Speaking at the Democratic Convention in Denver, Dennis Kucinich, Democratic Rep. from Ohio, called on Americans to "Wake Up" in an audience rousing speech!
Kucinich declared from the podium of the Convention, "In 2001 the oil companies, the war contractors and the neocon-artists seized the economy and added $4 trillion of unproductive spending to the national debt. ... Trillions of dollars for an unnecessary war paid for with borrowed money."
"We cannot afford another Republican administration," Kucinich said. "Wake up, America; the insurance companies took over health care. Wake up, America; the pharmaceutical companies took over drug pricing. Wake up, America; the speculators took over Wall Street. ... Wake up, America; we went into Iraq for oil."
"This administration can tap our phones -- but they can't tamper our creative spirit," he said. "They can open our mail, but the can' t open economic opportunities. They can track our every move, but they lost track of the economy while the cost of food, gasoline, and electricity skyrockets. Now, they have skillfully played our post 9/11 fears, and they've allowed the few to profit at the expense of the many."
Watch his short, but rousing speech
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Ohio Prepares for 80% Voter Turnout in November
From RawStory.com
DENVER -- As many as 80 percent of Ohio's registered voters could turn out on Election Day, says the state's top election official.
"Looking at the interest in this election, we think it's highly probable," Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said during a panel discussion on election reforms.
Brunner addressed controversy in the state over use of electronic voting machines in the past.
While she was unwilling to force counties to completely abandon DRE machines, she said all voters would have the option to vote on a paper ballot and officials were implementing more stringent security procedures in the 53 counties that still used electronic machines.
Read the Rest of the Story
DENVER -- As many as 80 percent of Ohio's registered voters could turn out on Election Day, says the state's top election official.
"Looking at the interest in this election, we think it's highly probable," Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said during a panel discussion on election reforms.
Brunner addressed controversy in the state over use of electronic voting machines in the past.
While she was unwilling to force counties to completely abandon DRE machines, she said all voters would have the option to vote on a paper ballot and officials were implementing more stringent security procedures in the 53 counties that still used electronic machines.
Read the Rest of the Story
Sunday, August 24, 2008
No Citizens Attend Plano City Council's Public Tax Hearing
Plano Star Courier Newspaper
August 22, 2008
A public no show at tax hearing
All the members of the Plano City Council were present Thursday night to hear comments regarding the city’s tax rate with the exception of Place 3 Council Member Mabrie Jackson
No Plano residents were in attendance to the public hearing.
Thursday’s public hearing was the first of two on a proposal to increase total tax revenues from properties on the tax roll in the preceding tax year by 5.20 percent.
The Plano City Council voted a week ago to establish not to go higher than the current tax rate of 47.35 cents. Even though the city-wide tax rate may stay the same, Plano residents could potentially see a change in tax charges.
“Since property values are changing, that could positively or negatively affect an individual resident’s total tax bills,” said Karen Rhodes, director of Plano’s Budget and Research Department.
The public hearings were scheduled in compliance with the Open Meetings Act as designated by Vernon’s Texas Codes Annotated, stating that city governments are to hold public hearings when considering changing the tax rate.
The second public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. on Aug 25, at the council chambers in the Plano Municipal Center. Immediately following the public hearing, the City Council will hold the regularly scheduled preliminary open meeting and regular meeting.
Plano Star Courier article link
August 22, 2008
A public no show at tax hearing
All the members of the Plano City Council were present Thursday night to hear comments regarding the city’s tax rate with the exception of Place 3 Council Member Mabrie Jackson
No Plano residents were in attendance to the public hearing.
Thursday’s public hearing was the first of two on a proposal to increase total tax revenues from properties on the tax roll in the preceding tax year by 5.20 percent.
The Plano City Council voted a week ago to establish not to go higher than the current tax rate of 47.35 cents. Even though the city-wide tax rate may stay the same, Plano residents could potentially see a change in tax charges.
“Since property values are changing, that could positively or negatively affect an individual resident’s total tax bills,” said Karen Rhodes, director of Plano’s Budget and Research Department.
The public hearings were scheduled in compliance with the Open Meetings Act as designated by Vernon’s Texas Codes Annotated, stating that city governments are to hold public hearings when considering changing the tax rate.
The second public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. on Aug 25, at the council chambers in the Plano Municipal Center. Immediately following the public hearing, the City Council will hold the regularly scheduled preliminary open meeting and regular meeting.
