April 8, 2011, 8:15 a.m.
Great Entertainment, Important Lessons
Iowa City, designated by the United Nations as one of the Planet's three "Cities of Literature," is host to arts resources that are broad and deep and go well beyond "literature."
Among Iowa City's many quality manifestations of "the arts" is theater -- the University's MFA program, the community's theater venues, the entrepreneurs who keep them open, the actors, directors, producers, and the audiences that support the effort.
And, oh yes, the playwrights.
And among the playwrights who reside here, or have passed through Iowa City and its University, none is better than our own Janet Schlapkohl, who is, among many other things, the creator and 12-cylinder engine driving Combined Efforts.
The author of last summer's "Love At the County Fair," Ms. Schlapkohl has done it again with "triangle," now playing at University Theatre's Theater B, Thursday through Sunday: April 7, 8, 9 (at 8:00 p.m.), and 10 (at 2:00 p.m.). Tickets at the door. ("University Theatre" is what's known to Iowa City's old timers as "Mabie," down by the River.) Eric Hawkinson, "UI presents play on Triangle Shirtwaist fire," The Daily Iowan, April 7, 2011, p. A2.
The play is well written, acted, and directed, and very much worth attending just as entertainment and high class theater. The story is told from three perspectives: the young immigrant women, a group of Vassar students, and a woman of color -- eight women actors playing 18 roles. This is unique but what adds to the mix is the bonds of friendship that develop both within and between the individuals and groups.
But it is so much more; something every Iowan can learn from -- especially those not old enough to have lived through 20th Century history.
Photo credit: Cornell University (see link, below).
"triangle," as you may have guessed, is shorthand for the "Triangle Shirtwaist Factory" and the fire of March 25, 1911, 100 years ago this year, in which 146 workers died, most of whom were young immigrant women in their teens and twenties.
The workers' efforts to unionize having been beaten back, management, among its many other oppressive practices, kept the doors locked. Because the factory was on the eighth, ninth and tenth floors of a Manhattan building, the workers were some three stories above the highest ladders available to the New York fire fighters.
Confronting the prospect of being cremated alive, many chose to leap to their death. Photo credit: Wikipedia; "Bodies of the victims being placed in coffins on the sidewalk."
If you are unfamiliar with the details, there are many sources, including Cornell University's "Remembering the Triangle Factory Fire; 1911 -- 100 Years Later -- 2011," and Wikipedia's "Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire."
When the "company's owners, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, were indicted on charges of first and second degree manslaughter . . . Max Steuer, counsel for the defendants, managed to destroy the credibility of one of the survivors, Kate Alterman, by asking her to repeat her testimony a number of times [and then] argued to the jury that Alterman . . . had memorized [her] statements, and might even have been told what to say by the prosecutors. . . . [T]he two men . . . lost a subsequent civil suit in 1913 in which plaintiffs won compensation in the amount of $75 per deceased victim. The insurance company paid Blanck and Harris about $60,000 more than the reported losses, or about $400 per casualty. In 1913, Blanck was once again arrested for locking the door in his factory during working hours. He was fined $20." Ibid.
Sports Law necessarily includes some references to labor law (indeed, it plays a role in the current conflict between the NFL owners and players). As I was teaching the course this semester, it became obvious to me that the students, most of whom were born in the late 1980s and '90s, knew little of our country's labor history. A show of hands make clear that virtually none of them had ever either belonged to unions or had parents who did. And what they did know, through no fault of their own, had probably been disproportionately shaped by the rhetoric and politics of the last three decades, designed to disparage the value of unions and curtail workers' abilities to organize and enjoy their benefits.
We couldn't spend a lot of time on labor history in a Sports Law class, but we spent enough to give them some sense of the relationship between the union movement and the creation of the middle class, with laws regarding minimum wages, maximum hours, child labor, and workplace safety -- with the story of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire playing a significant role in the latter.
Sadly, the problems remain. Having essentially decimated unions in the private sector, corporate and government munitions are now aimed at the members of public sector workers' unions.
This is not helping Iowa, Iowans, and our economy; it is hurting all of the above. That's why it is incumbent upon all of us to understand more about the union movement and why it is important to our current efforts at economic recovery today, and continued economic growth tomorrow. It's important for our students and future generations to understand. But it can't be grasped from hard copy books and professorial lectures alone. It has to be felt to be understood. "triangle" can help us achieve that understanding.
Workplace safety has improved in some ways in the years since the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. But the unavoidable conflict remains for the corporate managers in a capitalist economy: every dollar spent on worker safety is a dollar no longer available for executive bonuses or shareholders' dividends. During the last year we've seen the results in lost lives on BP's offshore drilling rig, and in the depths of Massey's coal mines, among thousands of other workplace deaths.
Sadly, we also had a death of a worker at my law school, as I wrote in the Press-Citizen around Labor Day in an effort to put that death in context:
Honor Workers Every Day
Nicholas Johnson
Iowa City Press-Citizen
September 6, 2010 p. A7
[embedded in blog entry, "Labor Day: Honor Workers Every Day," September 6, 2010.]
On Wednesday, Tom Fosdick died from injuries sustained Monday, when he fell while replacing Boyd Law Building windows.
On Tuesday, President Obama reported to the American people that we are, at last, out of Iraq -- albeit leaving 50,000 troops, uncounted mercenaries and contract employees.
In the course of his speech, he paid honor to the "over 4,400 Americans who have given their lives in Iraq."
It is appropriate that he do so. Those who put their lives at risk in the streets and sands of Iraq, and made the ultimate sacrifice, certainly are entitled to our respect and honor.
But there are another "over 4,000" American workers who also have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. They, too, are entitled to our respect and honor.
Fosdick has joined their number.
In 2006, there were 5,865 workplace deaths. In 2009, there were 4,340. Apparently a benefit from millions of unemployed is that if they don't have a workplace they're much less likely to be killed in one. Even one year's 4,340 dead workers is the rough equivalent of seven years' dead in Iraq. And 5,865 is more than twice the 2,752 killed on Sept. 11.
Moreover, add in the number of workplace non-fatal injuries and diseases and the number in 2008 was more like 3.7 million.
These are the men and women who build and maintain what our military is defending, and the rest of us take for granted. They are the ones who have done the sometimes literally backbreaking work, who risk injury, disease and death on a daily basis. They built the high-rise office buildings and condos, the highways and bridges, hospitals and schools, the networks of power lines and natural gas pipelines. Three of them died building our Hancher Auditorium. Now another has died refurbishing our law school.
Their ancestors built the canals and railroads that spanned our continent. They now maintain those railroads and subways. They sweat in 100-degree heat in the foundries that produce our tractors.
They construct the wind farms, cell phone towers, and radio and TV towers (and then have to climb them to change the little red light bulb on top) -- including the 11 workers who constructed the 2,063-foot antenna tower in North Dakota for KVLY-TV.
Fortunately, none of those 11 died. The 11 on the BP offshore oil rig did. And so did the 29 coal miners working in an unsafe Massey mine a couple weeks earlier. We've yet to hear the fate of the 13 in last week's Gulf offshore oil rig explosion.
I find it hard to understand those in business and legislatures who sacrifice workplace safety for profits, do everything in their power to beat down unions, OSHA funding, project labor agreements, the right to a livable wage or even an increase in the minimum wage. How can they be mystified as to why Iowa's young folks leave the state for jobs in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois?
As someone who spends his days doing finger exercises on computer keyboards, I am in awe of what these men and women are able to do, and are willing to risk in the process. I stop to speak with them when I go into the law building.
But we don't introduce ourselves and certainly don't exchange business cards. So while I've met and visited with Fosdick's mother and brother, I don't know if Fosdick was ever among the workers with whom I visited, though I like to believe he was.
For me, the memory of Fosdick, the gift of his organs to others, will be something like the tomb of the unknown soldier at Arlington. Someone for whom I grieve, who symbolizes the others we will never know but should remember to recognize and honor every day.
# # #
Two years earlier I wrote in this blog, "How To (And Not To) Grow Iowa's Economy," January 27, 2008. Here is an excerpt:
. . . So how can we more effectively promote economic growth?
By providing the things that really do attract businesses -- as . . . a Genencor executive [stated as] reasons for coming to Cedar Rapids, "because of its geographic location in the center of the country and its proximity to the fuel ethanol and corn sweetener manufacturing sector."
