D-10 E letter, #46. Nov. 2011 Special Pre Election Edition
And if you have already voted, help get the vote out from those who haven't. Contact Jim Malicki, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call at 602/748-5119 or
Go to http://www.gregstantonformayor.com/ to learn more OR contribute $$$ etc.
Give Stanton JUST ONE Hour that might make the difference!!!!
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REDISTRICTING!!! IT'S NOT JUST AN EXERCISE IN MAPPING!!!!!
It's not just a computer mapping game!!! It will determine whether the Congressional and Legislative Districts in which you live will be represented by an R or a D….and we all know the difference between the parties by now, and what they stand for!!!! (+ see story below)
So, if you want to live somewhere where your vote CAN make a difference (vs. in a 60% R area) you have very few chances left to get involved.
1st: Go to the AZ Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) web site www.azredistricting.org to learn more about the Commission and the process if you are not familiar with it.
2nd: Attend one of the last 3 AIRC public meetings listed below (or on the web site) and speak about the importance of competitive districts.
3rd. Submit a written comment at the public hearing and/or send one on line at the web site.
. Call and write your legislators (especially LD 10's Rep. Jim Weiers, who is chair of the Joint Legislative Committee trying to destroy the 'independent' Commission for actually creating more competitive districts than the R's thought should exist – 602-926-4173 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , and let them know you feel competition is a criteria equal to the other 5; and
4th. Call and write the Governor and share your opinions with her for her attempts to do the same. 602-542-4331 or www.azgovernor.gov.
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Upcoming Events in 2011 – Get Your Calendars Out!!!
*** Nov. 1, 2011,, AIRC Public Hearing, South Phoenix, 6:00 p.m., South Mountain Community College, 7050 South 24th Street, Phoenix
*** Nov. 2, 2011, AIRC Public Hearing, City of Peoria 6:00 p.m., City of Peoria Municipal Center Council Chambers, 8401 W. Monroe Street, Peoria
*** Nov. 3, 2011, AIRC Public Hearing, City of Scottsdale 6:00 p.m., Granite Reef Senior Center, 1700 North Granite Reef Road, Scottsdale
**** Nov. 6, 7 & 8, Mayoral Election!!!! – 26 polling places around the City. You can vote in person or drop off your ballot at any of them.
*** Nov. 10, Drinking Liberally Metro Center (D 10). Thurs., Nov. 10, 4-7 p.m., Finnegan's Irish Pub, N of Dunlap into Metro Center, 9201 N. 29th Ave. Inexpensive drinks &1/2 price appetizers & a good time will be had by all!!! VOTE on a new name for this group!! If you submit the winning name, you'll get a free drink. Send nominations to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (I will forward them to the name contest judge).
*** Nov. 15, D 10 Monthly Meeting, Cholla Middle School Library, 3210 W. Cholla (NW corner of Cholla and 31st Avenue). Cholla is about half way between Cactus and Peoria. Parking in front on 31st as well as on Cholla, behind the school.
*** Nov. 12, NW Dem. Breakfast Club, Breakfast 8 a.m. $11. Speaker 8:30 a.m. Carolyn Warner, former AZ State Superintendent of Public Instruction, candidate for Gov. on the DNC. RSVP to hredwine#DLRGroup.com, 602-258-3221. Board Room, Beatitudes, 1620 W. Glendale, Phx., 602-995-6100
*** Dec. 3, Maricopa County Democratic Party (MCDP) County Meeting. Location and time to be determined. OPEN to all but only Precinct Committee People (PCs) can vote.
*** Phoenix (vs. LD 10) Drinking Liberally - every other Thurs,; current location in flux; 7 pm on. Look for the red, white & blue sign "Drinking Liberally". http://livingliberally.org/chapter/blog/5656 for details about the location and to get on their e-mail list.
*** Vets & Military Families Caucus – meets at 7 p.m. on the last Tuesday of each month at MCDP office; LD Vets reps should plan to attend along with any other vet or military family member.
*** SAVE THE DATE NOW!!! Sun., Feb. 12, 2012!!! Annual LD 10 Dems Valentine's Chocolate Extravaganza!!! All the chocolate you can eat, plus HEART AWARDS (to those Dems who have given so generously of themselves over many years to this District and the State) plus a silent auction and a LOTTA fun.
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REDISTRICTING. Wanna live in a district (Congressional or Legislative) in which your vote COULD make a difference (vs. someplace overwhelmingly all one party??) That's what the battle is all about. With registration in AZ being about equally divided between R's, D's & Independents, why are there so few competitive districts? If you are concerned, join folks like Aaron Jahneke, Lois Pfau, Joanne Romero, Ken Wixon, John Zimmer, Chuck Howey, Paul Verhelst & Rivko Knox, Attend a meeting; it's interesting, you can speak or submit comments on paper at the meeting or on line (see above for web site) AND you feel empowered!!! – and speaking of feeling empowered??
