Democratic Party of DuPage County, Illinois: February 2013

Thursday, February 28, 2013

The Voting Rights Act is a Bulwark Against Tyranny

By Dale Bowling

A few days ago, a statue of Rosa Parks was unveiled in the Hall of Statuary in the Capitol.

At nine feet, this bronze sculpture is bigger than life which is only fitting for such a towering figure in the history of the American Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks was arrested, she received
death threats, she opened herself up to public ridicule and anger. It took a lot of guts to do what she did, but the fight was right and she fought. America is proud of what she achieved.

Ironically a mere stone's throw from the Capitol, one of the signature achievements of the Civil Rights Movement is being undone. The Supreme Court is debating the constitutionality of parts of the Voting Rights Act which has protected the rights of minority voters for a half century.

A trip down collective memory lane might yield useful information here. As you all remember in the 50s and 60s, we had Apartheid right here in America. In the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave, state and local governments conspired to prevent whole groups of people from exercising their constitutional rights, from using the same public facilities as the majority, from benefiting from the prosperity that America had built.

This tyranny went by a lot names- Jim Crow, Segregation, Separate But Equal. It's a shameful episode in American history but frankly, one from which we have so much distance that it has become foreign to us.

We exalt the Civil Rights Movement. The Rosa Parks and Martin Luther Kings have rightly joined the pantheon of American heroes, but this foreignness, this exaltation renders us very complacent about what they did. We feel like that war is over and we can bury the fallen, put up monuments and move on.

The details of the case before the Supreme Court: Shelby County, Alabama is suing the federal government over certain provisions in the VRA. The source of contention is that places which had a historic record of voter discrimination were barred from changing their electoral laws without permission from the Federal Government. And it's not just the South that is affected by this. Some counties in California, Alaska, Michigan and other places outside the South also fall under the VRA.

Shelby County argues that Jim Crow was a long time ago, things have changed, they've made progress. This is not your father's Shelby Co. They go on that really the provision is unconstitutional any way because it gives less rights to places like Shelby Co., AL than it does other places.

And several members of the U.S. Supreme Court agree. Chief Justice Roberts asked if the law was saying that some parts of the country are more permanently racist than others. Justice Scalia says this represents "a perpetual racial entitlement". I'm not sure what this means other than African-Americans will feel permanently entitled to exercise their constitutional rights without fear that their local government is going to stop them and to me that seems like a good thing.

Admittedly, the Supreme Court can only answer the constitutional and legal questions surrounding the Voting Rights Act. They can't speak to either the moral or practical implications of the VRA.

Have we as a society so solved the problem of voter suppression that we can afford to dismantle the Voting Rights Act? I seem to remember lots of shenanigans surrounding voter suppression as recently as November. Dismantling protections for minority voters are only going to make suppressing their votes easier.

I've heard the Voting Rights Act called a monument or a testament of the Civil Rights Movement, but it is more than that. It's a bulwark against the Tyranny of the Majority. We need more of those, not fewer.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

5 of the Best Environmental Organizations to Know and Support.

This list is the opinion of the creators of the www.care2.com site.

If you have additions or comments about this list, feel free to post them below!

Conservation International (www.conservation.org)

Defenders of Wildlife (www.defenders.org)

Earthwatch Institute (www.earthwatch.org)

Friends of the Earth International (www.foei.org)

National Parks Conservation Association (www.npca.org)

The complete list can be found here

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The Middle Class And Poor Are Collateral Damage In the Republican War on Big Government

By Dale Bowling

There is a military term of which I am quite fond called, "Collateral Damage". It's a very nice little expression that means that somebody got hurt or killed who was not the intended target. Civilians dying in war zones are the quintessential examples of collateral damage.

Now, there's a war on here in America: the Republican War on Big Government. Fiscal Cliff, Government Shutdown, Debt Ceiling, Sequestration are all fronts on this war. Republican politicians are fighting a war against the Government which you and I elected and this same government is doing things for you and me. This is why we (and by "we", I mean the majority of Americans) elected it in the first place.

Doesn't matter. They're still fighting on behalf of the minority against the majority. Now it's totally within the bounds of democratic government to say that "hey, we disagree with the majority on this and we're pushing our own agenda and hope to persuade the majority." That's actually fine and is part and parcel with American representative government.

But the GOP is doing something somewhat different. They're out to sabotage the capacity of our duly-elected democratic government to do what we ask of it. They are fighting to make it so our duly-elected democratic government (which they like to call "Big Government" because it sounds way more sinister) can't do what the majority of Americans elected it to do.

A good analogy would be instead of saying that they think one ice skater is better than another and here's why, they prefer to go out with a crowbar and kneecap the other skater and then say to her, "See, you aren't so good afterall."

That's the Republican War on Big Government.

Everything the GOP does is part of this war. This war is their entire reason for being. Doesn't matter if you freely used your vote to choose a government that actually helps Americans. In their view, you're just not as American as they are and that makes your choice just not as American as theirs.

The worst consequence of all of this is that the Middle Class and the Poor are collateral damage in the Republican War on Big Government.

The way the GOP hits the Middle Class and the Poor is by creating fake fiscal crises and using them as excuses to force cuts that don't even make sense. Government can't do its job as well with less money (no brainer there) and consequently, when government can't do its job as well, Republicans chime in, "See, you aren't so good afterall."

The thing is that we (the majority of Americans) think that our government can and should do things to lift up Americans who are struggling.

We should have a government that is concerned with the well-being of Americans and tries to help. Who wants a government that only worships market forces? That only cares about winners and not losers? That only works to stack the deck more in favor of rich people? Does that make America great?

No. It doesn't.

And don't take my word for it. Look around the globe and try to find a single country suffering this Recession that has made itself great by skimping on its Middle Class and Poor. Let me save you the trouble. You won't find it.

The greatness of a nation depends on the resourcefulness and industry of the citizens. Not 1% of its citizens. Not 53% of its citizens. All of them.

And a Great Nation unleashes that resourcefulness and industry by giving its People a chance to succeed and a hand up and a second chance when they fail.

There is a word for nations which don't help their people become the best they can: Failures.

