COVID'S DELTA SURGE - MASK UP AND VACCINATE | |
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During a press conference in Houston on Wednesday, July 21, Governor Greg Abbott announced that he will not be implementing another mask mandate for Texas despite the state’s positivity rate (ratio of cases to tests) rising above 10%, an indicator previously identified by Abbott as dangerous. And with COVID cases on the rise in North Texas, many are calling on him to reconsider his position.
While Abbott takes the stance that it is now an “individual responsibility” to protect oneself from COVID, that ignores the 17% of Texas who are under the age of 12 and therefore ineligible to receive the vaccine. While the CDC did relax their recommendations as to the number of Covid cases dropped over the summer, their position has always been that unvaccinated individuals, particularly in crowded indoor areas, continue to mask up. That basically describes every elementary school in Texas.
The COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub, a consortium of researchers working in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, estimates that in the United States we’ll see 60,000 new cases and 850 deaths daily by mid-October, with the worst-case scenario mirroring last winter with nearly 4,000 deaths daily. That surge is largely fueled by the delta variant, one of 17 known variants of the COVID-19 virus. A virus variant happens when the virus mutates itself inside its host. During the process of copying itself, the virus will sometimes make a mistake, causing a variation of itself. Some variants are harmless and some actually weaken the virus. Others, however, like the delta variant, are stronger (225 times stronger) and more harmful than the original.
The overwhelming majority of serious COVID cases — 97% of hospital admissions, and 99.5% of COVID deaths — are occurring among those who are not vaccinated, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told reporters at a White House briefing Thursday. If Texans want to stop COVID in its tracks (including the delta variant), and subsequently help prevent new variations, then somewhere between 75% and 90% of the population would need to be vaccinated, or 90-95% of the population would need to be a combination of vaccinated or willing to follow mask, social distancing and personal hygiene protocols set forth last year.
The Texas State Teachers Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association with more than 3 million members, is asking Abbott to allow schools the option to mandate masks. Last May, Abbott issued an order that banned schools and other federal buildings from requiring masks to enter. With 40% of the eligible Texas population walking around willfully unvaccinated, it seems unwise to allow a petri dish, like an elementary classroom, to exist.
So while it makes sense that we expect the adult population of Texas to take personal responsibility for their own health and safety, it doesn’t make sense to leave our youngest population exposed to a deadly virus because our leader puts pandering to Trump and his followers above the Texans he swore to serve.
Read More:
Abbott says he won’t impose new mask mandate (Texas Tribune)
The Delta Variant Will Drive A Steep Rise In U.S. COVID Deaths, A New Model Shows (NPR)
Texas teachers group calls on Gov. Abbott to allow school mask mandates (Dallas Morning News)
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THE 2021 ANN RICHARDS DINNER IS COMING!! | |
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Put on your dancing shoes and finest Masquerade attire and join us for the 2021 Ann Richards Dinner and Masquerade Ball! Guests will enjoy dinner and a night of dancing to live music from the Moving Colors Band, amazing acrobatic performances by Soar Creative Studios, Tarot Card readings, and a long-awaited night of fellowship with other Democrats.
Guests will also enjoy an exciting live auction and access to our wide-ranging silent auction. Help us celebrate our achievements and energize us to turn Collin County BLUE in 2022 by purchasing your tickets today! Sponsorship packages are also available. Contact Nancy Bittner or Angie Bado at fundraisingchair@collindemocrats.org.
For the safety of everyone attending, only individuals fully vaccinated for COVID-19 should attend this in-person event.
When: Saturday, October 16, 7 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Where: Dallas/Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center 7121 Bishop Rd Plano
Cost: Individual tickets are $150 per person. Sponsorships are also available.
Check out the Sponsorship options! Sponsors will enjoy some very special perks not available to other event attendees, and the sponsor package availability is limited. Don't wait!
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TURNING COLLIN BLUE IN '22 | |
The REGISTER COLLIN campaign marches into south Plano this weekend to canvass for new voters in Collin County's largest city!
Sign up below for dates on Saturday, July 31, and Sunday, August 1. If you're new, we'll train you, and you'll be paired with an experienced canvasser regardless. Come on out and help us flip Collin County #Blue2022!
If you'd rather phone bank, you can do that too! Sign up below.
Learn about the REGISTER COLLIN campaign.
Want to know when we'll be registering voters where you are? Check out the schedule on collindemocrats.org!
#Blue2022 #RegisterCollin
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VOTER SUPPRESSION BILL TAKE DIRECT
AIM AT MAIL-IN BALLOTS
| Image credit: Texas Monthly | |
There’s a problem buried inside Texas’s latest election bill, and it’s not one of the headline-grabbing restrictions that have torn the Legislature apart during the special session. Nonetheless, it could disenfranchise a significant number of the state’s voters.
The Republican-authored legislation would require voters to submit either their driver’s license number or a partial Social Security number when applying to vote by mail. That number would then be cross-checked with the state’s voter registration database. Most applicants would be fine because almost 90 percent of all registered Texas voters have both their Social Security number and driver’s license number in the database. However, 1.9 million voters—about 11 percent of the total—have only one of the two numbers on file with the state. With these numbers, based on these rules, 104,500 mail voters could have their applications rejected, with little chance of correcting, or curing, their ballot.
