THE VOORHIS VOICE A Liberal Voice of the Inland Empire January 2009 claremontdemocrats@yahoo.com (909) 632-1516 http://claremontdems.org MEETINGS AND SPECIAL EVENTS ** Monthly luncheons take place on the second Friday of each month in the rear banquet room of the Captain KJ restaurant, 921 W. Foothill Blvd. in Claremont. The event begins at noon and ends at 2 pm. Food is served family style. The menu is 50 percent vegetarian and contains no pork. Attendance is free, but the lunch costs $10, which includes meal, tax, and tip. There is plenty of free parking, and there are no stairs to climb. ** The next general meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 26, in Porter Hall (Pilgrim Place). There will be no outside speaker, since our agenda is full. The agenda will include the following: Nominating committee recommendations Nominations from the floor Approval of Laura Lo and Ethel Benton as new members of the Executive Committee Discussion: involvement in city council election campaign Discussion: identifying high priority issues for consideration by the Issues Committee (COME PREPARED TO MAKE SUGGESTIONS!) Approval of two by-law amendments as follows. ARTICLE VII ELECTION OF OFFICERS ELIGIBILITY FOR OFFICE A member of the Club who is nominated for office must be a registered Democrat, have been a member of the Club for at least one year, have paid current dues and be in good standing as determined by the Executive Board. If no candidate who meets these qualifications is nominated and is willing to serve, the requirement to have been a Club member for at least one year is automatically waived. *Submitted by the Executive Committee -- OR -- A member of the Club who is nominated for office must be a registered Democrat, have been a member of the Club for at least one year, have paid current dues and be in good standing as determined by the Executive Board. If no candidate who meets these qualifications is nominated and is willing to serve, the Vice Presidents, in the order of succession, shall act as President in the interim until a candidate who meets these qualifications is nominated and elected as President. *Alternative submitted by Zephyr Tate-Mann, J.D. ARTICLE IX DUES AND EXPENDITURES A. DUES Dues shall be proposed by a majority vote of the Executive Board and shall be approved by a majority vote of the membership present at a regular meeting upon due notice. Due notice shall consist of notice of the coming vote at least one (1) month in advance. In case of financial hardship, a member’s dues shall be waived by majority vote of the Executive Board. Annual dues are due on January fifteenth of each year. *Submitted by the Executive Committee ACTIVE MEMBERS NEEDED!! Now that we have a Democratic President (or will shortly), our role changes from one of “loyal opposition” to “active support.” Your Claremont Democratic Club needs you! Please volunteer. Think (if you dare) about becoming an officer or committee chair! Call Merrill Ring, Chair of the Nominating Committee, for further information: (909) 626-8467. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THOUGHTS ON THE INAUGURATION By Gar Byrum January 20, 2009, Inauguration day. Barack Hussein Obama will take the oath of office as our next President of the United States. History will be made and the world will be watching as we have a peaceful transition of power. The dream of many will be fulfilled in what is one of the most anticipated inaugurations in our history. I don't know about you but I will be watching and listening. A sense of pride and joy will fill me knowing that we have not only elected the first person of color to the Presidency but we have elected a person of enormous potential to the highest office in the land. This is the year in which we will celebrate the bi-centennial birth of Abraham Lincoln, the irony and symmetry are amazing. There have been but a few times in the history of the United States where a President has taken office with so many challenges facing the country and the world. Our prayers and collective hopes go with him as he will go forward with the enormous weight of so many problems on his shoulders. I personally hope that we won't be disappointed by expecting too much too soon. Change will come but it will not come easy. We did not come to this place in history quickly, it took awhile and to solve the enormity of the problems we face will take time. No pressure huh, just the economy on the brink, the planet in jeopardy and the world in turmoil. With the difficulties we face opportunity for well needed change comes with the danger. Mistakes will be made but clearly we will have a calm hand at the tiller and a strong voice of reason and hope leading us out of the wilderness. President-elect Obama may not be Moses but he definitely is not President Bush. January 20, 2009, a day that will begin a new era. We did it! Break out the champagne or cider. Change has come. Let us enjoy the day and welcome the new President with hope and pride. THE CONFLICT WITH GAZA By Andy Winnick I think one of the most critical things we can do is to combat the simplified idea that “Hamas was just rash and irresponsible and provocative in refusing to continue the truce and that Israel is simply defending itself, perhaps disproportionately, from the rocket attacks.” The various U.S. traditional media sources refuse to discuss the fact that during the so-called truce, Gaza was being starved, fuel and medical supplies cut off or restricted, borders sealed, etc, etc. and that the nightly arrests and harassments on the West Bank were continuing without let-up. Hamas entered and maintained the truce not simply to mutually stop the rockets from and the attacks on Gaza, but to gain an opening of its borders to