SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
November 1, 2023
Sullivan’s Salvos 11/7/23
In this edition:
*Happy Birthday Rachel!
*RIP Polly Porter
*Iowa City Council Endorsements
*Our “Most Vulnerable”
*Did You Know?
*Happy Birthday Rachel!
Happy Birthday to my oldest daughter Rachel, who turns 32 on the 6th! I love you, Ray!
*RIP Polly Porter
I was so sad to hear of the passing of my longtime friend and coworker Polly Porter. Polly was truly one of the most gentle, kind, caring, nonjudgmental people I have ever met. We worked together at The Arc of Johnson County (now The Arc of SE Iowa) where Polly developed incredibly deep and meaningful relationships with both the people we served and their loved ones. Everybody loved Polly, and for good reason. Polly then spent some time as a case manager at Johnson County MH/DS, so we were briefly reunited at work a second time.
We were not just coworkers, but friends. I grew to love Polly’s husband Jim, and Polly’s children babysat my kids. (There is a funny story there, too!) The Porters are quite simply some of the best people I have ever known, and that flows straight from Polly.
My heart breaks for the Porter family. RIP, Polly. I will miss you.
*Iowa City Council Endorsements
I have written at length about the ICCSD elections. Now it is time to address the upcoming Iowa City Council elections.
Iowa City is a progressive city. IC voted about 75% for Joe Biden, and that does not include some Green and Socialist votes. Suffice to say, Iowa Citians want progressive representation. But what does that mean?
I have deep roots in the organized labor movement. In my mind, labor has been central to virtually every progressive step the US has ever taken. Economic justice simply must be central to any progressive movement.
But what about other progressive issues?
Women’s issues? Harriot Stanton Blach, Emma Goldman, Mother Jones, Clara Lemlich, Frances Perkins, and many more feminists were labor at their core.
Environmental justice? Labor was critical in passing the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and many other environmental regulations.
African American issues? MLK, A. Phillip Randolph, Bayard Rustin, and John Lewis, just to name a few.
Latina/Latino issues? Dolores Huerta, Cesar Chavez, and Luisa Moreno are just a few who come from a labor background.
LGBTQ+ issues? Frank Kameny, Bayard Rustin, Harvey Milk, Joni Christian, and many more were labor activists.
Organized labor has given us child labor laws, 40-hour weeks, weekends, overtime, vacations, the minimum wage, sick leave, parental leave, OSHA, employment nondiscrimination, pensions, Social Security, health insurance, and so much more. That is a pretty damn progressive list of accomplishments!
So when organized labor feels strongly about candidates, I think “progressive” Iowa City should listen. The Iowa City Federation of Labor has endorsed Pauline Taylor in District A, Andrew Dunn in District C, and Mazahir Salih and Josh Moe for the two At-Large seats. I think voters should listen to the workers who made these endorsements.
AFSCME is embroiled in some tangles with the Iowa City Council. A progressive council would commit to working this out, but the City of Iowa City is dragging its feet. The endorsed candidates have all agreed to commit the City to working on solutions with AFSCME. The unendorsed candidates refuse to do so.
Want a truly progressive council? Then they MUST be pro-labor! Please vote for the labor-endorsed candidates between now and election day.
*Our “Most Vulnerable”
When I first decided to run for County Supervisor (a long time ago) I knew that my campaign was going to be aimed at doing more for our most vulnerable residents. Looking back 19 years, I feel as though I have done a pretty good job of that. But it does beg the question: who, in fact, are the “most vulnerable” among us?
As you might imagine, I have some opinions on this. This is also not the first time I have had this discussion. I took a few classes toward a Master’s in Social Work back in the late 80s. And while I did not come away with an MSW, I do recall an interesting discussion over who is “most vulnerable.”
Many of us are familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Using that as a starting point, what does a human need to live? Air, for starters. You can only go a couple minutes without that. You will need water within a couple days, and food within a couple weeks. Shelter? Yes, especially depending upon the temperature where you are at. So clearly people who cannot access these things are very vulnerable.
Why even bring this up, you might ask. Do we really want to pit one vulnerable group against another? That is a very fair point. I guess my argument breaks down into three parts:
First, the phrase the “most vulnerable among us,” has been overused to the point that it has lost some meaning. We need to remind people of the many different ways in which someone can be vulnerable.
Secondly, some people are using the phrase specifically to exclude others. The idea is that if they can define “most vulnerable” upfront, they can control the narrative.
Thirdly, it is not a bad thing for all of us to recognize that no matter what your condition, someone out there has it worse. Hopefully, by discussing the idea of “most vulnerable” we all open our eyes a bit.
I remember several years ago that Oprah Winfrey made some very large financial donations to support schools for girls in parts of Africa. Despite her donation being one of the largest single charitable donations ever, Winfrey came under some criticism. Why was she putting money into Africa when there are needs here in the US?
As you might imagine, Winfrey had a response. She said that she had hired several experts in philanthropy to help her analyze the situation and decide what she wanted to do with her money. When push came to shove, the needs in these parts of Africa far outpaced anything facing anyone in the US. When Winfrey viewed it through this lens, she felt she had no other choice.
We had some interesting conversations on the topic of “most vulnerable” when I served as the Executive Director of The Arc. There were people we served who were completely dependent upon machines and/or other people. They needed help drinking, eating, toileting… even breathing. These folks were obviously very vulnerable.
On the other hand, one such person (we will call him Bob) came from a very wealthy family who was very dedicated to his care. They had all the right equipment, well-paid help, and lots of family support. Did this situation make Bob less vulnerable?
Take it a step further. Is a person with much greater physical capabilities than Bob potentially more vulnerable if he lives outside? Is having money a key factor? What about a woman who lives in a luxurious home but fears that her husband might hurt her? Money is not saving her. How do we measure vulnerability then?
Melissa and I went on a mission trip to Haiti. Our experiences there mirrored those of Oprah Winfrey. A person who is vulnerable in the US is probably better off than most people in Haiti, period. A person like Bob in Haiti? Those folks simply die.
Vulnerability can take many forms. Physical health, mental health, relationships, finances, physical location – there are a lot of variables. Suffice to say, there are far too many vulnerable people in our society. We can and must do much better.
So, 19 years after running on the idea of helping the most vulnerable among us, here I am, still working at it. Our work goes on for all vulnerable people, regardless of who we might feel is the “most vulnerable.”
*DID YOU KNOW? November’s name has remained unchanged since the ancient Roman calendar, which was in use until 45 BC. This first Roman calendar was only made up of ten months, with November being the ninth month. November translates rather appropriately into “ninth month” in Latin. When the Julian calendar was adopted in 45 BC, two new months were added, which pushed November back to the 11th month. Despite its change in position, November was never renamed.
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 1:05 PM
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