America needs to be a Great Nation and that means that it needs to cultivate the talents and hard work of Americans. No Great Nation got where it was by shortchanging its people. Democrats know that.

If Republicans would stop fighting America for a minute they might have the time to learn it.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Dear Labor Leaders: DPDC supports the Responsible Bidder Ordinance

A recent letter to all labor leaders from Chairman Bob Peickert.

Dear Labor Leader:

Although the township and municipal elections are not over, we are already looking at the 2014 elections for county board and forest preserve in DuPage County. We are in the process of recruiting candidates and hope that you will recommend potential candidates who are members of your union. For the municipal and township elections, there are several union candidates whomwe are supporting.

As some of you know, I have been a card carrying union member for nearly 50 years. I started as a laborer working on the Four Lakes Village project in Lisle. After college I formed a union in my school district and became a member of the Illinois Federation of Teachers where I worked for 23 years. I was also a member of the Chicago Newspaper Guild and now am a member of the Chicago Typographical Union. I will continue to support labor in any way possible.

It is important for us to elect those who support labor. The Responsible Bidder Ordinance (RBO) is a key concern of labor and I am fully behind your efforts to see RBO language in all of the villages, towns and cities in DuPage, and at the county level as well. We need jobs and we need well-paying jobs. A Responsible Bidder Ordinance will help us in that effort.

I am currently discussing this issue with a couple of mayors and hope to convince them of the importance of having RBO approved. I have also told a number of mayoral candidates of the importance of this ordinance and how vital it is that it has their support. If there are mayors in DuPage County that you want me to reach out to, please let me know.

Feel free to call me if you have any questions or suggestions. I look forward to working with you in the future. And please go to our website to keep up on what we're doing in DuPage to elect Democrats – www.dupagedemocrats.com. If you want to be added to our e-newsletter list, please e-mail us at info@dupagedemocrats.com.

Thank you.

Bob Peickert, Chair

DPDC

Bloomingdale Dems call on township to put stop to waste

The Bloomingdale Township Democratic Organization today called on the current township board to stop waste in the township budget. According to the Democratic slate for township board every dollar of tax payers money must be used effectively for the welfare of the community. Best practices need to be employed in all areas. This insures tax rates are at the bare minimum to provide existing and enhanced services.

Trustee candidate Ralph Scalise called the salaries and benefits of the current board into question. “My first priority will be the salaries and benefits the board receives. The annual salary for a Bloomingdale Township trustee is over $8000.00.” he said. “This doubles what most municipal trustees receive for a job that requires much more time and effort. If you’ve ever attended a village board meeting you know that these meetings are going to take a considerable amount of time. The normal township board meeting takes ten minutes. I can’t see how we can justify these kinds of salaries. In addition to the salaries we pay the board is eligible for dental insurance, vision care and a pension. Why are we paying for these benefits for a part time board?”

Township Supervisor candidate Tom Suhrbur called for the board to work closer with municipal governments. “The Township should be more efficient in its spending policies. In 2012-13, the Township is projected to spend $3,366,020. The Township Road Commission budgeted $3,678,200.” He pointed out. “The Township should increasingly work for intergovernmental agreements with Carol Stream, Glendale Heights and other municipal governments in the township to expand senior citizen transportation, the food pantry and access for all township residents in unincorporated areas to park districts facilities.”

Added Township Clerk candidate Rose Fitzpatrick “One of the responsibilities of the Township Clerk is to be a witness at bid openings for both the township and the Road District. As the ex-officio clerk of the highway district, the Clerk maintains the records highway commissioner and countersigns all road district orders for payment prior to audit or approval by the Township Board. This is a significant responsibility. The taxpayers of Bloomingdale Township deserve a watchdog of their tax dollars and not just a rubber stamp.”

The Bloomingdale Township Democratic Organization is dedicated to the advancement of better government for the people through the selection and support of outstanding citizens for elective office at the township, county, state and federal levels of government. For more information please contact Rose Fitzpatrick at 630-291-3667 or r_fitzp@earthlink.net. More information is available on their web site at http://www.bloomingdaletownshipdems.org/

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Awesome Quote of the Day

"There is nobody in this country that got rich on his own. Nobody. You built a factory out there - good for you!

But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads that the rest of us paid for. You hired workers that the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory, and hire someone to protect against this, because of the work the rest of us did. Now look, you built the a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea- God bless. Keep a big hunk of it.

But part of the underlying social contract is that you take a hunk of that and pay it forward for the next kid who comes along."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Friday, February 22, 2013

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Why We Need The Unions: My Dad's Story

By Dale Bowling

This is an American Story. It's about an American who started out humbly, but worked his way through life and bettered himself, but he wasn't alone. He had the Union. He was my father.

My father was born in the 1940s deep in the Appalachian mountains. He was the eighth of ten children. The only jobs around were farming if you could get the land and coal mining.

It was a tough life. My dad used to tell that they could see the daylight between the clapboards of their house. My father's father eeked out a living between farming and coal mining until he contracted TB. Then, my grandfather couldn't work in the mines anymore and his boys took over the land they leased.

They raised all their own food on that land. The only things they bought were sugar and coffee. The Bowling boys plowed those rocky hollows with mules. Mert and Roadie were the mules' names and my father talked about them often, with great affection. It was not easy work - especially since they were children. The Bowling family ground their own corn into meal for cornbread. They planted a huge garden. They ate every part of the pig, "but the squeal" as my dad used to say. Tails, ears, faces: they couldn't afford to waste any of it.

My father quit school at sixteen. As he saw it, there wasn't any point in continuing. There were no jobs for high school graduates there anyway.

But his older brother had fought in WWII and the time in the Navy had taught him that not everyone lived in such dire poverty. When Dad's older brother got back to the States, he moved north and all the little brothers including my father followed. Dad met my mother, a student nurse when he was working as an orderly at a hospital there. They married and moved back to her home town.

It so happened that there was a factory there and my father got a job on the line. He didn't have an education or skills. It was that time in American history where all you had to have was a good pair of hands and you were welcome. He joined the Union and he worked and worked.

With decent pay and benefits like he never imagined, he and my mother raised a family. They were a middle-class American family. He was the first of all his siblings to own a color TV. He was proud of that.

