* Upcoming Events – Get Your Calendars Out!!!

 

          * EVERY Sat. morning and/OR Sunday afternoon in Aug/Sept.!!  Every weekend in Aug/Sept., D 10 Dems will meet to canvass( i.e., drive around in air conditioned cars) stopping to knock on the doors of other Democrats to say hello & sign PEVL cards & find more activists.  Specific e-mails will be sent a few days before each event letting you know where to meet us. However, you can always call Nate Levinsky at 602-435-9117 or Rivko at 602-942-6436 or bvaandrk@earthlink.net for more info.

            * Aug.  24 -  Primary Election 

            * Sun., Sept., 12 - West Dems Picnic in the Park!! Come & meet D 10 + County/State wide candidates from 5-9 p.m. at Rio Vista Park (T-bird & the 101) with free hot dogs etc. & a playground.

            * Tues., Sept. 14, 2010 – Clean Elections Debate for LD 10.  Join us at 6:30pm - ASU West Campus, La Sala Ballroom, 4701 W Thunderbird Rd., Glendale, AZ  85306

            * Tues., Sept. 21 -  D 10 Monthly Meeting, 7-9 p.m. D 10 Office (address below).  Speakers to be announced later.

            * Oct.  4  -   Last day to register for General Election

            * Oct.  7  -   Early voting for General Election starts

            * Tues., Oct. 12 – Last D 10 meeting before the Election.  Come one/come all.  7-9 p.m. at the D 10 Office (see below for address)

            * Oct 16 -   Deadline to request a PEVL for the General Election

            * Nov 2 -    General Election 

**************************************************************

D 10 OFFICE

Please stop by and visit us.  We’re located at 9040 N. 19^th Avenue, on the NW corner of 19^th Avenue and Dunlap in the N end of the strip shopping mall, right next to the M&I Bank.  We have all kinds of candidate signs, snacks, lot of phones that we need you to come in and use, even if it’s for just a few hours per week.  Contact Nate Levinsky at 602-435-9117 if you have time or just drop by.  It will take all of us, working hard, to ’save AZ’ and elect Dems!!

—————————————-

 

WEB SITES FOR DEMO CANDIDATES!! (all uncontested races; not a complete list)

*** D 10 House: Jackie Thrasher – www.jackiethrasher.com  **D 10 House:  Aaron Jahneke –www.aarondistrict10.com   ***         D 10 Senate:  Justin Johnson – www.johnson4arizona.com

***CD 2:  John Thrasher – www.thrasherforcongress.org               *** CD 3:  Jon Hulbard – www.hulbardforcongress.com   *** Gov: Terry Goddard – www.terrygoddard.org     Learn about how you can make a difference in helping them get elected!!! 

———————————————

WANNA KNOW WHO’S GETTING MONEY FROM WHOM?   Please go to the AZ Secretary of State’s updated web site that racks campaign finances by candidate, party, contributor etc.  Azsos.gov/cfs

 ____________________________________________________________________________________

15 of the most outrageous things the R’s have been spending time (and our resources) on:
            1)    Cut $1.2 billion out of Arizona’s already dismally funded public education system and forced schools to loan the state government another $1 billion to help balance the state budget.
            2)    Voted to give a $1 billion tax cut to special interests and the rich.
            3)    Tried to make milk the official state drink.
            4)    Eliminated the need for a person to get a permit & complete training to carry a concealed weapon.
            5)    Passed legislation banning human-animal hybrids in Arizona.  Whew!!!…
             6)    Voted to deny over 47,000 children access to KidsCare.
            7)    Allowed guns in bars.
                Increased property taxes; asked voters to tax themselves; left tax loopholes allowing country club memberships, spas & pet grooming to be exempt from the sales tax. Clothes/school supplies are taxed!!!
            9)    Voted to override renewable energy requirements created by the Arizona Corporation Commission, jeopardizing solar industry jobs and economic investments statewide.
            10)    Made it a crime for teachers to talk to students of color about their own history and heritage.
            11)    Based environmental policies on the belief that the Earth is only 6,000 years old, as cited by a state senator.
            12)    Cut off services to 36,500 seriously mentally ill patients, creating a public safety threat as those individuals start to wander through Arizona’s communities homeless, untreated and unmedicated.
            13)    Jumped on the extreme so-called “birther” movement that questions President Obama’s citizenship, requiring US Presidential candidates to show proof of US citizenship to be on the Arizona ballot.
            14)    Eliminated funding for Science Foundation AZ, a public private partnership to stimulate high tech economic development, science & math ed efforts to ensure AZ has a high-tech work force.  The $25 million annual state funding would leverage $100 million in private funding for the project over four years.
            15)    Passed bills that make it harder for childless couples to take advantage of infertility research to have a family.   (Courtesy of Chad Campbell, Candidate for State Rep, Distict 14!!

 

========================

 

WHY YOUR VOTE AND VOTING IS SO IMPORTANT — New leadership is needed. 

·         Children, families, and vulnerable adults have sustained the largest, most brutal attacks and most devastating health and human services budget cuts in the last twenty five years at the hands of the last two legislatures controlled by current leadership.   New leadership is clearly necessary.

·         The litany of pain and suffering is in the hundreds of thousands of persons.  The litany of cuts includes destructive cuts in health care, behavioral health, human services and housing services.  The list http://www.pafcoalition.org/budget/  is long and overwhelming.  But it requires repeating lest we forget the pain and economic havoc imposed on children, families, and vulnerable adults needing health and human services and housing. The Legislature has created its own natural disaster exceeding the aftermath of Katrina by abandoning hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children and adults in Arizona.  

·         The Department of Economic Security (DES) has been reduced by 33% of its state general funds going from $808 million to $536 million by Legislative and Governor’s actions.   About 8,000 families, some of the poorest in Arizona have lost their assistance.  20,000 children are on a child care waiting (actually a denial list) and the cuts cut across all programs.

·         The Department of Health Services —  state public health & behavioral health programs were reduced by 47% from $270 to $143 million.   14,000 persons with serious mental illness lost care this July. 

·         AHCCCS programs eliminated include KidsCare parents & KIDSCARE children’s program has an enrollment freeze—about 40,000 children were denied applications & 9, 000 parents have lost coverage.  

·         And these cuts even in this recession were not necessary, there are alternatives. Go to the JLBC website for very detailed information — http://www.azleg.gov/jlbc/5yearplan.pdf  (Courtesy PAFCO, 8/20/2010)

·        ———————————————————————————————————————–

ECONOMY — ONE YEAR EXTENSION OF THE BUSH TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH COSTS $36 BILLION, BENEFITS 2% OF AMERICANS: … the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) released an analysis of what would happen to the tax code if the …proposal to extend all of the Bush tax cuts were to be adopted….tax cuts are currently scheduled to expire at the end of the year & the Obama administration has proposed renewing only those for the lower- & middle-class. “You will find Republicans resisting very strongly any bill that allows taxes to be raised on any segment of Americans today,” said Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ); Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)said the House GOP will throw “everything we’ve got” into preserving tax cuts for the wealthy…. According to the JCT analysis, extending the cuts for the wealthy — which affects only 2% of the population — for just 1 yr will cost $36 billion. Obama’s plan.…focuses the tax increase on the very top of the income scale…608,000 taxpayers who make between $500,000-$1 million “would pay $6.5 billion more or an average of almost $10,000″ & the 315,000 taxpayers who earn more than $1 million would “owe $31 billion more or almost $100,000 on average.” Even under Obama’s plan, the very rich will be paying less in taxes than they did in 2001 as they would be paying a lower marginal rate on their first $250,000 in income…the Wonk Room’s Pat Garofalo writes, “…remember income inequality is currently the worst it has been since the 1920s. The richest 1% percent now receive nearly 25% of the US’s income, after earning less than 10% in the 1970s.”  The Progress Report, 8/13/2010

**************************************************************************************************************************************** 

SOME QUESTIONS FOR THE ‘UNELECTED’ GOVERNOR   & LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES (from PAFCO)

•        What do you believe is government’s role, specifically state gov’s role, in funding for health & human services for vulnerable children, families &adults? What are the key values to guide you in your decision?