The Register editorializes this morning, Editorial, "Make Quality of Life Iowa's Edge," Des Moines Register, Des Moines Register, January 27, 2008, p. OP1. Certainly, that's a valid suggestion.
But much of quality of life, and the things that attracted Genencor, are attractions of geography over which we do not have total control.
A far more universal attraction is the well educated workforce that is dependent on things which we can control.
Iowa has well educated community college and university graduates. Unfortunately, because they leave the state after receiving that education, they don't constitute a workforce and therefore aren't much of an attraction for business. Kyle Carson, "Young Iowans Do the Math on Salaries -- and Leave; Commission Urges Higher-Ed Tax Credit and Help With Repaying Student Loans," Des Moines Register, January 27, 2008, p. OP1; "Commission Members Weigh In On Worker Shortage," Des Moines Register, January 27, 2008, p. OP6.
For a lawyer, Kyle Carson cuts to the core of the answer with an unusual economy of words: "So what should Iowa do? Pay them more."
And just how bad is it? Consider the recent report on "affordable housing":
The report said about 13 percent of people in the study area work in industries with entry-level wages of less than $15,000 annually, and another 40 percent work in industries with entry-level wages between $15,000 and $20,000. Almost 30 percent of all households in the study area have incomes less than $25,000.
The analysis determined that to afford a median-priced home in the area -- $162,000 -- a household income would have to earn about $53,150 and and not have much additional debt. The study said only 389 units were sold in 2006 that were valued at $100,000 or less, equaling about 15 percent of the total transactions that year.
Kathryn Fiegen, "Study warns of housing shortfall; Area prices outpacing incomes," Iowa City Press-Citizen, January 24, 2008. (The study, prepared by Mullin & Lonergan Associates, Pittsburgh, was described by Fiegen as a "127-page, data-intense report.) That report was the basis for a meeting reported in the paper on Saturday: Rob Daniel, "Summit: Housing policy needed; Lack of affordable housing reaching all area sectors," Iowa City Press-Citizen, January 26, 2008, p. A3.
And how can Iowa "pay them more"?
When was the last time you heard a boss say, "I'm feeling guilty about exploiting you guys with these low wages, seeing your kids go hungry, and without health care or new shoes, so starting next Monday everybody gets a 50% wage hike." It's not likely to happen.
A single person, out of work and desperately needing a job, is not in a very strong bargaining position when confronting a potential employer in front of him -- with 700 people standing in line behind that job applicant, all equally anxious to win one of five new job positions.
That's why they invented unions and "collective bargaining." "For the union makes us strong," is the old union song lyric; at least strong enough to get something more than the minimum wage for long hours at backbreaking work in unsafe working conditions.
Without unions professionals wages are driven down to those of skilled trades people; wages for skilled tradespeople that should be at union levels are driven down to those of unskilled labor; unskilled labor get paid what the working poor earn elsewhere -- and those in every pay category leave Iowa.
That being the case, I find it remarkable that neither Kyle Carson nor any other member of the Commission -- nor for that matter the Governor, members of the legislature, media, education leaders -- seem willing to mention, even as an "option," the possibility of Iowa becoming a little more labor union friendly. Nowhere in today's stories does the word "union" even appear.
In researching an op ed four years ago I discovered that Iowa was then 43rd of the 50 U.S. states in wages; that our State's anti-union "right to work" laws put us in a minority of states that included the solid South: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina; that from 1950 until now, anti-union bashing has driven union membership nationally from 35 percent to 13 percent of the workforce, and even less in Iowa.
With corporate campaign contributions going to Democrats and Republicans alike, the disparity between the income of CEOs and hourly workers has gone from 42:1 in 1980 to 531:1 in 2000. Two million workers recently fired for the sake of profits and executive bonuses don’t even have that.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports 70 percent of its investigations involve things management knew, or ought to have known, would cause serious injury or death. Nearly 6000 workers a year are killed, more than 5 million injured.
Even the most minimal efforts to help the working class and working poor are successfully resisted by Iowa businesses and their legislative representatives, most recently the "fair share" proposal (that those who get the benefits of union negotiations, while refusing to join the union, should at least pay their "fair share" of the costs for those union activities from which they personally enjoy increased wages and benefits). I could not get our local school board to support a "project labor agreement" for its new school construction projects. Nicholas Johnson, "Make School Projects Labor-Friendly," Iowa City Press-Citizen, May 15, 2003, p. A11 (with an appended list of sources). And see State29, "Viva La Slave Labor, Child Labor," January 26, 2008.
A mere three days later [Jan. 30] and we find the following in The Daily Iowan:
Union membership rates were down in Iowa and 29 other states in 2007, according to a recent report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
. . .
[U]nion membership in Iowa is below the national average for a second-consecutive year.
Jennifer Sherer, a labor educator at the UI Labor Center, said . . .
"We're losing higher-paying jobs and gaining lower-paying jobs," . . ..
Sherer also attributed the low rates to employers who make it difficult for new unions to form by using threats and intimidation. The law protecting unionization has not been strongly enforced, she said.
"We need political changes to make it possible for people [to form new unions]," she said.
Ben Travers, "Union Membership Going Down in Iowa; Despite a Report Indicating That Union Membership is Up Across the Nation, the Percentage of Iowan Union Workers Continues to Drop," The Daily Iowan, January 30, 2008, p. A3.
Of course, Iowans and their governments have the political right to continue our anti-labor traditions and reputation. It's just that it's a little self-defeating and hypocritical to continue to do so while simultaneously complaining about the disappearance of the workforce needed to attract the businesses we think we need to promote genuine economic growth.
So while you are reflecting on the significance of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911 for the condition of labor in Iowa in 2011, here are a couple more pictures from Columbia University's collection:
_______________
Full disclosure: Although I have no personal financial or other involvement in this script or production, my wife, Mary Vasey, is on the board of Combined Efforts, our son was one of two directors of this play, and Mary and I did have roles in Ms. Schlapkohl's production of "Love at the County Fair."
February 21, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
"ONE world, ONE pain, ONE humanity, ONE hope!"
(bought to you by FromDC2Iowa.blogspot.com*)
This evening I want to share with you a message from Cairo that you need to see, but may not run across elsewhere.
It is from a young Egyptian engineer who does not precisely identify himself. He runs a WordPress blog he calls "Politirature." As he explains it, "Politirature is a word invented by Me, it’s the mix of Politics and Literature. Me is an Egyptian young man, engineering student & activist seeking freedom and fighting oppression everywhere." But he goes on to provide an email address (politirature@hotmail.com), and adds, "You can also follow me on Twitter: M_Nusair."
A couple days ago his blog entry was headed, "From Tahrir to Wisconsin." Here's what he wrote:
Dear activists, protesters & workers from Wisconsin, Ohio and other states,
I was truly touched by your hundreds of thoughts and comments on my photos from Tahrir holding that sign. I thank each and everyone of you, even those who thought the photos were shopped, but I have few things to say.
I’m an Egyptian ordinary young man, activist and Engineering student. I turned 21 years old last December, I love to read and write using both Arabic and English (although my English is kind of weak). and like other thousands, or even millions of Egyptians, I was very busy since Jan25 with our revolution in Tahrir square and all Egypt. we spent very hard days in that square waiting for death to come anytime from air or ground. anyway, what happened in Tahrir is not our subject now, everyone knows what happened there. the point is that I was too busy to know full details of what’s going on in other parts of the world. I knew that people protested in Wisconsin for their rights but didn’t know more details till Thursday, the 17th of February and it was by luck through a wall post of an American friend on Facebook, then I immediately began to search it and read more, then I decided to show support! decided to make the sign and take it with me to Tahrir next morning (Friday).
Many people thought it’s something extraordinary or something that stands out. but I really want to say that me, and many other people, were raised this way. were taught that all human beings are brothers and sisters, were taught that we live in ONE world and under the same sky, so I don’t see what I did as something “abnormal” or “super cool”.
again, as I told many of you, we are all human beings. we shouldn’t let borders and differences separate us, we were made different to complete each other, to integrate and live together. If a human being doesn’t feel the pain of his fellow human beings then everything man created and established since the very beginning of his existence is in great danger.
So…again & again . . . ONE world, ONE pain, ONE humanity, ONE hope!