Plano Star Courier article link
Saturday, August 23, 2008
As Democrats Gather, Liberal Positions Gaining In Popularity
By Steven Thomma | McClatchy Newspapers
DENVER — As they meet for their national convention Monday through Thursday, Democrats are poised to shift their party's course — and the country's.
They're turning to the left — deeply against the war in Iraq, ready to use tax policy to take from the rich and give to the poor and middle class, and growing hungry, after years of centrist politics, for big-government solutions, such as a health-care overhaul, to steer the nation through a time of sweeping economic change.
They are, in short, more liberal than at any time in a generation and eager to end the Reagan era, which dominated not just the other party, but also their own, for nearly three decades.
"Every generation . . . there are changes in people's relationship with government," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. This, he said, is such a time.
The shift of the party also reflects a change in much of the population — evidenced in the policy positions advocated by rank-and-file voters as well as the party's presumptive presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.
What changed? Several things:
DENVER — As they meet for their national convention Monday through Thursday, Democrats are poised to shift their party's course — and the country's.
They're turning to the left — deeply against the war in Iraq, ready to use tax policy to take from the rich and give to the poor and middle class, and growing hungry, after years of centrist politics, for big-government solutions, such as a health-care overhaul, to steer the nation through a time of sweeping economic change.
They are, in short, more liberal than at any time in a generation and eager to end the Reagan era, which dominated not just the other party, but also their own, for nearly three decades.
"Every generation . . . there are changes in people's relationship with government," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. This, he said, is such a time.
The shift of the party also reflects a change in much of the population — evidenced in the policy positions advocated by rank-and-file voters as well as the party's presumptive presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.
What changed? Several things:
- The Iraq war lasted longer, cost more lives and money, and proved deeply unpopular. A few years ago, Obama was a rare voice in the party opposing the war; today he's one of a chorus.
- Anxiety about a slowing economy resurrected fears about American jobs and paychecks in the global economy.
- Promises to change trade deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement punctuated the [2008] Democratic primaries.
- Obama promises a dramatically different tax policy, one that would raise taxes on the wealthy, cut taxes for the middle class and offer new "refundable" tax credits to the working poor that would wipe out tax liabilities and deliver anything left over in the form of checks.
- Obama also wants to tax oil companies and use the money to give checks to the poor to pay for high fuel costs, or anything else.
- Many Americans recoiled at the weak federal government response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
- Republican George W. Bush turned into one of the most unpopular presidents in modern history.
It's Biden As Obama's VP Pick
Barack Obama selected Senator Joe Biden of Delaware late Friday to be his vice presidential running mate.Since being elected to the Senate at the age of 29 in 1973 Biden has served in the Senate he has been at various times not only as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee but also the chairman of the Judiciary Committee. It is the Senate Judiciary Committee that has jurisdiction over anti-crime legislation, Supreme Court nominees and Constitutional issues. Biden, 65, who has himself twice run for the office of President of the United States, is a Catholic with blue-collar roots, has a progressive voting record and has a reputation as a hard hitting debater and orator.
Recent Biden Interview on ABC News
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Anyone Who Owns 7 Home Will Think The Economy Is Great!
"Yesterday, Senator John McCain was asked again what do you think about the economy, he said I think the economy is fundamentally strong," said Senator Barack Obama. "Now this puzzled me. I was confused what he meant. But then there was another interview where somebody asked John McCain how many houses do you have and he said 'I'm not sure. I'll have to check with my staff.' True quote. 'I'm not sure ill have to check with my staff.' So they asked his staff and they said, 'at least four.' At least four. Now think about that. I guess if you think that being rich means you make $5 million and if you don't know how many houses you have then it is not surprising that you think the economy is fundamentally strong. But if you are like me and you've got one house, or if you are like the millions of people struggling now to keep up with your mortgage payments, you might have a different perspective. By the way the answer is John McCain has seven homes."