Gaza for trade and commerce, if not for the free movement of its people. And Hamas was trying to gain a stop to all violence, including that by Israeli police and army units on the West Bank, to say nothing of the arrests of its members on the West Bank. NONE of this happened. So, except for an end to the bombings, Hamas gained almost nothing from the truce. While this gain was significant and important to be sure, the key difference is that the people of Gaza were being starved and effectively imprisoned, while the Israeli population enjoyed both an end to rocket and suicide attacks AND a booming economy and the good life. Hardly parallel gains. The blockade of Gaza during “the truce” was an act of violence and must be seen as such. People died because of it (262 due to a lack of access to medical supplies and facilities). Just how long did the world expect the people of Gaza to accept such disproportionate treatment? But Israel thinks that it has the right to treat the people of Gaza with such violence simply on the basis that they were led by Hamas. The Israeli government acts as if it thinks that visiting this sort of violence upon the people of Gaza can go on without any consequences. But the U.S. media refuses to discuss any of this. So, we must try to educate people about this. Finally, we have to educate people about the motivations behind the extreme violence of the Israel attack on Gaza. It is NOT simply a response to the breakdown of the truce and the rocket fire. It is also a cynical effort by the leaders of the Labor and Kadima parties to position themselves for the up-coming (Feb 10) elections. It is also an attempt by the politicians and generals to grab a long awaited opportunity to try to recoup from the debacle of the Lebanon war, to rebuild the reputation of the Israeli Army, and to re-establish “deterrence”, that is, fear of reprisal, by the Israelis. That is, the people of Gaza are dying so that Israeli politicians can score political points, not because the safety of Israeli citizens requires this level of violence. But that too is rarely mentioned in the U.S. media. As educators in the broadest sense, we have our work cut out for us. TAIPD AND HEALTH CARE By Merrill Ring As most of you know, the Democratic Club of Claremont spun off a think-tank last year: The American Institute for Progressive Democracy. The board members of the institute are, so far, all members of, and active in, the DCC. TAIPD ran its first meeting in mid-November: a conference on health care. It is was not about how to pay for health care but about how the public can be activated to support a massive change in how we get and pay for our health. Representatives of many different constituencies and organizations met and discussed the issue. Because the soon arriving Obama administration has, through its change.gov site, asked communities their ideas about health care, TAIPD also prepared a strong presentation of how the country should pay for and deliver health care. We signed up to hold one of the community meetings which change.gov was sponsoring and submitted the institute’s proposal as the recommendation of the meeting. Moreover, the document was sent to Senator’s Teddy Kennedy and Max Baucus and also to the committees they head, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (Kennedy) and the Senate Finance Committee (Baucus) – those are the two major committees presently working (swiftly) toward a new health care package. So the Institute’s program is in the hopper. COMMUNITY DISCUSSION OF HEALTH CARE FOR THE OBAMA TRANSITION By Myron Chapman  Community discussions were held at the Mount San Antonio Gardens ab Health Care for the Obama Transition Team in the morning and evening on December 29. There was a good discussion in both sessions by both healthcare professionals and by healthcare users, all intensely interested in the subject, all wanting Reform Now.   At the end of each discussion, we asked for a show of hands on a list of questions that we thought would give a snapshot of present preferences, a copy of which is shown below.   The Yes answers indicated a solid consensus for the questions starred below. Many of the persons who did not give a Yes answer to several questions said that they needed more information and discussion about these questions, and did not know an answer to these questions at this time. Questions that Congress will need to answer to reform Healthcare Insurance: * Reform Healthcare Insurance? * Start in 2009? (Now or later) * Universal coverage? (Insure all persons) * Universal mandate? (Require all persons to have Healthcare Insurance) Single payer? * Public-private combination for Healthcare Insurance? Regulate private insurance companies as Public Utilities? * Government should set all standards for Healthcare Insurance? * Must accept everyone? * Must insure all medical conditions? (No exclusions) * Must limit profits? Eliminate private Healthcare Insurance companies? * Affordable for all? * Premium adjusted for income? * Limit required insurance coverage to necessary care? Limit total coverage to 15-20% of Gross National Product? LARRY SCHROEDER CANDIDATE FOR CITY COUNCIL Larry Schroeder is the sole declared Democrat. Corey Calaycay is a Republican who works for a Republican State Legislator, and Bridget Healy has declined to state her party allegiance. Larry'’s ballot statemeis below.  