SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
May 6, 2025
Sullivan’s Salvos 5/8/25
In this edition:
*RIP Doug Paul
*Happy Birthday Zuri!
*Happy Mother’s Day!
*NAMI Walk
*Hills Fire Breakfast
*Dems Hall of Fame Event
*Foster Care and Adoption Month
*Get a Free Energy Audit!
*Support for Progressive Taxation
*Did You Know?
*RIP Doug Paul
I was sad to hear about the passing of Doug Paul. Doug was the founder of Zaps Learning Corporation and Buckle Down Publishing Company, and his companies played an important part in our local economy for many years.
I liked Doug a lot; I could also see why others found him frustrating! He was an outside-of-the-box thinker, and sometimes drove local governments crazy. Sometimes local governments are crafting policy, then get to a certain point and say, “We can probably stop. No one is going to do this. It doesn’t make economic sense.” Cue Doug Paul! His wind turbine, Harvest Preserve, his Budha statue… all things that local governments did not think anyone would do, primarily because they did not make economic sense. But conventional economic thinking is not what drove Doug. And that was refreshing.
RIP, Doug! You were one-of-a-kind!
*Happy Birthday Zuri!
May 10th marks the 8th birthday of Ms. Zuri Foote, our first grandchild! I can honestly say that being a grandfather is the best gig I have ever had! And Zuri makes it easy! She is sweet, kind, fun, and smart!
I found the following stats about grandparents today. I would have to say that I am in the majority in every category:
72% think being a grandparent is the single most important and satisfying thing in their life.
63% say they can do a better job caring for grandchildren than they did with their own kids.
68% think being a grandparent brings them closer to their adult children.
90% enjoy talking about their grandkids to just about everyone.
Happy Birthday, Zuri! Papa loves you!
*Happy Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 11. I know that this is a difficult day for many people, and I want to respect that. Yet I feel the need to talk about some special people in my life.
I want to wish a particularly Happy Mother’s Day to my Mom, Susan Sullivan Smith, and my wife, Melissa Fath. One is a birth mom, one is a foster and adoptive mom – both are amazing people who have touched many lives.
I sometimes wish people could actually see how amazing Melissa is. We’ve had over 50 foster children over the years, and she has never missed a beat. Melissa has done all that parenting, while at the same time doing full time cancer research. She is truly incredible!
Ten years ago at this time, I was afraid I might lose her. Melissa was fighting cancer, and we did not know exactly what to expect. Thank God things went well, and this incredible Mom is still with us today!
I hope all the moms out there have a wonderful day! You deserve it! Thanks for all you do!
*NAMI Walk
The annual NAMI Walk is Saturday in Iowa City. I am proud of the fact that I have attended all but two of the NAMI Walks. (Two of the 4 years my daughter ran at the Drake Relays the two events conflicted.) The NAMI Walk is an opportunity to really demonstrate community support for people with mental illnesses and those who love them. I hope you will join me on Saturday, May 10 at Terry Trueblood!
*Hills Fire Breakfast
The Hills Fire Department is holding its annual fundraising breakfast Sunday, May 11 at the Hills Community Center. These are all important fundraising events. But this one has cinnamon rolls! Please support them if you can.
*Dems Hall of Fame Event
The Johnson County Democratic Party is holding our Annual Hall of Fame Awards on Saturday, May 10 at 7pm at the Radisson in Coralville. 2025 marks the 15th consecutive year that the Johnson County Democratic Party has held a separate Hall of Fame event.
Please join us for coffee, desserts, and plenty of old war stories! A cash bar will be available.
The Hall of Fame inductees for 2025 are: Roger Mills, Peter Hansen, Paul Deaton, and Bill Gerhard. We hope you can join us in recognizing this remarkable group!
Tickets are available for a $50 suggested donation. People who cannot afford that amount should still feel welcome. Sponsorships are available.