Obama Campaign Ad
Obama Campaign Ad
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Zogby Poll: McCain Takes 5 Point Lead Over Obama
Zogby International
August 20, 2008
McCain’s month long surge of aggressively negative campaign advertising against Obama has translated into a surge of polling advantage over Obama in the latest Zogby/Reuters telephone survey. In this poll McCain leads Obama among likely U.S. voters by 46 percent to 41 percent, reversing Obama's 7-point lead in July and for first time taking the lead over Obama in the monthly Zogby/Reuters poll. McCain further has a 9-point edge, 49 percent to 40 percent, over Obama on the issue of who would be the best manager of the U.S. economy, an issue nearly half of voters sat is their top concern in this election year.
This latest live operator telephone survey was conducted Aug. 14-16, 2008 from Zogby’s call center in Upstate New York. It included 1,089 likely voters nationwide, and carries a margin of error of +/- 3.0 percentage points.
The poll shows Obama losing voters to McCain in groups where Obama had bigger leads a month ago. This table shows Obama’s loss of support between the July and August Reuters/Zogby polls among some significant sub-groups (the margin of error is greater for sub-groups than the sample as a whole)
Obama's support among voters between the ages of 18 and 29, which had been one of his strengths, slipped 12 percentage points to 52 percent.
Read the full Zogby/Reuters poll article at Zogby International
August 20, 2008
McCain’s month long surge of aggressively negative campaign advertising against Obama has translated into a surge of polling advantage over Obama in the latest Zogby/Reuters telephone survey. In this poll McCain leads Obama among likely U.S. voters by 46 percent to 41 percent, reversing Obama's 7-point lead in July and for first time taking the lead over Obama in the monthly Zogby/Reuters poll. McCain further has a 9-point edge, 49 percent to 40 percent, over Obama on the issue of who would be the best manager of the U.S. economy, an issue nearly half of voters sat is their top concern in this election year.
This latest live operator telephone survey was conducted Aug. 14-16, 2008 from Zogby’s call center in Upstate New York. It included 1,089 likely voters nationwide, and carries a margin of error of +/- 3.0 percentage points.
The poll shows Obama losing voters to McCain in groups where Obama had bigger leads a month ago. This table shows Obama’s loss of support between the July and August Reuters/Zogby polls among some significant sub-groups (the margin of error is greater for sub-groups than the sample as a whole)
| Obama Support | July | August | Difference |
| Democrats | 83% | 74% | -9 |
| Women | 50% | 42% | -8 |
| Catholics | 47% | 36% | -11 |
| Ages <35> | 59% | 47% | -12 |
| College Grads | 51% | 40% | -11 |
| Live in Cities | 54% | 43% | -11 |
| Income <$50,000 | 53% | 46% | -7 |
| Southerners | 46% | 35% | -11 |
Obama's support among voters between the ages of 18 and 29, which had been one of his strengths, slipped 12 percentage points to 52 percent.
Read the full Zogby/Reuters poll article at Zogby International
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Wanted: New Voters
The Nation
August 13, 2008
Wanted: New Voters - The Atlanta Car and Bike Show lasts for one day only, and on a recent hot summer afternoon, the line to get in snaked for hundreds of yards through the carpeted interior of the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta. . . Before attendees got to the cars and music, volunteers from the Obama campaign were doing their best to make sure they spent a moment on civics. Serena Bland and her husband, Adrian, paced up and down the entrance to the hall with Register to Vote signs, urging people toward the voter-registration booth a dozen feet away. There, Anderia Bishop chatted and joked and generally poured every ounce of her considerable enthusiasm into persuading even the skeptical or indifferent that registering would be the best five minutes they ever spent. "We're chasing people through the park," Bishop said of her local volunteer group's activities. Read the rest of the article
Before you go read the rest of the article here is something to think about:
Many Democratic groups and organizations are already ramping up voter registration drives and Get Out The Vote activities today. All of these campaign groups and political organizations need volunteers. We need to form a large army of Democratic volunteers in Collin County this year to help Get Out The Vote! Call one of these groups today to volunteer:
August 13, 2008
Wanted: New Voters - The Atlanta Car and Bike Show lasts for one day only, and on a recent hot summer afternoon, the line to get in snaked for hundreds of yards through the carpeted interior of the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta. . . Before attendees got to the cars and music, volunteers from the Obama campaign were doing their best to make sure they spent a moment on civics. Serena Bland and her husband, Adrian, paced up and down the entrance to the hall with Register to Vote signs, urging people toward the voter-registration booth a dozen feet away. There, Anderia Bishop chatted and joked and generally poured every ounce of her considerable enthusiasm into persuading even the skeptical or indifferent that registering would be the best five minutes they ever spent. "We're chasing people through the park," Bishop said of her local volunteer group's activities. Read the rest of the article
Before you go read the rest of the article here is something to think about:
- With 10 more votes/precinct in 2004, John Kerry would have won the states of NM, IA, & OH
- With 50 more votes/precinct in 2004, John Kerry would have also won the states of NV, CO, MO, AR, WV, FL
- With 100 more votes/precinct in 2004, John Kerry would have additionally won the states of AR, KS, SD, LA, IN, KY, SC
Many Democratic groups and organizations are already ramping up voter registration drives and Get Out The Vote activities today. All of these campaign groups and political organizations need volunteers. We need to form a large army of Democratic volunteers in Collin County this year to help Get Out The Vote! Call one of these groups today to volunteer:
- Collin County for Obama campaign supporters,
- Tom Daley for U.S. House of Representatives - TX 3rd District campaign supporters,
- Glenn Melançon for U.S. House of Representatives - TX 4th District campaign supporters,
- Rick Noriega for U.S. Senate campaign supporters,
- The Democratic Party of Collin County,
- The Texas Democratic Women of Collin County,
- and more (look in the left hand sidebar of this blog page to find all of the Democratic candidates that will appear on Collin County ballots this fall.)