Now I will leave you with this SUPER FUNNY video
[The song (but not the video) is a creation of the famously hilarious "Capitol Steps" group in Washington, D.C. Here's a link to the group's Web page, where you'll be able to find the way to order their albums and learn about their forthcoming concerts near you. Unfortunately, the video has been taken down from our Egyptian engineer's Web site. I hope my posting of it will remain -- because if not, I'll need to take down this ad for the Capitol Steps as well, and I'd really like for you to become more familiar with them.]
Three years ago I saw revolution coming. I blogged here about it in an eight-part series, "Golden Rules & Revolutions: A Series." The final entry, part VIII, has links to each entry. In that final blog I summarized the others, including, "Part I of this series noted not just the gap in income between the rich and the poor, but the fact that this gap is continuing to grow ever wider, and that history -- as well as the daily news -- provides ample warning that this condition often produces revolution." "Golden Rules & Revolutions: A Series - VIII," April 19, 2008.
As this young engineer reminds all of us, the oppression, and the ultimate popular resistance, know no national boundaries -- from Cairo to Madison.
We are, as he reminds us, "ONE world, ONE pain, ONE humanity, ONE hope!"
[My thanks to my colleague Burns Weston for alerting me to this story.]
_______________
* Why do I put this blog ID at the top of the entry, when you know full well what blog you're reading? Because there are a number of Internet sites that, for whatever reason, simply take the blog entries of others and reproduce them as their own without crediting the source. I don't mind the flattering attention, but would appreciate acknowledgment as the source -- even if I have to embed it myself.
-- Nicholas Johnson
# # #
May 8, 2008, 8:15 a.m.
Department of "Iowa's Economic Growth." I occasionally write here about economic development for Iowa emphasizing both "what works" (see, e.g., Nicholas Johnson, "Time to Learn from What Works," Iowa City Press-Citizen, January 20, 2006) and what doesn't (see, e.g., Nicholas Johnson, "Courage, Councilors," Iowa City Press-Citizen, October 3, 2007, p. A12; and Nicholas Johnson, "How To (And Not To) Grow Iowa's Economy," January 27, 28, 30, 2008.).
There seems to be great bewilderment as to why our children, and the young professionals we train from elsewhere, seem to leave the state. I've suggested a simple solution: pay them.
Pay workers enough and they'll even relocate to the coldest spots in Alaska -- or the hottest deserts in the Middle East. Surely Iowa can compete with those locations.
One cause of our unwillingness to use income as a magnet for workers is the state's anti-labor ideology. Iowa is a so-called right-to-work state -- and proud of it. The powers that be opposed even the "fair share" proposal that those who benefit from the higher wages unions make possible (such as the teachers who refuse to pay dues to the Iowa State Education Association -- but are happy to accept the raises it makes possible in their pay checks) should at least pay their fair share of the union's cost of negotiating those contracts. They opposed the recent public employee unions' legislative efforts. They've beaten back the fair compromise called "project labor agreements."
Nor is the University of Iowa immune from this anti-union stance.
Notwithstanding the fact that nurses in Iowa rank at the bottom of the states in wages (so much so that Iowa inexplicably ranks 52nd out of 50 states -- somebody explain that one to me) -- leading to (surprise!) a nurses shortage, the University opposed the efforts of the SEIU to unionize them.
The University seems to prefer dealing with non-union contractors. Were they the source of whoever ended up burning the dome off of the Old Capitol?
Most recently, the University of Iowa has been taken to task by the courts for violating its own agreement with its very own graduate students working as teaching assistants. In short, it is not enough that the laws all cut in favor of employers over employees, the University believes it is entitled to even more.
An administrative law judge ruled the Board of Regents and the University of Iowa bargained in bad faith while negotiating the 2007-09 contract with the graduate workers union.
The judge for the State of Iowa Public Employment Relations found that actions of the regents and the UI showed a "reckless disregard" for the Public Employment Relations Act when bargaining with UE Local 896/COGS (Campaign to Organize Graduate Students) . . ..
Trish Mehaffey, "Judge Rules Regents, UI Violated Law," The Gazette, May 6, 2008.
Aside from the occasional violations of the few pro-employee laws that do exist in Iowa, legislators and their campaign contributors do, of course, have the right to make the laws whatever they want them to be -- within the limits of the Constitution.
But they can't have it both ways.
They can't do everything in their power to block the efforts of workers to engage in collective action, and to drive down wages (including benefits, health care, safety, retirement, and so forth), and then complain of a "worker shortage," bemoan the fact our young people want to leave the state, and wonder at the mystery of why nurses seem to be disappearing.
The Register didn't go so far as to appear pro-union this morning, but it did forcefully recognize in an editorial that pay may have something to do with the ability of a state to attract and retain workers:
For the past decade, the state generally has pursued a two-pronged approach to economic development: Encourage creation of more high-wage jobs and expansion of amenities to enhance quality of life. That emphasis should continue, paired with commitment to creating world-class schools to better prepare Iowa's students for the rigor of college or other post-secondary training. . . . Businesses must be willing to pay more competitive salaries, too. A January report from the Generation Iowa Commission blamed lagging wages as a key reason young professionals leave.
Editorial, "Brain Drain Requires Even More Attention," Des Moines Register, May 8, 2008.
And you won't want to miss State29's take on the subject at State29, "Why Does Iowa Have a Brain Drain? Let Me Count the Ways," May 8, 2008.
_______________
Project Vote Smart I also want to give the Register credit for its endorsement of Project Vote Smart the other day.
It's that time of year when schoolchildren and college students are facing big tests as the school year winds to a close. Political candidates across the country are facing a test, too, and the only way to flunk is to refuse to participate. Yet, in Iowa in recent years, the overwhelming majority of state legislative candidates have done just that.
Editorial, "Candidates, Tell Iowa Your Stands on Issues," Des Moines Register, May 6, 2008.
See, Nicholas Johnson, "Project Vote Smart" in "Process: Parental Leave & Project Vote Smart," May 1, 2008. I concluded that discussion:
So what can we do?
We can write letters to the editor of our local papers, urging them to use their much longer and stronger levers of power to pry participation out of our local candidates.
We can write the candidates themselves, and ask them in open meetings why they haven't participated.
We can help support the work of Project Vote Smart.
And given [the newspapers'] commendable focus on this issue over time, I'd like to politely suggest that [they] might want to turn some reporters' resources, and space in the paper, to reporting -- by name -- which candidates are refusing to participate, along with the positions on the issues of those who do.
How about it, Register?
# # #
January 27, 2008, 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.; January 28, 2008, 3:45 p.m.; January 30, 2008, 10:00 a.m.
"Our Quick Take on This Weekend's Stories
The Press-Citizen has a regular Sunday editorial page column called "Our Quick Take on Last Week's News Stories." Editorial, "Our View -- Our quick take on last week's news stories," Iowa City Press-Citizen, January 27, 2008, p. A9.
But its Saturday issue contained so many stories that relate to topics followed by this blog that I've decided we can have an "Our Quick Take on This Weekend's Stories."
The folly of corporate subsidies vs. the sure path to economic development.
We often comment about the folly of injecting taxpayers' money (in the form of tax breaks, TIFs, infrastructure development, and outright bribery) onto the bottom line of for-profit businesses -- sometimes in general, such as Nicholas Johnson, "Courage, Councillors," Iowa City Press-Citizen, October 3, 2007, and sometimes with specific examples, such as most recently, Nicholas Johnson, "Football, Skating and Corporate Welfare," January 25, 2008 (both Genencor and Burlington's sad mall experience with the disappearing developer).
So yesterday we learned that we must add a couple examples from North Liberty to the long list of disasters following in the wake of such giveaways. Kathryn Fiegen, "N. Liberty looking ahead after closings; Officials discuss what city can do," Iowa City Press-Citizen, January 26, 2008, p. A1.
A company called "Victor Plastics" has begun laying off its 420 workers, following Whirlpool's recent announcement that it is leaving North Liberty -- and its 92 local employees who will be left unemployed.
North Liberty Mayor Tom Salm "said he couldn't remember if any financial incentives were offered to Victor Plastics when it came to the community." However, "North Liberty officials offered Maytag [subsequently acquired by Whirlpool] incentives such as Tax Increment Financing [ a TIF], a tax abatement, construction of the water main and the etension of Jones Boulevard to 240th Street to locate in the community." So it's likely Victor Plastics was similarly bribed in some way.