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WHY OCCUPY WALL STREET (OWS) OW PHOENIX OR ANYWHERE ELSE?????
(1) Wall Street has created and perpetuated a system of enormous inequality.
(2) That system caused The Crash, and no one has been punished for it.
(3) Wall Street perpetuates that system through iron control of our political process.
(4) The result is pervasive suffering: joblessness, homelessness, illness, poverty and even hunger.
That’s why it’s Occupy Wall Street
AND RE OCCUPY PHOENIX: Chuck Howey reported: "Attended Phoenix's Cesar Chavez Plaza events on Friday 10/21/2011 from 9:30 to 12:30. Then left after the heat got to me. Jobs. Union support. 99%. Anti-Wallstreet. Most people attending had a sign. I took pictures. The speakers were all good & convincing. Diverse backgrounds. 10 a.m. to noon-12 was billed about jobs. Noon to-2p.m. was about the equivalent of #OccupyWallStreet for Phoenix. The FIX news crew hadn't arrived yet. Police were nervously watching from the sides. There was the guy on the edge on his soap box giving his speech to anyone that would listen. At noon, there were two people walking through shouting out their conservative viewpoints. They were trying to get someone to argue with them. It usually didn't take too long. But by then the plaza was filled. Montini's article in the Phoenix Republic about the plan to occupy a park that night was very revealing. Alfredo Gutierrez joined up in the afternoon at the CS Plaza with the group. Some wanted to spend the night out speaking and protesting. The Phoenix Mayor's office was somehow implicated with a request to stay all night. Alfredo jumped in to act as moderator when discussions went down hill. Then he thought the City reneged on the deal, so he stayed when the Phx PD arrested them. Alfredo says that after his case is settled, he will to seek out the New York #OccupyWallStreet group. I wish I had stayed too.
Rivko Knox: "I attended the initial one on Oct. 15 from 1-3 p.m. (then off to canvass for Stanton at 4). Very similar impressions; terrific signs, both original and printed; all ages, genders, ethnic/racial groups, kinds of clothes; some good speakers, others way too long; some drums; free food (tho I left a $5 bill); police waiting but at that point no trouble!! I want to go again but am just juggling my calendar between Stanton, AIRC, my personal life & Occupy Phx.
IF YOU ATTENDED, PLEASE SEND US YOUR STORY!!!! ..
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GREAT BUMPER STICKERS AND 'OCCUPY SIGNS'
Republicans 2012: Keeping millions out of work
To put ONE man out of a job!!!
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The CURRENT three branches of government
Financial Petrochemical Pharmaceutical
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Obama is NOT a brown-skinned anti-war socialist who gives away free health care...You're thinking of JESUS.
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99ers, 'Tear Down That Wall (street)
(Those insiders who have ruined our economy.)
(submitted by a D 10 Precinct Committeeperson)
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SO WHO IS WILLIAM "BILL" HELLER (newest PC, Phelps Precinct)…originally from Long Island, NY. Following high school, attended the Univ. of Tampa for 2 years; joined the US Air Force, served for 4 years (1 in Vietnam.) Upon discharge moved to North Dakota, got married & moved to AZ in 1973 where we became parents of my son Kevin; then went back to ASU, received a degree in Marketing ,another undergraduate degree in management; have also done some post graduate work; employed in the insurance industry as a claims adjuster, claims manager & risk manager; in 1993 started my own business as a private investigator & today special in insurance issues with my clients being mostly plaintiff attorneys; been married for nearly 40 years, have a 38-year old &two boys grandsons; once a “Goldwater Republican” until Mr. Goldwater came & gave a speech at the U of Tampa --that's when I learned that before you vote, it would be a good idea to know what you are voting for!!! That is why when I came to AZ, I registered as an R an effort to stop Goldwater in the primaries; after which I became an Independent & during the 2008 presidential election switched to D because I wanted to vote for John Edwards. Well, you can't be right all the time!!! The first time I ever voted for the person who actually became President, was Barack Obama. I am a fierce liberal/progressive & feel that if things do not change & if don’t get many more progressives in office, this wonderful country will go the way of ancient Greece or Rome. I am eager to whatever I can to help the candidates get nominated & then elected to office. William (Bill) Heller.
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WHO SAID THAT?? A Democrat, Republican, Communist or Socialist?
