Organizing for America | California 15th Congressional District Grassroots Team

California 15th Congressional District Grassroots Team

We are the Grassroots Team of the "Heart of Silicon Valley" - California Congressional District 15! Cities include: Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Gatos Milpitas, Monte Sereno, San Jose, and Santa Clara!

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Healthcare Phonebanks

By Anita Stroud - Oct 20th, 2009 at 10:41 pm EDT

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Please attend your local phonebanks tonight, if you can. Thanks!

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Stimulus funds to help pay for San Jose roads

By ☮ CR ❤ - Sep 28th, 2009 at 5:17 pm EDT

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9/28/09 Gary Richards (Mr Roadshow) - San Jose Mercury News

San Jose has some of the bumpiest roads in the nation, lined with cracks and potholes seemingly from end to end. Soon, to the relief of countless motorists, a few of the worst will be under repair.

The city will announce today the kickoff of work on 19 miles of roads as stimulus funds begin rolling into the state. Up first are major repaving efforts on streets in such bad shape that temporary fixes were long ago deemed useless and that otherwise might not have been repaired for another 10 years.

Across Northern California, plans are moving ahead to fix other rough roads. More than $2.22 billion in stimulus funds has so far been allocated to California for transportation, the highest figure for any state. But to meet Washington's demand that "shovel-ready" projects be up first, it's badly needed paving efforts that have risen to the top of the list. Paving is easier to get moving on quickly, as compared to huge construction projects.

"We will still be left to address a significant backlog of streets that are in (poor) condition," said Dale Dapp, pavement supervisor for San Jose's Department of Transportation, which got $15 million for street repairs. "But this federal funding is a welcome opportunity to address many streets that we would not have been able to do otherwise."

At the top of the list: Alma Avenue and Willow Street.

"Have you driven on them lately?" asked motorist Chris Riesenbeck. "It is more than pothole city. It's cracks, groves and gullies. Talk about bad road surfaces."

These streets will receive a pavement overlay, which will include removing two to three inches of existing pavement and replacing it with a new surface.

All the streets on San Jose's stimulus list have a pavement rating ranging from 25 to 45 on a 0-100 scale, with a rating of 100 being newly paved.

Work on the first phase covering 15 miles of roads will last into next summer; the remaining four miles will take until 2011 to finish.

While welcomed, the stimulus funds haven't gone for many major projects that will be remembered for decades, such as building the Hoover Dam during the Great Depression.

The emphasis is on projects that can be done immediately to get construction workers back on the job.

Randy Rentschler, a spokesman with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in Oakland, said the money would go to needy — though not necessarily impressive — projects:

"When people look back at the 1930s, they see projects like courthouse, libraries, bridges and road tunnels of all sorts of very lasting value that you can look at today. This rehab work, while absolutely necessary, will not have that characteristic to it. It's deeply frustrating we have to spend this debt from our children on basic maintenance, but that is where we are."

While $50 million in stimulus money has been set aside to help rebuild Doyle Drive in San Francisco — a $1.1 billion effort to completely rebuild the 73-year-old structure — and $90 million for an extra bore in the Caldecott Tunnel, those megaprojects are the exception.

Efforts to rebuild the interchange at Interstate 880 and I-280 adjacent to the Westfield Valley Fair failed to land a single penny because work is at least a year away.

So the call went out for work that could begin quickly. Badly needed projects that have been shelved weren't considered even though with a little infusion of cash they could have moved closer to construction.

"There was this pretend concept of shovel-ready projects just waiting to go," said Dan Collen, deputy director of the Santa Clara County roads department. "Of course, if there's no money, local agencies don't bother getting projects shovel-ready because that has costs, too.

"So most local agencies just looked to their pavement management program since those projects are easier to throw together."

And the stimulus money needs to be put into perspective, said San Jose DOT deputy director Hans Larsen. The city has 2,300 miles of streets and a deferred maintenance backlog of $283 million.

"Annually we should be spending $37 million just to keep the backlog from getting worse," Larsen said. "On average, we have $17 million annually from ongoing revenue sources — leaving an annual $20 million shortfall that keeps the backlog growing."

The next step?

"Wouldn't it be nice," Collen said, "to have a Stimulus Part 2?"

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LET THE MEDIA KNOW THAT WE WILL NOT STAND ASIDE FOR LIES

By ☮ CR ❤ - Aug 26th, 2009 at 1:55 pm EDT

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On 8/26/09 our local newspaper, San Jose Mercury News, there was a full page ad on page A11 that was an all out LIE. Obama needs your help in bringing this LIE down; we can do it especially with the way newspapers are really hurting. I sent an email out to out South County 4 Obama group to ACT NOW!!!

Keep an eye out in your local paper for this sort of thing and ACT to help Obama:

There is a full page ad by:
U.S. Citizens Association
Dept. USCA376
1655 W. Market St., STE 200
Akron, OH 44513

The ad starts off:

"Barack Obama and the Democrats did not inherit the bad economy they caused it and made it worse.
They now want to bankrupt the nation with socialized medicine ans socialist energy taxes
This will greatly increase your income taxes, property taxes, utility bills and you will be denied medical care"

I STRONGLY advise you to write, email or phone the editor of your newspaper to let them know that this is not acceptable.

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Stay The Course HCR Conference Call Summary

By ☮ CR ❤ - Aug 19th, 2009 at 10:37 am EDT

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I received an update from California Democratic Delegate Bob of the Silicon Valley 4 Obama regarding the Health Care Reform Conference Call held on 8/18. Here are some of feedback:

Mary: Thanked us for the great work we have done this last week at town halls all across state. We served as the soldiers of the truth in face of the misinformation being spit out by our opposition at town halls.. She noted that she has been in 3 meetings with White house staff in last two days. President Obama supports plan with Robust Public Option Period. He does not support Co-Op. What is true is in the 7 months Barack has been on the job 13 out of 13 major pieces of legislation have been put through. Barack was advised to put off the health care fight until later in his term. The President always listens to all positions. He believes this issue is on health care is to important to to wait. He needs us now to put on a full court pres to win # 14.

Mike: He talked how the process was going to go to get this bill for health care reform through. There will be moments of uncertainty where anything can go into bill or be taken out from now on. We are very early in the process. We have public option in 3 of 3 committees in House and 1 of 2 committees in Senate. The 2nd committee chaired by Mike Baucus has not voted yet and not expected to till mid September. Its up to us to make sure that public option and what we want and care for are in every bill coming out of every committee.