•        What is your assessment of the recent cutbacks in funding for critical health/human services safety net programs, enrollment caps in areas like child care & health care?  Should some or all these budget cutbacks be restored?  How would you restore these cuts?

•        How will you…balance the budget over the next couple of years? What do you think of the current tax structure? Should it be reformed to provide for stability, economic development & adequate revenues for health & human services? …your view of the current tax exemptions, personal &corporate income taxes?  Would you propose to do tax reform if elected and… how would you go about it?

•        What do you think government’s role should be in addressing poverty, hunger, homelessness, health care & family violence,& providing a safety net for families?  

———————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Top 5 Social Security Myths  (from MoveOn.Org)

Myth #1: Social Security is going broke.   Reality: There is no Social Security crisis.  By 2023, Social Security will have a $4.6 trillion surplus (yes, trillion with a ‘T’).  It can pay out all scheduled benefits for the next quarter-century with no changes whatsoever.¹ After 2037, it’ll still be able to pay out 75% of scheduled benefits—and again, that’s without any changes. The program started preparing for the Baby Boomers’ retirement decades ago.²  Anyone who insists Social Security is broke probably wants to break it themselves.

Myth #2: We have to raise the retirement age because people are living longer.     Reality: This is a red-herring to trick you into agreeing to benefit cuts. Retirees are living about the same amount of time as they were in the 1930s. The reason average life expectancy is higher is mostly because many fewer people die as children than they did 70 years ago.³ What’s more, what gains there have been are distributed very unevenly—since 1972, life expectancy increased by 6.5 years for workers in the top half of the income brackets, but by less than 2 years for those in the bottom half.⁴ But those intent on cutting Social Security love this argument because raising the retirement age is the same as an across-the-board benefit cut. 

Myth #3: Benefit cuts are the only way to fix Social Security.    Reality: Social Security doesn’t need to be fixed. But if we want to strengthen it, here’s a better way: Make the rich pay their fair share.  If the very rich paid taxes on all of their income, Social Security would be sustainable for decades to come.⁵ Right now, high earners only pay Social Security taxes on the first $106,000 of their income.⁶  But conservatives insist benefit cuts are the only way because they want to protect the super-rich from paying their fair share.

Myth #4: The Social Security Trust Fund has been raided and is full of IOUs.    Reality: Not even close to true. The Social Security Trust Fund isn’t full of IOUs, it’s full of U.S. Treasury Bonds. And those bonds are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.⁷ The reason Social Security holds only treasury bonds is the same reason many Americans do: The federal government has never missed a single interest payment on its debts. President Bush wanted to put Social Security funds in the stock market—which would have been disastrous—but luckily, he failed. So the trillions of dollars in the Social Security Trust Fund, which are separate from the regular budget, are as safe as can be.

Myth #5: Social Security adds to the deficit.      Reality: It’s not just wrong—it’s impossible!  By law, Social Security’s funds are separate from the budget, and it must pay its own way. That means that Social Security can’t add one penny to the deficit.⁸

Defeating these myths is the first step to stopping Social Security cuts.  Can you share this list now?

                Sources: 1.”To Deficit Hawks: We the People Know Best on Social Security,” New Deal 2.0, June 14, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89703&id=22234-591666-5Lu05Hx&t=4. 2. “The Straight Facts on Social Security,” Economic Opportunity Institute, 9/09.   http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89704&id=22234-591666-5Lu05Hx&t=5.  3. “Social Security and the Age of Retirement,” Center for Economic and Policy Research, 7/10.  http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89705&id=22234-591666-5Lu05Hx&t=6.  4. “More on raising the retirement age,” Washington Post, 7/8/10  http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89706&id=22234-591666-5Lu05Hx&t=7. 5. “Social Security is sustainable,” Economic and Policy Institute, 5/27/10. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89707&id=22234-591666-5Lu05Hx&t=8.  6. “Maximum wage contribution and the amount for a credit in 2010,” Social Security Administration, 4/23/10  http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/240. 7. “Trust Fund FAQs,” Social Security Administration, 2/18/10  http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/ProgData/fundFAQ.html. 8.”To Deficit Hawks: We the People Know Best on Social Security,” New Deal 2.0, 6/14/10.   http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89703&id=22234-591666-5Lu05Hx&t=9

 

****************************************************************************************************************************************

STATISTICS TO FIGHT FEARS WITH FACTS!!! Bob Cesca 7/28

 

• 61% of Americans “always or usually” live paycheck to paycheck, up from 49% in 2008 and 43% in 2007.
• 6% of the income growth between 2001 and 2007 went to the top 1% of all Americans.
• Over 1.4 million Americans filed for personal bankruptcy in 2009, a 32% increase over 2008.
• The bottom 50% of income earners in the US now collectively own less than 1% of the nation’s wealth.
• In America today, the average time needed to find a job has risen to a record 35.2 weeks.
• More than 40% of Americans who are employed are working in service jobs, which are often very low paying.
• Despite the financial crisis, the number of millionaires in the United States rose a whopping 16% to 7.8 million in 2009.

Oh, and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reported that wages for the highest 20% of earners rose by nearly 300% since 1979, while wages for the bottom & middle 20% increased only by 41% — combined. Plotted on a graph, middle & working class wages have flatlined for 30 years. Roll all of these tragic figures into a slow growth recovery and here we are. Most of us in the middle class are screwed.

*****************

RETURN ON INVESTMENTS.  According to Moody’s Analytics (hardly a left-wing apparatchik), for every $ of govt money spent on extending the Bush tax cuts, there’s only a 32-cent return on investment in terms of economic stimulus.  How about cutting the corporate tax rate? Also a 32-cent return in economic stimulus. Capital gains tax cuts? 37-cents. And, lumped together, there’s your Republican plan for growing the economy….

*** But what about Democratic spending? For every $ spent on unemployment benefits, there’s a $1.61 return in economic stimulus! How about infrastructure spending? $1.57 return. Aid to the states? $1.41. Temporary increase in food stamps? $1.74…. Obama tax credits for the middle class, $288 billion of the Recovery Act, account for up to $1.30.

*** Meanwhile, the Obama administration is working with a deficit commission which will focus on trimming the deficit after (we hope) the economy and jobs are back on track. The R’s…voted against forming a deficit commission.

*** Given the choice between deficit spending that significantly stimulates economic growth or deficit spending that barely makes a dent, which choice are the R’s trying to sell?…stupid deficit spending for the wealthy that barely makes a dent in the recovery. That’s the Republican plan.

*** Also, contrary to popular far-right myths, it’s worth noting that the Dems & the White House have no intention of allowing the tax cuts for families earning less than $250,000 to expire. Those tax cuts will be renewed this year. As for the top tax brackets, you find me a multi-millionaire who pays the actual marginal rate every April & I’ll show you a very rich moron. Most of these guys, after deductions/loopholes, pay an effective tax rate much lower than the middle class tax brackets…don’t tell me millionaires Glenn Beck & Paris Hilton will be financially burdened by a 2.6% bump in their margin tax rate next year. Sorry, no. They won’t be…why do middle class Rs give a rip about Paris Hilton’s tax rate? Because they believe they’ll be as wealthy as Paris some day. But read those bullet-points again. It’s not happening.

*** Unless there’s some sort of mass epiphany, or unless the Democrats actually speak up and take the discourse by the horns and fight, middle class Americans will be an extinct species!!

