Monday, March 28, 2011

Juniata College Democrats Statement on Student Government Elections

It is with great pleasure that we announce tonight that all of the Juniata College Democrats Officers that ran for an office on student government have won. They are Derrick Magnotta, Jacob Messer, Nicole Houck, and Elizabeth Bernardo.

They all of have done incredible work for the Juniata College Democrats, and we are proud to have them serve Juniata College in their leadership responsibilities. We wish them and all the other winners the best in their jobs next year.

We also want to thank all those candidates that ran. Participation in something like student government by so many students in these recent elections is a great sign of student involvement and we look forward to working with students to further get them involved in the political process.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Elections Matter

If you thought elections didn’t matter in your life you are wrong. Governor Corbett promised no new taxes with the state facing a massive deficit. The only question was who was going to pay the burden of his cuts? The answer seems to be our State’s schools.


“All together, education advocates say, basic education funding would be reduced by more than $1 billion.” http://articles.philly.com/2011-03-08/news/28668928_1_corbett-deepest-cuts-business-tax-cuts/2

That is cuts in just basic education funding. “The governor would also cut $650 million from higher education.”


According to the same article. This is mainly for public universities. However, if you were planning on going to grad school at Temple, Pitt, or Penn State or have family and friends that go/work there, Governor Corbett is saying too bad.


If that wasn’t enough to get you motivated to at least vote, then you need to hear who was not asked to sacrifice. According to State Senator Daylin Leach (D-17) “ Big corporations and the wealthiest among us are not asked to contribute one penny towards the deficit.”


Besides have these stark choices, the proposed budget from Governor Corbett, also as Senator Leach puts it, “is having our regulatory agencies abandon their regulatory role in protecting the health and safety of Pennsylvanians and instead cozy up to the very entities they are supposed to be regulating.”


Leach quipped, “This is outrageous. The DEP's job is to protect the environment. That's why it's called the "Department of Environmental Protection" and not the "Department of Helping Polluters Make Money.”


Not to mention, that the dangerous fracking practice to get natural gas from PA is not only allowed, but is allowed tax free. Even states like Texas tax the natural gas drillers.


Governor Corbett and the Republicans in the PA legislature already have allowed over 40,000 Pennsylvanians to lose their health insurance from a program called Adult Basic that has 500,000 people on the waiting list. http://articles.philly.com/2011-03-05/news/28655944_1_tobacco-money-adultbasic-tobacco-settlement-money.


Nationally, the same kind of nonsense is going on. The GOP House of Representatives has proposed cuts to Pell Grants to students. http://chronicle.com/article/House-Republicans-Spending/126356/


On the Environment the House Republicans have voted for reducing the regulatory power of the EPA http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/18/house-votes-to-block-epa-_n_825259.html and reducing the EPA’s funding. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/edward-flattau/gops-declaration-of-war_b_826607.html


On Women’s Health issues the GOP has basically issued a War on Women. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/26/opinion/26sat1.html The GOP has some crazy members that think that murdering an abortion doctor, re-defining rape from non-consent to assault, and allowing a women to die instead of performing an abortion, are all acceptable. http://juniatian.com/?p=56 Not to mention, the Republicans are attempting to defund Planned Parenthood.


In addition, the Wisconsin Republican Party is attacking worker’s basic right to collectively bargain. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/us/10wisconsin.html?_r=1&ref=politics


On Healthcare one of the first things the Republicans did was to vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act curiously dubbed Obamacare. As DNC Chairman Tim Kaine pointed out, why is care a bad word? What’s so bad about Obama caring? “I’m glad Obama Cares.” http://twitter.com/DCDemocrats/status/41526290074963968


For many of us making college less affordable simply isn’t acceptable. Further cutting the education that makes getting ready for college possible is also unacceptable. Our environment should be protected, not de-regulated. Healthcare should be strengthened not cut. Women’s and Union’s rights should not revert back to the 19th century.


Amazingly all of these attacks lack a focus on job creation. How does cutting education spending create jobs? It actually will reduce teacher employment and leave America with a less educated and less competitive workforce in the future.


It’s time to stand up. Step one is to make sure you are registered to vote. If you are not registered email jcd@junaita.edu with “Voter Registration” as the subject line, and we will help you register. You can check your voter registration status here: https://www.pavoterservices.state.pa.us/Pages/VoterRegistrationStatus.aspx


Next, we need you on our mailing list so you can get updates about when other crazy stuff is going on. Join it, by emailing jcd@juniata.edu with “Add” in the subject line to be added to our list.