CA has unique impact. Nancy Pelosi, George Miller, Henry Waxman, Pete Stark, Barbara Lee, Lynn Wolsey and Mike Honda all played key roles in HR 3200. In coming weeks we need to keep heat on Senator Diane Fienstien and the 7 blue dog CA congress persons.

There will be some large group activities all across nation going on weekend of Sept 2. One in SF, LA, and a couple of other Metro areas in CA.

Emily: had two simple goals for CA OFA volunteers this coming week.

1) Everyone write at least 1 letter to editor this week and submit to a local paper.
She talked about how to write effective letters and such. She noted that CA OFA will be posting info on effective letter writing on facebook site.

2) Grow our OFA California Facebook Group to 5000 by having everyone join the group themselves by becoming a fan in the group. Then invite to 10 Friends to become a fan of OFA California.

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7/29/09 North Carolina Town Hall Meeting

By ☮ CR ❤ - Jul 30th, 2009 at 6:08 pm EDT

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July 29, 2009 Broughton High School, Raleigh, North Carolina

BULLET POINTS FOR RECOVERY ACT AND HEALTH CARE REFORM

U.S.A. Economy Overview since 1/20/09

• Obama administration comes into office during the worst economy of our lifetimes (inheriting
$1.3 trillion deficit)
• American is losing an average of 700,000 jobs per month (half the rate since 1/20/09)
• Home loans, auto loans, student loans and loans for small business are hard to come by
• Economists feared the second coming of a Great Depression but we have stopped the freefall
• The market is up and the financial system is no longer on the verge of collapse..
• Home prices are on a rise for the first time in three years
• Health care premiums are rising twice as fast as wages (much more for small businesses)

Recovery Act

•   One-third of the entire Recovery Act (a little under $800 billion) is for tax relief for individuals, for families and small businesses.
•   Ninety-five percent of you got a tax cut and it's appearing in your paycheck about three months ago on a weekly basis promises to put a middle class tax cut in the pockets of 95 percent of working families
•   Small businesses will get a tax cut on the investments that they make

•   Second third is providing emergency relief to families who had lost their jobs, for their insurance, and to support them with unemployment insurance, and states that otherwise would have billions of dollars in shortfalls
•   Unemployment benefits have been expanded (making a difference for 12 million Americans
•   The U.S. Government will pickup 65 percent of COBRA costs for families while individuals are looking for work. (this allows people to keep your health insurance by paying premiums through COBRA). Here's the problem: If you've lost your job and your premium is $1,000 right at a time when you've got no job, it's hard to come up with that money.
•   And for states who were facing historic budget shortfalls we plan to provide assistance to save the jobs of tens of thousands of teachers and police officers and firefighters.

•   The last third should be for short-term and long-term investments that are putting people back to work, in the form of rebuilding crumbling roads, highways, bridges and waterways that puts people to work right away, but it also creates a long-term, sustainable economic future.

• Steps were taken to avert the collapse of our financial system by unlocking frozen credit markets and opening up loans for families and businesses, helping to stop a recession from becoming a depression
• Taxpayers are already being paid back by the banks -- with interest.
• Steps to help a struggling auto industry emerge from a crisis have been taken (their collapse would have wreaked even worse havoc across our economy) and hundreds of thousands of jobs as a result. And we expect to get our money back.
• Steps are being taken to attack our economic crisis (in less than one month after taking office) the most sweeping economic recovery package in history was enacted without any earmarks or wasteful pork barrel projects, pet projects.
• To date, roughly a quarter of the Recovery Act's funding has been committed; over 30,000 projects have been approved; thousands have been posted online, as part of an effort to uphold the highest standards of transparency and accountability.

Health Care Reform Act

•   If you like your doctor, you keep your doctor.
•   If you like your health care plan, you keep your health care plan.
•   46 million Americans don't have health insurance or have got that coverage with a $10,000 deductible
•   We will stop insurance companies from denying you coverage because of your medical history
•   Insurance companies will have to abide by a yearly cap on how much you can be charged for your out-of-pocket expenses.
•   We will require insurance companies to cover routine checkups and preventive care such as mammograms and colonoscopies, eye and foot exams for diabetics
•   We will stop insurance companies from placing arbitrary caps on the coverage you can receive in a given year or in a lifetime.

So, in the end, the debate about reform boils down to a choice between two approaches.

Status quo

•   Projected to double your health care costs over the next decade
•   Make millions more Americans uninsured
•   Bankrupt state and federal governments
•   Allow insurance companies to run roughshod over consumers.
•   Health insuranace will go up three times faster than your wages
•   Employers will not be able to afford to give raises because my health care costs just went up 10, 20, 30 percent.
•   Medicare will be in the red in less than 10 years.

Questions from the audience:

Q    (Kim from the Chapel Hill area) As the wife of a family physician, we see people not only coming into that specialty less and less often, but also leaving that specialty because it's so hard as a young family to make that work -- long hours, not great reimbursement, not great pay, with huge amounts of debt when you come out of medical school. So what are you thinking of to entice more people to come into that speciality? Because you can insure every person in America and if there's not a physician there to see that person you still don't have health care. So what are you going to do to entice people to come

THE PRESIDENT: Just so everybody understands what we're talking about here, it used to be that the most common type of doctor was the family physician. You'd go in and they knew you and they knew your family. And every once in a while you'd go to a specialist, but basically you were dealing with a family doctor. Increasingly, the economics of being a primary care physician or a family doctor is a bad deal for a lot of medical students, because they come out with hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt.

But it turns out that a primary care physician, reimbursement rates are lower; the system doesn't reimburse for things like preventive care. If they stop one of their patients from smoking, they don't get reimbursed for that. But they do get reimbursed if they're a surgeon and they have to open up somebody's chest. Now, actually that first part of it is probably more valuable to the person's health and to the society as a whole, but if it's not rewarded, then fewer and fewer people go into that branch of medicine.

     When we pass health reform and more people now have access to the system, it is going to be vital that we increase the number of primary care physicians.

The best way for us to do it is twofold: One is to change how we reimburse; changes in the delivery system. So what we're trying to do is we're trying to say, in all these systems, insurance companies, they should reimburse for preventive care. If a health system is making sure that a diabetic is taking their meds or monitoring their diet, they should get reimbursed for that, not just getting reimbursed for the $30,000 foot amputation after somebody gets into real medical trouble. So one thing to do is to change reimbursement so that the incomes of primary care physicians are more comparable with specialists.