+++++++++++++++++++++++

WINNERS AND LOSERS in AZ: As the SB-1070…battle rages on, a growing list of stakeholders is taking shape. A local AZ TV news station…discovered “two of Brewer’s top advisers have connections” to private prison giant Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). Paul Senseman, Brewer’s deputy chief of staff, is a former lobbyist for CCA & his wife continues to lobby… Chuck Coughlin…leads her re-election campaign, chaired her transition into the governorship & is one of the Gov’s policy advisers…(is) president of HighGround Public Affairs Consultants that lobbies for CCA.  Brewer’s connections to CCA are significant…  the company…bills $11 million a month to AZ to house immigrant detainees & if SB-1070 is successfully implemented, its profits would soar as it would take responsibility for imprisoning immigrants arrested by AZ police. Brewer herself…built her campaign around the law, has benefited from signing SB-1070 in terms of popularity…Brewer has raised over $1,104,935 just for her legal defense fund. However… AZ public schools are experiencing a drop in enrollment …could account for a drop in millions of $$ of fed. funding. AZ’s Office of Tourism is reporting a $12 million loss in canceled hotels & reservations…”.. embracing the law carries the risk of permanently alienating the critical Latino vote. (Progress Report, 7/28/2010)

 ****************************

Web Sites PLUS….    www.district10dems.com,  www.azdem.org, www.maricopademocrat.com & www.westdems.com.     Please HELP ME Make This YOUR E-letter.  Please send suggestions, comments etc. to  bvaandrk@earthlink.net.

NOTE:  Please note the opinions reflected in this e-letter are those of the editor & contributors & not of the D 10 Democratic organization per se. If you want to read ‘different’ stuff, send it to me please!

From:             Rivko Knox, Secretary, bvaandrk@earthlink.net  602-942-6436

 

* Upcoming Events – Get Your Calendars Out!!!

 

        * Saturday, July 17: GRAND OPENING, D 10 Office.   10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Come one, come all. 9040 N. 19^th Avenue!!  Bagels and coffee provided, met more Dems and find out how you can help in this upcoming election.  See story below for more information.

 

            ** July 26 - Last day to register for the Primary Election

            ** July 29 - Early voting for Primary Election starts

 

            * Tues., August 10, 2010 – Regular D 10 Monthly Meeting.  Cholla Middle School, NW Corner of 31^st Avenue and Cholla, which is located about half way between Cactus and Peoria Avenues.  Room 305.  The meeting will start at 7 p.m. and end no later than 9 p.m.  Details about speakers to be sent later.

          * EVERY Sat. morning OR Sunday afternoon in July and August!!  Every weekend in July and August 2010, D 10 Dems will meet to canvass( i.e., drive around in air conditioned cars) stopping to knock on the doors of other Democrats to say hello & sign PEVL cards & find more activists.  Specific e-mails will be sent a few days before each event letting you know where to meet us. However, you can always call Nate Levinsky at 602-435-9117 or Rivko at 602-942-6436 or bvaandrk@earthlink.net for more info.

 

            * Aug. 7   -  Deadline to request a PEVL (Permanent Early Vote by Mail List) ballot for Primary Election

            * Aug.  24 -  Primary Election 

 

            * Tues., September 14, 2010 – Regular D 10 Monthly Meeting.    Cholla Middle School, NW Corner of 31^st Avenue and Cholla, which is located about half way between Cactus and Peoria Avenues.  Room 305.  The meeting will start at 7 p.m. and end no later than 9 p.m. Details about speakers to be sent

 

            * Oct.  4  -   Last day to register for General Election

            * Oct.  7  -   Early voting for General Election starts

            * Oct 16 -   Deadline to request a PEVL for the General Election

            * Nov 2 -    General Election 

**************************************************************

NEW D 10 OFFICE

 

Please stop by and visit us.  We’re located at 9040 N. 19^th Avenue, on the NW corner of 19^th Avenue and Dunlap.  We’ll be needing lots of volunteers to make phone calls, canvass, be the ‘office manager’ for a few hours per week AND to donate ’stuff,’ from furniture to coffee and toilet paper (i.e., the essentials.)  Contact Nate Levinsky at 602-435-9117 if you have time or donations.  It will take all of us, working hard, to ’save AZ’ and elect Dems!!

—————————————-

 

WEB SITES FOR DEMO CANDIDATES!!

*** D 10 House: Jackie Thrasher – www.jackiethrasher.com  **D 10 House:  Aaron Jahneke –www.aarondistrict10.com   ***         D 10 Senate:  Justin Johnson – www.johnson4arizona.com

***CD 2:  John Thrasher – www.thrasherforcongress.org               *** CD 3:  Jon Hulbard – www.hulbardforcongress.com   *** Gov: Terry Goddard – www.terrygoddard.org     Learn about how you can make a difference in helping them get elected!!! 

Note: This is NOT a complete list of all the Dem candidates; right now I’m focusing on D 10 offices + the two Congressional Districts that cover D 10. If I missed someone please let me know.

———————————————

Who the Heck is Nate Levinsky and Why Should You Care??

 

            To start with Nate (born Nathan) is the current D 10 Field Organizer (as the prior person, Courtney Frogge was ‘promoted’ to be in charge of all of organizing CD 2 and 4). He started in mid June. 

            Nate was born at Good Samaritan Hospital in 1987 and raised in Phoenix Arizona.  He graduated from Paradise Valley High School in 2005.  He then attended Paradise Valley Community College  and Graduated from ASU West with a Bachelor of Science in 2009.  Nate says “I became disillusioned with the direction of the country during the Bush administration and felt that I needed to get involved.  I was an intern for the Bob Lord for Congress Campaign in 2008 and this was the start of my interest in politics. “  After the campaign, Nate completed his last semester of college during which he completed another internship with Free Arts of Arizona, a non-profit organization that helps expose underprivileged youth to art under the direction of adult mentors.  One of their slogans is Art+Mentors=Healing.

The commencement speaker at Nate’s graduation ceremony was President Obama (lucky guy is Nate), who declared that we “have no excuses not to change the world.”  That call stuck with Nate and inspired him.  As a result he applied to ASU West’s Communication Studies Graduate program which emphasis communication as advocacy.  The program describes advocacy as giving a voice to the voiceless.  Nate has completed a year in the program and has studied issues involving the rhetoric of social movements and the use of social media by politicians. 

Using President Obama’s challenge as inspiration, Nate said “I felt that I needed to have a more direct role in changing the direction of this country and, more importantly, the leadership in Arizona.  I am taking the fall semester off of school so I can devote my attention to this campaign because I feel that only with a well organized and successful ground operation can people be mobilized to change the world.  AND WE HAVE NO EXCUSES!!!”

##################

WANNA KNOW WHO’S GETTING MONEY FROM WHOM?   Please go to the AZ Secretary of State’s updated web site that racks campaign finances by candidate, party, contributor etc. 

Azsos.gov/cfs

 ____________________________________________________________________________________

 

KUDOS AND THANKS TO….

            Carole Vandercook, and Barb and Ken Buedel for offering their homes for two very social & enjoyable summer meetings AND to those who volunteer their time at the Demo Office and/or canvass (in the heat yet!!); Susan Archibald, Barb and Ken Buedel, Pat Davis, Naomi Michael, Michael Mahoney, Robert Motley, Michael Payne, Gabe Pentkowski, Carol Vandercook, the Wixons, John Zimmer and of course the D 10 candidates and their staff and friends/relatives!!

            That’s what its going to take to achieve victory in November so…now’s the time to step forward and say “YES I will make phone calls, YES I will canvass, YES I will enter data” and with the new D 10 Office, “Yes I will help staff it”          so that all together we CAN win in November!!!

P.S. Rivko apologizes to anyone whose name I inadvertently left out (and please contact me and let me know!!)