It's scarcely one day later [Jan. 28] and already we have yet one more very sad story of the "tangled webs we weave" and the consequences of subsidizing for-profit enterprises with taxpayers' dollars: Lee Rood, "An Iowa town's 'gamble on future' stirs concern," Des Moines Register, January 28, 2008.
City Councils: "When will they every learn?"
. . . So how can we more effectively promote economic growth?
By providing the things that really do attract businesses -- as the linked blog entry, above, quotes a Genencor executive as stating its reasons for coming to Cedar Rapids, "because of its geographic location in the center of the country and its proximity to the fuel ethanol and corn sweetener manufacturing sector."
The Register editorializes this morning, Editorial, "Make Quality of Life Iowa's Edge," Des Moines Register, Des Moines Register, January 27, 2008, p. OP1. Certainly, that's a valid suggestion.
But much of quality of life, and the things that attracted Genencor, are attractions of geography over which we do not have total control.
A far more universal attraction is the well educated workforce that is dependent on things which we can control.
Iowa has well educated community college and university graduates. Unfortunately, because they leave the state after receiving that education, they don't constitute a workforce and therefore aren't much of an attraction for business. Kyle Carson, "Young Iowans Do the Math on Salaries -- and Leave; Commission Urges Higher-Ed Tax Credit and Help With Repaying Student Loans," Des Moines Register, January 27, 2008, p. OP1; "Commission Members Weigh In On Worker Shortage," Des Moines Register, January 27, 2008, p. OP6.
For a lawyer, Kyle Carson cuts to the core of the answer with an unusual economy of words: "So what should Iowa do? Pay them more."
And just how bad is it? Consider the recent report on "affordable housing":
The report said about 13 percent of people in the study area work in industries with entry-level wages of less than $15,000 annually, and another 40 percent work in industries with entry-level wages between $15,000 and $20,000. Almost 30 percent of all households in the study area have incomes less than $25,000.
The analysis determined that to afford a median-priced home in the area -- $162,000 -- a household income would have to earn about $53,150 and and not have much additional debt. The study said only 389 units were sold in 2006 that were valued at $100,000 or less, equaling about 15 percent of the total transactions that year.
Kathryn Fiegen, "Study warns of housing shortfall; Area prices outpacing incomes," Iowa City Press-Citizen, January 24, 2008. (The study, prepared by Mullin & Lonergan Associates, Pittsburgh, was described by Fiegen as a "127-page, data-intense report.) That report was the basis for a meeting reported in the paper on Saturday: Rob Daniel, "Summit: Housing policy needed; Lack of affordable housing reaching all area sectors," Iowa City Press-Citizen, January 26, 2008, p. A3.
And how can Iowa "pay them more"?
When was the last time you heard a boss say, "I'm feeling guilty about exploiting you guys with these low wages, seeing your kids go hungry, and without health care or new shoes, so starting next Monday everybody gets a 50% wage hike." It's not likely to happen.
A single person, out of work and desperately needing a job, is not in a very strong bargaining position when confronting a potential employer in front of him -- with 700 people standing in line behind that job applicant, all equally anxious to win one of five new job positions.
That's why they invented unions and "collective bargaining." "For the union makes us strong," is the old union song lyric; at least strong enough to get something more than the minimum wage for long hours at backbreaking work in unsafe working conditions.
Without unions professionals wages are driven down to those of skilled trades people; wages for skilled tradespeople that should be at union levels are driven down to those of unskilled labor; unskilled labor get paid what the working poor earn elsewhere -- and those in every pay category leave Iowa.
That being the case, I find it remarkable that neither Kyle Carson nor any other member of the Commission -- nor for that matter the Governor, members of the legislature, media, education leaders -- seem willing to mention, even as an "option," the possibility of Iowa becoming a little more labor union friendly. Nowhere in today's stories does the word "union" even appear.
In researching an op ed four years ago I discovered that Iowa was then 43rd of the 50 U.S. states in wages; that our State's anti-union "right to work" laws put us in a minority of states that included the solid South: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina; that from 1950 until now, anti-union bashing has driven union membership nationally from 35 percent to 13 percent of the workforce, and even less in Iowa.
With corporate campaign contributions going to Democrats and Republicans alike, the disparity between the income of CEOs and hourly workers has gone from 42:1 in 1980 to 531:1 in 2000. Two million workers recently fired for the sake of profits and executive bonuses don’t even have that.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports 70 percent of its investigations involve things management knew, or ought to have known, would cause serious injury or death. Nearly 6000 workers a year are killed, more than 5 million injured.
Even the most minimal efforts to help the working class and working poor are successfully resisted by Iowa businesses and their legislative representatives, most recently the "fair share" proposal (that those who get the benefits of union negotiations, while refusing to join the union, should at least pay their "fair share" of the costs for those union activities from which they personally enjoy increased wages and benefits). I could not get our local school board to support a "project labor agreement" for its new school construction projects. Nicholas Johnson, "Make School Projects Labor-Friendly," Iowa City Press-Citizen, May 15, 2003, p. A11 (with an appended list of sources). And see State29, "Viva La Slave Labor, Child Labor," January 26, 2008.
A mere three days later [Jan. 30] and we find the following in The Daily Iowan:
Union membership rates were down in Iowa and 29 other states in 2007, according to a recent report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
. . .
[U]nion membership in Iowa is below the national average for a second-consecutive year.
Jennifer Sherer, a labor educator at the UI Labor Center, said . . .
"We're losing higher-paying jobs and gaining lower-paying jobs," . . ..
Sherer also attributed the low rates to employers who make it difficult for new unions to form by using threats and intimidation. The law protecting unionization has not been strongly enforced, she said.
"We need political changes to make it possible for people [to form new unions]," she said.
Ben Travers, "Union Membership Going Down in Iowa; Despite a Report Indicating That Union Membership is Up Across the Nation, the Percentage of Iowan Union Workers Continues to Drop," The Daily Iowan, January 30, 2008, p. A3.
Of course, Iowans and their governments have the political right to continue our anti-labor traditions and reputation. It's just that it's a little self-defeating and hypocritical to continue to do so while simultaneously complaining about the disappearance of the workforce needed to attract the businesses we think we need to promote genuine economic growth.
News From the West Bank
For many Iowans "The University of Iowa" is the athletic program (especially football and basketball) and/or "The Hospital" (UIHC) on the West side of the Iowa River.
And that's certainly where a lot of the news comes from.
And the lack of news. "No news is good news"? Well, not always. It's now over three months since an alleged sexual assault by alleged football players, and there's still not a peep from the University or the Johnson County Attorney as to what the hell's going on (or not).
Meanwhile, there have been enough Iowa football players in trouble with the law recently to make up a full team (11 or more). So we can be grateful (or not) that at least one more has gotten off light -- with the substitution of a "deferred judgment" and "probation" for a two-year prison term for theft -- essentially no penalty at all. (I simply don't know if that is ballpark-standard under these circumstances, or if the fact that this wide receiver "was ranked first in the country among freshmen in receptions and second in yards" played any role in the sentence.) Lee Hermiston, "Ex-Hawk Granted a Deferred Judgment," Iowa City Press-Citizen, January 26, 2008, p. A1.
. . . Build it and they will come -- and pay.
Nonetheless, our emphasis on athletics continues.
Former UI women's athletic director Christine Grant describes the Carver-Hawkeye Arena, built some 20 years ago at a cost of $18 million, as "one of the best in the country."
And yet UI Athletics Director Gary Barta, acknowledging that it's "still a great place" believes "we need to update" -- something women's basketball coach Lisa Bluder refers to as "a face lift."
The renovations he has in mind as an "update," and she calls "a face lift," are already projected to cost $40 million -- more than twice what it cost to build the entire structure initially -- costs Barta represents will be paid with "athletic gifts and earnings" thereby warranting his already having gone ahead with the hiring of a couple of architecture firms and having set a completion date of 2010.