     The second thing is to provide scholarships and financial incentives for young medical students who are willing to go into the primary care field. If you combine those two things if we combine those two things, then we can change I think the incentives for a lot of doctors so that we get more and more primary care physicians.

     Q    My name is Patty Briguglio. I own a company called MMI Public Relations. I have 20 employees and I provide health care benefits for them. What current long-term social program created and run by the government should we look to as a model of success and one that we as taxpayers should be confident that a new government-run health care system would be better than the current system in place? In other words, what are you going to do differently?

     THE PRESIDENT: Just in the health care arena, I point to two areas: Medicare and the VA are both government-run health care programs that have very high satisfaction rates. Generally, if you look at surveys, they have actually very high satisfaction rates.

     Now, the VA, because it's a self-contained system, meaning that people see patients year after year because they're not -- it's not dependent on what job they have -- they can actually do some things in terms of prevention and wellness and some of the things that I just talked about that have helped to lower their costs and improve quality of care in a pretty impressive way.

     Medicare is a different situation because seniors really like Medicare generally, they appreciate the security that it provides. And by the way, we're in the 44th anniversary of the passage of Medicare. Prior to that, senior citizens were extraordinarily vulnerable. And so it is a successful program.

     The problem with Medicare is the same problem that we have with the health care system generally, which is health care inflation has driven costs up. That's not unique to Medicare. In fact, this is something that's important to know -- that health care inflation under Medicare has actually increased at a lower rate than in the private sector, all right?

     So let me repeat what I just said, because everybody always says, well, government can't run anything. Medicare costs have gone up more slowly than health care costs in the private sector. So the private insurance that you're getting, you have actually seen your premiums go up faster than Medicare has cost taxpayers, even though seniors have high satisfaction rates with Medicare.

Now, having said all that, it's all relative. Medicare still needs to be a lot better and more efficient. And there are examples of how we can make the entire health care system more efficient. We know where these examples are -- the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic, Geisinger, Kaiser Permanente -- there are health systems around the country that actually have costs that are as much as 20 or 30 percent lower than the national average and have higher quality.

     And so the question is, why is that? What is it that they're doing differently than other systems? And there are some patterns that start coming into place. For example, number one is that they have a patient-focused practice where instead of worrying about how they're billing -- so how many tests they're ordering or how many procedures they're ordering -- all they're focused on is the patient. And part of what helps is their doctors are all on salaries so they don't even know what the economics of any decisions that they're making are.

     Then it turns out you also have a group practice so that when you come in, the family physician, your primary care physician, has already coordinated with all the specialists. So instead of having to go to four different doctors and four different tests, you go take one trip and you see all of them all at once, and they all help diagnose you and coordinate your care throughout the process.

     They've got health information technologies so that when you take a test, it actually gets forwarded to the next doctor and the next doctor and to the nurse and the pharmacist, so that there aren't any errors. (Applause.) So there are a whole range of practical things that they're doing that are improving quality and lowering costs at the same time.

Now, there's no reason that we can't duplicate that in both private and public settings across the board. But in order to do that we're going to have to change how we reimburse for exams. So we've got to say to doctors and hospitals, we're not going to reimburse you for the number of tests you provided -- we're going to reimburse you instead for the quality of the outcome.

Here's another example. Right now we just reimburse hospitals no matter how many times they readmit you. Now, if you took your car to the shop and they fixed it, or you thought they fixed it, and then two, three weeks later you go back in and they're having to do the same thing, you wouldn't feel good about paying twice for the exact same thing that you thought had been fixed. But under Medicare there is no penalty to hospitals for having very high readmission rates compared to their peers.
So those are the kinds of things that can be changed.

Now, your broader question may just be: I don't have confidence in government. But as I pointed out -- I just want to go back to my original point, Medicare costs have gone up more slowly than private sector health care costs. That is documented.

So let me give you an example: $177 billion over 10 years is spent on subsidies to insurance companies under something called Medicare Advantage. There's no showing that seniors are healthier using Medicare Advantage than using regular Medicare, but taxpayers, you fork over an additional $177 billion to them over 10 years. You take that out, that right there helps pay for millions of people who could get coverage.

So we've already identified $500 billion to $600 billion worth of savings that are already being spent by taxpayers that would help pay for the reforms that we're talking about.   But you wouldn't know that from watching the news. And by the way, that -- so a trillion dollars is over 10 years, so that's $100 billion a year -- $600 billion of it already paid for by money that you're already using -- that's already being used, but just not used wisely in the health care system. That's what we're talking about. And for that we can have 40 million people who don't have health insurance getting health insurance.

And small businesses, you're already paying health insurance -- so you're already paying; you would get a tax credit -- we're putting $43 billion on the table to help reduce your costs directly, for your care. So 95 percent of small businesses would benefit from subsidies if they're already providing health insurance for their employees.

And if they're not providing health insurance for their employees -- the problem is small businesses typically have a much tougher time getting health insurance and they pay higher premiums because you've got a smaller pool. You're only 20 people -- it's not like some big Fortune 500 company with a thousand people, they can drive a harder bargain. You'll be able now to join and access health care through a health care exchange that we set up so that you're able to be part of a pool that can leverage lower prices.

This is not something that is impossible to do, but we've got to overcome the understandable skepticism that somehow Washington can never get anything right. I mean, that's the biggest challenge we have right now, is just people sort of generally have skepticism about Washington. And I -- look, I understand that. That's why I ran for President, because I was skeptical about what was happening in Washington.

     Q My name is Bill Purcell. I'm one of those primary care doctors you were talking about, a pediatrician. I also have a little job in the North Carolina Senate.   But I can see in my practice a patient and make a correct diagnosis and prescribe the right medicine, but if a patient can't afford the medicine, they don't get treatment. What can we do about the high cost of prescription drugs in America?

     THE PRESIDENT: Since I gave a very long answer on the last one, I'll try to keep this one short. We pay 77 percent more for prescription drugs in America than any other country does -- 77 percent more than any other country. Now, if you talk to the pharmaceutical industry, they'll say, well, a lot of the research and development is done in this country, and that's how we're developing the great new drugs. That accounts for maybe 20 to 30 percent of the difference in the cost. The rest of it has to do with marketing. It has to do with the fact that basically the pharmaceutical industry can get away with it.

And what happened when the prescription drug bill was passed several years ago under Medicare, they specifically prohibited you -- they prohibited Medicare from negotiating with the drug companies for the cheapest available price on drugs; specifically said you cannot negotiate. So what we've said is, in this reform process, we are going to turn that around.