Finally, The Juniata College Democrats will lead many activities on campus. Details will be posted as soon as we have them. Make sure you get the invite by becoming a member of our facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2216758359

Monday, March 7, 2011

Get Informed and Get Ready

Democrats,

On Nov. 4th I told you "...We cannot sit back. Some really scary folks won this election. This means we are going to have to stand up every time they try to cut education, attack our LGBT friends, de-regulate the environment, or whatever else they might try. To do this we’re going to need your help."

Now the scary winners from November are doing all kinds of things. Some attacks no one really anticipated, like the attack on teachers, but these attacks are real. Please watch and show everyone you know this episode of the Daily Show. It points how the teachers and unions are treated one way, but wealthy Americans are treated differently. (Plus it's the Daily Show!)http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/thu-march-3-2011-diane-ravitch

If you are like me, that episode alone would be enough to make you want to "stand up" and make a difference. But I am always ready to take action. If you need more convincing, consider that these problems are not just happening in Wisconsin.

These "scary folks" are everywhere. We only have to look to Harrisburg to see it. Pennsylvania Republican Governor, Tom Corbett, has proposed a budget providing tax cuts for his business allies at the expense of working class and middle class Pennsylvanians. Read about it here (and sign the petition): http://keystoneprogress.pnstate.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=11606.0

In other scary news, consider reading my column in the Juniatian about the crazy abortion policies of the Republicans. http://juniatian.com/?p=250 However, I suggest you also read a better article on the war on women, which focuses more on Women's Rights than my article does. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/26/opinion/26sat1.html

Besides attacking teachers, unions, the middle class, and women the GOP is also going after the environment. Please read about the dangers of natural gas fracking here:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/03/fracking-pollution-in-wat_n_803737.html Then if you can believe it, read about the Republican attempts to cut the EPA by 1/3 here: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/03/134237203/gop-budget-plans-quash-obama-environment-policy

The Executive board will be discussing things over break and we will be working on a plan to take action. However, to make change on these issues we are going to need everyone's help. So please get informed, and then get ready to take action.

In Solidarity,

Zach

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Blog Intro

Hey Everyone!

Hope you like our blog! We have posted a few of our favorite emails from last election and this semester on the E-mail label. Sometimes we will post emails that we feel are important, but look for more exciting information to be coming shortly.

JC Dems Update

Hey Everyone,

I just wanted to let everyone know about a couple of things. The first is that we will be cleaning up our highway in the adopt-a-highway program on Saturday March 19th at 2pm. If you are interested in helping clean up our highway please RSVP to jcd@juniata.edu by Thursday March 17th.

In other exciting news Pennsylvania College Democrats (PACD) has released information about convention. Convention will be April 1st, 2nd and 3rd at Temple. There is a lot of exciting trainings and speaker's for this year's convention, and it would be great to bring a big delegation from Juniata to PACD convention again this year. If you are interested in going please reply to jcd@juniata.edu by noon on Monday March 14th. Anyone who expresses interest in going to convention after that will not be eligible for funding from Juniata College Democrats.

Shortly after that March 14th deadline we will announce how much the club will pay for convention for those going. Right now convention would cost $80 a person, but the club will try to pay for some of those costs, but we cannot guarantee how much of those costs the club will be able to pay for right now. If you would like the club to help pay for your trip please do not register for convention yet. Everyone going to convention will receive instructions about registering for convention around Wednesday March 17th. If you do plan on going to convention please also RSVP on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=191561404207733

Lastly there are a lot of dangerous things going on in the state and country politically. You can read up on the environmental damage going on in PA and the country here (long article but worth the read): http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/us/27gas.html?pagewanted=1&ref=general&src=me
You can read more about the protests in Wisconsin here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/21/wisconsin-protests-_n_826246.html
You can read more about the dangers the Republican Party is causing for women here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/26/opinion/26sat1.html

These things going on right now are why we need you involved in the political process. Please consider helping us make the Huntingdon Community a little cleaner, and becoming a better advocate for the Democratic Party by going to convention.

In Solidarity,

Zach Gordon

Join Our Movement

Greetings Democrats,

This weekend we made over 1,100 calls. I have to give huge props to Zack Jensen, Ariele Mauery, and Kate Martucci who helped run our operation out of Good Lounge this weekend while I was away on a class trip. The numbers that they put up are unheard of. So far in this campaign we have made slightly under 3,000 calls to voters and potential volunteers. For a comparison, Temple, who won Chapter of the year last year in Pennsylvania College Democrats, was bragging about having made over 1,000 calls as of last Tuesday. This year Juniata College Democrats will be getting major recognition from the state, and the nation in College Democrats for the numbers we have already put up.

You still have time to be a part of our movement! You can join the club that will have huge respect statewide and nationally. It's so easy to get started! Even if you've never phone banked before in your life, we can have you calling like a pro in 5 minutes.