And what will we get for our $40 million? A practice area, elevators, air conditioning, plus "premium seating, club seating rooms and renovating and expanding office space." Brian Morelli, "UI pushing forward with renovations," Iowa City Press-Citizen, January 26, 2008, p. A5; Brian Morelli, "Still a Hawk stronghold; 25 years in Carver-Hawkeye Arena," Iowa City Press-Citizen, January 26, 2008, p. A1
Far be it from me to suggest that the "scheduling" problems for practices could be resolved with the space available in the Field House, near-by recreation building, and additional facilities scheduled for construction on both the East and West side of the River. I don't know enough to document that.
But $40 million does sound like a pretty expensive "face lift."
Which is just one more reason why it might make sense to completely divest the athletic program/s from the University -- something that is already in progress with regard to their funding -- formalizing the independence that already exists once they are raising their own funds and making the decisions as to how to spend them. For a description of how that might work, see Nicholas Johnson, "Colleges and Universities" in "Athletics and Academics," September 30, 2006. That way, like any other business in "the marketplace," so long as their expenditures do not adversely affect others or otherwise violate the law there would be little basis for comments by others -- like this one.
And, Finally, What's Driving the Emphasis on School Safety?
As usual, Bob Patton's pictures on January 25 -- titled "Safety in Numbers-Crunching" -- are worth more than a blogger's many words (as in Nicholas Johnson, "The Limits of Duct Tape," January 9, 2008):
Copyright by Bob Patton and the Iowa City Press-Citizen, and reproduced here for non-commercial, educational and commentary "fair use" purposes only.
# # #
September 3, 2007, 8:00 a.m.
Anti-Labor Day
As befits one of the most anti-union, anti-labor states in the nation, none of the top four local papers -- Daily Iowan, Des Moines Register, Gazette and Press-Citizen -- have editorialized about (or even much recognized) that this is "Labor Day."
Because you wouldn't know from the papers today, I thought perhaps it worthwhile to report here that, yes, there is a Labor Day Picnic today in the City Park in Iowa City, upper level Shelter 2, 12 noon to 3:00 p.m. City Council candidate Mike Wright (and others) will speak. It's always a great event. I'll see you there.
The DI is mostly sports, celebrating the Hawkeyes' unimpressive win over some Illinois high school team last Saturday. (This fall's schedule has been rigged so we won't have to suffer the embarrassment of even playing teams like Ohio and Michigan. Of course, we do end the season with Western Michigan, which showed its football prowess last Saturday in holding West Virginia to only 62 points in Western Michigan's 62-24 loss.) The Register at least has another editorial in support of universal, single-payer health care. The Gazette has it's usual "Homers and Gomers." And the Press-Citizen has now caught up with what I was blogging about -- and The Gazette and Register were editorializing about -- last Saturday: the court decision finding Iowa's ban on gay marriage to be unconstitutional.
So it's once again been left up to Johnson County Supervisor Rod Sullivan to remind us what today is all about.
Child labor laws, 40 hour weeks, health insurance, weekends, overtime, vacations, the minimum wage, sick leave, parental leave, OSHA, pensions, disability insurance, employment nondiscrimination, Social Security, health insurance, and so much more. We owe organized labor for all of this.
Here's the whole of his latest "Sullivan Salvos":
Monday marks Labor Day. Every year, I write essentially the same piece, noting the good that organized labor has done for this country.
I said I wouldn¹t do it this year. Sorry, but I can¹t resist. Labor Day is too important to me.
Child labor laws, 40 hour weeks, health insurance, weekends, overtime, vacations, the minimum wage, sick leave, parental leave, OSHA, pensions, disability insurance, employment nondiscrimination, Social Security, health insurance, and so much more. We owe organized labor for all of this.
But labor is not just a part of the past. If we are to have a successful future, labor will need to play a key role. Organizing for better wages and benefits is still the key to pulling folks out of poverty and into the middle class.
You will hear people complain about labor, and explain how labor makes the US ³less competitive². Americans must quit buying into this BS. Who were the real heroes of 9/11? Not Rudy Giuliani, but police, firefighters, and EMTs all union members. We need organized labor now more than ever. It is the great equalizer, and our best anti-poverty program.
I would like to see more Democrats point out how un-American it is for large multi-national corporations to exploit labor and the environment around the globe. I would like to see them stand with labor not just at election time, but all year round.
Similarly, just as corporations have gone global, so must unions. It does no good for anyone to have American workers compete with foreign workers who feel they must settle for so little. When workers of the world unite, workers of the world will improve their lot.
We are frequently urged to support the troops; that is as it should be.
We should also show support for the working men and women of the world. It is un-American to let global profits trump the needs of our families.
Along similar lines, I encourage everyone to reread the final chapter of the Barbara Ehrenreich classic Nickel & Dimed.
You can certainly reread the whole book; it is fantastic. But the final chapter really sums up the difficulties faced by the working poor, including all the ways that organizing can & does help.
Of all the widely-distributed, free e-zines from public officials in this country, "Sullivan's Salvos" is the most constructive, compassionate, consumer-and-taxpayer-oriented, generally supportive and informative of which I am aware. If you're not on the list, but would like to be, just email rodsullivan@mchsi.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
In fairness, both the Press-Citizen and Gazette did permit others to say something nice about labor this one day of the year.
In fact, it was Rod Sullivan again who had the op ed column in the P-C. It's a moving story of three generations of his family and the beneficial role of unions in their lives that he has personally witnessed (and benefited from). Read it: Rod Sullivan, "Honoring Our Labor Heroes," Iowa City Press-Citizen, September 3, 2007, p. A11. Although, unfortunately, the paper chose to omit any link to his piece from its opening Web page listing of "Opinion" for the day, so without my link you'd have to know how to hunt for it.
The Gazette offers us Ross Eisenbrey, "Labor Day Marks Bad News for Laborers in America," The Gazette, September 3, 2007, p. A4, at the very bottom of its editorial page. Eisenbrey is vice president and policy director of the Economic Policy Institute so, as you might suspect (and the headline hints) it is more in the nature of a news story than an opinion piece. Any passion is found in the numbers, the absolutely devastating numbers, regarding the destruction of America's middle class that followed the deliberate devastation of the union movement, and creation of an ever-increasing gap between the incomes and other benefits of the very rich and those of the working poor and working class.
# # #
July 25, 2007, 6:00, 7:00 a.m.
Wellmark Lobbies to Prevent Policy Holders' Protection from Fraud
The Register's four-day series on insurance abuses winds down today with another four stories and editorials -- one of which notes that, thanks to lobbying by Wellmark (along with others), Iowa remains the only state in the nation that forbids individual consumers to bring lawsuits under the Consumer Fraud Act. Check the Register's Online edition for all four.
Just in case you needed more persuasion than what's provided in the movie "Sicko" as to why America needs to get the overreaching, health-care-denying, profit-maximizing insurance industry out of health care so we can join the rest of the world with a universal, single-payer system -- well, here it is.
Johnson wouldn't think twice about taking on Zieser's case and others like it if Iowa had what's called a "private right of action."
Iowa doesn't.
It's the only state in the country that doesn't allow individual consumers to hire private attorneys and sue under the Consumer Fraud Act.
. . .
This anomaly in state law affects Iowans in a host of situations - if they believe they have been victimized by a door-to-door salesman, by a roofer who didn't complete the job, or, in the case of the Zieser family, by a long-term-care insurance company.
For seven years, the Iowa Attorney General's Office has proposed legislation to create a private right of action for certain consumer-fraud violations. Then Iowans would have the same legal recourse as residents in every other state. Last legislative session, Senate File 520 looked as if it might finally pass.
It didn't.
One only has to look at the "Lobbyist Declarations" on the legislation to see why. Powerful interests, including health insurer Wellmark Inc., Allied Insurance, Principal Financial Group and the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, registered "against."
Editorial, "Give wronged Iowans more legal punch; Every other state allows individuals to sue for consumer fraud," Des Moines Register, July 25, 2007.
These guys don't even want to take responsibility for the consequences of their own fraudulent practices! And they're willing to pay big money to legislators (not bribes, mind you, these are just "campaign contributions") and lobbyists to see to it that they don't have to. Never mind that in the process they make Iowans the shame, the laughing stock, and the least well protected consumers in the nation.
Hey, it's the great American way. Privatization, the marketplace, profit maximization -- "greed is good" is our mantra. So what's a little fraud along the way? Probably just a "bad apple" -- it's certainly not endemic to the system.
And if we can get our name associated with a prestigious College of Public Health, so much the better.
In other University-related news . . .
