Puget Sound Liberals Weekly Newsletter #143

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.

 

   2500 members                                                               October 10, 2008                                                                                                                       

 

 

 

 

                                                     

Our Website                                   Our  Editor                  To Unsubscribe

 

                        Table of Contents  *Featured Articles

 

About Puget Sound Liberals

Opportunities, Petitions and Feedback

 

Commentaries from Our Members

Joanne Gainen: Rebuild American Economy Right

Peggy Brutan: Re-elect Governor Gregoire

Judith Shattuck: Watch anti-McCain Youtube Videos.

Dave Gamrath: McCain opposed Boeing Tankers

Rich Austin: Organize to Keep Democrats Liberal

 

Liberals and Democrats Links to the Beef

Our Presidential Election: The End Game*

 

State and Local  Links to the Beef

Endorsements for General Election Candidates

Sam Reed and Jason Osgood: What You Should Know*

Karen Keiser: Our Economic Crisis includes Unaffordable Health Care

Basic Education Proposal – the Highlights*

Eastside Needs N-S More than Bellevue-Seattle Transit

Barack Obama’s Neighbor-to-Neighbor Program

 

Nation and World  Links to the Beef

The Bailout: The Good and the Bad*

A Roosevelt Solution to Our Financial Crisis*

Strengthening Our Good Banks*

Ouch!  Reducing Our Speculative Gains Is Painful*

A Better Investment Plan

The Barefoot College (video)*

 

Our Liberal Spirit

Personal Finances: Then and Now

 

Recommended Books

 

 

 

 

Our Political Values

 

Our Political Priorities

 

·       Fair Clean Elections and Open Government

·       Fair Taxes and Competent Spending

·       Investment for Productivity

·       Quality Health, Education, Jobs, Income

·       Environmental Protection and Energy Independence

·       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

 

Washington State’s 4 Major Needs

Federal Funding for Health and Education

·       A Progressive Income Tax

·       Public Campaign Financing

·       Replacing Republican Legislators

 

Quote of the Week

 

What’s the secret of a successful rain dance?  Timing.

 

Why did God make time?  So everything wouldn’t happen at once.

 

Why did God make the last moment?  So things would get done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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                          

 

Sierra Club Cascade Chapter Calendar           Cool State Washington

       

Washington Public Campaigns Calendar          Town Hall Seattle Calendar

 

Washington State Labor Council                    Whatcom County Peace and Justice Calendar 

 

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

Conversation Cafe      Drinking Liberally                             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Calendar of Events

Friday, October 10 at 6 PM at Gerri and Bob Haynes home (104 – 7th Avenue, Kirkland) – House Party to benefit Washington Public Campaigns.  For more information or RSVP.

Saturday, October 11 at 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (8501 SE 40th Street, Mercer Island) – 8th Political Will to End Homelessness Annual Conference, with keynote speaker King County Executive Ron Sims.  To register.

Saturday, October 11 at 6:30 PM at Sharon and Will Creeden’s place (1661 Harbor Avenue SW #202, Seattle) – inSPIRe Social Potluck and discussion, led by Bob Watt, Seattle Deputy Mayor and President of Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce.

Sunday, October 12 at 5:30 PM at Kathy and Dean Carr’s house (902 – 17th Avenue West) – inSPIRe Fundraiser for Barack Obama and Christine Gregoire.  Salmon, Chicken or Vegetarian Dinner.

Tuesday, October 14 at 7 PM at Sammamish High School Performing Arts Center (140th and Main, Bellevue) – Conversation with legislators Ross Hunter, Rodney Tom and Fred Jarrett ‘Let’s do something about state education funding.  Sponsored by Bellevue School Board and Bellevue PTSA Council.  For more.  Also see: Basic Education Finance Joint Task Force.  Washington Learns.  WA education funding crisis.

Wednesday, October 15 at 6 PM at Joby Shimomura’s and Trace Anderson’s home (The Roebling Building, 900 First Avenue South #304, Seattle) – Second Annual Progressive Majority’s Racial Justice Campaign Candidate Fundraiser.  For information and RSVP

Friday, October 17 – 19 at Evergreen College (Olympia) – Peaceworks Conference 2008  For More.

