CLINTONCOUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER         RETURN to Home Page

"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."

--Dwight D. Eisenhower--

http://www.clintoncountydemocrats.org

Friday, July 8, 2005

Saturday, July 9:     Low Moor Days Parade. The parade starts at 3:30 P.M.  Line up at 3:00.

DEMOCRATS CARE ABOUT PEOPLE

Democrats have a much higher set of moral values than the present administration.  Why aren't we getting that message across to more American citizens?  We're planning to work on that problem of communications at a "Framing the Issues" workshop Tuesday, July 19 in room 116 at ClintonCommunity College.  The workshop will begin at 7:00 P.M.  Dr. Pat Lennon will be the workshop facilitator.  The program will include an excellent DVD presentation by George Lakoff "Know Your Values and Frame The Debate".  Copies of this DVD will be available from Tom Gibbons.We'll have time to write and discuss our own political slogans that effectively communicate the values and programs of the Democratic Party.

All Democrats are encouraged to attend. Bring your Democrat friends.  If we're to win elections and adopt our legislative programs, we need many active participants.  The Central Committee will have a business meeting at 6:30 P.M.

July 23 - 27                   ClintonCounty Fair:  We'll need volunteers to work at the Democrats' booth.  Contact Jean Pardee for a time you'd like to work.  --   Email Jean at:   jmpardee@mchsi.com

Saturday, August 13     Camanche Days Parade

Saturday, August 13     Polly Bukta's Annual Corn Boil:  4:00-7:00 P.M. at the Bukta Ranch

JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS

Is there an inconsistently in Republican values?   In Iowa Republicans have vehemently insisted that local bond referendums require a super majority (60%) vote.  Yet, at the national level Republicans insist that the nomination of Justices to the Supreme Court and U.S. Court of Appeals require only a 50% vote in the Senate.  Does this mean that the appointment of a high level Judge isn't as serious a matter as a local bond referendum?

"Republicans are pulling the religion card to hide the real interests ten Bush judicial nominees represent:   big corporations and polluters who couldn't care less about consumers, workers, children, women, families and the environment.   When I was an adviser to President Clinton, Republican Senators blocked over 60 nominees to the bench--that's 6 times more than the ten nominees Democrats are standing up to right now.  The Senate has already approved 205 Bush nominees to the federal court.   But that's clearly not enough for this extreme Republican agenda.

"On top of controlling the presidency and both houses of Congress, Republicans want total control over our judiciary.   They want to eliminate the filibuster and change the rules of the game, change the centuries-old principles our Constitution was founded on and take away our voice for their narrow, short-term interests.  They're waging an all-out assault on our system of checks and balances and we need your help to stop them.

"Democratic Senators are fighting to protect the balance of powers and they're standing up to the ten Bush nominees whose records prove they are not fit to serve lifetime appointments on the federal bench."  --  (Senator John Kerry)

There is a serious threat to our traditional separation of church and state by extreme conservatives who call themselves Christians but practice very few of the values of Christianity.  They are hypocrites whose real objectives are to limit freedom of expression and control the personal lives of all Americans.

SHOULD WE RUN A GOVERNMENT FOR THE COMMON PEOPLE?

"....that a government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the Earth."  (Abraham Lincoln)

"Do we run the country for the people, or do we run it for the nameless, faceless banks or international corporations?  That was the issue way back as far as the Depression.  The ultimate decision was we run it for the people  .And now we have made a complete turnabout:  We not only don't invest in the middle class, we drain away the middle class.  We tax them harder; we leave them with bigger risks like never before in history.  And we take away the last shred of a safety net -- bankruptcy.  It's war on the middle class."  (Professor Elizabeth Warren, HarvardLawSchool)

Today's Republican Party practices very few of the values held by Abraham Lincoln or Theodore Roosevelt.  These two Presidents would be ashamed of 'their' Party today.

ENERGY

"WHAT IS THE REAL PRICE OF OIL?   Getting off oil is much more than just an environmental issue.  About 118 million Americans live in areas that exceed federal health guidelines for clean air.  Asthma has reached epidemic levels and is the leading cause of chronic illness among our children.  Over 1,700 of our sons and daughters have paid the ultimate price in Iraq in a war with no end in sight.

"AMERICA DESERVES BETTER!   American ingenuity has helped cure polio and put a man on the moon.  How can our country remain a symbol of justice, democracy and hope if we continue to spend billions buying oil from despots and dictators?  Our future as a nation depends on us developing safe, secure and sustainable sources of energy."

http://www.FreedomFromOil.com

Do Republicans care more about their oil profits than they do about the health of the American people?