Larry Schroeder has been proud to call Claremont home since 2002. As a recently retired Finance Director, who served Glendora and Lakewood for 26 years, currently serving on Claremont’s Community Services Commission, Larry has been an active member of the community and worked hard to represent the interests of fellow residents. In addition to his experience in the public sector, Larry recently completed his doctorate in Public Administration at the University of La Verne, where he is an adjunct professor. His dissertation focused on influences affecting affordable housing development in Los Angeles County. A native of Indiana, Larry moved to Southern California in 1971 and shortly after married Laurie a native of South Pasadena. Larry and Laurie have been married 36 years and have three grown children and three grandchildren. Laurie holds a Ph.D in Educational Studies from Claremont Graduate University and is an Associate Professor of Education and Program Chair at the University of La Verne. ADVERTISING POLICY MAY HELP PAY FOR “THE VOICE” The Club does not officially endorse any product or service that is advertised in these pages, but it appreciates the financial support of our advertisers. If you would like to advertise, please e-mail Voice editor Laura Ditte Lo at dittelaura@gmail.com. MATTHEW T. LYONS, Exclusive Agent ALLSTATE INSURANCE CO. You'’re in good hands. 765 W. Foothill Blvd., Upland, CA 91786 Phone 909-920-0881 Fax 909-920-0899 24-Hour Customer Service CA Insurance License #0E32892 Auto, Home, Business and Life P.S. Matt Lyons is the founder and past president of the Democratic club in LaVerne and San Dimas. He donates part of his sales commission to our club if you become his client and tell him you saw his ad in our newsletter. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR WORK IN 2009 Circle your choice: Lifetime $250 Patron $100 or more Contributing $50 Family $35 Individual $25 Student/Limited Income $5 Name: ________________________________________________________________________ Street Address: ______________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip: ____________________________________________________________ Telephone: ______________________ Email: _____________________________________ Occupation: _____________________ Employer: __________________________________ Please complete this form and mail it with your check to: Democratic Club, PO Box 1201, Claremont, CA 91711 OR Access our website: www.claremontdems.org Select: Get Involved > Join Us (Complete the form. Then…) Select: Get Involved > Donate to the Club (This will take you to the Act Blue website where you can pay your annual dues online.) Our Email address is claremontdemocrats@yahoo.com P.S. – Part of your dues and contributions may be contributed to Federal and State candidates. Individual contributions will be deposited into the club’s Federal account, subject to the Federal Elections Campaign Act. Non-individual contributions and contributions of individuals who so request will be deposited into the club’s State account. Contributions are limited under State law. No anonymous contributions of more then $50 will be accepted. Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, address, occupation and employer of each individual contributor. Political contributions are not tax-deductible. FPPC #841491. FEC #C00404319. SUPPORT OUR NEW PRESIDENT AND STRONGER CONGRESS! HOW MANY HOURS WILL YOU VOLUNTEER THIS YEAR?___ PLEASE CHECK OR PRIORITIZE YOUR INTERESTS: __ Wherever I'’m needed most! __ Start or join an outreach team in my own neighborhood __ Produce neighborhood contact lists from the online voter list __ Maintain the club’s database of members and other contacts __ Work a shift at our Sunday morning table at the Farmer’s Market to register voters __ Work a shift at a weekend table in Montclair Plaza to register voters __ Help to decorate our booth or parade vehicle on July 4th __ Work a 2-hour shift in our July 4th booth __ Ride our “float” in the parade on July 4th (mount at 3:45 pm) __ Help to decorate our booth at the Village Venture on October 24 __ Work a 2-hour shift in our VillageVenture booth __ Bring candidate and ballot literature to an outreach table, booth or neighborhood team __ Provide news or commentary for our monthly newsletter __ Help to fold and label our monthly newsletter for mailing __ Edit or assist in editing our newsletter __ Write an occasional letter to the editor of a newspaper __ Provide news or commentary for our website __ Improve and maintain our website __ Operate equipment/assist in video productions for Internet distribution __ Catalog our TV program DVD’s and other items __ Look up a voter’s polling place __ Give a voter a ride to the polling place __ Give a member a ride to the club luncheon or meeting __ Loan furniture or equipment to our campaign HQ __ Work a shift at our campaign Headquarters __ Deliver yard signs promoting our candidates or ballot measures __ Call or write other Democrats, inviting them to vote or to get active __ Other:______________________________________________________________________ Executive Committee of the Club Comprised of five elected Officers, appointed Chairpersons of Standing Committees and the Past President President: Bob Gerecke 626-2858 gerecke@surfside.net VP Organization: Gar Byrum 621-9730 garlandbyrum@aol.com VP-Education: Ivan Light 621-1159 ihlight@yahoo.com Secretary: Carolee Monroe 626-8122 jackncarolee@verizon.net Treasurer: Merrill Ring 626-8467 m36ring@earthlink.net Past President: Parkes Riley 227-1961 wpriley2001@yahoo.com Development Chair: Debi Evans 626-3411 debi4change@aol.com Speakers Bureau: David Levering 621-5811 davidlil2@verizon.net Peace & Justice Liaison: Lois Thompson 621-2061 Rhodesth@verizon.net Publicity: Ted Radamaker 593-5364 Tedrad@uia.net Transportation: Sally Alexander 714-654-8085 SallyAlexander10@aol.com Webmaster: Ned Freed 625-7933 ned@mrochek.com Political Liaison: Carol Whitson 629-7994 cwhitson@roadrunner.com Newsletter Editor: Laura Lo 621-7827 dittelaura@gmail.com At-Large: Ethel Benton 260-9251 EthelBenton_17@msn.com