Cindy Hadish, "University Hospitals: Botched Discharge Probed; Patient Never Made it Back to Nursing Home," The Gazette, July 25, 2007, p. B1 ("State inspectors are reviewing procedures at University Hospitals . . .. [Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals] spokesperson David Werning said inspectors were asked to conduct the 'full-blown' survey at the request of the [federal] Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services . . .. A worst-case scenario, both Werning and hospital officials said, would be the hospital losing its Medicare certification.")
Although neither University administrators nor City Council members see enough wrong with the very profitable bar industry in Iowa City -- and its very impressive record of ever-increasing the community's national reputation for college students' binge drinking -- to actually do anything meaningful about it, a UI junior has just won an entrepreneural competition for a profit-making business plan to provide non-alcohol venues. Dave DeWitte, "Bar Alternatives Winner Seeks Financing," The Gazette, July 25, 2007, p. B8 ("I don't know how many times, sitting in a classroom, I've heard, 'If there was something else, I'd do it. But there's not, so I'm going to the bars.'")
Brian Stewart, "UI Police Gun Issue Comes to Fore Again," The Daily Iowan, July 25, 2007
"Regents Seek to Void Part of Union Contract; Board Claims Portion of Agreement Violates Federal Privacy Act," The Gazette, July 25, 2007, p. B3 (The union in question is an organization of graduate students, who work as teaching assistants and in other jobs at the University. For the union to function for a group that is so constantly changing in membership it obviously needs information that only the University has regarding graduate students' employment -- names and rates of pay. The union's contract provides that it's entitled to it. Now the Regents and University would like to renege on this provision. I know no more about this case than what's in the story, and I have not researched the law.)
Lisa Rossi, "Study questions universities' bid for 2-year grads; A sizable number of those with degrees from Iowa community colleges are heading out of state for their bachelor's degrees," Des Moines Register, July 25, 2007 ("Iowa community college enrollment has risen sharply in recent years. The Des Moines Register reported that a record 85,715 students were attending the state's 15 community colleges last fall, up 3 percent from the previous year and up 25 percent from five years ago." Bottom line: (1) Iowa's community colleges are a big, and usually under-reported, story -- 85,715 students! They represent a low cost alternative to providing freshman and sophomore education at high cost research universities. (2) A couple out-of-state schools are treating our community college transfers better than are our Regents' universities. For the system to work we have to get more competitive, integrated and accommodating.)
Brian Morelli, "Mason Following Naming Debate," Iowa City Press-Citizen, July 24, 2007, p. A1 (Morelli quotes Mason as saying she wants "what's best for [the University], the College of Public Health and the donors who are so important to our continued success" (emphasis supplied).)
Bob Elliott, "A Black Eye for UI State of Iowa," Iowa City Press-Citizen, July 24, 2007, p. A11 ("There are dangers attached to accepting enormous financial contributions from individuals such as Marvin Pomerantz, who may then believe they've earned the right to make suggestions as bizarre as firing a college dean because he embarrassed an insurance company").
Sam Osborne, "Naming Opportunities in the Private Sector," Iowa City Press-Citizen, July 24, 2007, p. A11 (an exploration of the possibilities of selling off the surface of his grandfather's tombstone for advertising).
Don Van Hulzen, "Some Questions for the University," Iowa City Press-Citizen, July 25, 2007, p. A11.
Huckabee Stories
Christopher Patton, "Huckabee Touts Health Plan; Former Republican Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee Describes His Idea on Preventive Health Care and Tax Reform at a North Liberty Event," The Daily Iowan, July 24, 2007, p. 1 (Patton quotes the Governor as saying, "You can have the best classrooms or teachers, but if kids are sitting there with stomach aches, headaches or toothaches, they can't learn").
Erin Jordan, "Don't mirror national polls, Huckabee urges; The Ames straw poll will lose its value if it becomes too predictable, he says," Des Moines Register, July 24, 2007 (Jordan quotes him as saying, "My time in the church world was the best preparation to later become a governor. There's not a social problem that exists in this country that doesn't have a name and a face").
James Q. Lynch, "Huckabee Encouraged by Commitment of Crowds," The Gazette, July 24, 2007, p. B2
# # #
March 16, 7:25 a.m.
Yesterday was the day. We have four new Regents. "What a difference a day makes"? That remains to be seen. Michael Gartner still has "UI Held Hostage Day 419." (Commentary below.) And . . .
Iowa's Disadvantages Not Eliminated by "Advantage Fund"
Yesterday the Press-Citizen launched a double whammy on behalf of something called the "Iowa Advantage Fund," introduced in the legislature as House File 730. It's another proposal designed to keep Iowa college graduates in Iowa by subsidizing employers who help pay off the graduates' student loans. The Press-Citizen's support took the form of an op ed column, Jay Christensen-Szalanski, "Iowa's Bipartisan Solution," Iowa City Press-Citizen, March 15, 2007, and an Editorial, "State Should Set Aside for an Iowa Advantage Fund," Iowa City Press-Citizen, March 15, 2007.
First, let me say that I love creative ideas like this and would rather encourage than discourage them. But I find that something like 90% of my creative ideas don't pan out for one reason or another and need to be rejected, and since I freely admit that, I think it gives me license to subject others' ideas to the same critical evaluation I give my own.
This is one that doesn't make it to the finish line.
Why do we need it, according to the Press-Citizen? Because "many young professionals graduate college with such a high debt load that they can't even consider a lower-paying job in Iowa."
Read that again, and then think about it. "A lower paying job in Iowa"? Might that -- just possibly -- be the problem?
This is not rocket science.
I'm reminded of what my high school track coach told me when I asked him how I could improve my time in the mile. He had only two words of advice for me: "Run faster."
You want to know how to keep graduates in Iowa? "Pay more."
We might start with our anti-union attitudes and laws in this state, and the opposition of public officials and the business community to "living wage" proposals -- even increases in the minimum wage. Whether an employer has 100 workers or 10,000, there's no way that an out-of-work individual, looking for a job, can bring anything like equal bargaining power to the table in negotiating their salary and benefits. They have little option but to take what they're offered. Unions level that playing field.
If it weren't for unions we'd still be working 60-hour, six-day work weeks. It's unions that fought for us -- literally -- to get us the weekend. We'd still be working for the third-world wages that American corporations pay to workers in countries without unions. We'd still have child labor, and even more death and injury from unsafe working conditions than we have now. Businesses will pay workers the least they can; some would even make the argument that they have an obligation to shareholders to do just that.
Unions? Forget unions, prevailing wage rates, "living wages," and "project labor agreements." We can't even get an Iowa Legislature that will pass a "Fair Share" bill. See this morning's report: Jennifer Jacobs, "Democrats postpone action on 'fair share'; House leaders realize they don't have enough votes to pass the proposal," Des Moines Register, March 16, 2007. And that's a legislature controlled by Democrats!
Want to know what "Fair Share" is really about? The Press-Citizen has a letter to the editor this morning, challenging the paper's opposition to this modest proposal, with an apt analogy. (The paper editorialized that "Fair Share" wasn't necessary because if workers really appreciated the higher wages the union got for them they'd naturally want to just join the union.) Here's an excerpt from the letter: "[T]he Press-Citizen should put its money where its mouth is. The Press Citizen should be giving subscriptions to anyone and everyone who requests one. Then after reading the paper for awhile, anyone who feels that they are getting the services, news and information that is worth paying for can pay the subscription fee. If they feel they are not getting the services worth paying for, no problem, they can continue receiving the paper for free. Sounds like a deal to me." Michael Petersen, "Editorial Misses Mark on Fair Share," Iowa City Press-Citizen, March 16, 2007.
Don't like unions? Want to hold wages down? Think that improves your annual income as an owner/employer? OK. But then don't bellyache about young people leaving the state, or the fact that those who stay can't afford to buy your goods and servces.
Make it possible for blue collar workers to increase their wages and benefits and increases in the salaries of the young professionals will follow. Level the playing field. "Pay more." Don't subsidize poverty, eliminate it.
So what else is wrong with House File 750? The day before, the Des Moines Register offered its view of the "Iowa Advantage Fund" in Editorial, "Another 'Brain Drain' Bill Misses Quality-of-Life Focus," Des Moines Register, March 14, 2007. Here are some excerpts:
"Iowa needs to retain and attract more young college graduates. But a bill in the Iowa Legislature that would grant tax credits to employers who pay back student loans is a bad way to try to accomplish that.