And to the pharmaceutical industry's credit, they have sat down and started negotiating and they've already said -- they've already put $80 billion in deep discounts and rebates on the table that would help to close the so-called doughnut hole that a lot of seniors are suffering under Medicare. They've already committed to that. That would cut the costs of the doughnut hole in about half. So that's a significant savings. I think we can obtain more savings.

     One other thing that's being debated right now on Capitol Hill, though, that people need to keep an eye on -- one of the way to lower prescription drug costs is to move to generics. And the problem right now is, is that the drug companies want, after they've come up with a drug, they want to keep that patent for 12 years. And there's a debate about can we lower that to seven years before it goes generic so that people can enjoy lower prices on those drugs.

     Those are some of the debates that will be taking place alongside the health care reform debate. But overall, there's no reason why we should not be able to at least pay in the ballpark of what other countries are paying for the exact same drug, and that will be a major focus in this health care reform legislation.

     Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you.

                                           END                1:10 P.M. EDT

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My City To Get 3 New Police Officers Thanks To Obama's Stimulus

By ☮ CR ❤ - Jul 29th, 2009 at 9:36 am EDT

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Gilroy To Get 3 New Police Officers Thanks To Obama's Stimulus

7/28/09 Chris Bone- Gilroy Dispatch

The city will have three new police officers as soon as December thanks to more than $1.1 million in federal grant money, according to police and the U.S. Department of Justice.

After months of agonizing union talks, increased crime and slipping morale, news of the money immediately delighted city council members and police officials. The Gilroy Police Department was the only agency in the county to receive money, Sgt. Jim Gillio said, and one of 109 recipients across the state. The grant will result in 649 new hires and a handful of re-hires statewide. More than 7,200 agencies throughout the country, out of nearly 18,000 applicants, received $1 billion thanks to President Obama's mammoth economic stimulus plan.

Chief Denise Turner, whose sworn force stands at 56, originally asked for $2.8 million to hire seven officers. She and her staff are now preparing a new scenario for the council to consider Sept. 14 because the federal funding expires after three years and the terms of the Community Oriented Policing Hiring Recovery Program Grant require the city retain grant-funded officers for an additional year without federal cash.

A first-year officer costs Gilroy about $138,000 annually in salary and associated benefits. In addition, it takes four to six months to train an officer transferring from another department and up to a year to certify a civilian, according to Gillio and city figures. That comes out to $1.24 million for three years, which exceeds the grant by about $80,000. That total also excludes the mandated fourth year that will cost Gilroy at least $414,000. By then, though, police hope the economy will have rallied.

"The chief has the purview to assign these officers wherever they need to be to get the most bang for our buck," Gillio said. "I can definitely see this money helping us attract officers transferring here (from another department) because they know their position will be secure, and hopefully at the end of the three years the economy will be up again."

Police will also continue talking with the Gilroy Unified School District, which voted in April to pledge $165,000 between 2012 and 2014 toward the positions. Turner also originally imagined the two traffic cops would generate enough revenue through tickets to offset most of the city's potential expenses, but she and city finance officials will crunch numbers for the council's consideration.

The city will also save money by not filling four officers' positions this year. Two officers quit the force amid the council's budget talks earlier this year, bringing the department down to 56 sworn officers, and two more will retire in the coming months. When the Gilroy Police Officer Association approved $1.1 million in cuts over the next year, they did so through furloughs and raise postponements, but they also achieved savings - and complemented the city-wide hiring freeze - by agreeing to not re-hire those four positions, a point Mayor Al Pinheiro stressed amid his praise.

"This is great news and a great opportunity for us, and I'm very happy, but let's remember we're asking for three more officers but we just let four go away," Pinheiro said. "It's important that we all understand why we're in the position that we're in."

No sworn officers have been laid off this year, but across-the-board cuts at City Hall removed a Santa Clara County probation officer, a public records technician and one part-time and two full-time community service officers who dealt with graffiti, animal control and neighborhood issues. A previous hiring freeze also prevented Turner from hiring more officers, which a hired consultant recommended along with Turner herself. Gilroy has about 1.13 cops per 1,000 residents while the national average is about 1.8, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Getting to the national average would require 90 officers, and that's a financial impossibility given Gilroy's $1.6 million general fund deficit.

Topping the list of California recipients were the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, the San Francisco Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department. Each received funding for 50 positions thanks to individual grants ranging between $12 million and $16 million.

"We think this is a significant award for the city of Gilroy, and it's not to be underestimated how difficult it was for Gilroy to qualify in Santa Clara County, which is one of the wealthiest counties in country," City Administrator Tom Haglund said.

While seated in a lucrative area, Gilroy's crime rate shot up during the application process when the city experienced its fourth killing in 13 months. The national government also looked at how police here respond to the nearly 45,000 calls dispatchers pass on to them each year. Projected city revenues, the likelihood of future layoffs, local unemployment, poverty and foreclosure rates also factored in. The statistics generally portray Gilroy as more deserving of federal money than, say, Morgan Hill, which applied for $2.5 million in grant money to hire five officers, Morgan Hill Police Commander David Swing said.

"We're disappointed we didn't receive the funding, but we're going to continue to develop programs and funding to keep the city safe," Swing said Tuesday, adding that Morgan Hill could still receive funds if some cities decline the grant based on its strict requirements to maintain staffing levels - which essentially translates to a no-layoff rule.

In addition to the Community Oriented Policing Hiring Recovery Program Grant, Gilroy police have also received more than $90,000 in stimulus funds for the purchase of equipment and the continuation of DARE anti-drug programming, which a non-sworn officer has since taken over. The grant money also came from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and it came through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grant Program.

Gilroy will spend $20,000 to develop its the electronic filing system that stores videos from police cruisers and another $16,151 for additional surveillance equipment. The rest of the money - plus nearly $33,000 from the school district - will pay for a community service officer who would have otherwise lost her job this June due to layoffs. The officer, who earns a $64,572 salary and an additional $22,596 in benefits, teaches the Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or "DARE" program, to fifth graders enrolled in public schools.

Local Economic indicators (Morgan Hill and Hollister are nearby cities):

Family poverty rate ($25,790 or below for a family of five)

-9.8% - U.S.

-7.8% - Gilroy

-7.6% - Hollister

-5.3% - Morgan Hill

Source: 2005-07 U.S. Census Bureau estimates

Unemployment, Feb. '09

-8.5% - U.S.

