Feeling Down? Volunteer!

I'm sure you're familiar with the old saying that "it is better to give than to receive." This sounds good, but it actually turns out to be true. By giving – of your time, help, or money – you can improve your own happiness level and even your health. As a matter of fact, giving can be even better for the giver than the receiver.

I found this out reading an article about Dr. Stephen Post, who heads the Institute of Research on Unlimited Love at Case Western Reserve University. There he sponsors scientific studies on how doing good for others can help people lead healthier, happier, and even longer lives. But his interest in the subject started when he was a young boy growing up in Long Island, New York.

Whenever he would get restless or feel down in the dumps, his mother would say, "Well, Stevie, why don't you go out and help somebody?" So he would look around for something to do for someone, like helping a neighbor with a yard chore. And he discovered that helping others really did make him feel better and was rewarding. And that childhood lesson led him to his adult vocation.

Since then, many studies have shown the physical and emotional benefits of giving. There's even a kind of "helper's high" that shows up on MRI brain scans when people donate their time or help to others. In one case, when former heart patients were asked to visit current patients, just to listen and be supportive, those former patients had better health afterwards.

Another study found that seniors who gave their time to various causes tended to live longer. And a study done with high school students who were in a "service learning" program, where they were required to volunteer, showed their grades and moods actually improved.

So, why not give a little – and you'll get a lot!

Up, Up with Virtual People

"The old model, where you used to chase people to invest in real estate might not be the most effective way to be successful. There's a recognition that if I can retain the intellectual capital of people doing work for companies in other locations, it brings value to our region." That's what Greg Northrup, president of the Western Michigan Alliance told Business Week in a new story on the changing face of economic development. The region is working to "woo virtual workers, or professionals who can work from their homes or other non-office settings, regardless of the employer's location," according to the story. The full story is here. Another article about telecommuting is here.

Is this an approach that will be successful? Has the time come for a new approach to attracting residents instead of and in addition to new business? Keep an eye on Grand Rapids, MI to see what happens next!

C.R. plans to cut 70 jobs and $7 million in City Budget

While Davenport's City Council, Mayor, staff and citizens consider the next budget, Cedar Rapids is experiencing some real problems. It seems their tax base is stagnant, services are duplicitous and not as efficient as they should be. They're raising property taxes as well as cutting services. I don't envy the CR council when it comes time for citizen input!

About the job cuts, Mayor Kay Halloran declared, ``It's not fun.''``But as we reorganize and become more efficient, it may not be necessary to have as many positions,'' the mayor continued. ``We're trying to keep the margins as tight as we can.''

While Davenport is adding to their services, as they should be in the Police dept. especially, other cities are being forced to make tough changes. Our city has done a good job in balancing the budget, adding services and avoiding additional fees and taxes.

Although there is always room for improvement we should be thankful our city budget is in pretty good shape. It does good to look around when we start to examine the way the city funds are being spent.

Your thoughts?

Addendum: Davenport is proposing a slight hike in the sewer rate fee which amount to about $1.65 per household per month. This rate hasn't been increased in 15 years and shouldn't be too hotly contested. At least I wouldn't think so.

Davenport All Ward Meeting

I attended the All Ward meeting last night at the Fairmount Library and figured I would post the information since not many attended.

There were about ten citizens there and several city employees. Aldermen Frink and Meyer, Chief Bladel and three others from the DPD.

The first subject, of course, was the cameras and current litigation. There were at least a couple supporters of the program and more vocal opposition. It was clear that Cheif Bladel wanted to move on quickly as this will be in litigation at the courts for the next 12-18 months. It's still pretty clear to me that this will be a subject of much discussion even while it goes to the Iowa Supreme court.

The next hour or so focused on crime, NETS, juvenile offenders and how the city plans to take a proactive position in improving our city. The city is proposing adding 1 sergeant and 1 social worker to the Juvenile division and 3 more personnel to the NETS program. Chief Bladel reported that some 28% of total arrests last year were juveniles, and a lot of them were repeat offenders. There needs to be more cooperation from the courts and follow up from the juvenile system to make sure these individuals get back in line or are incarcerated.

The Davenport City budget was discussed next. A lot of information in just the 30 minutes or so that were left in the meeting. I'll give a couple highlights, but you should go to the city web site to get more detailed and accurate information. They need to ratify the budget by March 15th so, if you want to weigh in, pay close attention to the meeting dates that will be announced soon.

The total budget for FY 2007 will be about $130 million. Most changes that were discussed were pretty straight forward and mostly focused on the changes in the DPD and NETS to combat crime. There is a proposal to possibly raise the rates for water consumption to save for the sewer expansion in West Davenport around 2009. The proposed rates haven't been raised for the last 15 years and the estimates given were an increase of about $1.33 per homeowner and $11 per business with high end water users much higher than that.

There was no discussion of The Freight House or other economic development. The meeting, at an hour and a half, was too short to cover more than what was already outlined.

In all Alderman Frink did a good job facilitating the meeting, Alderman Meyer pitched in some good information and Chief Bladel was full of information and statistics that show our priorities are in the right place, fighting crime. The debate on this might be centered around the strategy or the execution. Time will tell.