SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
July 30, 2024
Sullivan’s Salvos 8/1/24
In this edition:
*Happy Anniversary!
*Thank You Auditor Weipert!
*Thank You Johnson County IT!
*Thank You ICCSD!
*I Don’t Want Your App!
*August Leases
*What Can I Do?
*Wage Theft
*Did You Know?
*Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary on August 1 to my wonderful wife, Dr. Melissa Fath. I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I know I got a great deal here! Melissa is the best wife and mother a person could ever hope for!
Happy Anniversary, Honey! It has been a great ride! I hope we celebrate many more!
*Thank You Auditor Weipert!
Johnson County Auditor Travis Weipert announced his resignation on July 25, effective immediately. Travis was first elected in 2012, and served almost 12 years in office. I appreciate Auditor Weipert’s public service, and I wish him well in whatever comes next.
Meanwhile, Chief Deputy Auditor Chris Edwards is the acting Auditor as of now. The Board of Supervisors will make a formal appointment as soon as possible. The person who is appointed will serve until the canvass of votes, somewhere in the neighborhood of ten days after the election.
The process for replacing Travis is pretty simple, given the timing. He has asked that his name be removed from the ballot, and that has happened. Meanwhile, Libertarians, Republicans, and Democrats have just a few weeks in which to hold a convention and pick nominees. The winners at convention appear on the November ballot, and the winner can take office following the certification of the canvass of votes in mid-November.
*Thank You Johnson County IT!
At 12 am on Friday, July 19, one of the biggest Information Technology (IT) disasters in world history struck.
CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. is an American cybersecurity technology company based in Austin, Texas. It provides cloud workload protection and endpoint security, threat intelligence, and cyberattack response services. On July 19, and update crashed computers around the globe.
Johnson County was affected. Not 911 services, thankfully – but almost everything else. And our IT Department came through with flying colors!
Johnson County IT Director Bill Horning called me at 3:18 am. He was calling in staff, and they were putting all hands on deck. And sure enough, by about noon, most of Johnson County was back online.
I really appreciate the sense of duty, the hard work, and the technical skills of our IT Department. Thank you all!
*Thank You ICCSD!
Speaking of technology… The Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) is seeking input as they consider new policies on the use of cell phones, technology and AI at school.
Kudos! This will not be an easy discussion, and I can tell you right now that it will make people angry whatever they do. But it is a discussion that needs to happen. Thank you, ICCSD!
*I Don’t Want Your App!
Speaking of technology yet again… I know that sometimes my Salvos sounds a lot like Andy Rooney. But here I go again!
Can I just say that I do not want your app? I don’t care what it is for. I don’t want an app for the grocery store or gas station. I don’t want an app to read documents; just send me something in a format I can already read. I don’t want an app to track my driving or sleep or spending. I don’t want an app to send messages; I already have 5. I certainly do not want an app to buy concert tickets, plane tickets, game tickets, or any other tickets. I don’t want an app for anything. And more than any other, I do not want an app to organize my god damned apps!
Now get off of my lawn! Andy Griffith is on!
*August Leases
The August leases have begun, and people are pouring into our community. There are now lots of drivers, bikers, and pedestrians who are not completely certain where they are headed.
Please allow a little more time and a little more space. The newbies will figure things out in due time!
*What Can I Do?
Most of my conversations with Democrats over the past few weeks find people sharing deep concerns. They aren’t sure what is going to happen, and they aren’t sure what to do about it. I get it; I often feel the same way.
As for the “What can I do?” question? I actually have an answer. It may be unsatisfying, but I do know the answer. The answer? Work hard.
Let’s face it – none of us has much control over Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, or anything else. And it can make a person feel very powerless. What can we do? We control what we can. And one thing we can control is how hard we work.
Knock doors. Make phone calls. Write postcards. Write a letter to the editor. March in a parade. Make food for campaign staff and volunteers. Babysit for a person who plans on doing the aforementioned things. Donate money. Do something to help the cause.
A couple more thoughts… I have played a lot of sports in my life. Started as a little kid, and didn’t stop until I was about 40. Over that span, I played on some really good teams, and I played on a few really terrible teams. What advice would I give someone on a really good team? Work hard. Do your best. Have fun. What advice would I give someone on a really bad team? Work hard. Do your best. Have fun.
One more thought… There is an old Buddhist proverb that can also apply here. A student asked the Buddha, “What do I need to do to reach enlightenment?” The Buddha answered, “Chop wood and carry water.” The student then asked the Buddha, “What does one do once you reach enlightenment?” The Buddha answered, “Chop wood and carry water.”
What does this mean? There is really only one answer to the question, “What can I do?” And it never changes. Just work hard, do your best, and try to stay positive.
*Wage Theft
Americans are quite divided as of late, but one thing most of us seem to agree upon is that people who commit the same crime ought to get a similar punishment. Seems fair, right? Unfortunately, that does not happen in Iowa when we are talking about wage theft.
Everyone can imagine a situation where an employee steals from their employer. If they get caught, they get fired, they have to pay back the money, they get charged with a crime, and they have a record. It is serious, and it gets treated seriously.
But what happens when the employer steals from the employee? What happens when they simply refuse to pay? The answer? Usually nothing. Even if they “get caught,” they are never charged with a crime. Nothing goes on their record. There are no fines. And they rarely pay up.
What happens when a boss steals from an employee and the employee calls the cops? They show up, listen patiently, and tell the employee – the victim – they have to leave or be charged with trespassing. Literally nothing happens to the thief.
That is correct – if the employee steals from the boss, our system jumps in to make it right. If the boss steals from the employee, we look the other way.
Common Good Iowa did a great job of laying all this out in their October 2022 report entitled A Heist in Plain Sight: Wage Theft in Iowa. According to Common Good Iowa, over $900 MILLION dollars is stolen from Iowa’s employees every year. Let me say that again - over $900 MILLION dollars is stolen from Iowa’s employees every year. This affects 250,000 Iowans, or about 1 in 7 Iowa workers.
This affects you even if you are not personally a victim. Wage theft in Iowa costs over $190 Million in lost revenue to federal, state, and local governments. Yet Governor Reynolds and Republicans in the Iowa Legislature are making it even harder for victims to get justice.
Already, only $2 of every $1000 gets collected. Why? The State of Iowa only employs two wage claim investigators in a state with one million workers. And those two work for a Governor who wants them to do nothing. Wage theft is so prevalent in Iowa that it is equal to ten times all other thefts combined!
As you might imagine, wage theft is most common in our lowest-paid occupations. Food service, hospitality, personal care, childcare, and some construction jobs are all big areas of theft. The theft is also more common from immigrants, people with language barriers, and people with disabilities.
Wage theft is a huge problem in Iowa. So what can you do? Several things!
First, you can support the Center for Worker Justice (CWJ), who often advocates in these cases locally. The CWJ needs money and volunteers.
Secondly, let your State Representative, State Senator, and Governor know that you expect them to do something about wage theft in Iowa! Write letters to local papers, and put things on social media.
Finally, give your time, money, and votes to people who are working to improve the system. Local officials have some ability to move the needle here. Hold them accountable!
*DID YOU KNOW? The total wage theft in the US is greater than $50 billion per year in the US.
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 @ 5:46 PM
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