"""…tax loopholes allowing a millionaire to pay lower taxes than a bus driver are “crazy,” because they allow the “truly wealthy to avoid paying their fair share… We’re going to close the unproductive tax loopholes that allow some of the truly wealthy to avoid paying their fair share. In theory, some of those loopholes were understandable, but in practice they sometimes made it possible for millionaires to pay nothing, while a bus driver was paying ten percent of his salary, and that’s crazy. [...] Do you think the millionaire ought to pay more in taxes than the bus driver or less?'"
A) Karl Marx; B) Senator Bernie Sanders (the only Socialist in the US Congress); C) FDR; D) LBJ; E) Pres. Obama; F) Pres. Richard Nixon; G) Pres. Ronald Reagan
(Answer below – and no peeking!!) LOOK FOR THIS COLOR BELOW!!
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TEXAS: A STATE WITH SOME "INTERESTING RANKINGS"
PERRY'S AMERICA????
Texas standings against all 50 states on a variety of issues (1st = highest ranking, 50th = lowest).
In 1st place, ladies and gentleman: ***% of Uninsured Children – ***% of Population Uninsured – ***% of Non-Elderly Uninsured – ***Number of Executions – ***Amount of Hazardous Waste Generated – ***Amount of Toxic Chemicals Released into Water –***Amount of Carbon Dioxide Emissions –***Amount of Volatile Organic Compounds Released into Air –***Amount of Recognized Cancer-Causing Carcinogens Released into Air –
AND coming in the top TEN: ***% of Women Living in Poverty –***Income Inequality Between the Rich & Poor –***Teenage Birth Rate – ***% of Children Living in Poverty - ***Foreclosure Rates- ***Amount of Toxic Chemicals Released into Air –***Amount of Recognized Cancer-Causing Carcinogens Released into Water –& -Number of Hazardous Waste Sites on National Priority List – Consumption of Energy per Capita – WITH Cervical Cancer Rate, almost making it into that category, being 11th
Wonder what's in the 45-50 ranking (i.e., the worse of the worst)?? *** State Aid Per Pupil in Average Daily Attendance ***Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Scores –***% of Population 25 & Older with High School Diploma –*** High School Graduation Rate – (whoops, sorry about that, it's only 43rd) ***% of Low Income Population Covered by Medicaid – ***% of Population with Employer-Based Health Insurance –***Per Capita State Spending on Mental Health –***Per Capita State Spending on Medicaid –***Average Monthly Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Benefits per Person –***% of Population Who Visit the Dentist –***% of Non-Elderly Women with Health Insurance –***% of Pregnant Women Receiving Prenatal Care in First Trimester –*** Women’s Voter Registration –
***Women’s Voter Turnout –***Mortgage Debt as Percent of Home Value – *** Median Net Worth of Households –***Average Credit Score – ***Retirement Plan Participation – ***Workers’ Compensation Coverage –***Homeowner’s Insurance Affordability –
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AND THE ANSWER TO THE QUIZ ABOVE IS: Spoken on June 6, 1985 at Northside High School in Atlanta, Georgia, by President Ronald Reagan. Kinda make you realize how today's R's are extreme and out of touch!!!! (Oct. 4, Think Progress War Room)
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Progressive Media Sources
Where do you get your news about current events with the Progressive slant???
1480AM KPHX Phoenix’s only Progressive talk radio. Randi Rhodes, Thom Hartmann, Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz, Mike Malloy, Bill Press, Dr Mike Newcomb and guests. You get to hear the various positions the left has on things (for and against war, taxes, entitlements, rights). All sides are heard from. The antenna and station is downtown Phoenix. Coverage is spotty in the East Valley. You can hear the broadcast from your computer as well. http://www.1480kphx.com/
MSNBC Cable news- Lean Forward is their motto. Cox channel 63, DirecTV 356, SiriusXM radio 117. Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes, Morning Joe (right wing host), Lawrence O’Donnell, Chris Matthews, Al Sharpton. This channel may cost extra. There may be ways to watch on-line via the internet for free on your PC or phone. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3096434/ns/msnbc_tv/
CRNT Cable Current Channel Countdown with Keith Obermann DirecTV 358. After making a lot of money for MSNBC, Keith left after a tiff. His show can be seen on this channel. This channel may cost extra. http://current.com/
The Nation magazine The weekly that delivers all the slants on Progressive views. Chris Hayes, Eric Alterman, Katha Pollitt, Naomi Klein, Melissa Harris-Perry, Alexander Cockburn, John Nichols, Jeremy Scahill. 12 issues for $21.97. If you are a subscriber, you can read every weekly issue back to 1865 when they were first about Women’s Rights and the right to vote. The latest issue’s main articles are available online free at http://www.thenation.com/ and click on subscribe to subscribe.
