From progressive Johnson County Supervisor Rod Sullivan who wrote in "Sullivan Salvos"--which are his views and do not represent the JC BOS:"The Legislative session has come to an end. One can argue that it wasthe best session of my lifetime! Of course, this is the first time in my lifetime the Democratic Party has controlled all three branches of State government. The list of accomplishments from 2007 is really tremendous!
1. Passing Civil Rights protections for gays and lesbians.
2. Reforming election laws to allow Election Day Registration.
3. Raising the state's minimum wage.
4. Lifting restrictions on stem-cell research.
5. Expanding access to affordable health care for all Iowans.
6. Increasing teacher pay to at least 25th in the nation.
7. Boosting basic school funding, expanding the early childhood efforts, and making higher education more affordable.
8. Passing the Safe Schools initiative.
9. Cracking down on car-title loans and other predatory lenders.
10. Raising the tobacco tax and discouraging smoking.
These are great accomplishments, and Democrats deserve praise for this outstanding work! Democrats finally set the agenda, and get full credit forthe list above.
Yes, there are a few black eyes, and they are significant: the flag desecration legislation is an embarrassment, and labor issues were a major disappointment. I had hoped that the ill-conceived 2000-foot rule would be repealed. Mental Health parity is still very limited. Failing to takeCongrats and thanks to Johnson County House members Mary Mascher, Vicki Lensing, Dave Jacoby, and up Voter Owned Iowa Clean Elections (VOICE) was a missed opportunity. More should have been done on the environment. The session was very good, but it SHOULD be very good. We (the voters) gave the Legislature the makeup they wanted and needed. Luckily, we got several major issues out of the way in 2007. Hopefully we can make progress on the things left undone in 2008. It is very doubtful, though we are now in an election year. And little happens in election years. Still, we had the best session Iowa has seen since 1965. The session will have long lasting positive effects. Ever since I first got involved in politics, people have spoken of Harold Hughes and 1965. I think 2007 may endup being viewed in the same light. So 2007 is historic! Ro Foege, and Senators Bob Dvorsky, Joe Bolkcom, and Becky Schmitz!"
Thanks Rod--and thank you for helping to get a county human rights ordinance passed under your watch!
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