Monday, August 18, 2008
Join Your Democratic Neighbors And Get A Yard Sign
The Democratic Party of Collin County in cooperation with the Texas Democratic Women of Collin County will make available yard signs for Senator Barack Obama and many other candidates, whose name will appear on Collin County ballots this fall, at a gala Democratic Convention Watch Party being planned for Thursday, August 28 at 7:00 p.m. at the Prince Bistro Eatery in Plano to watch Senator Barack Obama give his Acceptance Speech as the Democratic Presidential Nominee!
The event will be at Prince Bistro Eatery, 1201 E. Spring Creek Parkway, Plano - Map (across from Sam’s Club east of Hwy 75)
Place your food and drink orders and pay as you go. Then, chat with your neighbors until Obama speaks.
RSVP for the Watch Party to: office@collindems.us or 972-578-1483
Or RSVP for the Watch Party at: my.barackobama.com event code 4ggrg
Have you registered to vote yet? The October 6th deadline to register to vote in the fall election is fast approaching! Check whether you are already registered to vote here and if you are not yet registered to vote, get your Voter's Registration application here.
If you want to volunteer to help get out the vote, go volunteer at www.collindems.us or www.tdwcc.org.
Senator Barack Obama's Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech Convention Watch Party has been arranged through the efforts of the Democratic Party of Collin County, Texas Democratic Women of Collin County and other Obama for President supporters.
The event will be at Prince Bistro Eatery, 1201 E. Spring Creek Parkway, Plano - Map (across from Sam’s Club east of Hwy 75)
Place your food and drink orders and pay as you go. Then, chat with your neighbors until Obama speaks.
YARD SIGNS and BUMPER STICKERS
for Obama and many other candidates
will be available!
for Obama and many other candidates
will be available!
RSVP for the Watch Party to: office@collindems.us or 972-578-1483
Or RSVP for the Watch Party at: my.barackobama.com event code 4ggrg
Have you registered to vote yet? The October 6th deadline to register to vote in the fall election is fast approaching! Check whether you are already registered to vote here and if you are not yet registered to vote, get your Voter's Registration application here.
| General Election First day to apply for ballot by mail Last day to register to vote (for this election) First day of early voting Last day to apply for ballot by mail Last day of early voting | November 4, 2008 September 5, 2008 October 6, 2008 October 20, 2008 October 28, 2008* October 31, 2008 |
| * - Ballot by mail application must be received in the Elections Office by this date. | |
If you want to volunteer to help get out the vote, go volunteer at www.collindems.us or www.tdwcc.org.
Senator Barack Obama's Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech Convention Watch Party has been arranged through the efforts of the Democratic Party of Collin County, Texas Democratic Women of Collin County and other Obama for President supporters.
Why Are You A Democrat in 2008? Episode 4
Video Submission to Howard Dean's Democratic National Convention "Why Am I A Democratic" Video contest:
Why Are You A Democrat in 2008? Episode 3
Video Submission to Howard Dean's Democratic National Convention "Why Am I A Democratic" Video Contest:
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