The Progressive magazine. The monthly since 1902 that has great in depth articles that we love. Terry Tempest Williams, Jim Hightower, John Nichols, Matthew Rothschild. $15/year. Check out the latest issue on line. http://www.progressive.org/
The Hightower Lowdown A monthly newsletter that Jim Hightower and Philip Frazer put out. Jim Hightower ran against Gov Perry in Texas a long time ago. Smeared by Gov Perry in several races, Jim has a definite slant for the left (very ironic & humorous at times). $15/year. http://hightowerlowdown.org/ If you want to know who we are up against, read this.
The Progressive Populist A monthly newspaper that tells all. Jim Hightower, Froma Harrop, the late Molly Ivins notes on Gov. Goodhair , Arianna Huffington, Amy Goodman, Robert Reich, Jesse Jackson, Alexander Cockburn, Ralph Nader, Michael Moore. $15/6 months $30/year. http://populist.com/ This from Storm Lake Iowa yet.
P.O.T.U.S. Politics of the United States SiriusXM 124 Left & Right discussions.
SiriusXM Left Sirius XM 127 Left discussions. Thom Hartmann, Mark Thompson
Sirius XM Left Plus Sirius XM 853. Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller
The above sources and comments are from Chuck Howey, (North Mountain Precinct Committeeperson). Some positions taken by the above media sources may offend some; and if so, the answer is (according to Rivko) "don't listen to or read them again!!)
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A Good Fight -Tuesday 20 September 2011
by: Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog | Op-Ed
So the really big fight — perhaps the defining battle of 2012 — won’t be over Medicare. It won’t even be over Obama’s jobs program. It will be over whether the rich should pay more taxes. The Pres has vowed to veto any plan to tame the debt that doesn’t increase taxes on the rich. The R's have vowed to oppose any tax increases on the rich. It’s a good fight to have.
(…on 9/20) Obama proposed new taxes on the wealthy including a special new tax for millionaires, the closing of loopholes & deductions for people making more than $250,000 a year & an end to the portion of the Bush tax cut going to higher incomes. R's accused the Pres of instigating “class warfare.”….it’s not warfare to demand the rich pay their fair share of taxes to bring down America’s long-term debt…. the richest 1% of Americans now takes home more than 20& of total income….the highest share going to the top 1% in almost 90 years….they now pay at the lowest tax rates in half a century, 1/2 the rate they paid on ordinary income prior to 1981.
Unfortunately, the Pres isn’t proposing to raise the capital-gains tax which, now at 15%, creates a loophole large enough for the super-rich to drive their Ferrari’s through. About 80% of the income of America’s richest 400 comes in the form of capital gains….where billionaire hedge-fund and private-equity fund managers make out like bandits…I also wish (Obama) aimed higher — for more brackets & higher rates at the very top…at least he’s drawn a line in the sand. The veto message is clear.
Anyone who says the US economy suffers when the rich pay more in taxes doesn’t know history. We grew faster the first 3 decades after World War II than we have since. Trickle-down economics has been a cruel joke…given projected budget deficits, if the rich don’t pay their fair share, the rest of us will have to bear more of a burden…that burden inevitably will come in the form of either higher taxes or fewer public services.
If anyone’s declared class warfare it’s the people who inhabit the top rungs of big corporations & Wall Street (who comprise a disproportionate number of America’s super rich). They’ve declared it on average workers. The ratio of corporate profits to wages is higher than it’s been since before the Great Depression…even as corporate salaries & perks keep rising, the median wage keeps dropping & jobs continue to be shed…the chairman of Merck taking home $17.9 million last year…this year Merck announces plans to boot 13,000 workers…CEO of B of A takes in $10 million & the bank announces it’s firing 30,000 workers.
Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but the way I see it we’ve got a huge budget deficit & a giant jobs problem…under these circumstances it seems to me people at the top who have never had it so good should sacrifice a bit more, so the rest of us don’t have to sacrifice quite as much. According to the polls, most Americans agree.
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TAKE ACTION – let them know how you feel!!! If you don't tell 'em, the others will!!!
Gov. Jan Brewer –602-542-4331; AZ Rep. Jim Weiers –602-926-4173 & This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; AZ Rep. Kimberly Yee - 602-926-3024 & This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; AZ Sen. Linda Gray – 602-926-3376 & This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it CD 2: Rep. Trent Franks 623-776-7911/202-225-4576; CD 3: Rep. Ben Quayle – 602-263-5300/202-225-3462; Sen. John McCain: 602-952-2410/202-224-2235; Sen. Jon Kyl: 602-840-1891/202-224-4521; http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
WEB SITES. Please visit us frequently at www.district10dems.com The site is updated on a regular basis so check for new information rather then just waiting for an e-mail from me. Please HELP ME Make This YOUR E-letter. Please send suggestions, articles, letters to the editor (published or not), comments etc. to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please also visit www.maricopadems.com and www.azdem.org
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!