-14.7% - Gilroy

-17.6% - Hollister

-12.7% - Morgan Hill

Source: U.S. Department of Labor

Officers per 1,000 residents

-1.13 - Gilroy

-0.83 - Hollister

-0.95 - Morgan Hill

Sources: Gilroy, Morgan Hill and Hollister police departments; U.S. Census Bureau estimates

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STOP NBC FROM SWIFTBOATING UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE

By Maiysha Emmani Myshere - May 30th, 2009 at 1:30 pm EDT

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Stop NBC from swiftboating universal health care.

Americans' lives depend on whether we pass the right kind of health care reform. So why is NBC News airing an infomercial that will spread dangerous misinformation?

President Obama is committed to health care reform*, but some Democrats in Congress are already wavering on an extremely important provision - basically, without a public option, the health insurance industry gets to keep getting richer while Americans languish without the care they need.

We need to tell the truth about health care. But NBC is preparing to put lies on the air this Sunday.

Rick Scott is the Chairman of a group called Conservatives for Patients' Rights, and he has a history of disseminating lies and misinformation. According to the AP, Scott is "the former head of Columbia/HCA health care company who was ousted amid a fraud investigation that ultimately resulted in the firm pleading guilty to charges of overbilling." His "documentary" looks to be an extended version of videos he's been promoting over the last few weeks, which FactCheck.org characterized as "misleading" in part because they misrepresented the opinions of a doctor who actually favors the public option.

Send an e-mail to NBC News President Steve Capus today: Tell him not to air Rick Scott's shameful propaganda. The show is scheduled to air this Sunday, so please act today.

Please pass this on, far and wide. Here's the link:

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/nbc_healthcare/?r_by=-158861-Lw1JRwx&rc=confemail

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Federal dollars help save some Santa Clara County safety net programs

By ☮ CR ❤ - May 6th, 2009 at 5:20 pm EDT

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5/5/09 By Karen de Sá - San Jose Mercury News

An infusion of federal dollars from the Obama administration is expected to reduce some of the severe cuts to Santa Clara County social services that had been all but assured just weeks ago.

Painful cuts still loom. But in his spending plan for the 2010 fiscal year, the county's chief executive now proposes some new protection for emergency psychiatric care and drug and alcohol treatment. And with the vital role of public health nurses thrust suddenly into the spotlight amid the swine flu epidemic, fewer of those nurses may now be laid off.

Board of Supervisors President Liz Kniss said the federal support is unprecedented and without it, "our financial boat would barely be afloat." Supervisors will spend the coming weeks considering acting County Executive Gary Graves' plan to address an ever-burgeoning $273 million shortfall before voting on the final $3.9 billion budget in June.

By all measures, Graves' proposal is good news only in relative terms. Dramatic cuts to lifeline services for homebound elderly, the disabled and unemployed families remain the budget's driving theme despite the federal relief, which will provide $41.4 million in the upcoming fiscal year.

That money will go in part to softening the blow to the public health department, which had been planning on cutting the number of nurses by 40 out of 88. Graves now calls for reducing the work force by 32 positions, preserving some of the public health nurses who battle communicable diseases.

The county's Department of Alcohol and Drug Services will be able to save some adult outpatient and residential treatment programs that had been slated for elimination. And the hospital system's Barbara Arons Pavilion will continue providing 50 beds for acute psychiatric patients, instead of seeing the number of those beds cut in half.

Still, Graves described the county as "fatigued and struggling" after eight consecutive years of budget cuts. And he warned of "a future with little promise" amid the global economic meltdown. Noting his three-decade career, Graves said: "I can say with no hesitation that the financial circumstances facing Santa Clara County are unlike any I have seen."

And there's a good chance his proposal will be upended as soon as next month, given the economy's "extreme volatility."

County budget analysts are getting used to pencils with erasers. The size of the projected deficit here has grown 24 percent since December — and spiked again as recently as last month, when the county assessor revealed that plunging home values would cut $29 million in property taxes that were expected to fund core human services.

Meanwhile, state funding continues to be as unpredictable as ever, with vanishing resources for homeless shelters and food banks, family cash assistance programs and medical coverage for the uninsured.

But with the federal stimulus dollars, there is now some relief for the county's safety net programs that have seen client loads grow with the recession.

Directors of community agencies that rely on county funds cheered the latest budget proposal but remain worried that cuts that still loom will fill up jail cells, emergency rooms and riverbanks.

Nonetheless, "it's refreshing to have the county executive reexamine the budget," said Tim Rother, executive director of ARH Recovery Homes. "There is a glimmer of hope in an otherwise fairly dire situation."

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Rebuilding the FDA: Peggy Hamburg's NPR INterviews

By Patrice Ventresca - Mar 28th, 2009 at 2:18 pm EDT

Also listed in: California 15th Congressional District Grassroots Team | San Francisco for Obama

The Obama Administration recently appointed Peggy Hamburg as its new FDA Commissioner. What is Peggy Hamburg's plan to reinstate the FDA's clout and restore food and drug safety to our Nation? Many of us watched in horror over the past 8 years as the Bush administration slowly dismantled this agency. We had more outbreaks of food contamination than in any time in recent history under Bush's watch. Obama affirms Bush's 'hazard to public health' by failing to curb food-contamination problems. What is Peggy Hamburg's plan for the FDA? How will she restore our Nation's confidence in the food we consume? Please listen to the following NPR broadcasts. We look forward to more updates from NPR on this urgent matter. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.phpstoryId=101908901 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.phpstoryId=101777063 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.~~phpstoryId~~=101744978

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Sign/mail the petition to get the California's constitution revised

By ☮ CR ❤ - Mar 12th, 2009 at 4:25 pm EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

San Diego college students, Al Shams and Kaelan Housewright, have started framing a constitutional amendment initiative to replace the word "marriage" with "domestic partnership" under California state law. 3/9/09 Secretary of State Debra Bowen authorized the initiative # 09-0003 to gather 700,000 signatures by early August to get the initiative on the ballot.

Here is the San Jose Mercury news story: http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci_11890793?source=rss

Here is their DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE website that has an Adobe petition for you to fill out and mail in: http://www.dompar.org/

(The price of a first-class stamp will go up by 2 cents to 44 cents on May 11, 2009)

**********************************************************************

Date: March 9, 2009

Initiative No.: 09-0003

The Attorney General of California has prepared the following title and summary of the chief purpose and points of the proposed measure: SUBSTITUTES DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP FOR MARRIAGE IN CALIFORNIA LAW. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT AND STATUTE. Replaces the term “marriage” with the term “domestic partnership” throughout California law, but preserves the rights provided in marriage. Applies equally to all couples, regardless of sexual orientation. Repeals the provision in California’s Constitution that states only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: This measure would have an unknown fiscal effect on state and local governments. (09-0003.)