*Foster Care and Adoption Month
May marks National Foster Care and Adoption Month. As many of you know, Melissa and I have 3 adopted adult children, and served as foster parents for another 50 + children. We surrendered our license a few years ago after 20+ years.
Unfortunately, the need did not go away. In fact, it may be greater than ever. Even if you do not feel you can serve as a foster parent, help us to recruit others. We need families!
You can learn more by visiting Four Oaks Family Connections at: https://iowafosterandadoption.org.
*Get a Free Energy Audit!
Residents in Johnson County, including the unincorporated area and smaller towns, can reduce home energy use, increase indoor comfort and save money on energy bills by scheduling a no-cost home energy audit with Green Iowa AmeriCorps. The program is open to those who own houses or apartments, and renters can participate by getting permission from their landlord.
The audit assesses how much energy a home uses and identifies steps to improve energy efficiency. There is no fee for the service, and the audit team can work around residents’ schedules for the home visit.
The audit provides a roadmap for realizing the three C’s of weatherization: comfort (indoor air), cost reduction and conservation of energy. The audit blower door test, which measures air infiltration, may not be feasible to do in apartments; however, the audit is useful to identify areas where air may be leaking in or out of the home.
To sign up for a free audit, access the application form at https://forms.gle/kkwoQBRaY9rPZvX6Aor call the team at 319-339-5399.
This offering is thanks to a partnership between the City of Iowa City, its Green Iowa AmeriCorps Team and Johnson County
*Support for Progressive Taxation
The Board of Supervisors recently passed a proclamation in support of progressive taxation. It read as follows:
Whereas, wealth inequality is one of the primary problems facing the U.S. and the world today; and
Whereas, in 2022, 735 billionaires (about the population of Shueyville) collectively possessed more wealth than the bottom half of U.S. households - accounting for 180 million people; and
Whereas, under other types of taxation, the poor pay a much higher percentage of their income in taxes than do the rich; and
Whereas, progressive taxation improves spending power for the vast majority of the people, and therefore, the overall economy; and
Whereas, progressive taxation is more stable, and encourages economic mobility; and
Whereas, taxation funds public sector universal benefits such as schools, fire, and parks; and
Whereas, civilization makes wealth possible, so greater benefit from that civilization equals greater duty to that civilization.
Now, therefore, be it resolved that we, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, do hereby proclaim our Support for Progressive Taxation
in Johnson County and call upon Federal, State, and Local governments to prioritize the use of progressive systems of taxation whenever possible, and to work to expand the options for progressive taxation available to governments at all levels.
We had four locals share their thoughts – Peter Fisher, Mike Owen, Peter Hansen, and Gary Sanders. Fisher offered some basic numbers. Owen noted that Republicans are trying to pass a Constitutional Amendment to make raising the income tax virtually impossible! Hansen noted that he and his wife both have pensions, both have Social Security, and despite earning a combined $100,000, pay no income tax! Sanders noted the strong opposition that existed to both the New Deal and Great Society programs that greatly improved the US. Some other things I would note:
Billionaires have amassed these billions while benefitting from our airwaves, air traffic control, internet, roads, bridges, NASA, public schools, universities, banking system, and stock market; all protected by the legal system, police, fire, and national defense.
Here are just a few examples of things we could do with a more progressive system of taxation:
· $280 billion would pay for childcare for every child aged 0-4 in the US. Musk alone could pay for this and have $70 billion left.
· $120 billion would cover the annual cost of SNAP (food stamps) in the US. Musk alone could pay for that program for 3 years and still have a couple billion left.
· $67 billion would cover the annual cost of low-income housing vouchers in the US. Musk alone could pay for this for 4 years and still have $70 billion left.
Meanwhile, think how much our taxes could go down! Because as it stands, *we* pay for these programs. We simply must stop the march of the oligarchy!
*DID YOU KNOW? More phone calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year.
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.
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As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan29@gmail.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 8:05 AM
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