Despite the snow, let’s have a full house for our monthly meeting. Two perspective congressional candidates are attending. We have 25 chairs at Headquarters, if you have a folding chair you can bring along, that would be great. See you on Wednesday.
Meeting of the Whitman County Democrats
January 18, 2012
Headquarters – 127 S. Grand, Pullman, 6:30-7:30 pm
AGENDA
6:30 – Greetings: Carolyn Cress
6:35 – Business:
Reports: Approval of Minutes – Peggy Ray
Treasurer’s Report – Michael Lowery
Endorsement of I-502, the Initiative to regulate marijuana use.
“move to amend” effort Intern/Volunteer recruitment
6:45 – Introduction: Dan Morrissey
6:50 – Introduction: Mary Verner
6:55 – Introduction: Pat O’Neil
Adjournment
Word Document: 20120118_Agenda
Dear Friends,
I wanted to take the time to wish you and your family a Happy New Year. I anticipate this year will be full of many exciting opportunities to let our voices be heard and for important discussions to take place.
I look forward to traveling around the state to meet all of our party leaders and members of local Democratic Party organizations. I am excited to discuss my Campaign for Accountability and how we can make Washington the best managed state in the nation within 6 years.
Over the next 10 months I will be holding conversations throughout the state discussing my reason for wanting to become Washington’s next State Auditor. In addition to that I plan to share with you my ideas on how we can build a state that is trusted by you.
I hope you had a safe New Year’s celebration and I look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail in the New Year.
All the best to you and your family,
Rep. Mark Miloscia
Paid for by Miloscia for State Auditor | www.MarkMiloscia.com
The chart below shows our state’s spending history over the last 20 years. As you can see, the budget enacted for 2011-13 is very much in line with state spending growth over the last two decades. The extremely large increases in state spending in the 2005-07 and 2007-09 biennia accounted for much of the state’s budget shortfalls the past four years.
In part of her solution to the state budget shortfall, Gov. Gregoire is proposing a “temporary” $500 million sales tax increase which would increase the 2011-2013 budget to the 2009-2011 level.
by Michael Sean Winters on Nov. 09, 2011
The Public Religion Research Institute released yesterday a new set of findings from surveys conducted in September about the role of religion and values in shaping Americans’ political views
The relationship between religious values and attitudes towards economic inequality were looked at from a variety of angles. As one of the commentators on the panel, Professor Jose Casanova of Georgetown said, deToqueville’s insights about the fraught relationship between freedom and equality is at the heart of the American political psyche, but, of course, unlike the antebellum United States, income inequality in America today is enormous. The PRRI survey asked whether respondents agreed with the statement that society would be better off if the distribution of wealth was more equal. 60% of all Americans agreed with that statement. 61% of Catholics agreed with that statement, compared to only 53% of White Evangelicals and 55% of White Evangelicals. Only 35% of Republicans agreed with the statement compared to 78% of Democrats and 60% of Independents. This tells me that if the President is able to keep the focus of the campaign on the fact that the economic game is rigged, and something needs to be done about it, he has a fair shot at winning. That 60% of Independents jumps off the page. The numbers also suggest that the Obama administration should avoid any fights with Catholics over the next year if they want to win.
Another key finding: 69% of Millennials agree that society would be better of with a more equal distribution of wealth. Obama needs to galvanize the youth vote again, as he did in 2008, but it will be harder this time because those young voters knew they were taking part in history four years ago. On the other hand, there are now four more years worth of new young voters for the Democrats to galvanize and get to the polls. Another issue emerges here: Where are the Millennials getting this commitment to equality? Majorities of all religious groups favored greater income equality, and presumably some of that commitment to the common good is derived from their religious values. But, Millennials are the least likely age cohort to attend church or identify with a specific religious tradition. Where, then, do they derive this core commitment to fairness and equality?
One set of questions in the PRRI poll tested the salience of certain economic issues. They identified six issues, and asked voters which of those six were “critical.” Large majorities of all voters said that “Creating jobs” and “Protecting Social Security” were critical issues. 59% of all voters said that “Reducing the deficit was important,” among whom 73% of Republicans agreed but only 50% of Democrats. But, on the next three issues, “Increasing government support for people in poverty,” “Reducing the gap between the rich and the poor,” and “Raising the minimum wage,” the partisan differences grow even greater. 53% of Democrats said that increasing support for the poor was critical, compared to only 23% of Republicans. 58% of Democrats agreed that reducing the wealth gap was critical, but only 22% of Republicans agreed. 51% of Democrats want the minimum wage increased but only 22% of Republicans agreed. You might say that the Common Good has vanished from the GOP radar screen and that the compassionate conservatism that George W. Bush championed in his 2000 campaign is now dead and buried.
Shop Local, Buy Local, Give Local!
Come support the Palouse HIV Consortium at the 3rd Annual
Alternative Giving Market of the Palouse.
Wednesday, December 7, from 4-8 p.m.
at the Prichard Art Gallery, 414 S. Main Street in Moscow.
We’re pleased to announce that the Palouse HIV Consortium was chosen to
participate in the third annual Alternative Giving Market of the Palouse. The
mission of the Alternative Giving Market is to provide residents of the Palouse
with a meaningful alternative to holiday gift-giving and an opportunity to support
27 local non-profits. You can choose from a wide range of gift denominations,
starting at $5. For every donation you make, you will receive a gift insert
describing the organization and gift that you can send to family and friends.
Choose from the following gift denominations and services to support the clients
of the Palouse HIV Consortium:
$5 — to help with HIV medication copays
$5 — to help purchase a gas card for a client to be able to see an HIV specialist in
Spokane
$10 — to help purchase a gift card for an HIV client with limited income to buy
food or personal hygiene items.
$10 — to help pay vision or dental copays for an HIV client who needs glasses or
dental care.
$ *** any amount of your choosing to help us provide assistance for clients with
HIV who love living in the Palouse region rather than in a large city.
Online giving will be available at the Market’s secure website,
www.agmpalouse.org, between November 25th and December 10th.
Come enjoy the Market’s festive atmosphere, and support the arts, animals, civic
improvement, the environment, health and human services, international causes
and youth and education.
Holiday entertainment and children’s activities will be provided at the Market. In
celebration of the Light up the Night Holiday Parade, downtown businesses will
be open late. Come support a sustainable and vibrant Palouse by shopping at the
Alternative Giving Market of the Palouse. Shop Local, Buy Local, Give Local.
See you at the Market!
For more information please email agmpalouse@gmail.com
call Dianne Daley Laursen at (208) 310-1231, or go to www.agmpalouse.org.