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Economic dilemma / EE's Second Coming

By Rassoul Aleshi Electrical Engineer - Feb 23rd, 2009 at 9:50 am EST

Also listed in: 4 groups

In Chapter 1 of the book "Economics for Dummies" By Sean Masaki Flynn,Ph.D starts with as follows:Economics is the science that studies how people and societies make decisions that allow them to get the most out of their limited resources.And because every country, every business, and every person has to deal with constraints and limitations, economics is literally everywhere. On page 13 under title:FRAMING ECONOMICS AS THE SCIENCE OF SCARCITY, he writes:Scarcity is the fundamental and unavoidable phenomenon that creates a need for the science of economics. Without scarcity of time,scarcity of resources,scarcity of information, scarcity of consumable goods, and scarcity of Peace and goodwill on Earth , human beings would lack for nothing. In deed, without scarcity , your life would be like that of the hard-partying couple in the Eagles' song "Life in the Fast Lane." That is, you 'd have everything, all the time."... limited resources !? Assuming that God is not grater, so fundamentally this science is developed for non-believers, it ignore God parameter in formulas, for me Barack means abundance this is why I vote for Obama.

Best Regards

Rassoul

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2/8/09 Economic Recovery Meeting

By ☮ CR ❤ - Feb 9th, 2009 at 1:05 am EST

Also listed in: 8 groups

Catherine Le Ruyet graciously hosted a Economic Recovery Meeting this evening that went very well. The nine of us introduced our selves, we watched the video of DNC Chair/Governor Kaine and of President Obama speak about the Economic Recovery meetings. Our group consisted of people from all political parties and from a variety of vocations coming together to voice options and discuss ideas. The results of our meeting will be forwarded to

econrecoverymeetings@gmail.com

By meeting, sharing ideas and spearing the word to others in our communities and our families WE CAN find common middle ground and voice that we want and need bipartisan results for things to start to change. We learned that as promised there will be transparency in government spending and they can be monitored on

http://www.recovery.gov

************* Update ***************

Questions/Suggestions/Comments

1. I think that there should be an incentive to companies who outsourced jobs out like tax breaks etc. to bring jobs back to America.

2. Would it be possible to fund a teacher training corp to go out to schools and educate the teachers on recent research on major health issues such as obesity, diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases, recent dietary findings etc. (many of the issues stifled by the previous administration). A similar corp could be funded to update science issues such as global climate change and stimulate interest in science and math careers. Parent volunteers could also be trained at the same time in order to extend the outreach of these programs. We have a large retired population now with expertise in various areas that can be made good use of. In our little group that met last night we had two engineers, at least one scientist, some teachers and many other obviously capable people. My husband suggests a possible tax credit for community volunteers.

3. Is it be possible to keep some of our military personnel that will be coming home from assignments oversees working on jobs here at home so that they don't add to the unemployment problem. The worst thing for them to come home to is unemployment. Emotionally they will be much better off if they can earn money for their families and continue to feel like they are making a valuable contribution, perhaps even overlay some of the horrors of war with the knowledge that they are capable of making positive contributions at home. Ideally this could be accomplished without a period of insecurity and sense of abandonment.

4. Removing the health care insecurity would be the single most stimulating act that the government could do. A clean across the board single payer system would allow sharp young people who feel they have to stay glued to "safe" jobs that offer health care would be freer to start their own companies, manufacture and invent things at home ( If they can be sure their children have health care.). Our auto industry and other large companies could compete more equally with companies from other countries that do not carry the burden of health care. State and local government in danger of bankruptsy would have the burden of health care off their backs, be able to retain jobs.

5. Thoughts about the bill, as I understand it to be.
a. The Governor was correct in his statement about need to have Jobs as the first priority.
b. Looking at past history of the House and Senate, I am concerned about “PORK".

c. 800 + Billion dollars is a shockingly high figure, but it will undoubtedly take a lot to dig our way out of the hole we find ourselves in.

I am pleased to hear that there will be an individual (with staff) responsible to oversee the use of these funds, I hope this includes VISIBILITY and ACCOUNTABILITY (terms that seemed foreign to the previous administration).

6. All transactions should be open to public scrutiny, but to make it work, the responsible individual must have a charter that allows him (or her) to exercise a line item veto to be used when basic criteria are not being met. Such action should be based on at least two overriding criteria: How Many Jobs, how soon, and at what Cost!! There must also be an fast, easy, and visible way to make necessary changes.

7. As many programs as possible should be established to provide immediate relief while other undergo the planning, engineering, and reviews necessary to assure their effective implementation.

8. These requirements seem be a logical extension of President Obama’s promise to review all Government programs; and determine how well they serve the public need and how efficient and effective they are. Followed by programs to fix those that are not effective or efficient, and drop those that are unnecessary. THIS LONG OVERDUE.

9. We would like to see on your website every person behind/backing/pushing each item in your recovery plan. Transparency is key!

10. Right now there is no such thing as clean coal. Who in congress is backing this?

11. Nuclear Power is NOT clean energy! We should be decreasing our usage NOT increasing it!!! The disposal of nuclear waste is extremely hazardous to people and the environment! NO NEW Nuclear Power PLANTS!!!

12. What companies will have the new job openings mentioned in your plan? How can we find out the who, what, where and when?

13. I think that since the arts and sports will likely get the axe in schools that maybe people could hold community events and volunteer their music, artistic, athletic abilities to children during the weekends, after school to fill in the void.

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Moh: generally means love of and attachment to worldly things and relations

By Rassoul Aleshi Electrical Engineer - Feb 6th, 2009 at 11:26 am EST

Also listed in: 4 groups

The GOD is not for sale: An Open Letter to My Fellow Beings on the planet EARTH

In about the first part of my life in search for achievements I realized that Health, Happiness, Love and Self expression is not obtainable by selling

this thing called the GOD within me.

In about the second part of my life in search of this thing called the GOD within me,

I lost my achievements in the first part.

In about the third part of my life I will share my experience of life with you about

this thing called the GOD within me.

Initially I created this Christmas cap to make living, marketing it for profit,

So far, I have realized the following:

1-This thing called the GOD within me IS NOT FOR SALE rather it is a GIFT!

All hardship that I have experienced in life has been the result of this GIFT for a worldly short term achievements.