"House File 730 would allow businesses that repay a new employee's student loan debt of up to $25,000 over three years to get tax credits of up to $7,500. Employers would have to pay the new worker a salary or wage of at least $25,000, employ the person within the state and start repaying the student loan within six months of the hiring date.
* * *
"But believing this program would create new jobs is a lot to assume.
"Businesses trying to attract young, educated workers can offer to pay back student loans without help from Iowa taxpayers. And who's to say employers wouldn't simply reduce starting salaries to make up for the cost of repaying loans?
"It would be a misuse of precious public money to pay off student loans for workers who might very well have stayed in the state anyway. . . . Also, there is nothing to stop workers from packing up and heading across the state line after a mere three years.
"Perhaps the most troubling aspect of this bill: It would be unfair to students and families who planned, scrimped, saved and avoided high loans. Knowing you can have $25,000 in student debt repaid could provide an incentive to borrow more.
"To reduce student loan debt, public money would be better used to hold down tuition costs at state universities, so students don't graduate with huge debt in the first place."
# # #
There's a lot to that last point. We no longer have the "state universities," the "public universities" that were originally created to provide virtually free higher education to all Iowans. We have "private universities," charging -- and regularly raising, well beyond rates of inflation -- private universities' rates for tuition, room and board, and parking fees. Just as "pay more" is the best way to get our kids to stay in Iowa, so is "charge less" the quickest way to reduce students' loan burdens.
The Register also advocates "recreation, cultural amenities, clean water and good schools." It fails to mention the advantages of "pay more," but it does give House File 750 the once over it deserves.
_______________
What a Difference a Day Doesn't Make
OK, we have four new Regents on a nine-person board. They look reasonable enough. But I don't have a clue what they're going to do with our Regents universities, and I suspect they don't either.
What I do know is that to rearrange four of the deck chairs on the "H.M.S. Iowa Titanic," while leaving Captain Michael Gartner at its helm, setting its course, is like turning over the U.S. House and Senate to the Democratic Party while leaving President George Bush in charge of the Iraq War. In fact, four new Regents are even less likely to change course for our educational ship of state than a whole new House and Senate have been for the course of the War.
Sorry, Governor and media, but the story, the headline, is Michael Gartner, it's not Campbell, Evans, Lang and Miles. But if you'd like to read the media's take on the story anyway, including Culver's acceptance of Gartner's continuing as Regents president, here are a couple of links. Erin Jordan and Jonathan Roos, "Culver heralds 'a fresh start'; Selections impress university officials," Des Moines Register, March 16, 2007; Diane Heldt, "4 New Regents Named," The Gazette, March 16, 2007; Brian Morelli, "Regents ready for 'fresh start'; Culver says 4 appointees value openness," Iowa City Press-Citizen, March 16, 2007.
_______________
UICCU and "Optiva"
The UICCU-Optiva story is essentially behind us. There may be occasional additions "for the record," but for the most part the last major entry, with links to the prior material from October 2006 through March 2007, is "UICCU and 'Optiva'" in Nicholas Johnson, "UI Held Hostage Day 406 - March 3 - Optiva," March 3, 2007.
# # #
[Note: If you're new to this blog, and interested in the whole UI President Search story . . .
These blog entries begin with Nicholas Johnson, "UI President Search I," November 18, 2006.
Wondering where the "UI Held Hostage" came from? Click here. (As of January 25 the count has run from January 21, 2006, rather than last November.)
For any given entry, links to the prior 10 will be found in the left-most column. Going directly to FromDC2Iowa.Blogspot.com will take you to the latest. Each contains links to the full text of virtually all known media stories and commentary, including mine, since the last blog entry. Together they represent what The Chronicle of Higher Education has called "one of the most comprehensive analyses of the controversy." The last time there was an entry containing the summary of prior entries' commentary (with the heading "This Blog's Focus on Regents' Presidential Search") is Nicholas Johnson, "UI President Search XIII -- Last Week," December 11, 2006.
My early proposed solution to the conflict is provided in Nicholas Johnson, "UI President Search VII: The Answer," November 26, 2006.
Searching: the fullest collection of basic documents related to the search is contained in Nicholas Johnson, "UI President Search - Dec. 21-25," December 21, 2006 (and updated thereafter), at the bottom of that blog entry under "References." A Blog Index of entries on all subjects since June 2006 is also available. And note that if you know (or can guess at) a word to search on, the "Blogger" bar near the top of your browser has a blank, followed by "SEARCH THIS BLOG," that enables you to search all entries in this Blog since June 2006.]
# # #
Media Stories and Commentary
See above.
_______________
Technorati tags: football, athletics, academics, high school, college, University of Iowa, education, K-12, leadership, university president, Michael Gartner, Iowa Board of Regents, UI president search, Nicholas Johnson, FromDC2Iowa
_______________
Nicholas Johnson's Main Web Site http://www.nicholasjohnson.org/
Nicholas Johnson's Iowa Rain Forest ("Earthpark") Web Site
Nicholas Johnson's Blog, FromDC2Iowa
Nicholas Johnson's Blog Index
_______________
March 11, 11:55 a.m., 3:45 p.m.
Never did get back to the blog two days ago, when the topics were going to be "Iowa City as a writing community;" "Fair Share;" "drug courts;" "Colloton;" and "UICCU ('Optiva')." So here are those topics now along with a little more about "UI, Athletics and Gambling Partnerships."
And my one-person exploratory committee and sole supporter -- the insightful, humorous, fearless, articulate, and often cited but never sighted State 29 -- is continuing to urge my Democratic Primary run against incumbent U.S. Senator Tom Harkin. (State29, "Tom Harkin's Half-Assessed Competition," March 9, 2007 (a reference to Cedar Rapids Republican businessman Steve Rathje, lest that headline leave any ambiguity), and State29, "Tom Harkin is Fundraising for Re-Election in 2008," February 12, 2007.)
I'm going to try to get some academic writing done during this "spring break" week, so the comments will be much shorter, and the references to newspaper stories will only provide links to the papers' online versions (if they're available on a non-subscription basis) rather than permanently available copies on my server.
Iowa City: A Writing Community
My comments about this are found in Nicholas Johnson, "UI Held Hostage Day 412 - March 9," March 9, 2007.
The primary article on the subject is Diane Heldt, "University of Iowa a Writing Mecca; UI hopes to add another jewel to its crown by launching an undergrad writing program," The Gazette, March 9, 2007.
"Fair Share"
The proposal that those who personally benefit from unions' negotiations for higher pay and better benefits and working conditions ought to pay their "fair share" of the costs of those union activities -- while not requiring them to "join" the union and pay the full dues -- passed the Iowa Legislature, sort of. Rod Boshart, "Senate approves 'fair share,'" The Gazette, March 9, 2007. (The Senate voted 28-21 for a bill that would apply the requirement to public employees only.) And see letter from Barbara Beaumont, "Non-Members Get Benefits for Free," Iowa City Press-Citizen, March 10, 2007 ("When non-members receive the good benefits of negotiations, they don't join the union, they just consider themselves clever for getting something for nothing.").
"Drug Courts"
On March 8, in discussing prison overcrowding and proposals for bigger jails, I mentioned "drug courts" as a way to better solve the drug problem than putting addicts in jail, while also reducing the pressure on overcrowded jails. ("Prison Alternatives" in Nicholas Johnson, "UI Held Hostage Day 411 -- March 8," March 8, 2007.) Blog comments seldom have more than a slight, if any, impact on public policy, and certainly not that one of mine -- if for no other reason than the timing. But it was a delightful coincidence to see on the front page of the Press-Citizen the following day that the idea is apparently being taken seriously. Brian Morelli, "Drug court proposal may lighten legal load; Diverse team would supervise offender," Iowa City Press-Citizen, March 9, 2007.
John Colloton
The ongoing praise of John Colloton, in op ed columns and letters to the editor, continues (See, e.g., Shams Ghoneim, "Colloton is an Iowa Jewel," Iowa City Press-Citizen, March 9, 2007.) And now a much more tangible honor has come his way as well. Diane Hedt, "UI Pomerantz gives UI $4 million; Half of donation from former regent will honor Colloton," The Gazette, March 10, 2007 (the John W. Colloton Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine).