Join us as we are calling today from 5-9pm in Good Lounge. We encourage 2 hour shifts, but if you can only stay for an hour please come out. Then on election day, tomorrow Tuesday Nov. 2nd, we will be having operations set up from 8am-8pm in Good Lounge. We are encouraging people to come out especially from 1-8pm, but the help is needed all day. We will have snacks on Tuesday!!! When are you going to join the movement? Please send us an email with your times.

We can and will win on election day! The watch party at my house on Tuesday night is going to be a lot of fun, but only if we work hard from now until then. Please come out and make some calls.

Thanks,

Zach Gordon
President
Juniata College Democrats

PS Your friendly College Republicans have put up posters saying I'm not from PA. (I'm only on the Huntingdon County Democratic Committee, have a PA Drivers license, and worked for PennDot this summer...) Please respect their 1st amendment right to free speech and leave their posters up, but if you think that they crossed the line (or are just plain silly) do something about it. Help us reach voters with the truth. Help us phone bank!

Summer Internships in Democratic Politics

Greetings Democrats,

While the rest of this week will be busy with midterms and papers, I wanted to pass along a couple of great opportunities for jobs and internships this summer. If you want more information or are interested in any of the internships below, please reply to this email.

If you are planning on being in Huntingdon for the summer and are interested in an unpaid internship with the Huntingdon County Democratic Party, please email the club. They are very flexible so if you have the desire, they will try to accommodate you. This internship will teach you a lot about Huntingdon, and give you lots of hands on experience in politics. This internship is HIGHLY ENCOURAGED! Please email the club for an application.

There are also many candidates running for local office in Huntingdon and across the state. If you are interested in a position with one of them this summer, please email the club so we can put you in contact with a candidate near where you will be staying this summer.

Another internship to know about is with Organizing for America. It is unpaid, but would help you learn a ton about organizing and politics. It would also help promote President Obama's agenda. If you are interested please see the link for more details: http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/Summer-Organizer?source=BOF

If you are interested in environmental and/or social justice issues and are willing to be in a major city across the country this summer, then you should consider applying for a summer job (It is a PAID position) with the Fund for the Public Interest. Seniors, they also have some full-time positions you could apply for. More details can be found on their website: http://www.fundforthepublicinterest.org/

Further, I am on the executive board of Pennsylvania College Democrats right now, so if you would like help applying for an internship with a Democratic Congressman or State Legislator in your hometown please email the club. I'd be glad to help you make a contact with their office.

If there are any other job/internship positions you'd like help with, please email the club and we will do our best to assist you, or put you in contact with the people that can assist you. Also please note that these are all opportunities, and the Juniata College Democrats will do our best to assist you. However, we cannot guarantee that you will get any of the internships above.

Sincerely,

Zach Gordon

PS Remember that the deadline to express interest for PACD State Convention is the Monday after break...you'll need to do that if you want the club to help pay for your convention costs. Also the deadline is March 17th to RSVP for our Adopt-A-Highway day on March 19th. If you want more information about either of those events please email this account.

Where We Go From Here

Democrats,

Tuesday night was not the intended result so many of deserved. We out worked the other side, and that makes this loss sting so much more. Yet there is a glimmer of hope. All of our numbers are not yet counted, because we had a couple volunteers working from home. But without those numbers we made 2,043 voter contacts election day (1,856 calls and 187 door knocks). Overall we made around 5,800 phone calls and 750 door knocks. This means we made 6,550 voter contacts this election cycle. I am proud and thrilled of what we accomplished.

But we cannot sit back. Some really scary folks won this election. This means we are going to have to stand up every time they try to cut education, attack our LGBT friends, de-regulate the environment, or whatever else they might try. To do this we’re going to need your help. We will be giving the campus information, and letting them know what exactly is happening in Washington and Harrisburg. Further we will make sure that when things are going on, students can make their voices heard.

Then we will work to change the minds of voters in our area about Democrats. We have partnered with a home for the aged in the past and we will work with them again to stand up for our county’s senior citizens. We have also adopted a highway and will be cleaning it up sometime this year. These partnerships are service activities that can make a huge change in people’s attitude towards our Party.

We also have changes to make as a club. We will be working on a formal constitution to define officer positions and provide guidelines for the years to come. We also need to start thinking about the 2011 and 2012 elections and how to be more effective. We will also be sitting down with the College Republicans to make sure that the poster conflicts that upset many of us this year are resolved for the future. We will also be expanding and partnering to work with other clubs that share our Democratic values.

For now, like many of you that fought so hard by my side, it is a time to catch up on what we have put on hold these elections. However, we will be active the rest of this semester and year. We are just taking a short break. I will get an email out to you all when we will have our next meeting.

I really am grateful to all of you that helped us out this year. Thank you for all your help.

Sincerely,

Zach