was no such clear message. It was a strange election, with many people splitting ballots in different ways. In the end, Andrew Dunn won in District C, Laura Bergus won in District A, and Mazahir Salih and Josh Moe won At Large.

There were two noticeable upsets: In Solon, it appears longtime Mayor Steve Stange was defeated by Councilor Dan O’Neil. In Tiffin, longtime Mayor Steve Berner was defeated by newcomer Tim Kasparek. It will be interesting to hear what moved voters in each of these communities.

Happy Veterans Day on November 11. Thanks to all the men and women who have served our country. I appreciate your service, and wish you peace.

Veterans For Peace invites you to join them to reclaim the spirit of the Armistice and welcome honored guest and Nobel Peace Prize nominee David Swanson on Saturday, November 11. They will gather at 10:30 AM at the Weatherdance Fountain Stage on the Iowa City Ped Mall.

Bugler Roscoe Porch will sound Assembly prior to the start, and sound Taps after the bell ringing at 11:00. Then Swanson will talk about how "The World Needs an Armistice Day.” Refreshments and pizza immediately following at the Iowa City Public Library where Swanson will deliver his main address: "A Global Monroe Doctrine Needs a Global Armistice." This event is free and open to the public.

I am going to share a little story. I was at a good friend’s business the other day, standing in the parking lot talking, when a guy runs up and says, “Call 911! The guy in the bus stop is barely breathing!” So my buddy and I run over to the bus stop. I get about 3 feet away from the guy and I am shouting, “Hey! Can you hear me? Can you respond?” He didn’t say anything, although his eyes opened momentarily. I agreed with the first man; this guy’s breathing was shallow. So my buddy called 911.

An ambulance arrived so quickly it was amazing; probably one minute, tops. A fire truck followed literally only another minute later, and police arrived within 5 minutes. When this guy (we will call him Peter) heard the ambulance sirens, he got very agitated. He stood up, although he was pretty wobbly. I could tell that he had soiled the shorts he was wearing.

Peter ran up to the Ambulance (it was only a few steps) and started screaming “F You!” at the top of his lungs and slapped the window. The Ambulance crew kept their windows rolled up, and a police officer approached Peter. Peter started screaming, “I am a F_ing veteran! I am a F_ing veteran!” The officer did a great job of deescalating Peter (CIT at work!) and got him to sit in the bus shelter.

I approached the ambulance, and since I didn’t recognize either person, I introduced myself. They told me they see Peter all the time – that is how they know his name. They said he gets hospitalized frequently. Meanwhile, the officer offered to ride in the back of the ambulance with Peter. Peter just sat there, muttering, “I am a f_ing veteran!”

By now, I had spent 15 minutes watching this, and I needed to get to an appointment. So I said goodbye to my friend and left. I don’t know what happened to Peter.

So, the next day, I spoke to Gary Boseneiler, Veteran’s Affairs Director for Johnson County. I mentioned Peter, and asked if Gary knew of him. Gary not only knew of him, but has met with Peter many times. According to Gary, Peter is calm and respectful when he visits Gary’s office. And yes, Peter is a veteran of the US Armed Services.

We talk a lot about how few of our soldiers die in war nowadays. The US has lost 7036 soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan over the 20 years of those wars. While 7000 people strikes me as an unthinkable loss of life, that compares quite favorably to the 60,000 lost in 11 years of Viet Nam. But counting deaths does not give us the true cost of war. Unfortunately, all wars seem to lead to many additional casualties.

That is correct. Casualties are NOT just deaths. Casualties include any person who is killed, wounded, imprisoned, or missing as a result of war. And the human costs of our never-ending wars include many broken men and women. People like Peter. People who signed up to serve. He didn’t do this to himself. WE did this to him. WE made him do this. This is OUR fault as a Country. We own this.

As I said, 7035 soldiers have died in our long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the number of veterans who died by suicide in 2018 was 6,435. Our veterans are bringing the wars home.

Let’s get our veterans the help they need. And let’s quit sending American soldiers abroad to come back as casualties of war.

You just read the story of “Peter.” It ran just 16 months ago. Johnson County Veteran’s Affairs Director Gary Boseneiler caught me in the hallway the other day. Gary informed me that Peter is dead. He was 38 – I would have guessed him to be at least 15 years older.

Like too many real-life stories, there is no happy ending here. As I said above, let’s get our veterans the help they need. And let’s quit sending American soldiers abroad to come back as casualties of war.

*DID YOU KNOW? World War I officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. However, the fighting ended about seven months before that when the Allies and Germany put into effect an armistice on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

For that reason, Nov. 11, 1918, was largely considered the end of “the war to end all wars” and dubbed Armistice Day. In 1926, Congress officially recognized it as the end of the war, and in 1938, it became an official holiday, primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I.

But then World War II and the Korean War happened, so on June 1, 1954, at the urging of veterans service organizations, Congress amended the commemoration yet again by changing the word “armistice” to “veterans” so the day would honor American veterans of all wars.

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.

These messages come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the whole Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise mentioned.

If you do NOT want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan29@gmail.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.

As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan29@gmail.com. I look forward to serving you!

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