Puget Sound Liberals Weekly Newsletter #110

Enhancing Freedom, Opportunity and Cooperation in Puget Sound and Beyond

Through informing and networking Liberals and Liberal Organizations.

 

Our vision is hundreds of thousands of well-informed Puget Sound Liberals working together.

 

   2300 members                                                                February 22, 2008                                                                                                                                      

 

 

 

 

                                                     

Our Website                                   Our  Editor                        To Unsubscribe

 

                        Table of Contents   * featured articles

 

Puget Sound Liberals

About Puget Sound Liberals

Opportunities, Petitions and Feedback

 

Commentaries from Our Members

Dave Ferguson on Our Caucus System

Henry Stanford Jr. on Our Need for an Income Tax

 

Liberals and Democrats Links to the Beef

Our Caucuses: What Happened and What Didn’t *

Our 5th LD: All Fired Up and Ready to Go

Democratic PCO Training*

Dwight Pelz: Tell Our Superdelegates Who You Support

Democrats and Republicans Insert Earmarks

State and Local  Links to the Beef

Governor Christine Gregoire’s Accomplishments

2008 Legislative Session

What Issues Do Local Officials Think Most Important?

Most Families Can No Longer Afford to Buy Houses

Save Millions by Eliminating Costly Highway Projects

 

Nation and World  Links to the Beef

Obama will win Democratic Presidential Nomination*

Barack Obama’s Cabinet? *

What Would Be President Obama’s Priorities?

What if Joe Lieberman Became President?

 

Our Liberal Spirit

Being Part of Something Bigger.  A Political Movement*

 

Recommended Books

 

 

 

Our Political Priorities

 

·       Fair Clean Elections and Open Government

·       Fair Taxes and Competent Spending

·       Investment for Productivity

·       Quality Health, Education, Jobs, Income and Retirement

·       Environmental Protection and Energy Independence

·       Personal Security and Equal Rights

·       Justice and Peace Everywhere

·       International Cooperation and Leadership

 

Conservatives oppose all of these

 

     Let’s End Our National Nightmare

 

         Let’s Restore Our American Dream

 

 

More on Conservative opposition to our American Dream

 

See Nancy Pelosi’s political priorities

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quote of the Week

Civilization is a movement and not a condition, a voyage and not a harbor.  

Arnold Toynbee (1889 - 1975)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calendar of Events

 

King County Democrats - LD Meetings           Some 2008 Legislature Lobby Days

 

Thurston County Progressive Net                 Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation

 

Alliance for Democracy                               Democratic Underground.Com                          

 

Town Hall Seattle Calendar                           Sierra Club Cascade Chapter Calendar          

       

Washington Public Campaigns Calendar         Conversation Cafe

 

Drinking Liberally                                         

 

Wallingford Neighbors for Peace and Justice – Friday Night Movies      Liberal films on PBS

 

 

Calendar of Events and Petitions à next page

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Calendar of Events

 

Saturday, February 23 at 12:30 – 7:30 PM at University of Washington Kane Hall – Annual Washington ACLU Membership Conference, with Keynote address, workshops, Plenary, Reception and Film.  For more information.

 

Saturday, February 23 at 6:30 PM at Jim Simpson’s home (5236 South Mayflower, Seattle) – InSPIRE Potluck, movie ‘Sweet Crude: A Film about the Niger Delta’ and discussion Led by Sandi Cioffi. 

 

Saturday, February 23-24 at IBEW Hall (19802 62nd Ave S, Kent) – Democracy for America Grassroots Training, sponsored by Darcy Burner.  For more.  For more.

 

Monday, February 25 at 7 PM at Seattle REI (222 Yale Avenue North, Seattle) – Panel Discussion of Governor Gregoire’s Climate Advisory Team recommendations.  For more.  RSVP.

 

Friday, February 29 at 6:30 PM at Rick Hegdahl’s home (104 - 165th Avenue NE) – Lake Hills Liberals Salon, including Light Buffet and movie ‘Sicko?’ and discussion.  Bring beverage, fruit, cheese, crackers, etc

 

Friday, February 29 at 7 PM at King County Library Administration Building (960 Newport Way NW, Issaquah) – 5th Legislative District Movie Night Who Killed the Electric Car?, A film by Michael Moore on America’s failing health care system

 

Sunday March 2 at 2:30-5 PM at Shoreline Regional Library (345 NE 175th Street, Shoreline) – Washington Public Campaigns Speakers Training Workshops.  For more.  To pre-register.

 

Saturday, March 22 at 10 AM at Bellevue City Hall (450 110th Avenue NE, Bellevue) – 48th District Legislators town meeting

 

Opportunities, Petitions and Feedback

 

Opportunities

 

See Opportunities for Liberals

Petitions and Donations

 

Ask your congress member to disclose requested earmarks.

Join veterans to ask for oversight of faulty military equipment procurement.

 

Commentaries From Our Members

 

Email from David Ferguson

 

The Caucus System Works Just Fine

 

Am I the only one who sees value in our caucus system?  I hope not, because our caucus system provides values that a primary simply cannot deliver.  The most important is that the caucus provides opportunities to have reasoned, political discourse with immediate neighbors.  So Ralph Munro doesn’t like caucuses because they force neighbors to talk with each other about politics.  So what!  Shouldn’t we be talking with our neighbors about important offices and the people we would like to see in them?  Should we all remain silent, vote in secret, and never make our concerns known to others?

 

We hear charges that “Caucuses are quaint gatherings that are unwelcoming to the military, the disabled and a variety of other voters who don't want to sit around with their neighbors and hash out the decision” [Joni Balter, Of Primary Concern, Seattle Times, February 17, 2008].  Well, precisely who should hash out the decision?  Party bosses from Olympia or Washington DC?  And what is this decision that is being hashed out?  It’s not an election to office.  It is in fact the selection of delegates who will go forward to the legislative and state conventions in a continuing process to select delegates who will represent us at the national nominating conventions.  This is a spectacular benefit of the caucus system.  My precinct is sending four delegates to our legislative district convention, four of my immediate neighbors.  I met with them during the caucus, helped select them, and when I walk about the neighborhood I am likely to run into them.  They are not abstract talking heads knowable only through television and other media.  They represent democracy in action, and they are local!

 

Further, are the caucuses really unwelcoming to the disabled, and a variety of others?  I don’t believe so!  The area caucuses had a broad spectrum of people including people of color, disabled people, elderly folks, youngsters participating for the first time, and ethnic minorities.  Nobody was disenfranchised except by their own decision not to participate, although it is certainly the case that more effort could be made