PEG 12th Congressional District
Newsletter #90, Thursday, December 20, 2018
110 weeks down, 2 weeks until
116th congress convenes
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Our most important letter of the week--Santa and Mrs. Claus contacted PEG
Mr. and Mrs. Claus are worried about the North Pole, about clean drinking water for the elves, reindeer and all of us, and clean air for his flight. They need our help to stop lame duck legislation and to understand the science and environmental risks. For more information, check out the Michigan League of Conservation Voters
website
.
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Santa’s workshop in danger; arctic warming is unprecedented
The Arctic has been warmer over the last five years than at any time since records began in 1900, and the region is warming at twice the rate as the rest of the planet. NOAA’s Arctic Research Program reports the Arctic was undergoing its “most unprecedented transition in human history.”
Read more here.
–
New York Times
Effect of loss of ice in Arctic
If the Arctic begins to experience entirely ice-free summers, scientists say, the planet will warm even more, as the dark ocean water absorbs large amounts of solar heating that used to be deflected by the cover of ice.
Read more here.
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Washington Post
Waters of the United States Under Attack
Pruitt, Zinke, and Wheeler through the EPA propose gutting an Obama-era rule protecting water of 117 million Americans. The new proposal would limit which waterways qualify for federal protections under WOTUS. EPA’s own data shows that approximately 18 percent of streams and 51 percent of wetlands nationwide would be impacted by the proposed change.The rollback directly benefits the president’s personal business, easing restrictions on golf-course operators.
Read more here.
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Huffington Post
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Rest Up, Activists: We have a long tough road ahead
Questions about November’s midterm election that maybe you were afraid to ask were answered at Sunday’s PEG-sponsored talk by Michael Traugott, Research Professor at the Center of Political Studies. Among other topics, he discussed how each party’s advantages—Democratic enthusiasm and Republican gerrymandering and structural dominance in the Senate—impacted the 2018 midterm election.
Other topics Traugott covered were gerrymandering and how computer technology has brought it to new standard of perfection; the gender, race, and age gap all of which favors Democrats; and what he termed “affective polarization,” by which he meant the growing ideological distance between the two parties. Sadly, in regard to that distance and dislike between Republicans and Democrats, he believes it will divide America for some years to come.
If you missed it,
click on the video here
.
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Washtenaw County chapter of the Poor People’s Campaign
The weekly meeting of the Washtenaw County chapter of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. This is a chance to meet, talk and socialize with fellow members of the campaign in an informal setting.
Click here
for more information. B-24's Espresso Bar Eats and Entertainment.
Saturday, January 5. WCDP General Membership Meeting and Food Drive
Meet senior staff members and advisors of Democratic Party candidates who will share experiences and lessons learned in both local and statewide elections. At 11:30 there will be a forum with the candidates for the position of Michigan Democratic Party Chair.
The Michigan Democratic Party Chair candidates will also speak.
Please bring along canned or dry food items to donate. Washtenaw County Learning Resource Center,
4135 Washtenaw Ave, Ann Arbor
. 9:30–1 pm
Democratic Party Senior Staff Panelists:
- Erin Bozek-Jarvis: Campaign Manager for Gretchen Driskell
- Alexander Deatrick: Field Director for Elissa Slotkin
- Jen Eyer: Advisor to Gretchen Whitmer and other candidates
- Zach Hayward: Regional Director for the Michigan Democratic Party’s One Campaign
- Rick Michaels: Senior Staff in Dana Nessel’s campaign
Calling parties with Michigan Resistance
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Stand up for Anuja
Progressive newcomer,
Anuja Rajendra, ran in the Democratic primary for the 18th district of Michigan’s State Senate.
During the campaign she sent a mailer to her potential constituents that included a grammatical error that could be interpreted to say that she was an incumbent. Not only did she not win the election, she is now facing charges by the Honorable Brian Mackie. Please join her and the
ACLU
in urging the prosecuting attorney to
drop these frivolous charges
...for Anuja and for any other political newcomer who could be potentially be scared off by this situation.
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Things to read, watch, and listen to
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Our legislature at work-33 percent of the laws crammed into 7 percent of the term
Of the 950 or so public acts that will be signed into law in Michigan during the 2017-18 term, about one-third of them will have cleared the Legislature during the final seven weeks of the two-year session, also known as the lame-duck session. See the full article
here
.
-
Gongwer
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A complete guide to all 17 (known) Trump and Russia investigations
PEG’s mission is to see that our government treats everyone with equality and acceptance. Therefore we feel strongly feel that nobody is above the law.
Click here
to see how this applies to our President. - WIRED
Run for Something, the organization for the politically aspiring progressive
Run for Something is the new go-to site for progressives of every stripe who wish to run for office. It offers mentorship, money and support for those who wish to run for down-ballot positions, all in the hope this will lead to viable and diverse candidates for the House, Senate, and ultimately, the presidency.
Finally, finally, progressives are developing resources tantamount to the Young Republicans, which for generations has successfully groomed primarily young white males for political positions. If you are interested in reaching for the political stars,
click
here. Or, if you feel qualified and interested in mentoring such progressive candidates,
click
here.
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The longest serving House Rep tells all
John Dingell, retired Democratic Representative who served in the House longer than anyone else, laments the state of our current government, citing how in 1958, a University of Michigan study found that 73% of Americans trusted the federal government in contrast 18% presently. He offers readers sage advice in a recent article in
The Atlantic.
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Inspiration from the Past
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by Ellen K. Halter, PEG Activist
Sarah and Angelina Grimke, two sisters from the southern aristocracy, each came north in the 1820s to get away from the horrors of slavery they witnessed in their own home, those of others, and in their hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. After some years of living in Philadelphia, still mortified by the slavery they’d left behind, they found their own voice and began speaking against it in public to larger and larger audiences. The sisters, particularly Angelina, were riveting, articulate, unsparing of the grimmest details they’d seen. In the 1830s it was so outrageous and unusual for women to occupy the stage that people came from miles around to see—and hear. Their efforts helped initiate and publicize both the abolitionist movement and suffragist movements.
Let us remember that Abraham Lincoln didn’t issue the Emancipation Proclamation until January, 1863, almost thirty years after the sisters began speaking. And American women didn’t gain the right to vote until 1920 (and the right to vote for African American women was not protected until 1964). Those of us involved in the progressive movement need to heed the lives of these sisters as well as the many others who gave their lives for freedom. Progress is often slow and incremental, but it happens!
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PEG is a non-partisan volunteer organization whose mission is to assure that our government will treat all Americans with equality and acceptance. We do our work by recruiting, educating and nurturing supporters for worthy organizations, actions and events that reflect our beliefs.
This newsletter contains suggestions to contact your congresspeople. Find their contact info
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.
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Thanks to Newsletter contributors:
Bernie Banet, Ellen Halter, Leslie McGraw, Richard Gaeth, Susan Ayer, Roger Rayle and Chuck Newman
for their help preparing this newsletter. Write us at
info@equalityingov.org
if you would like help create our weekly newsletter. It’s fun and no ongoing commitment is required.
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