****************************************************************************************************************

 

“AZ Stands OUT Again” 

From Public Citizen Health Letter, June 2010, Vol. 26, #6.  “Severely Mentally Ill More Likely to BE in Jails Than Hospitals, Report Shows.”  That’s the title of a recently released study by the Treatment Advocacy Center and the National Sheriffs Association>  “…a very strong correlation between …state…more mentally ill persons in jails and prisons an those state that are spending less money on mental Health services”  “….Arizona (and Nevada) have 10 times as many mentally ill inmates in prisons and jails than in hospitals. “  And then people complain about all the ’strange acting and looking homeless people on the streets of AZ. (And that doesn’t count the folks in the AZ Legislature!!)

 

So What Did Our Founding Fathers Really Say About the Constitution and Being an “Originalist?” 

The Nation, July 19/26, 2010.  Pg. 5 (paraphrased) Who said “We have not yet so far perfected our constitutions as to venture to make them unchangeable…the real friends of the Constitution in its federal form, if they wish it to be immortal should…make it keep pace with the advance of the age.”    Give up?  Just one of its authors, Thomas Jefferson.  So, when Elena Kagan, citing former Justice Thurgood Marshall, said that “…the constitutional that we live under does develop over time…the original intent is unlikely to solve the question….because we live in a world that’s very different from the world in which the framers lived.”  Yet, the response (predictably) from Republicans, was to decry her ‘expansive’ view of matters constitutional. 

 

Is the Filibuster an “American Tradition” or a Republican Ploy??

The Nation, July 19/26, 2010.  pg. 6.  “Fixing the Filibuster”   “In 1939, the year Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, was filmed, there was not one filibuster in the Senate.  In the 2950’s….an average of one per-two year Congressional session. …during the 2007-8 Congress, 139 bills ere filibustered…in the current Congress, since January 2009, …more than 100…  James Madison and his colleagues at the Constitutional Convention rejected a requirement of a supermajority vote to pass Legislation.  As Alexander Hamilton explained, a supermajority requirement would mean that a small minority could ‘destroy the energy of government.”   (And guess what the Republican Party has been doing the last few years????) (from an article by Senator Tom Harkin.)

*****************************************************************************************************

 

ANOTHER NEW NAME AND FRESH YOUNG FACE:  BRIDGET SHARPE

Bridget is the new CD 3 Coordinator (somewhat over half of D 10 lives in CD 3, with the rest being in CD 2).  She was born in Arlington Heights, IL and moved to Phoenix, AZ in 1998. I She attended NAU in Flagstaff where she received her BS in Public Relations.  Bridget says “I started my career in politics working for the Arizona Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign in East Mesa as a Field Organizer in 2008. I worked with the GEDEMS and a group of wonderful volunteers who by the time GOTV came around, were overflowing out of our office and sitting outside using their own cell phones to make phone calls to voters! This experience really encouraged me to continue working with volunteers and on Democratic campaigns. I gained even further knowledge and compassion for AZ politics working for SEIU AZ in Phoenix and Repower America in Flagstaff. I most recently spent some time in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago before coming back to Arizona to become a Regional Field Director for Congressional District 3. I’m looking forward to working with a vibrant, driven staff of field organizers and group of hard-working volunteers that care about the future of Arizona as much as I do! 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 

One (More) Difference Between Dems and R’s.   (from The Progress Report, 6/18.  Speaking at the America’s Future Now! conference last week, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) summed up the contrast between progressive and conservative ideology this way: “When we see somebody who’s unemployed, we want them to have a job; when we someone who is homeless, we want that person to get a home; when you look at it deep down, we’re following a 3,000 year old imperative, one that every just society has known for three millennia, and that’s very simple: it’s to feed the hungry, to shelter the homeless, and to heal the sick. That’s what we believe in. Now the other side really has an entirely different point of view. The other side wants to have you solve all your own problems even if they’re beyond your ability to solve them. They want us to be like atoms bouncing off each other in the void rather than like human beings.” 

____________________________

 

Let’s Not Let the Facts Interfere, Especially When it Comes to Immigration!!

            “If you look at one particular county on the border, crime may be down, but then a lot of the crime has migrated up to Phoenix.” — Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol, 7/01/10     VERSUS
            “The incidence of violent crimes such as murder, rape and aggravated assault … plunged 16.6% in Phoenix, despite a perception of rising crime that has fueled an immigration backlash.” — The Wall Street Journal, 5/25/10

AND

• The Arizona Guardian reported that there were no known instances of headless bodies found in the desert, according to six county coroners.
• On Horizon’s Friday Journalists’ Roundtable, the panel of three political reporters went on a rant about how Brewer’s lies are damaging the state’s tourism industry. Even the normally Brewer-sympathetic Howie Fischer said, “Every tie she opens her mouth, there’s a hundred thousand dollars of bad publicity.”
• E.J. Montini’s column on Sunday sported the headline, “Truth distorted by Arizona funhouse mirrors.” Montini said, “the problems we have with border security, criminal cartels and illegal immigration are real. Exaggerating them has nothing to do with finding solutions but with frightening people.”

############################################################################################

THE U.S. HOUSE  AZ-03: Is Hulburd making this GOP open seat a pickup opportunity?
In a solidly Republican open seat in the suburbs of Phoenix, local media are starting to take a very serious look at the lone Democrat in the field, attorney Jon Hulburd. Hulburd has raised monster cash thus far, including another quarter-million in the second quarter, according to the campaign. The analysis by the local Arizona Capitol Times points out, accurately, that the GOP field, numbering at an almost absurd ten candidates, could result in one of the fringier candidates making the cut with 15-20% of the vote. In short: Democratic pickup opportunities are few and far between this cycle, but keep an eye on this race.

#################

Web Sites PLUS….   Please don’t forget to periodically check these web sites:  www.district10dems.com,  www.azdem.org, www.maricopademocrat.com and www.westdems.com.     Please HELP ME Make This YOUR E-letter.  Please send suggestions, comments etc. to  bvaandrk@earthlink.net.

NOTE:  Please note the opinions reflected in this e-letter are those of the editor &contributors ¬ of the D 10 Democratic organization per se. If you want to read ‘different’ stuff, send it to me please!

***********************

SPEAKING OUT!!!! Please use it to let Pres. Obama & the AZ members of Congress know what you want done (& not done) * Pres. Obama: 1-202-456-1111 or  www.whitehouse.gov/contact    *John McCain- 602-952-2410  *Jon Kyl - 602-840-1891 *Ann Kirkpatrick, CD 1 - 928-445-3434 *Trent Franks, CD 2 -  623-776-7911 *John Shadegg, CD 3 - 602-263-5300 * Ed Pastor, CD 4 - 602-256-0551 *Harry Mitchell, CD 5 Ph - 480-946-2411*Jeff Flake CD 6 - 480-833-0092 * Raul Grijalva, CD 7 - 520-622-6788 *Gabrielle Giffords, CD 8, Ph: 520-459-3115.  And in AZ: Gov. Jan Brewer, 602-542-4331; D 10’s Sen. Linda Gray, 602-926-3376; Rep. Jim Weiers, 602-926-4173. 

 

* Upcoming Events – Get Your Calendars Out!!!

 

            * Sat., May 8 – Canvass (drive/stop etc.) for Democratic Candidates and to get Permanent Early Vote by Mail (PEVL) cards.  Meet at 9 a.m., at the South end (Dunlap area) of Cortez Park.  Look for the tent!!!

          * Tues., May 11, 2010 – Monthly D 10 Dems Meeting.  7 p.m. -9 p.m. Cholla Middle School, Room 305; NW side of 31^st Avenue and Cholla, which is about half way between Cactus and Peoria Avenues.  The featured speakers will be Representative Krysten Sinema, one of the most ‘dynamic’ young AZ legislators and spokespersons for the AZ Democratic Party. She will discuss the just ended (whew!!) Legislative Session and other issues.

            Also, don’t forget to bring your completed Precinct Committeeperson Nominating Petitions!!

            * EVERY Sat. in May!!!              Every Saturday in May (excluding the Memorial Day Weekend), D 10 Dems will be meeting around 9 a.m. to drive around (in air conditioned cars) stopping to knock on the doors of other Democrats to say hello & get them to sign petitions, give $5 Clean Election contributions & sign PEVL cards.  Specific e-mails will be sent a few days before each event letting you know where to meet us.