2-What difference does it make if I don’t make a difference?

3-Asked myself, “IF I AM NOT A CHILD OF THE GOD” Whose child AM I”?

4-Have I ever seen any plant, bird, animal or human being feed themselves

before feeding their children?

5-What is the real cause of the global warming, can it be result of greed, anger, poverty.?

6-Can a small gift makes a difference?

7-Support the common goal of all books written in support of life.

8-Be yourself, “Separate yourself from labels such as terrorist, or supporters of terrorists to a trusted Child of the GOD the creator of THE UNIVERSE, in the eyes of all beings.

9-Be An Active Independent Random Variable (AN IRV) and Participate in Achieving a

Common goal such as Global Warming Curer.

10-Work for THE PEACE ON EARTH to BE REAL AND ETERNAL AND

EXPANDABLE.

Please, for this Christmas accept my GIFT from this thing called the GOD within me.

Please note: The Christmas tree is just a reference point, it may change by location but the message behind it is worth for living, one can not pretend peace lover, it is a function expressed by dynamic action.

As a person with a science background I should say that, no scientific approach will be able to discover this thing called the GOD within me, since the TRUTH IS just as IS, and Scientific approaches are just and only just an APPROCHIMATION TO THE TRUTH. The best achievements are the results of PRAYING to

“this thing called the God within me”.

Best Regards

Rassoul Russ Aleshi

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Southbay 4 Obama Inaugural Fest

By ☮ CR ❤ - Jan 14th, 2009 at 10:24 am EST

Also listed in: 9 groups

Southbay 4 Obama Inaugural Fest

Date: Jan 20th

Location: Moorpark Hotel
4241 Moorpark Ave. (Saratoga Ave. and HWY 280)
San Jose, CA 95129

Cost: $25 includes 2 well/draft drinks, appetizers, desserts and party favors
Proceeds to go to the local veteran's Fisher House

*****

Update:

[My Husband and I] [Barry and I]

My husband and I attended the Southbay 4 Obama Inaugural Fest at the Moorepark Hotel last night.

Mari Houssni, team leader of San Jose/Democratic Delegate/Caravan leader to Nevada, with her San Jose team were the hostesses of the party (She is pictured with her husband, Abdel). Mari's group got everyone fired up and ready to go with Obama raffle items, Obama posters and buttons for sale.

[Mari and Abdel]

There was about 250 people there. Galen Swain, team leader of San Jose/Caravan leader to Nevada, was getting everyone fired up with his DJ system, Elaine Coombs and Martin O'Leary from West Valley 4 Obama were there. John's co-worker, Malcom and his wife were there.

[West Valley Gang]

John's Oklahoma (RED Republican state) customers Mandi and Josh were there. They voted for Obama and thought that since they were traveling on business that they would miss celebrating Obama's presidency. They were very happy to hear that we were selling tickets to an Inaugural party. They had a good time and even took a photo with the Obama cut-out.

[Visitors from Oklahoma]

There was Obama Karaoke, a photo slideshow of the voter registration drives, canvassing, caravans to the swing states during the Primaries and the General election. The Ethical Approach Car Sales featured it's Zap Electric Vehicle and people could take it for a test drive!

People ate, drank, danced to music and took their photos with the Barack cut-out. We watched as the Obamas had their first offcial presidential dance together. FINALLY we have President Barack Obama!!!!!

[Dancing: Y-M-C-A]

Pat Gallagher has three more pages of pictures! Scroll ALL the way down (past the ads) to see all 48 pics:

http://forums.delphiforums.com/AmericaRocks/messages?msg=2956.1

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The 'Obama Way': Seven steps to success

By ☮ CR ❤ - Nov 4th, 2008 at 4:00 pm EST

Also listed in: 8 groups

The 'Obama Way': Seven steps to success

What his distinctive approach reveals about his possible administration

ANALYSIS By Howard Fineman msnbc.com updated 2 hours, 45 minutes ago NEW YORK

I was sitting in David Plouffe’s spartan office at Barack Obama’s campaign headquarters in Chicago. This horserace has been an interesting one, but that’s not what I wanted to talk about. Instead, I asked the campaign manager about decision-making.

A lot of the campaign's choices have been better than good. Cautious politically and bold organizationally, the decisions made amount to the best planned, executed and essentially mistake-free political effort I’ve ever covered. So, I paid close attention when Plouffe told me there was an “Obama Way.”It sounded vaguely mystical, but if there is one thing we need to know to help assess an Obama presidency, this could be it.

Having said that, you have to be cautious about seeing a White House foreshadowed in a candidate’s campaign. Take for example George W. Bush. Some characteristics of his presidency — loyalty, insularity and reliance on a small core of advisors — could be noted in his 2000 effort. But unlike his presidency, that campaign proved adaptable to changing circumstances and more attuned to realities on the ground. The differences proved catastrophic.

Obama’s campaign has been so distinctive, disciplined and cutting edge that it’s nearly impossible not to look at it for clues as to what his White House would be like. Businessmen and politicians will reverently study the campaign for years to come as a model of innovative branding and an example for digital sales strategies. Politically, Obama’s ability to finesse tough issues — to anticipate criticism and play off of it — is a model of tactical skill. In terms of public character, his vaunted coolness is state-of-the-art.

Altogether, this strategy is seven-pronged — and it's a veritable play book for political success:

Be decisive: This is what Plouffe meant by the “Obama Way.” “Everybody speaks his or her mind,” he told me, “and then Barack makes the decision. After that, there is absolutely no second-guessing or looking back.” The trick is to stick with it. Outside the campaign there was considerable hand-wringing a few months ago about the wisdom of pursuing an “expanded map” Electoral College strategy. Obama didn’t budge. “It’s better to have one strategy and stick to it,” Plouffe told me, “than to try ten in pursuit of the perfect answer. The point is that there is no perfect answer.”

Have a tight circle: Obama has a very small circle, although it’s not the circle of one (Karl Rove) that Bush had. Obama’s core group consists of four people besides the candidate himself: the “two Davids,” Plouffe and David Axelrod, the reporter-turned-consultant and the keeper of the Obama message and the mythology; Valerie B. Jarrett, a Chicago lawyer, fundraiser, and former city hall official; and Obama’s wife, Michelle. “It’s the two Davids and those two women,” said a top party official. The result is an ability to keep a secret. The choice of Sen. Joe Biden for Obama's running mate, for example, wasn’t leaked to the press.