Thursday, October 21 at Noon at 1026 North ForestYWCA’s Second Fall Speaker Luncheon: League of Women Voters Co-Chairs discuss Immigration Reform

Tuesday, October 21 at 5:30 PM at K&L Gates (925 – 4th Avenue, Suite 2900, Seattle) – Reception for Jim McIntire for State Treasurer.   Suggested donation $100.  To RSVP.

Saturday, October 25 at 6:30 at Woodland Park Presbyterian Church (225 North 70th Street, Seattle) – Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation Fundraising Auction.  Snack. Visit and bid.

 

Opportunities, Petitions and Feedback

 

Communication with Our Members and Feedback

 

I have compiled all of my commentaries on our economy into one document which is posted on our website.  I believe one hour spent reading them will make you better informed than the vast majority of Americans, including many of our congress members.  Without understanding our economic crises, their causes and needed solutions, you are unable to act responsibly to correct the situation which affects all of us.  Dave Thomas

Take a crash course (2½ hours) about our American economy (video).

 

Opportunities

Useful Websites: contacts, maps, community organizing tools, and more.

Access to jillions of political cartoons.

Download Michael Moore’s latest movie ‘Slacker Uprising’ for free.

Sign up for a free Brave New Films subscription to inform more people about the Real John McCain.

Download Sightline Institute’s climate policy primer ‘Cap and Trade 101’.  About Sightline.

Learn about legislators’ source of campaign financing.

See Environmental Defense Action Fund’s Green Action Voter Guide.

See Washington Public Campaigns Blog.

 

Petitions and Donations

Tell Bob Schieffer to ask our presidential candidates about early childhood education.

Tell our presidential candidates to address economic security, health care and social security.

Tell our EPA to protect streams from ‘mountain top removal’ coal mining.

Tell our presidential candidates to attend the U.N. Climate Change Conference.

Protect Colorado’s roadless forests.

 

Commentaries From Our Members

 

Joanne Gainen: Rebuild American Economy Right

 

The goal should not be to rescue Wall Street under the pretext of saving Main Street but to help homeowners facing foreclosure, help small businesses get credit to stay in business and rebuild our economy from the ground up.

 

There has been almost no congressional push-back on Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's original premises that the fix involves "bailing out" or "buying out" or that it requires $700 billion of taxpayer money or that a depression is imminent.  Yet the International Monetary Fund released a report on 42 systemic banking crises in other countries, and found that purchasing bad assets, at the heart of the Paulson plan, was used in only seven cases, while other strategies were more effective.

 

Stop blaming one another. Find the common ground -- it's there and Congress should take advantage of it.  Congress, especially the Democratic side, is poised to get the blame for failing to fix mistakes made by the administration even while implementing the solution they requested. Calm the markets by saying we can deal with this problem, then take time to slow down the whole process and implement a variety of solutions such as those used successfully in Sweden and elsewhere.

 

The FDIC increase does nothing to help homeowners facing foreclosure; it's lipstick on the pig.  Joanne Gainen

 

Peggy Bruton: Re-elect Governor Christine Gregoire

Published by Seattle PI on October 7, 2008

 

Thanks to the P-I for endorsing Gov. Chris Gregoire over challenger Dino Rossi for all the right reasons.  To me, the most persuasive of these is her determination to save Puget Sound and make our state a leader in confronting global climate change. Rossi, however much he greenwashes himself, would follow instructions from his BIAW funders and handlers, sacrificing our environment to rampant development.

 

Now Rossi is trying to hoodwink voters by suggesting that he, like Barack Obama, is the candidate for "change." Change from what?  Obama has an excellent environmental voting record and would reverse the disastrous slash-and-burn policies of two Bush administrations; Rossi, instead, would reverse Gregoire's record of protecting our natural heritage and health.

 

Gregoire's record is well known. In 2007, she was endorsed for re-election by major environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and Washington Conservation Voters -- public interest groups, not special interest groups looking to make big profits from selling off our future.

 

Voters, do not be deceived. Not all change agents are created equal.  Keep Washington green.  I second the P-I: Re-elect Gregoire.  Peggy Bruton