            * Tues., June 8, 2010 – Potluck Plus Regular D 10 Monthly Meeting.  Home of Carol Vandercook, , 3650 W. Aire Libre Avenue, Phx, 85053. As it will be ‘too hot’ for a total regular meeting, we’ll start with a potluck at 5:30 p.m. and then at 7 have a short meeting with out speaker, Felicia Rotellini, Candidate for State Attorney General.

 

Editor’s Comment:  I know, I know, you’ve all missed me and my e-letters desperately!!  But I tried to make up for my silence by sending a lot of quick e-mails dealing with specific issues, which…while the Legislature was in session – were coming ‘hot and heavy.’  Now that there’s more ’safety’ in the land, I’ll go back to my periodic e-letters.

**************************************************************

WEB SITES FOR DEMO CANDIDATES!!

*** D 10 House: Jackie Thrasher – www.jackiethrasher.com  **D 10 House:  Aaron Jahneke –www.aarondistrict10.com   ***    D 10 Senate:  Justin Johnson – www.johnson4arizona.com

***CD 2:  John Thrasher – www.thrasherforcongress.org   ***      CD 3:  Jon Hulbard – www.hulbardforcongress.com   *** Gov: Terry Goddard – www.terrygoddard.org    *** Senate: Rodney Glassman – www.rodneyglassman.com

            You can contribute to all of them on their web sites AND learn about how you can make a difference in helping them get elected!!! 

Note: This is NOT a complete list of all the Dem candidates; right now I’m focusing on D 10 offices + the two Congressional Districts that cover D 10; & on high profile races. If I missed someone please let me know.

———————————————

In Memorium  –Gloria Murillo 

            Murillo, Gloria — 77, of Phoenix, AZ passed away on April 26, 2010.  Gloria was born in Kingman, AZ and graduated from Kingman High School where she was a cheerleader.  She was a majorette at NAU.  Gloria worked many years at the Bank of America in CA and Valley National Bank in AZ.  She became a real estate agent and enjoyed that for many years.  Gloria was on the parish council at St. Vincent de Paul church and was on the board of the Phoenix Honors Cotillion.  Most recent, she (along with her husband) was a very active precinct committee person for the Democratic Party, District 10.  She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Moe Murillo, son, Richard (Sandy-wife), daughter Vikki Kroff (David-husband), granddaughters Jennifer Cox, Allison Kroff and grandson Kyle Kroff, 1 sister, 3 brothers, many nieces and nephews and 13 godchildren.”  Services were held on Monday, May 3 at 11 a.m. at St. Raphael Catholic Church, 5525 W. Acoma Rd, Glendale, AZ and were attended by District 10’s Chair and vice chairs, and several other D 10 activists who knew and admired Gloria.

            The District 10 Dems send our most sincere condolences to Mo, whom we all know so well, and the rest of the Murillo Family.  Gloria’s enthusiasm, endless energy, community contacts (she brought in almost all the gift certificates for the D 10 auctions!!) and commitment to the Democratic Party will be sorely missed by all of us

 

**********************************************************

WHO is Courtney Frogge and WHAT Was Her Path to Being the D 10 Dems Field Organizer??

    * Courtney was born in 1981 in Tucson, a 5th generation Arizonan. When she was 11 month old, she had open heart surgery at the U of A Medical Center.  And she continues to feel that ‘every day is a gift’ because so many with the same surgery have recently passed away. Also, the operation and on going care, caused her family to have huge debts (anyone still opposed to health care reform??)

    * Courtney’s family moved to Phoenix where she was raised, attending schools in the Osborn School District and then St. Mary’s High School, from which she graduated in 2000. 

    * She then moved to San Francisco to attend the University of San Francisco, a small Jesuit school.  She had a double major- philosophy and communication, with an emphasis on rhetoric.  Courtney chose to participate in a special Great Books program, from which she got a Certificate that enabled her to attend Oxford for her junior year.  She graduated from the University of San Francisco in 2004 with honors.  After graduation, she had two jobs- working for a General Assistance Advocacy Project, out of UC Hastings School of Law — located in the Tenderloin District — which resulted in her actually training 1st year law school students regarding public benefit issues; & as an intern with the International Rescue Committee, where she was responsible for assisting about 30 Liberian refugees to acclimate to the US.

    * Courtney received her Master’s Degree from the London School of Oriental and African Studies (and London School of Economics and Political Science) in International Violence, Conflict, and Development, where her focus was on the role of water issues in international conflicts, especially in the Middle East and North Africa.

    * Courtney was on the path to the Middle East/North Africa, when she got a call from her grandmother (a retired U of A professor with whom she was very close) saying she had terminal ovarian cancer.  So, she returned to Tucson to be with her grandmother during the last few months of her life, and was able to be at her bed side when she passed away.

    * Her grandmother was a very very strong advocate for Obama, the candidate, and Courtney promised her before she died that she would do everything she could to help Obama get elected; and she did!!!  She worked in five different states on the Obama campaign, starting as a volunteer in Arizona during the Primary and ending up as a paid staffer. 

    * After the election, Courtney ’slept,’ visited family & friends, one of whom she helped in her work with a non profit.

    * AND then she got a call from Ken Chapman, Maricopa County Executive Director to come to AZ; and felt this was the right time and place because she wants to help ‘her’ Arizona become the kind of state that she (and her grandmother) would be proud of! 

###########################

Update from the Washington Elementary School District Board: by Aaron Jahneke, Governing Board Member, Washington Elementary District 6 (former D 10 Chair & PC Golden Precinct).  

May is a busy month for both district employees and the governing board. I get to speak at two 8^th grade commencements this month, one at Mountain View and one at Royal Palm. Generally speaking, the superintendent likes each board member to speak at one K-8 school and one 6-8 or 7-8 grade school.

The governing board is going to be meeting for a study session in June to discuss our policy with respect to employee affiliated groups & sole representation. Basically, we are trying to revisit our relationship with our teacher association & other groups that deal with the district administration & governing board on a regular basis. I believe this is a discussion that we have put off for the last year because of the economic crisis we are dealing with, but I am hopeful this discussion will help us determine whether there are ways to improve our collaboration with these affiliated groups. I am trying to balance the needs of the association with the progress the administration has made in the last 5 years improving the image of WESD.

I am hopeful the sales tax referral will pass. While imperfect, it allows the district to look at $8 million in cuts instead of the possibility of $14 million in cuts and potential salary reductions for teachers next year. If you only do one thing this month, please remind your friends and family to vote for Prop 100.

 

***********************

Legislature sends nine referrals to ballot – initiative still coming

By Jim Small - jim.small@azcapitoltimes.com  Published: May 3, 2010 at 5:14 pm

            Lawmakers are asking voters to weigh in on nine items when they head to the polls in November, including revamping the way the state’s top two elected posts are chosen.

            Two more questions – one seeking the elimination of photo-enforcement cameras, and another that would legalize medical marijuana – could land on the ballot courtesy the citizen’s initiative process, which allows people or groups to put things to a public vote, provided they turn in enough signatures from registered voters.

            The Legislature considered nearly two-dozen ballot referrals during the past session, which ended April 29. Some measures simply didn’t have enough support to pass, but lawmakers also were trying to avoid the type of ballot overload that perplexed voters with 19 statewide measures in 2006.

            This year, legislators sent another six questions to the ballot. Two were approved in March as part of the budget to ask voters to sweep the money from a pair of voter-approved funds in order to help fill in deep shortfalls. Taking the money from the two funds, 1) First Things First and 2) Growing Smarter, would cut the deficit by about $500 million.

            On April 21, the House gave final approval to another measure, which would 3) ask voters to allow the state to exchange trust land for other public lands in order to preserve military bases.