When the opportunity arose, my father took a correspondence course to learn some engineering and mechanical skills. He then moved from the line to maintenance. Better pay and better lifestyle.

The Union provided great medical benefits. Those medical benefits ultimately found my father's tumor before it became life threatening.

Without that routine exam provided by the Union, he probably would have gone on for ages not knowing he had cancer.

He had two surgeries. They saved his life. Those surgeries were provided by the medical benefits that the Union had fought so hard for.

My father lived another twenty years, thanks in no small part to the Union. He died a few months ago. My mother has relied on the Union's legal services to sort out all the issues surrounding his death. She is very diligent and on top of things, but she says she still can't imagine how she would do this without the Union's legal services.

As it turns out, Union's legal services have been eliminated as of next year. It was part of the concessions that the Union made to management in exchange for union jobs staying in this country.

My parents saw me attend an Ivy League University. I never could have done that without the Union. They could never had raised a middle class family without the Union. They could never have achieved the American Dream without the Union.

I look at all the kids coming up in this country, I wonder, "how many of these kids aren't going to get the opportunities that I did because Republicans broke the unions?" How many of those kids are not going to get to grow up with their fathers because the Union had to barter away the medical benefits bit by bit just to keep the jobs here. Lots probably.

I hear about Unions being greedy and wanting the world and all I have to say is that is not true. The fact that workers live a middle class lifestyle at all is because the Unions fought for that. We all owe them an enormous debt. My kids owe them the most maybe and they'll grow up in an America where the Unions don't have their backs.

Heaven help them.

So I want to thank all Unions in this Great Country for what you've done for the American people and honestly, what you've done for me. You helped countless people achieve the American Dream. If we waited for companies to do this voluntarily, we'd still be waiting. Thank you, Unions! Thank you.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

What to Expect When You're Sequestered

By Dale Bowling

Since the Sequester is not going to make anyone happy, why are we still allowing it to happen? That
doesn't seem to be a question that is being asked and we should wonder why.

House Republicans are acting like sequestration is inevitable, but they created it and they can
uncreate it. It's a process called "Repeal" and they have to know about it, right?

The reason that the Right isn't talking repeal is that Republicans really want to hang this on the White
House. Back when the GOP was hellbent on shutting down the government, this idea was all that
seemed to placate them.

"When we had a gun to Obama's head, it was his idea," say House Republicans.

The GOP are really hoping all of us will forget the fact that they foisted this on America and treated it
like a great victory at the time. They get exactly what they want from sequestration - deep cuts in
Government Spending. If these cuts also hurt ordinary Americans, well then they're just collateral
damage in the Republicans War on Big Government.

And these cuts will hurt ordinary Americans in a lot of ways. Here are some highlights.

What to Expect When You're Sequestered:

If you're in the Military, don't expect to keep your job. Pink slips for soldiers will inevitably follow.
Installations will close, new weapons systems will not be implemented. Civilian personnel will be
affected as well since the military relies on them for supply and maintenance of facilities. If you
remember last month we had the first net loss of jobs since the end of Bush Recession and analysts
attributed that almost entirely to cuts in military spending. Expect more of the same. And it goes
without saying that National Security may be severely compromised as a result of the Sequester.
http://www.rollcall.com/policybriefings/defense2012.html

If you want your food to be safe, expect to be disappointed. There will be 2,100 fewer safety inspectors in slaughterhouses, meat processing plants and dairies. FDA and USDA inspectors were already stretched pretty thin, btw due to previous cuts. Some have suggested that this could lead to a meat shortage in stores since there won't be enough inspectors to approve it for consumption which will make meat more expensive for consumers.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/white-house-warns-food-safety-cuts-18468337

If you are a low income family, expect hunger. The first round of cuts alone will throw 600,000 people off of WIC. The next round will bring the total to 970,000. But know your hunger inches America a very tiny bit closer to financial solvency without asking rich people to sacrifice more for their country.
http://www.paramountcommunication.com/nwica/WICSequestration.pdf

If you fly sometimes, expect to be less sure you're going to get where you're going on time and safely. The Federal Aviation Administration is set to furlough 10% of its workforce and maybe up to 1,200 Air Traffic Controllers are set to take extended, pay free vacations. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling good about the sequester already. http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2013/02/19/aviation-spending-cuts/1930967/

If your kids are in Head Start, expect they may not be after March 1. As many as 70,000 kids who
basically did nothing wrong but need a little extra help will be punished as a result of this Sequester.
This makes America a better place, right? http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/27/us/head-start-fears-impact-of-potential-budget-cuts.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Oh, and if you find yourself in another natural disaster, don't expect too much help from the federal
government that you've been paying taxes to all this time. Due to the Sequester, Big Government has
$1 Billion less to spend on your Taker-Up-To-Your-Neck-In-Water self. But, good news is: we're $1 billion closer to throttling Big Government. As you wait days for heat, power or clean water, I'm sure you'll agree it's totally worth it. http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-obama-sequester-consequences-20130219,0,5234924.story

If you're waiting patiently for the cure you need, or you've been working diligently to find the cure,
expect to disappointed. The Sequester means you're likely to be screwed on all this. The
National Institutes of Health is about to see $12.5 Billion cut from their budget, but that itself is likely to force $860 Billion in economic activity to be lost from the economy. This means that 500,000 dedicated American scientists are about to lose their jobs. http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/other/281393-nih-sequester-cuts-will-harm-economy-advocates-say

Oh yeah and law enforcement. You didn't think you would be allowed to keep the manpower and
financial resources to do your job, did you? What were you thinking? You're facing a loss in manpower of 1,000 law enforcement officials and a furlough of 1,500 correctional authorities. This includes FBI agents and Border Patrol Agents. Hopefully criminals will also take a furlough. http://www.governing.com/news/state/sl-police-predict-dire-impact-from-sequestration.html

We're looking a million jobs lost as a result of the Sequester. Republicans forced this mess. They should be forced to own it. Let your representative know that this is not the way Congress should operate.

Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth- Illinois 8th Congressional District

Address:
Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth
United States House of Representatives
104 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

Ph: 202-225-3711
Website: http://duckworth.house.gov/

Congressman Bill Foster - Illinois 11th Congressional District

Address:
Congressman Bill Foster
United States House of Representatives
1224 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Ph: 202-225-3515

Website: http://foster.house.gov/

Congressman Mike Quigley - Illinois 5th Congressional District

Address:
Congressman Mike Quigley
1124 Longworth House Office Building
Washington DC, 20510

Phone: 202.225.4061

Website: http://quigley.house.gov/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/repmikequigley

Twitter: http://twitter.com/RepMikeQuigley

Congressman Peter Roskam- Illinois 6th Congressional District

Address:
Peter Roskam
United States House of Representatives
227 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-1306

Ph: 202-225-4561

Website: http://roskam.house.gov/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RepRoskam

Twitter: @PeterRoskam

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin

Address:
Sen. Dick Durbin
United States Senate
711 Hart Senate Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
Ph: (202) 224-2152

Website: http://www.durbin.senate.gov/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenatorDurbin

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SenatorDurbin

Illinois Senator Mark Kirk

Address:
Senator Mark Kirk
524 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC, 20510

Phone: 202-224-2854

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenatorKirk

Twitter: http://twitter.com/SENATORKIRK

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Local Woman Takes on Roskam and Guns

Recent mass shootings are hitting too close to home. My sister lives just outside of Aurora, Colorado. One of my cousins shops in the Clackamas Mall in Oregon and another cousin attended Virginia Tech when the shooting occurred there. A good Glen Ellyn friend is friends with the parents of the little girl who was the sole survivor of her class in Newtown. I cannot sit still any longer. If this is not the moment to change things, then what will the next moment look like?

Even today, Representative Roskam does not support universal background checks for firearm purchases or any other gun violence prevention measures being discussed in Washington DC.

Following the tragedy in Newtown, there is real political momentum. We must act now to prevent more tragedies. While IL has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation, it is almost meaningless without similar gun laws governing the rest of the country. Crime guns come to IL from many other states, in fact, the number one border for crime guns to cross in the entire country is from IN into IL.

We in Glen Ellyn are in a unique position to ask for change. Our Congressional Representative, Peter Roskam, is a leader of Republicans in the House of Representatives. He is the Chief Deputy Whip, ranking 4th of 232 house Republicans. I believe that he represents a constituency that would want safer gun legislation, because the only other option on the table is arming our teachers, and that is not an acceptable option.

Gun violence takes over 30,000 lives and leads to over 60,000 injuries annually. To the fiscally minded, the Firearm & Injury Center at University of Pennsylvania estimates that the annual cost of this gun violence is over $100 billion. Two of every 5 guns sold are sold without background checks. Since 1982 there have only been 3 years without mass shootings, and six of the 12 deadliest shootings have taken place since 2007. Since 1968, more Americans have been killed by gunfire than in all the wars in our nation's history.

It has been almost 2 months since 20 little children and 6 adults were murdered in CT and it angers me that Representative Roskam is not even calling for the most basic of changes, universal background checks. I am here today to remind my friends and neighbors in Glen Ellyn that we are at a turning point. We must raise our voices and demand change and so I ask the President and Board of Glen Ellyn to support gun safety initiatives in Springfield and Washington DC and I would like to ask my friends and neighbors in Glen Ellyn to contact Representative Roskam and ask him to support the President’s gun safety proposals. Rep Roskam can be reached at 202-225-4561.

Kathleen Meier

Glen Ellyn

About this column: Glen Ellyn Patch welcomes letters to the editor. Letters may be sent to Local Editor Mary Ann Lopez at maryl@patch.com. We will verify the information with the letter writer.Related Topics: Gun Control, Gun Violence, Peter Roskam, President Obama, and gun safety

Monday, February 18, 2013

Raising the Federal Minimum Wage is Good for Americans and the Economy

By Dale Bowling

In celebration of Presidents' Day, I thought I would write about one of President Obama's policy initiatives: increasing the federal minimum wage.

Increases to the federal minimum wage are not only the right thing to do morally, but they also create jobs.

I know this is not what you hear from the Marco Rubios or John Boehners of the world, but how can it surprise you by now that they don't know what they're talking about?

The federal minimum wage is $7.25/hr. If you work at that wage for 40hrs/wk you'll bring home $14,500 a year. This puts a lot of hardworking Americans below the poverty line.

It is for this reason that 32 states and the District of Columbia have enacted higher minimum wages than the federal minimum wage, Illinois being one of them. But increases in the federal minimum wage will still lift up millions of workers nationwide.

The fact of the matter is that increasing the minimum wage puts more money in the pockets of the working poor and since they spend by necessity every dime they earn, this money gets cycled very efficiently back into the economy. To use economics terms, more demand stimulates supply.

Don't take my word for it. A study from The Review of Economics and Statistics shows that increases in the minimum wage are not the job killers that Republicans like to say they are. The opposite is true- jobs are created by increases to the minimum wage. http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2010/12/01/minimumwagejobs/

The Economic Policy Institute has argued that raising the federal minimum wage to $9.80 would create over 100,000 jobs.

So why does the GOP like to say that increases to the federal minimum wage kill jobs? Because if they can deny increases to the minimum wage based on a loss of jobs it makes them look like they're out to protect the Little Guy, even though their agenda is really to protect the Big Guy. Big Guys write Big Checks to the GOP, Little Guys don't.

No, I don't think that top Republicans wish the Little Guy any ill. They don't wish him anything. And that's the problem.

This is not just an economic issue or even a labor issue; it's also a gender issue and a family issue. Two-thirds of minimum wage jobs are held by women. And over 60% of these women are either the primary or co-breadwinner for their family. So if a certain party cared about family like they say they do, they'd be all for this increase.

And not only is this an economic issue, a gender issue, a family issue, a labor issue, this is also a fairness issue- and not to whom you think. Why is it that employers aren't paying their workers a wage that allows them to be above the poverty line? Because they can.

If we lived under a totally free market (like Republicans always say they want) workers wouldn't continue at jobs that didn't allow them to pay the bills- even minimally. But employers know that their workers can qualify for federal aid if their employees don't make too much. So in essence, employers are taking advantage of federal programs like food stamps, etc. to avoid paying their employees a living wage. And taxpayers subsidize the shortchanging of American workers.

