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Mailing address for Benzie Dems: P.O. Box 403, Beulah, MI 49617 Voter information updates continue Benzie Dems winter 2011 newsletter is out: For the pdf file version of this Kicker edition, Click Here. In this issue: highlights of 2012 campaign plan, precinct organizing, local membership dirve, Feb. 28 election, Dan Benishek's (R) record (the opposition in our congressional race, and the election-year calendar to date. PROTECT THE INTERNET The Michigan Dems Endorsement Convention will take place on March 10, 2012 at Cobo Center in Detroit. At this Convention, we will endorse eight candidates for Education Boards and three candidates for Michigan Supreme Court - an unprecendented action that will give our Democratic candidates the opportunity to meet voters, travel throughout the state, and raise the money needed to defeat Republicans in November. For more information, Click Here. Benzie Dems membership drive continues: Your participation is vital in this election year. We urge you to become a supporting member (minimum $5 donation). Please join or renew your membership! To download a membership form now, click here. Letters-to-the-Editor effort continues Project Vote Smart is a nonpartisan project that provides information on elected officals at the state and national level, including their positions and voting records. Enter their name or your zip code and find out how your representatives have voted. Click here. Thanks Benzie County!
Mike Ross and friends provided music at the Benzie Dems holiday party on Dec. 2. At the potluck, gifts were collected for the Benzie Baby Pantry. First Congressional District candidate Gary McDowell was the guest speaker. The Democratic candidate for that post, Derek Bailely, spoke at the fall honoree dinner. Photo by Jonathan Kells. The Book of Jobs, by Joseph Stiglitz, Vanity Fair, January 2012 Joseph Stiglitz: “A Banking System is Supposed to Serve Society, Not the Other Way Around” Winter of our Occupation “This country does in fact have a serious deficit problem. But the reality is that the deficit was caused by two wars – unpaid for. It was caused by huge tax breaks for the wealthiest people in this country. It was caused by a recession as result of the greed, recklessness and illegal behavior on Wall Street. And if those are the causes of the deficit, I will be damned if we’re going to balance the budget on backs of the elderly, the sick, the children, and the poor. That’s wrong.”–– Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Senate Budget Committee, Nov. 18, 2011. Income inequality in the U.S. We are the 99% video from The Guardian:Click Here
The national campaign to Abolish Corporate Personhood and Demand Democracy. American Jobs Act Fact Sheet link: Click Here. Commentary on the Nov. 2011 Election:Click Here. American Workers: Working More, Earning Less Thirty Years Ago: The Day the Middle Class Died
Check out the following link to a New York Times guest opinion article: Get radical: raise social security [benefits]
Emergency Manager repeal effort Learn more about the coalition of many groups that has formed around the concept of cooperating to rebuild the American Dream. Find out more at Rebuild the Dream. Click here to read the Contract for the American Dream. The Take Back the American Dream conference, organized by the Campaign for America's Future with support from Rebuild the Dream, will be happening on October 3 - 5 in Washington, DC. Find out more and register online. Corporate influence Again! From the Center for Media and Democracy: In April 2011, some of the biggest corporations in the U.S. met behind closed doors in Cincinnati about their wish lists for changing state laws. This exchange was part of a series of corporate meetings nurtured and fueled by the Koch Industries family fortune and other corporate funding...corporate executives.. were joined by their "task force" co-chairs -- all Republican state legislators -- to approve “model” legislation. They jointly head task forces of what is called the “American Legislative Exchange Council” (ALEC). To learn more, Click Here. Michigans future: what you can do now and in 2012 There are more registered Democrat voters in our state than registered Republicans. So how did we get in the current mess? Although voting is both a privilege and a duty of citzenship, and perhaps a measure of our zeal for democracy, in 2010, only about 44 percent of Michigan’s voters participated in the general election. According to the then secretary of state Terri Lynn Land, only about 3.3 million of the state's roughly 7.3 million registered voters cast ballots. Land had earlier estimated that 52 percent would participate. The percentage of those voting was less than in 2002 and 2006 gubernatorial elections. In Michigan we're now living with the fallout from a situation where millions neglect voting. It's time now to contact your local precinct delegates and start organizing locally so that we know who is unhappy about the Republican takeover and in 2012 can translate this reaction into actual votes. A good question to ask someone who thinks their vote doesn't matter: Does a mosquito make a difference? It sure does if it's in your tent! Thank You Benzie County volunteers! While we all were disappointed with the Republican gains and our losses in this off-year election, the importance of the many contributions of our volunteers is undiminished. Both new and seasoned volunteers are welcome as we continue our party-building efforts here in Benzie. Your participation in local government and in holding our elected officials accoutable is more important than ever. In recognition of the contributions of our volunteers, several are now honored annually at the Charlotte Robling Honoree Dinner. |
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