            The Senate followed suit the next day by passing a measure that would ask them to 4) amend the constitution to make hunting and fishing a fundamental right of Arizona citizens. It would also give “exclusive authority” to regulate hunting and fishing to the Legislature and declare hunting and fishing as the preferred means of controlling wildlife.  Lawmakers also sent two more items to voters in the waning days of the legislative session to

 5) ask voters to rename the Secretary of State’s Office to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. If approved by voters, it would also change the mechanics of general elections by requiring same-party candidates for governor and lieutenant governor to run as a team. The other ballot measure would 6) require petition signatures for citizen’s initiatives to be turned in to the secretary of state two months earlier.

            Last year, lawmakers agreed to send three constitutional amendments to this year’s ballot. One would

7) end programs that give preferential treatment to minorities and women, while another would 8) guarantee secret ballots for the election of public officials or for union representation. The third would amend the state Constitution to say that 9) no law shall require Arizonans to participate in a health care system or be penalized for failing to do so. The measure, if it passes, may set up a showdown with the federal government over the health care law, which requires most Americans to buy health insurance or pay a fine.

====================

Capitol Quotes: April 30, 2010
“What would you think if a state started arresting people and convicting them of a state crime of evading federal income tax?” — ASU law professor Paul Bender, on arguments that S1070 violates the supremacy clause in the U.S. Constitution and usurps federal authority over immigration law.
 ———————————

The True Cost of the LACK of Federal Regulation!!!  (from The Progress Report, May 4) 

BP made $163 billion in profits from 2001-2009 — & another $5.6 billion in the first quarter of this year — & has asked other oil companies, including Exxon Mobil, to pitch in with the cleanup effort. Despite their extra cash, however, the company decided to forgo “a remote-control shutoff switch that two other major oil producers, Norway and Brazil, require,” in order to save $500,000 on the rig.

    And from the Tom Hartmann show on 1480 (also May 4):  the idea of making automatic ’shut off’ devices and similar safety devices was made ‘voluntary’ as a result of the Competitiveness Council chaired by Vice President Dan Quayle during the first Bush Presidency AND issues regarding energy came to that Taskforce from the Energy Taskforce chaired by……… Dick Cheney of Haliburton!!!!  (’interesting’ how BP and Halliburton are now involved in the oil spill but it’s probably just coincidence, right??) 

******************************

    “Justice will not come to Athens until those who are not injured are as indignant as those who are injured.”  Thucydides (p. 5)

    “Increasing support for state and long government activities should not be seen as merely a short-term stopgap but as a major element of a longer-term job-creation agenda.  The main activities supported by state and local governments are all effective sources of job creation, in comparison for example with military spending.  Thus infrastructure projects create 40% more jobs per dollar than spending on the military; health care creates 70% more jobs and education creates 420% more jobs.  So if the governments just moved its 2008 budget of $188 billion for Afghanistan and Iraq into support for education and infrastructure programs at the state and local levels, this alone would produce a net increase of about 2.3 million jobs per year.”  Robert Pollin, a professor of economics and co director of the Political Economy Research Institute at the Univ of Mass. ) The Nation, March 8

 

########################

“Arizona Needs KidsCare – Not Just Half Of It” by Dana Wolfe Naimark,  president & CEO of the Children’s Action Alliance.

            KidsCare offers affordable health insurance for children in working families. It has been an AZ success story for more than 10 years, helping thousands of children grow up healthy & strong. But a year ago, Gov. Jan Brewer & our legislative leaders began cutting KidsCare.  First they eliminated coverage for 10,000 parents. Then, in January, Brewer put a freeze on new enrollment for children…. Due to the freeze, more than 100 uninsured children are being turned away from the health care they need every day.

            Just last month, Brewer signed a state budget into law that will completely eliminate KidsCare on June 15. That means 47,000 children going uninsured…. more children missing school, more parents missing work, more childhood illnesses going untreated, & more expensive emergency room visits… more jobs lost from our health care sector…,our federal tax dollars going to help kids in other states… more families bankrupt due to large medical bills they can’t afford to pay.

            The good news…the new federal health reform law is causing our state Leg. to reconsider their mistake. That law removes $7 billion in federal funds from AZ’s health care system each year if we cut back on KidsCare after the date the law was signed…. the Leg…(did belatedly)…restore (part of) KidsCare. It appropriates $9 million to cover the children who are currently enrolled…wonderful…but it only gets us halfway there….(left)… the enrollment freeze in place & continue to turn away more than 100 uninsured kids every day — kids with asthma, disabilities, special needs & life-threatening illnesses…..

            Bringing KidsCare halfway back is like giving your sick child only half the medicine he needs to get better. It’s not good parenting, and it’s not good policy. With only $11 million more in state funds, AZ could really bring back KidsCare. That’s a cost of less than 1 % of the state budget that brings in more than $40 million in federal funds & very large returns to our families & economy.

            …at least 3 easy ways to pay for bringing KidsCare all the way back without raising taxes or cutting something else. 1)…accept the offer of First Things First & ask voters to approve using $60 million of the First Things First tobacco tax money to temporarily pay the state’s share of KidsCare…2) use additional federal dollars that will come in when Congress approves an extension of extra health care matching funds for all states.  3)…restore to the AZ Dept. of Revenue the more than 100 auditor & collector staff positions that have been cut so they can collect taxes that are already owed to the state…Revenue… estimates that each dollar spent on an auditor brings in $15 in collections.

Governor Brewer and state lawmakers, it’s time to stand up for children and pay for KidsCare.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Littwin: Let’s stop denying what Arizona laws are really about

By Mike Littwin    303-954-5428 Denver Post Columnist  - Updated: 05/02/2010

            You’ve probably heard the news about the AZ sheriff’s deputy who was shot along a drug-smuggling corridor, about 50 miles south of Phoenix.  That’s what people don’t understand, I’m told, about the new AZ law. It’s not about illegal immigration per se. It’s a reaction to the Mexican drug cartels & the violence that is overrunning the state. It’s about the kidnapping in Phx.  There was the rancher who was killed near the border, almost certainly by drug smugglers. And now there’s the deputy, whose wound was thankfully superficial, who was apparently shot by smugglers. (We won’t ask where the cartel’s guns come from. We know, but it’s not a topic we like to broach.) What we’re told is that since the Fed. Govt. won’t act to stop the inflow of violent drug smugglers, the state had no choice but to act — even if acting means that people violating rental codes (you know which codes we’re talking about) may be required to prove their citizenship. Start your racial profiling now. I’m not sure how this applies in, say, Scott McInnis’ Colorado, where the border is with New Mexico, not the old one, & where we now get to grow our own marijuana.

            According to Daniel Griswold of the right-leaning libertarian Cato Institute think tank, the AZ law isn’t really about crime at all.  Citing Dept. of Justice data, Griswold writes that, as of 2008, Arizona’s crime rate was the lowest it had been in four decades. It gets more interesting. Griswold notes that over the past decade, when illegal immigrants have poured into the state, the rate for violent crime in AZ has fallen by 23% & property crime by 28%.   In an article Griswold wrote for Commentary last Dec., he takes his case nationally. Over the past 15 years, in a time of rapid growth in immigration — legal & illegal — Griswold says we’ve seen “the most rapid drop in crime rates in the nation’s history.”

            If Griswold is right — that the fear of crime from an immigrant population is vastly overstated — his story is an old story, as old as the Know Nothing Party, as old as George Washington warning John Adams of the newest immigrants.    Griswold points to a famous example in which a Harvard economics professor took out an ad in The New York Times in 1913, warning that “hordes of new immigrants” — mostly Italian & Jewish — were “a menace to our Anglo Saxon civilization.”

            OK, we have immigration issues in this country. We proudly say we are a nation of immigrants. But we worry, always, about the next wave of immigrants — our forbears were always legal, it seems — and how they’ll change the country.           Tom Tancredo & Lou Dobbs warn of the threat of multiculturalism. But you might note that in 1900, New York’s third-largest newspaper was German-language, & yet I don’t hear much German in the streets these days. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, 57% of Latinos who have been here at least three generations intermarry. Do their children press 2 at the ATM?