Nice, huh?

The truth is there's only one party here in America that has the back of the Little Guy and that's the Democratic Party. And we're also the only party that cares a bit about what the facts show to be true.

In the case of increasing the federal minimum wage the right thing to do for human dignity is the right thing to do for economic growth.

What thinking, caring person could not be for that?

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Let's Get Marriage Equality Through the IL HOUSE!

JOBS WITH JUSTICE IS PHONE BANKING for HOUSE PASSAGE! JOIN THEM!

http://chicagojwj.org

- Wednesday, February 20, 2013
- 5:30pm until 8:00pm in CST
Chicago Jobs with Justice is helping host a phone bank at our offices on Thursday 2/21/13 at 5:30 PM. Food and drinks provided!

Chicago Jobs with Justice

333 S. Ashland, Chicago, Illinois 60607

View Map · Get Directions

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Support Grayson-Takano to protect SS, Medicare and Medicaid!

DuPage County... just wanted to make sure you saw yesterday's email. Can you join over 130,000 others and become a citizen supporter to the Grayson-Takano letter against benefit cuts?
Thanks! -- Amanda Johnson

From Yesterday's Email:

DuPage County,

Great news! Alan Grayson (D-FL) and Mark Takano (D-CA) have been joined by a dozen of their House colleagues on a bold letter vowing to vote against any deal that cuts Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits!

Working with allies, we achieved this momentum in just 24 hours -- along with over 4,000 calls to Congress and over 130,000 of us becoming citizen signers of the Grayson-Takano letter.

Congressmen Grayson and Takano are asking our help to generate more momentum. Can you be a citizen supporter of Grayson's letter right now? Click here.

We are proud to work with a coalition of 10 progressive and labor groups to mobilize support for this letter -- which many Democratic members of Congress are just hearing about thanks to more and more grassroots activism.

Democratic votes will be needed to pass any deal. That means the more House Democrats sign this letter, the more leverage Democratic leaders will have as they negotiate with Republicans who are hell-bent on cutting benefits and hurting people.

Can you keep the momentum going? We'll inform congressional offices about the number of citizen signers on Grayson's letter. Please add your name by clicking here!

Friday, February 15, 2013

Gun Control Message Goes Mainstream...VOGUE!

It's impossible not to see the clear message that is being passed between this couple. "Damn, I am SOOO glad you are alive, that you are sitting here with me today, that we still have a life to spend together even if it is not quite as we had planned. So damn glad."

Most people who face gun rabid violence like Congresswoman Giffords did NEVER get to say this to a loved one again. The second amendment came AFTER the declaration of our independence as a free nation whose solid trajectory was rooted in LIFE, LIBERTY TO LIVE THAT LIFE and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS IN THAT LIFE. You don't need an automatic, semi or otherwise, weapon to pursue anything but ending someone else's pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.

Period.

It's a precedence issue from a legal perspective and its a purely rational issue from any other.

Let's at least start there.

For the Yahoo article about Giffords and Kelly click here
For the Vogue article, pick up the March issue

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Ahmed Sayyed For York Township Supervisor

By Ahmed Sayyad

I am running to be the next York Township Supervisor. Please vote for me on April 9, 2013.

York Township is governed by an “Old boys” network. They have been in power for far too long. There isn’t a single ethnic or minority on their management team. Their salaries have ballooned, their contributions stagnated. Recently, York Township was given the lowest possible transparency rating by the Illinois Policy Institute. The citizens of York Township deserve better. It is time to give York Township back to its citizens.

Given the recent victories of Senator Tom Cullerton and Representative Deborah Conroy there is a new sense of real optimism in this area.

Township government, the oldest form of government, serves our most vulnerable citizens, the youth and seniors. When elected, I will push for transparency by fighting corruption and waste. I will bring openness in all bidding functions, expand youth activities, enhance senior programs, and explore initiatives for our veterans. I promise to be a transitional voice for the challenges that face township government in the future. I will transform township government through streamlining services and eliminating redundancies.

As an Oakbrook Terrace Alderman and a longtime resident I understand the needs and concerns of the citizens of York Township. I have seen firsthand the importance of integrity within township government. I have a background in finance and consequently the discipline to save taxpayers money.

For more information email me at friendsofahmedsayyed@gmail.com.

Please vote for me on April 9, 2013.

Your support will make this battle easier.

Please donate generously to:

“Friends of Ahmed Sayyed”

P.O. Box 6057,

Villa Park, IL 60181

Happy Valentine's Day. Watch IL Senate Debate Marriage Equality

RIGHT NOW!!! 12:25 CST

http://new.livestream.com/blueroomstream/events/1862836

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Government Needs To Put The Nation's Interests Before Party

By Dale Bowling

President Obama said in his State of the Union address http://www.npr.org/2013/02/12/171841852/transcript-obamas-state-of-the-union-as-prepared-for-delivery that America expected government to put "the nation's interests before party". And so this speech addressed things Americans mostly agree about. Yes, we need jobs. Yes, we need tax reform. Yes, we need to do something about how rising health care costs are driving Medicare increases. These are all in the Nation's best interest.

There is little not to like in this speech. It's filled with truisms that none but the most partisan could
deny. Let's explore some of these things that there is a real consensus about in America today.

America thinks background checks for firearm purchases should be implemented. 92% of Americans agree about that. 92%! When was the last time 92% of Americans agreed about anything? It doesn't matter whether you poll intercity communities that are plagued with gun violence or rural sportsmen or suburban gun owners, Democrats or Republicans; the results are the same. The vast majority of Americans want universal background checks.

Who do you suppose is going fight 92% of Americans on this?

Everybody on both sides of the divide think the Sequester is a terrible idea that will hurt the economy. It was devised to prevent Government Shutdown, but cuts to military spending, entitlements and everything else will hurt the economy in the here and now. Lots of studies (most recently the CBO's ten year economic projections) show the Sequester would be responsible for lost jobs and slower growth.