As with those Colloton fans who have written earlier, Ms. Ghoneim leads with, "I have been alarmed by the unjustified and public criticism of John W. Colloton." As I have written before, the public commentary involving Colloton has seemed to me to almost unanimously sing his praises for his years building the UIHC into the highly regarded institution it is today. I have not sensed either "justified" or "unjustified" "criticism of John W. Colloton." And for his fans to suggest that it is he who is being criticized, and then try to knock down this straw man of their own creation with a flood of praise of the man, seems to me to do him no favors. It's almost a "they protest too much" suggestion that maybe there should be "criticism of John W. Colloton."
Colloton has been the catalyst in bringing three issues to public attention -- none of which, however, involves any hint of wrongdoing on his part.
One involves the legal issues surrounding "email as public records." This happens to be a personal academic interest of mine. Colloton honestly believes that his email messages should be considered personal, private, documents unavailable to the public and media as "public records." The Iowa Attorney General agrees with him as a matter of law. Others disagree. Email as "open meetings" and "public records" raise interesting public policy questions to which the Iowa Legislature is turning its attention. But no one, so far as I know, has suggested that Colloton did anything wrong in sending email, or in asserting his belief that his emails are not public records. So I don't quite see how discussion of the issue (for which he happens to have been a recent focus) can be characterized as "criticism."
Another issue involves the Regents universities' policies regarding emeritus status. Few, if any, have suggested that the emeritus title should be done away with for Iowa's retired university professors. Here again there has been no hint, of which I am aware, of any wrongdoing by Colloton. He was given the title, and such perks as accompanied it, by a grateful University for years of quality service. He didn't steal any perks in the dead of night. He simply used what he had been given. In fact, the person of John Colloton is almost totally irrelevant to the issues, which go to the clarity and consistency of the policies regarding who is and is not awarded the title, and what perks should go with it. Those are, again, public policy issues worthy of attention. But to address them in no way suggests a "criticism" of Colloton merely because his case is what triggered the discussion.
The third issue is a little more problematical, but even it is more a matter of fact finding and public policy than it is a criticism of Colloton as such. It involves the relationship between Wellmark and UIHC, and the fact of Colloton's role on the board of Wellmark. Whether that could ever be a problem requires a fact finding regarding the relationship between the two institutions and the ways in which their interests might diverge. Even to the extent there is a potential problem here, so far as I am aware there was never a misrepresentation by Colloton as to his roles with both institutions, a violation of any law of Iowa or regulation of the Regents or the University, or a protest of the relationships from anyone with a responsiility for oversight. As with the other two issues, conflict of interest issues are clearly worthy of attention, exploration, review and revision of policies and regulations -- if necessary.
I may be wrong. There may have, in fact, been public ad hominum statements focused on criticism of Colloton as such. But, if not, I think his friends might want to think twice about "defending" him from charges that have not been made.
UI, Athletics and Gambling Partnerships
The Press-Citizen reports the Presidential Committee on Athletics (PCA) will be voting April 5 on the ties between the Athletic program, Iowa Lottery and Riverside Gambling Casino. The Faculty Council unanimously recommended the ties be severed. PCA Chair Charles Lynch noted that, unlike some faculty governance decisions, faculty committees can only recommend regarding matters having to do with athletics. And since Interim President Fethke, Athletic Director Barta and, seemingly, PCA Chair Lynch all favor gambling ties it's probable any faculty opponents will be stiffed on this one. Ryan Suchomel, "Vote set on UI ties to lottery; Decision by PCA will be nonbinding," Iowa City Press-Citizen, March 9, 2007.
As a reminder of what's at stake here, a related story in the Des Moines Register reported the consequences of gambling for Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, banker Deb Anderson. S. P. Dinnen, "Gambling pushed banker to steal $1.4 million; The longtime employee of Pioneeer Bank embezzled to feed her addiction," Des Moines Register, March 10, 2007. The paper noted that this is certainly not the first time this consequence of legalized gambling has occurred in Iowa.
UICCU ("Optiva")
As I've written before, the UICCU-Optiva story is behind us, so far as commentary from me is concerned. But since this blog contains one of the more complete records of the matter, for those who come here looking for the details I'll continue to add such items from time to time as seem important for that record. (See Nicholas Johnson, "UICCU and 'Optiva'" in Nicholas Johnson, "UI Held Hostage Day 406 - March 3 - Optiva," March 3, 2007 (last entry, with links to prior entries October 2006 through March 2007).)
Among the questions that have been raised is the extent to which the UICCU management used the employees as a means of "winning" the issue and the vote, specifically the pro-Optiva letter-writing campaign. Someone has now done the research on that one:
"It seemed that many of the pro-Optiva [letters] were written by UICCU employees, and I decided to do some research to determine what percentage of the pro-Optiva letters were written by employees. Of the 21 pro-Optiva letters I saw, 19 were written by employees, and 2 were written by people of unknown affiliation. Of the 12 pro-UICCU letters, none were written by employees as far as I can determine. It makes me wonder how there can be such a disconnect between management and non-employee members." Sue Travis, "Listen better to members' votes," Iowa City Press-Citizen, March 9, 2007. (The names, dates and details of this research are on file with the Iowa Credit Union Division.)
As of March 11 there were two comments from individuals I do not know added to the Travis letter on the Press-Citizen location linked above:
UICCU among the nation’s elite Posted by: sillyme on Fri Mar 09, 2007 4:34 pm
The UICCU is a cooperative financial institution. That the word financial appears in that sentence is no accident. The prime measure of management’s responsiveness is not the debate of participatory versus representative governance but the degree to which the cooperative's profits are returned to the membership. In that key respect the management of UICCU President Jeff Disterhoft and Board Chairman Dean Borg has led this representative cooperative to a place among the nation’s elite.
UICCU: Straying from the point Posted by: fromafar on Sat Mar 10, 2007 2:00 am
The admirable financial performance by UICCU has never been an issue in the debate regarding changing the name of the credit union, so this has no bearing on the present discussion. Failure to communicate, failure to seek and achieve "buy-in" by members/customers, and failure to demonstrate understanding, sympathy or empathy towards those who questioned the name change all represent textbook examples (literally) of how not to lead a major change in a brand.
# # #
[Note: If you're new to this blog, and interested in the whole UI President Search story . . .
These blog entries begin with Nicholas Johnson, "UI President Search I," November 18, 2006.
Wondering where the "UI Held Hostage" came from? Click here. (As of January 25 the count has run from January 21, 2006, rather than last November.)
For any given entry, links to the prior 10 will be found in the left-most column. Going directly to FromDC2Iowa.Blogspot.com will take you to the latest. Each contains links to the full text of virtually all known media stories and commentary, including mine, since the last blog entry. Together they represent what The Chronicle of Higher Education has called "one of the most comprehensive analyses of the controversy." The last time there was an entry containing the summary of prior entries' commentary (with the heading "This Blog's Focus on Regents' Presidential Search") is Nicholas Johnson, "UI President Search XIII -- Last Week," December 11, 2006.
My early proposed solution to the conflict is provided in Nicholas Johnson, "UI President Search VII: The Answer," November 26, 2006.
Searching: the fullest collection of basic documents related to the search is contained in Nicholas Johnson, "UI President Search - Dec. 21-25," December 21, 2006 (and updated thereafter), at the bottom of that blog entry under "References." A Blog Index of entries on all subjects since June 2006 is also available. And note that if you know (or can guess at) a word to search on, the "Blogger" bar near the top of your browser has a blank, followed by "SEARCH THIS BLOG," that enables you to search all entries in this Blog since June 2006.]
# # #_______________
Technorati tags: football, athletics, academics, high school, college, University of Iowa, education, K-12, leadership, university president, Michael Gartner, Iowa Board of Regents, UI president search, Nicholas Johnson, FromDC2Iowa
_______________
Nicholas Johnson's Main Web Site http://www.nicholasjohnson.org/
Nicholas Johnson's Iowa Rain Forest ("Earthpark") Web Site
Nicholas Johnson's Blog, FromDC2Iowa
Nicholas Johnson's Blog Index
_______________
Photo credit: Cornell University (see link, below).
Confronting the prospect of being cremated alive, many chose to leap to their death. Photo credit: Wikipedia; "Bodies of the victims being placed in coffins on the sidewalk."