            I know that illegal immigration is a real issue. We obviously need to control our borders. We need to stop potential terrorists. We need to combat the violent drug cartels.  The overreaction to people who have come here — most at great risk — is also real. I don’t know what the poll numbers show, but it seems like time for immigration reform that addresses both issues.  And it doesn’t matter which accent you use.

#################

Web Sites PLUS….   Please don’t forget to periodically check these web sites:  www.district10dems.com,  www.azdem.org, www.maricopademocrat.com and www.westdems.com.     

Please HELP ME Make This YOUR E-letter.  Please send suggestions, comments etc. to  bvaandrk@earthlink.net.

NOTE:  Please note the opinions reflected in this e-letter are those of the editor &contributors ¬ of the D 10 Democratic organization per se. If you want to read ‘different’ stuff, send it to me please!

***********************

SPEAKING OUT!!!! Please use it to let Pres. Obama & the AZ members of Congress know what you want done (& not done) * Pres. Obama: 1-202-456-1111 or  www.whitehouse.gov/contact    *John McCain- 602-952-2410  *Jon Kyl - 602-840-1891 *Ann Kirkpatrick, CD 1 - 928-445-3434 *Trent Franks, CD 2 -  623-776-7911 *John Shadegg, CD 3 - 602-263-5300 * Ed Pastor, CD 4 - 602-256-0551 *Harry Mitchell, CD 5 Ph - 480-946-2411*Jeff Flake CD 6 - 480-833-0092 * Raul Grijalva, CD 7 - 520-622-6788 *Gabrielle Giffords, CD 8, Ph: 520-459-3115.  And in AZ: Gov. Jan Brewer, 602-542-4331; D 10’s Sen. Linda Gray, 602-926-3376; Rep. Jim Weiers, 602-926-4173; Rep. Douq Quelland, 602-926-3024.

 

 

* Upcoming Events – Get Your Calendars Out!!! Something for Everyone!!!

          * Tues., Dec. 15, 2009 – First Meeting of the ‘Drinking Liberally’ non-club, 4-7 p.m.  Lone Star Steakhouse, 10004 N. 26^th Dr. (N of Dunlap on I-17 E access road). Reduced price drinks and hors d-oeuvres.  Come to enjoy and talk politics!!

          * Tues., Jan. 12, 2010 – Monthly D 10 Dems Meeting.  7 p.m., Cholla Middle School, 3120 W. Cholla Avenue (west side of Cholla on 31^st Avenue – south of Cactus & North of Peoria.)  Look for signs!!!  Speaker: Arif Kazmi, Candidate for CAWCD (Central Arizona Water Conservation District)

          * Sat., Jan. 16, 2010.  Mofford Merit Award Dinner.   Details to follow.  

            * Sat., Jan. 23, 2010 – State Democratic Party Meeting.  Details to follow.

            * Sat., Jan. 23, 2010 – Walk for Jackie Thrasher!!   If you are not a State Committee person, please plan to participate in the 1st 2010 walk for Jackie Thrasher, candidate for D 10 house, 10 AM to noon.  We’ll be knocking on doors to collect signatures on Jackie’s nominating petitions to get her on the ballot and raise some money at the same time; thus a $10 contribution is being suggested. Location and other details to follow.

            * Tues., Feb. 9, 2010 – Monthly D 10 Dems Meeting.  7 p.m., Cholla Middle School

            * Sat., Feb. 13, 2010 – Annual Valentine’s Day Chocolate Extravaganza.  Lots of chocolate of all kinds, auction AND Heart Awards to two outstanding Democrats who have worked for years to improve AZ – Gloria Furman and Doug Kilgore, AEA.  More details to follow!!

 

**************************************************************

Don’t Give the Leg Access to Voter Approved and Protected Programs
          The budget mess in which the state finds itself was created by the legislature through years of special interest tax cuts and exemptions coupled with an ideologically based unwillingness to seek new revenues.   In their shortsighted actions to balance the budget, legislators have slashed education, health care and funding for programs that keep families working and children safe.  Now legislators have set their sights on voter-protected funds for K-12 education, early learning and support for young children.  They have proven they cannot manage the funds they have.  We must not give them access to the last remaining funds voters put in place to protect education and young children.  Please call Governor Brewer today (602) 542-4331 or (800) 253-0883 (Leave a message including your name and address) and tell her:

• DON’T RAID MONEY FOR KIDS, HEALTH CARE, AND EDUCATION
• DON’T  INCLUDE THE VOTER PROTECTION  ACT IN YOUR CALL FOR A SPECIAL SESSION   

Here’s some background: 

            * Over the years, AZ voters have used the citizen ballot initiative process to allocate their tax dollars to their highest priorities.

            * AZ’s Constitution prohibits the state legislature from using schemes or raids to reverse or weaken policies & funding passed by the voters, known as “voter protected funds.

            * Voter protected funds are targeted for k-12 education, health care, early learning & family support for young children.

            * None of these voter priorities has caused the state budget deficit.

      * State lawmakers have many options to balance the state budget without raiding voter priorities.

      * Investments in kids, education, & health care should remain in both good times & bad to build AZ’s future.  

Please join thousands of Arizona voters across the state who support investments in kids, health care, and education to build Arizona’s future.

            AND, let your D 10 Officials know how you feel also: Sen. Linda Gray, 602-926-3376; Rep. Jim Weiers, 602-4173 and Rep. Doug Quelland, 602-3024.  E-mail addresses are first initial+full surname@azleg.gov  (e.g.lgray@azleg,gov)

 

+++    +++   +++   +++   +++   +++   +++

GREAT HOLIDAY POTLUCK.  A bunch of D 10 PCs and to include Jackie Thrasher, D 10 House candidate, Jason Johnson, D 10 Senate candidate, Rodney Glassman, exploring a run for the US Senate, and hosts Sandy and Larry Lewis spent a very enjoyable few hours on Sunday, December 6, eating a delicious variety of delicacies and socializing.  If you missed it this year, please plan to attend the one to be held in 2010 (no date at this point!!).  Thank you to the Lewis’ for their hospitality!!!

 

#########

 

WHITE DONKEYS WANTED!!

As this holiday season approaches — sometimes resulting in house cleanings and certainly in purchases and receipt of gifts — please think of District 10 Dems!!!  So, rather than throw away things you no longer want or use or return purchases or gifts you aren’t too happy with, donate them to the District 10 Dems.  Then at our February Valentine’s Day Chocolate Extravaganza, we’ll gather and use them in a ”White Donkey” grab bag and raise some money for D 10 at the same time!!   P.S.  We will also have a small auction of more valuable items so please save those for D 10 as well.

***********************

District 10 - AZ’s Swing District 

Did you know that District 10 is the ’swing’ in all of AZ’s 30 legislative districts?  That is the difference between the Republican and Democratic voter registrations numbers are the closest than in any other district, which means…..a) we need to register just a few more D’s to ’swing’ it to the D’s side; and b) early voting (PEVL = permanent early voting list”) can make the difference.  About two months ago, D 10 provided the State Party with funds to run an experiment involving robo calls to all the D’s who are NOT on the PEVL telling them to watch for a mailing, the mailing, followed by phone calls by D 10 volunteers.  The result:  we increased our PEVL numbers significantly.  We are getting closer by the day!!  But we still need your help to help register a few more D’s in D 10 AND get a few more D’s to sign up on PEVL (because all the studies show that when folks get their ballots in the mail, they are much more likely to vote and not miss the election due to a last minute illness, trip or just ‘getting busy’ and forgetting!!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

DEMS DON’T JUST TALK ABOUT SUPPORTING OUR VETS, THEY ACT ON IT!!