Stick with the plan: Obama's game plan was devised by that inner circle, plus maybe a ring or two beyond it, and has been in place since the moment Obama announced his candidacy in 2007. It’s remained mostly intact. The plan was carefully back-timed with the general election in mind. Except for his commitment to a specific timetable for withdrawal of American combat forces from Iraq, the overall platform has remained substantively centrist in tone and content. I’ve never seen another campaign so willing and able to stick to the script.

Sweat the details: Planning strategy is one thing, but executing it with almost obsessive precision is another. All winning campaigns must be able to do that, even ones that have benefitted, like Obama’s, from historical trends, including Bush’s travail and a near-collapse of the Republican Party. But the Obama campaign has not missed a single detail — including, as a recent example, an unprecedented effort to win one stray Electoral College vote in Nebraska.

Understand your brand: Obama lacks a background in business, but you could never tell by looking at his campaign. It has adapted and improved upon key techniques of modern, international marketing. One of them is branding through iconography. His campaign is literally centered on a symbol. The Obama camp created that road-meets-the-rising-sun logo two years ago. And that’s just one part of a larger focus on visual sales.

Remember the stage for his speech at the Democratic National Convention? The vast set, covered in faux Greek columns and video monitors, was designed to embody the idea of a mass movement or a crusade for change. And at a recent rally in Cleveland, the entire Obama family wore matching outfits, representing a united familial front by smiling and rocking out with Bruce Springsteen to “The Rising.”

Go digital: Obama’s campaign devotion to semiotics is matched by and married to an innovative, envelope-pushing use of web-based and digital communications. One example, demonstrated to me by Chris Stern of Bloomberg: an Obama applet for the iPhone, developed by a supporter in London. Among other things, it organizes all contacts according to key swing states, allows users to distinguish friends as Obama supporters, and lists (for those with GPS-enabled phones) local Obama meetings and events (complete with maps and directions). The campaign’s texting efforts are perhaps better known. Enticed by contests, supporters sent in their phone numbers at major rallies. Electronic participation continued and hit new highs in August when the Obama camp promised to reveal their veep choice first via e-mail and text message.

Use caution: Speaking of vice presidential selections, Obama’s selection of Biden speaks volumes. Given the range of choice, Obama made the safest pick — and one that he had reason to believe would yield a specific, tangible benefit: help in Pennsylvania (specifically, northeast, where Democratic turnout is essential).

So what's the bottom line? Pretty simple. If past is prologue, Obama and his circle are already very hard at work — and very far along — planning the details of his presidency. The game plan will be comprehensive, detailed, clever and cautious. That's good news, whether you’re for him or not. As Plouffe says, it's always better to have a plan. It's the Obama Way.

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Read This and Don't Fall Victim to This.

By Anita Stroud - Nov 4th, 2008 at 1:32 am EST

Also listed in: 10 groups

"They come to his events. They wear nice shirts."
To members of Bay Area Obama Supporters 2

Matt Haney
Add as Friend
Today at 10:48am
Reply
Rick Davis, McCain-Palin Campaign Manager:

"The fact that young people have not made up a larger share of early voters this year, Davis argued, proves that Obama has failed in his mission to reshape the active voting population on a broad scale. The whole premise of Barack Obama's campaign was, 'We're going to restructure the political dynamic in America.' There has not been a restructuring," he said. "Where's the youth vote? They come to his events. They wear nice shirts."

Forget the polls. Forget the electoral map. It's time to prove them wrong. This is our moment. One day left. Let's rage!

Forward this to your friends!

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Don't Forget Early Voting.

By Anita Stroud - Oct 17th, 2008 at 12:58 am EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

Some states have early voting. If your state has early voting, please participate. This action slows down voting fraud and the lines are less crowded on these days.

Thank you for your time,

Anita Stroud

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10/18 Obama Victory Fundraiser in Gilroy

By ☮ CR ❤ - Oct 11th, 2008 at 4:56 pm EDT

Also listed in: 8 groups

* Obama Victory Fundraiser in Gilroy *

Date: Sat, Oct 18th

Where: Oakwood Lounge 7421 Monterey St, Gilroy (between 6th & 7th on the west side - green awning)

Speakers: Mari Houssni, Democratic Delegate at the Democratic Denver Convention & Obama Neighborhood Team Leader in San Jose

Thank you so much for all who came out to our Obama Victory Fundraiser!! A special shout out to Mari Houssni and her team; South County 4 Obama really appreciates your time and effort! Between 4pm-8pm we raised $360 for the Obama Campaign and $310 for the California-Nevada Gas Fund. We really had a good time! Yes WE Can!

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Playing the Hate Card

By Hartmut - Oct 11th, 2008 at 2:33 pm EDT

Also listed in: Action Wire | CA Call Team | California 15th Congressional District Grassroots Team

This last week the McCain/Palin campaign has stooped down to a new moral low. Now they are trying to assassinate Barack Obama's reputation as a citizen, patriot and decent person linking him wrongfully to a terrorist of the 60's whose views Obama denounced again and again. These new attacks in McCain and Palin rally speeches and in nation wide aired ads have created a new climate of hate that will divide Americans further and make problem solving harder. I guess the McCain campaign advisers are realizing they can't win the election by debating political issues (not just the economy but just any issue) and are abandoning that strategy in favor of another "Swift Boat Smear Campaign". This one however is far more vicious, disgusting and dangerous as it has provoked emotions in their supporters not seen in many years in this country. Rallies on which McCain/Palin supporters scream and call Senator Obama a Terrorist, a Traitor and threaten to kill him sound and look like Nazi rallies of the late 20's and early 30's in Germany. Unfounded accusations in times of economic hardship and uncertainty mixed with a new found sense of Nationalism due to a greater isolation in the world have often been the beginning of evil. Whether you want to call it plain ignorance or racism or fascism I believe it is time for all Americans, no matter what your political affiliation, to stand up and demonstrate that we are better than that. That we have moved past the mob mentality and that we need leadership and political solutions to our problems, not division and hatred!

Many Republicans, that I have great respect for, have come already forward in criticizing this latest McCain/Palin campaign strategy and urged the presidential candidate as well as the vice presidential candidate to calm their supporters and change their message.

You can do your part by calling your local TV and/or radio station and ask them to refrain from airing ads that are only ment to stir up hatred, not to address or solve actual political problems!

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Don't Forget!

By Anita Stroud - Oct 8th, 2008 at 8:08 am EDT

Also listed in: 10 groups

I hope all Californians eligible to vote are registered by Oct. 20th, the last day to register.

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