Since the Sequester is so toxic that Congressional Republicans are trying to blame the White House for it now, you'd think this would be an easy state of affairs to fix. Congress gets rid of the Sequester and replaces it with a balanced combination of some revenue increases and modest adjustments to spending (which the majority of Americans polled finds reasonable and fair) and its members go home heroes. End of story.

Why is that not going to happen?

Americans have said over and over again that the elderly and the poor shouldn't be asked to make all the sacrifices needed to bring the Deficit under control. President Obama campaigned on that and won by a very respectable margin. So it should be easy enough to close the tax loopholes like carried interest which allows billionaire Hedge Fund managers to avoid the majority of their ~~patriotic duty~~ tax obligation or end the corporate welfare that companies like Exxon Mobil (which do pretty well without our help) get from you and me.

Isn't that sensible? Is it class warfare to say that everyone should pay his or her fair share? Why is
there a fight on this?

We know that America has almost 70,000 structurally deficient bridges. You probably drive across
some of them. Why are we not fixing them, again?

Scientists universally agree that Climate Change is man-made, an enormous problem and is only going to get worse if we don't do something now. And despite the millions of dollars spent by Big Carbon to confuse the issue, the majority of Americans agree on this too. America knows we're going to have to make sacrifices to make this right and we're going to have to take the lead in stopping climate change if we're going to be successful on a global scale. The results of not acting will be devastating for America and the Planet.

Why does the President have to threaten the Congress to get it done?

We agree as a Nation that all Americans should have the same rights. That women should be paid the
same as men for the same work. That gays should have the same right to marry as straight people. Or that Native American women and gay women have the same right not to be beaten and raped as other women. Why haven't laws confirming and enforcing those rights passed? Who's fighting against them?

Who could not agree that if you work forty hours a week in America you shouldn't have to live in poverty? How is this even controversial?

I am reminded of three quotations here. The first President Obama mentioned at the beginning of the
last night's speech. Over fifty years ago President John F. Kennedy said that while it was his job to
report on it, improving the State of the Union was the responsibility of everyone.

The second quotation is from Ed Rendell who said at the Democratic Party of DuPage County's Gala
last Sunday that America needed "demand courage" from its leaders in order to make America great.
To that end, I have included the contact information for your representatives in Congress. Many were
there on Sunday, but may like to be reminded in any case.

The third is often attributed to Voltaire, the philosophe and chief polemicist of the French
Enlightenment. He is supposed to have said, "Common sense isn't so common."

Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth- Illinois 8th Congressional District

Address:
Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth
United States House of Representatives
104 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

Ph: 202-225-3711
Website: http://duckworth.house.gov/

Congressman Bill Foster - Illinois 11th Congressional District

Address:
Congressman Bill Foster
United States House of Representatives
1224 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Ph: 202-225-3515

Website: http://foster.house.gov/

Congressman Mike Quigley - Illinois 5th Congressional District

Address:
Congressman Mike Quigley
1124 Longworth House Office Building
Washington DC, 20510

Phone: 202.225.4061

Website: http://quigley.house.gov/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/repmikequigley

Twitter: http://twitter.com/RepMikeQuigley

Congressman Peter Roskam- Illinois 6th Congressional District

Address:
Peter Roskam
United States House of Representatives
227 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-1306

Ph: 202-225-4561

Website: http://roskam.house.gov/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RepRoskam

Twitter: @PeterRoskam

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin

Address:
Sen. Dick Durbin
United States Senate
711 Hart Senate Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
Ph: (202) 224-2152

Website: http://www.durbin.senate.gov/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenatorDurbin

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SenatorDurbin

Illinois Senator Mark Kirk

Address:
Senator Mark Kirk
524 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC, 20510

Phone: 202-224-2854

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenatorKirk

Twitter: http://twitter.com/SENATORKIRK

.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Note to Bob Peickert, DPDC Chairman About How Far We've Come

Bob,

I was sitting at the dinner last night and recalling my visit with the DuPage Democrats 20 years ago. God, how far you have come! All your Congressional Representatives are Democrats! There was excitement in the room – a far cry from 20 years ago. Thought I should drop you this note and congratulate you. You have done the unbelievable.

Ashish Sen

Monday, February 11, 2013

Demand The Courage From Our Leaders To Rebuild America

By Dale Bowling

Last night was the Democratic Party of DuPage County's annual Gala and it was quite a show. Many of you were there and know what I am talking about. Speakers included Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, Congressman Bill Foster, Congressman Mike Quigley, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Illinois Lt. Gov Sheila Simon, Illinois Governor and DuPage County native Pat Quinn and lastly Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. Every one of these speakers deserved and received a standing ovation. It was awesome!

Gov. Rendell's new book is called A Nation of Wusses: How America's Leaders Lost the Guts to Make Us Great. The theme of the book is that America got where it is by dreaming big and working hard to make that dream a reality, but somewhere along the way our leaders have lost some of that and we as the American people need to "demand courage" from our leaders to think big and do big things.

Rendell gave Governor Quinn high marks for boldness. When referring to the $31 Billion in infrastructure improvements here in Illinois signed by our governor, Rendell said that Pat Quinn "understands you can't build a decent country without building". And he's so right.

Rendell made the point that since Quinn became Governor unemployment as dropped three percentage points. And this is understandable. Among the many things that Quinn's administration has done to fix the economy, infrastructure improvements particularly create jobs. Here's a fact from the US Chamber of Commerce, "Over two years, one dollar spent on infrastructure construction produces roughly twice as much ($1.92) in direct and indirect economic output."

And the really cool thing is that it's not just a make-work program. In the end, we get state-of-the-art roads, bridges, sewer, electrical grids, airports, seaports, dams, rail, etc. And these help propel the economy of the 21st century.

Let's give an example that Ed Rendell used last night, air-traffic control. He said, while other developed countries are moving to the next generation of air-traffic control based on satellite technology, we're still using radar to place where planes are and making adjustments accordingly. You may say, yeah well that's been good enough so far, but the startling fact is that "each year, Americans lose more than $9 billion in productivity from flight delays.", according to the Port Authority of NY's/NJ's Flight Delay Task Force Report.

And even more shocking is that if the sequester goes forward this month, the Federal Aviation Administration is set to furlough 10% of its staff over the next year. That would mean a decrease in up to 1,200 air-traffic controllers. What will that do for flight delays? What will the losses in productivity be as a result?