            The Maricopa County Veterans Outreach Committee accepts donations of furniture, household goods & clothing.  They work with the Madison Street Vets Association, United for Change & U.S. Vets – Phoenix to help homeless vets transition from homelessness to their own dwellings.  All donated items are given free of charge to vets referred by the above organizations.  In the future, the Committee hopes to also get referrals from the Fed. Office of Vets Affairs & the AZ Office of Vets Affairs (state).   The Committee has secured a store front at 1620 E. McDowell Road, Phx. rent free as a receiving & distribution point.   If you have household goods to donate please contact Ken at 480-232-4605.   Once a month in cooperation with United For Change, the Committee provides a home cooked meal for homeless vets living at Victory Place 804 E. Jones Ave, Phx.  If you’d like to help, please contact 85040 Barbara Sesate, Community Organizer, at 480-857-1605. Info provided by Bob Stelling Chairman: AZ Democratic Vets Caucus at 480-298-9771.

=============================

 

A short reminder for all of us in LD-10. John Thrasher, D 10 PC; former candidate for US House, CD 2

            Thrasher is watching Washington D.C. like a Dove & a Hawk, on their every move. This is without doubt a Pres. with the most threatening obstruction ever & it is openly permitted. It must have been planned from the first words of, ’I hope He fails’ from well-known talk show hosts. A report from Alternet.org mentions that Pres. Obama simply was cornered, at least by Defense Sec. Gates & Sec. of State Clinton to add troops to Afghanistan. The decision was not what was completely expected; however, for eight years, the terrible decisions were completely expected by the last administration & worst, kept secret.  McCain’s concession speech for complete support for our newly elected President must take place, oh, really, when? McCain needs to review his own speech & remind himself that supporting the top position of our country, the Commander in Chief, will prevent National Security threats & protect America. McCain mentioned to the Bush administration to ‘Stop Spending MONEY Like A Drunken Sailor,’ of course to no avail; so, was that just a Speech?  Supporting the Pres. now, agree or not, is vital. I believe he is going to lead this country & get us back on track & work things through. No, he’s not the same we experienced for eight years, whew; but he is able to stand tall & never waiver, just like we should in demonstrating our support. Pres. Obama is bringing the World together & will bring the US together with our help, support & hope of ‘Yes We Can’.

            Remember:  FIRED UP! READY TO GO! was Echoed throughout his Campaign, so keep repeating this to yourself and believe, or, we can reflect back on what the alternative could be.  United We Stand! 

 

***************************************

  Dems’ common sense solutions to the budget crisis

What Democrats asked for in 2010 budget talks.

* Protect education, jobs and vital health services.  Restore $295 million in cuts made in the Republican budget, including restoring $140 million in K-12 funding. The budget recently passed by Rs made $915 million in cuts & sweeps, including cuts of $220 million from K-12 education on top of the $133 million in cuts schools received in January & the $300 million in sweeps of unspent cash balances taken from school districts in May.

 * Don’t give away tax breaks to big corporations.  Do not give away $250 million from the state’s education equalization tax & direct $75 million from the vehicle license tax (VLT) to go to the general fund. The $325 million in revenue created by these changes pays for the restorations Democrats requested & leaves a sizable balance carry forward to help balance next year’s budget.    Mining & utility companies, as well as large corporations, would have been the biggest beneficiaries of the tax cut proposed in the recently passed Rs budget.  The average homeowner would have only seen a $3 a month tax cut under this plan. Ds proposed to temporarily use VLT money, which currently funds transportation & highway projects, to help protect funding for schools & vital social services during this tough economic time.  Federal stimulus funds are currently being used to offset the costs of these road projects.

* Make the sales tax increase more efficient. D Leadership agreed to support the proposed 1-cent sales tax referral language along with changes to the larger budget package, tho they preferred other revenue options.  Ds also wanted a few changes made to protect families, including:  ***Create a refundable low-income tax credit to off-set the cost of the sales tax increase for lower income families. ***Ensure the new tax revenue goes to education & health programs.  Change the sales tax increase to a full 1-cent per year for 3 years to generate more revenue to help address the budget deficit

* Take out provisions harmful to Arizona. Ask that some of the most controversial budget provisions be taken out of the budget package, such as the privatization of death row, the preempting of local control of cities & the removal of protections & notice requirements for teachers subject to layoffs created by budget deficits.

A TIMELINE: GOV DENIES MANY REQUESTS BY Ds FOR BIPARTISAN TALKS.

* Jan 21- Brewer sworn in;  * Jan. 26 - House Dems announce 2009 budget solution & call for bipartisan talks.  * March 4 - Brewer gives speech to the Leg. about her “5 point plan”  * March 30 - Dems announce 1st budget solutions and call for bipartisan talks. * May 1 - House Dem’s send letter to Gov urging her to call bipartisan talks.  * May 28 – House and Senate Dems jointly release a 2010 budget solution and call for bipartisan talks. * June 1 - Gov releases 2010 budget proposal.   * June 3 - House D’s send letter to Gov again requesting bipartisan talks and detailing their reaction to her budget.  * June 30 - Brewer meets briefly with House and Senate Dem leadership to negotiate a budget as midnight deadline looms.  * Aug 11 - House Dem’s send Letter to Gov urging her to yet again engage in bipartisan talks.  AND….nothing happens and now we are here!!!

————————————————————————-

 

Letters to the Editor by D 10 Precinct Committee People

 

            “Gov. Jan Brewer’s latest budget cuts: $300 million from education and social services.   The governor’s next strategy, according to The Republic, has the ‘goal of increasing state revenue, possibly with a tax increase, while instituting targeted corporate-tax cuts.   Merry Christmas, corporate Arizona.  Happy New Year, AZ children.”   By Barbara Buedel.

 

            “…Rep. Ray Barnes, R-Phx, on Nov. 23…said that schools used to have low adm costs and have padded adm extensively the last several years…..Every district in …AZ is audited by the Auditor General’s Office…assess classroom spending, cash practices, adm costs and….Districts are monitored and held accountable for their spending….If Rep Barnes has ideas to improve ed, he should share them with his colleagues and the general public…his feedback should be based upon data and not vague rhetoric.”  By Aaron Jahneke: 

 

*************************************************************************************************SO WHO IS ???? Getting to know your D 10 Activists     No one sent me a bio!!!!

============================================================================== 

Update from the Washington Elementary School District Board: For such please contact Aaron Jahneke, Governing Board Member, Washington Elementary District 6 (former D 10 Chair & PC Golden Precinct). The District meets every other Thursday night at 7 pm in the district office at 4650 W Sweetwater Road. I can be reached at aaron.jahneke@wesdschools .org.

################

Web Sites PLUS….   Please don’t forget to periodically check these web sites:  www.district10dems.com,  www.azdem.org, www.maricopademocrat.com and www.westdems.com.     

Please HELP ME Make This YOUR E-letter.  Please send suggestions, comments etc.to  bvaandrk@earthlink.net.

NOTE:  Please note the opinions reflected in this e-letter are those of the editor &contributors &not of the D 10 Democratic organization per se. If you want to read ‘different’ stuff, send it to me please!

***********************

HANG ONTO THIS!! Please use it to let President Obama & the AZ members of Congress know what you want done (and not done) in Washington. * Pres. Obama: 1-202-4546-1111 or  www.whitehouse.gov/contact    *John McCain- 602-952-2410  *Jon Kyl - 602-840-1891 *Ann Kirkpatrick, CD 1 - 928-445-3434 *Trent Franks, CD 2 -  623-776-7911 *John Shadegg, CD 3 - 602-263-5300 * Ed Pastor, CD 4 - 602-256-0551 *Harry Mitchell, CD 5 Ph - 480-946-2411*Jeff Flake CD 6 - 480-833-0092 * Raul Grijalva, CD 7 - 520-622-6788 *Gabrielle Giffords, CD 8, Ph: 520-459-3115