The question is not, how can we afford to invest in America when times are so tight, the real question is how can we afford not to invest in America right now?

And this is furthered by the issue of international competition. We've dropped from having the best infrastructure in the world to being 23th. We're trillions of dollars behind in repairs and new construction. The US spends just 2% of its GDP on infrastructure compared to Europe which spends 5% and China which spends 9% of its GDP on roads, bridges, trains, ports, technology, etc. Rendell mentioned that last year an unprecedented 50% of patents awarded by the US Patent office were given to foreign nationals or foreign companies. The US will lose the Innovation War to Europe, China and the developing world if we don't do some nation building here at home.

We already have a problem with our jobs being off shored to other countries. Why would we make it harder for jobs to stay in the US, by allowing a crumbling infrastructure to make doing business here in America more difficult and less profitable?

No sensible person would buy an expensive house and let the roof cave in because they didn't like spending money. No corporation would say, "we're not going to invest in our operation" and expect to stay competitive. This is penny wise and pound foolish.

Tomorrow is President Obama's annual State of the Union address. Gov. Rendell said, he expects some sort of infrastructure initiative to be announced during the speech. Let's hope he's right and the President is able to make the case to American people about the urgency of investment in our Country. History is littered with the corpses of missed opportunities. This shouldn't be one of them.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Democrats Rock!

By Dale Bowling

Since this is the last blog post before the Democratic Party of DuPage County's Gala on Sunday, I really wanted it to be good. But as I tried to decide what to write about that would do justice to what a great year we've had as DuPage Democrats and what we can hope for this year and years to come, I found I couldn't just write about one topic. So this post is dedicated to what our Party has accomplished and will accomplish. This should all sound familiar, but good news is always worthy of repetition.

In past year, we re-elected our President Barack Obama even though the conventional wisdom of
Beltway punditry said it couldn't be done.

We were told that Democrats would lose the U.S. Senate. We not only kept it, we expanded our
majority.

We reduced the majority of Republicans in the U.S House of Representatives despite how they stacked the deck against Democrats with redistricting.

We kept the Illinois General Assembly Blue.

Here in DuPage we expanded the number of representatives in National, State and Local government
from 2 to 17 in the space of four years.

Not bad. But we don't want power for its own sake. We want it in order to build a stronger, better, fairer America. Here's what we did with it and what we are going to do.

Democrats prevented the Bush Recession from becoming the Bush Depression with the American
Recovery and Investment Act of 2009. It did precisely what the Hoover adminstration did not do in the 1930s - pump money into the economy to both find the bottom of the crisis and cushion the landing. This wasn't the safe thing to do politically for Democrats, but it was the right thing to do for America and it worked.

Democrats, led by President Obama created the first meaningful health care reform since the Great
Society of the 1960s. This meant that access to health care was no longer the privilege of the wealthy
or the lucky, but the right of all Americans.

Democrats, again led by President Obama ended the war in Iraq and are winding down the war in
Afghanistan and our President got Bin Laden.

Democrats proposed Immigration reform that would give the children of undocumented workers a path to citizenship, so they can continue to be productive members of American society. We're still fighting that battle and we're going to win it.

Democratic state legislatures around the country have proposed and in many cases enacted marriage
equality laws so that all Americans' rights will be protected equally under the Law.

Democrats prevented America from going over the Fiscal Cliff, stopped two more attempts at
Government Shutdown and are working hard to keep the Sequester from hurting the slow, but steady
economic recovery.

Democrats reformed Wall Street with the Dodd-Frank Bill, preventing some of the worst abuses which crashed the system under President Bush.

Democrats passed tougher emission standards on vehicles and will get tougher standards for power
plants in order to hinder climate change. We have also passed tax credits for R & D in the field of
Alternative Energy. We have a lot more work to do here and we will get it done.

Democrats are working hard on getting universal background checks on firearm sales and harsher
sentences for gun law violations in order to keep firearms out of the hands of felons, terrorists and the
mentally unstable.

Democrats have pushed hard for a renewal of the Violence Against Women Act that includes LGBT and Native Americans against the repeated attempts of conservatives to exclude them and that will pass shortly.

Democrats passed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act which mandates that employers pay women the same as men for the same work. In fact, it was the first bill that President Obama signed into law. Over whose strenous objection do you suppose that was passed?

And much, much more...

Democrats have made great progress and are making even more today in our fight to build a better America. We deserve a day to celebrate that.

See you all at the Gala.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Cathy Sewell for York Township Trustee

My name is Cathy Sewell and I am running for York Township trustee. Vote for me on April 9th! But wait, Why should you?

The time seemed ripe for me to run again in DuPage County. I ran for County Board in 2010, got 41% of the vote. Democrats won big in 2012. My love of politics and Democratic values were in my mind when I said "yes" to the nominating committee to run for the York Township trustee position. York Township is big, dynamic and changing in demographics. Who can fill the needs of the under served, the elderly, and the youth of this area? I looked for info on York Twp and found it to be very scant. How were taxpayer property tax dollars being used? Couldn't tell by the web site. Researching did not help dispel what I feared was a lackluster job being done at all levels.

With my business background, and successful career as an executive, my focus will be on 2 things: Transparency and Accountability. The vehicle for this will be COMMUNICATION. As a resident of Villa Park for 36 years, I know that most residents don't know about the services of the township. That needs to change. In addition, what services are duplicated by the County? Where are the efficiencies that a fresh look could help make and will save taxpayer dollars? DuPage County deserves better. We can win with your support on April 9th!

For more information go to my web site: www.cathysewell.com or Email me at info@cathysewell.com.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Why Deficit Reduction Is Hurting The Recovery

By Dale Bowling

On Tuesday, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) came out with its economic
projections for the next ten years. The Media instantly trumpeted the fact that the Budget Deficit is projected to be below $1 Trillion this year for the first time in five years. Progress, right?

Sadly, the Media missed the other part of the story.

Buried in the report was a curious set of findings. The CBO report found that in 2013 the economy will grow by a mere 1.4%. What hinders the recovery? Deficit reduction.

That's right. Deficits were supposed to slow economic growth, but reducing them has slowed
economic growth.

While this seems counter intuitive, it is totally in keeping with both economic theory and historical
experience.

The economist John Maynard Keynes said a long time ago that the time for cutting government
spending was when strong economic growth could absorb the losses that come with it, not when the
economy is weak and desperately needs the demand that government spending creates.

And if we compare this recovery to others in our life time, the difference is striking. During the Reagan recovery of the eighties, government spending was very high. It's well-known that Reagan tripled the federal Deficit, but spending was also very strong at state and local levels. This spending meant jobs. And people with jobs bought things from other people. So government spending created synergy with growth in the private sector and built a robust recovery. Eventually this deficit had to be paid for so President Bill Clinton raised taxes and cut spending during the boom in the mid-nineties and left us with a projected budget surplus. All good.

The Obama recovery could not be more different. Driven heavily by "suddenly concerned about the
Deficit" Republicans, government spending is at the lowest it's been in 60 years. At his current rate of
spending, Obama would have to be president for 20 years to spend as much as Reagan did during his
eight years in office. State and local government have cut jobs. Private sector businesses that sell
goods and services to government suffer as a result as well. Fewer people with jobs means fewer
people buying things which means fewer businesses hiring.

If the government had grown under Obama at the same rate it did under George W. Bush rather than face repeated cuts, we'd have a million more employed people than we do now and the unemployment would be a full percentage point less.

Thus Deficit Reduction acts as an anchor keeping the Recovery from really taking off.

And this is why sequestration is such a raw deal for America. Sequestration is the set of automatic
spending cuts which begin next month. That agreement came in the summer of 2011 when
Republicans were going to shut down the government if they didn't get a huge reduction in the size of
Big Government. Critics at the time said that huge cuts in government spending would hurt the
economic recovery and now CBO has done the math to prove it.

Sequestration must be postponed indefinitely until economic growth can absorb the losses that result
from it.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Another GOP Whack At Becoming Whig Wannabes

By Walt Zlotow

Viewing the thorough repudiation of reactionary Republican principles and policy positions in the national election, a prominent Republican Senator had this to say:

"Unless the Republican Party is delivered from its reactionary leadership and reorganized with its one time liberal principles, it will die like the Whig Party of sheer political cowardice".

If you guessed AZ Senator John McCain, IL Senator Mark Kirk, KY Senator Rand Paul or FL Senator Marco Rubio, you'd be mistaken. That quote was uttered by Idaho Senator William Borah, assessing the 1934 mid term election which saw the GOP Senatorial contingent shrink from 35 to 25 at the height of GOP opposition to New Deal policies that were saving capitalism from the capitalists. It took 18 long years before a Republican walked through the White House doors as President.

Today, the civil war raging in the GOP has brought new assessments that a Whig Party fate beacons the once proud party of Abe Lincoln of Illinois. Today's GOP, while only dropping from 47 to 45 Senators, is arguably in worse shape than the 1934 GOP which was not controlled by the racists, homophobes, global warming deniers, assault weapon fanatics, religious extremists and misogynists that are waging an ideological donnybrook with the greedy rich who make up the Grand Old Party's historical base.

And once again a progressive visionary, like FDR, may be the inspiration to save the American Experiment from an utterly dysfunctional party that seems obsessed with stamping out every vestige of American decency.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Democrats are the Champions of the Reality-Based Community

By Dale Bowling

There was a famous, perhaps infamous exchange years ago between a Bush aide (widely believed to be Karl Rove) and the journalist, Ron Suskind. They had been discussing the War in Iraq. Suskind wrote:

"The aide said that guys like me were 'in what we call the reality-based community,' which he defined as people who 'believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.' ... 'That's not the way the world really works anymore,' he continued. 'We're an
empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality—judiciously, as you will—we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.'" - New York Times Magazine, October 17, 2004

Funny story! So how did that work out?

Fast forward to Election Night 2012. A fellow (also widely believed to be Karl Rove) freaked out on Fox News because he couldn't believe the exit polling in Ohio showing that the Buckeye State had voted Obama. He then is widely believed to have made a total ass of himself on national television.

Again, funny story. But in all comedy or even farce, there is a grain of truth. That grain of truth is that Reality can be harsh, but it is never a liar. It can't be messaged away or massaged away or ignored for very long. At the end of the day there weren't WMDs in Iraq, we weren't greeted as Liberators, Iraq's oil wealth didn't finance its reconstruction and Ohio voters as a whole preferred Obama to Romney.

We could easily add more realities to this list. The average temperature is getting warmer. Tax cuts don't create large numbers of jobs. Economic growth can be hurt by cuts in government spending- especially in fragile recoveries. A woman's body doesn't shut down her reproductive system during rape. Income inequality is getting more pronounced and this is bad for our economy and our democracy. People with guns kill people a lot more easily and in greater numbers than people with hammers. When teens are taught about birth control, they have fewer pregnancies. Corporations aren't people.

The list goes on and on.

America needs "judicious study of discernible reality" - now more than ever. And for this America needs the Democratic Party. It is no accident or conspiracy that our Nation's scientists (the ultimate reality-based community) are almost ten times more likely to be Democrats than Republicans. The break down in a recent Pew Research Poll was Democrats- 55%, Independents- 32%, Republicans - 6%.

Stephen Colbert said it best years ago, "The Facts have a well-known liberal bias".

So as we look at issues like Sequestration, Job Creation, the Deficit, Immigration, and Climate Change, Democrats must and will do it through judicious study of discernible reality. If we want real answers then we have to ask the real questions. Have we been going down the wrong road as far as focusing more on Deficit reduction than on Job Creation? What sacrifices will we need to make to stop or at least slow climate change? What if we don't do them? What if we do? How do we reform Immigration in a way that the majority of people will feel is fair and workable?

In case you haven't heard, former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell will be the speaker at the Democratic Party of DuPage County's Gala this coming Sunday. His new book is entitled, A Nation of Wusses: How America's Leaders Lost the Guts to Make Us Great.

Nothing could potentially undermine the greatness of America like allowing ourselves to believe things we know aren't true, just because we really want them to be.