Read More at Texas Monthly
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Commissioners Court: As the commissioners prepare for their upcoming budget discussions, this meeting was taken up by the Lifepath Budget Report (which was brief) and by a presentation on law enforcement compensation (which took over 3 hours). While law enforcement is essential, it should not be vastly more important than our mental health entity. Yet this seems to be the case. I shouldn’t be surprised – after all, every single commissioner is a Republican and we all know how little they value mental health – but you’d think they’d at least try for a little balance.
The commissioners seemed perfectly fine with Lifepath serving an increasing number of patients with the same amount of money they’ve been given. Since the pandemic, there’s been an increase in substance abuse, psychiatric hospitalization, opioid services (the county spent $932,000 on this last year), and Early Childhood Intervention testing. In order to adequately serve their patients, Lifepath expanded Telehealth, increased cybersecurity, and are trying to get more state money (because you know the county won’t be forthcoming even though we have over $72 million in funds just laying around) for hospital referrals. (Read More)
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Richardson City Council: During Public Comments on April 19th, 2021, Richardson Police Officer Kayla Walker blew the whistle on an illegal ticket quota system taking place in Richardson PD. The city announced an independent investigation and hired a law firm in Fort Worth, one that specializes in municipal government and serves as City Attorneys for 48 cities. The meeting on July 22nd was held to announce and discuss the findings of that investigation.
Unfortunately, there was only one purpose for this investigation: to determine if Richardson PD was in violation of the Texas Transportation Code 720.002. After interviewing 7 officers total, including top leadership, the investigation concluded there was no violation. However, a number of disturbing issues were mentioned. There are weekly reviews conducted to keep track of officers’ metrics, including the number of traffic stops, citations, and arrests an officer makes. Sector averages are posted for all to see and goals can change depending on the shift. (Read More)
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CCDP SPONSORS BACK-TO-SCHOOL BASH! | |
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Calling all Collin County Democrats!
Get your back to school mode on and join the Collin County Democratic Party for family, food and fun on Saturday, Aug. 7 from 11 - 1:00 at Finch Park, 301 W. Standifer Street, in McKinney.
Finch Park sports plenty of shade and a splash pad for kids. There will be games, a dunk tank, snow cones, craft vendors and more!
Come celebrate the last days of summer, meet your fellow Democrats from around the county, and enjoy some family time.
Please bring a school supply that will be donated to the Love Life Foundation Back Pack Drive.
Look for the pavilion marked CCDP with blue and gold balloons. The shady park also features a splash pad, so pack plenty of towels! Please RSVP below so we know how many to expect. We also need volunteers - sign up below! See you August 7.
When: Saturday, August 7, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Where: Finch Park, 301 W. Standifer, McKinney
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RECEPTION TO BENEFIT VOTER REGISTRATION AND MOBILIZATION IN COLLIN COUNTY | |
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Mark Phariss and his husband Vic Holmes, and Collin County Democratic Party Chair Mike Rawlins invite you to attend a reception to support voter registration and mobilization efforts of the Texas Democratic Party and the Collin County Democratic Party. Get an inside look at the TDP's Project Texas, the CCDP's Register Collin project, and other efforts to prepare us to win in 2022 and beyond.
Special Guests will include Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, and newly-elected Plano City Council Member Julie Holmer!
Sponsorships are available at $1000, $500, $250, and $100. The suggested donation at the door is $125.
Cocktails & Heavy Hors d’oeuvres will be served.
When: Thursday, August 5, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Where: Plano, Address provided upon R.S.V.P.
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ALLEN AREA DEMOCRATS AUGUST MEETING | |
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Join the Allen Area Democrats for our August in-person meeting at Rudy's BBQ. Join the club, have some barbecue, and meet your fellow Democrats.
Our guest speakers will include Mark Phariss and Vic Holmes, who will share about their fight for marriage equality in Texas and beyond. We'll also be learning how YOU can get involved in the fight to turn the Allen area blue in 2022!
HEALTH NOTICE: We're very happy that our community is wearing masks, getting vaccinated, and protecting themselves and our community so that we can begin hosting in-person events like this one. If you are not vaccinated or are otherwise vulnerable, please consider staying home.
When: Sunday, August 1, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Where: Rudy's Country Store and BBQ, Allen
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The Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at Texas Woman's University will be hosting a campaign workshop on Saturday, July 31. The workshop is free, virtual, and nonpartisan, with an emphasis on helping women run for office.
This free, virtual workshop series will help attendees with the basics of how to prepare and run for office in Texas. The session will feature workshops and speakers covering topics like getting started, selecting a treasurer, profiling a district, working with political parties, getting out the vote, precinct walking, messaging, fundraising, and more. We'll have workshops with consultants, Q&As with noted officeholders, and panels with women officeholders and candidates sharing their experiences running for office.
The event is virtual via Zoom. They are open to anyone in Texas. Our schedule of events includes:
Saturday, July 31, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Keynote + Q&A: Justice Eva Guzman, Texas Supreme Court
Session 3: Messaging
Panel Discussion: Media, Social Media, and Messaging
Session 4: Fundraising
To register, please visit our Eventbrite.
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The CCDP physical office is closed until further notice for safety. Our office staff are, however, working for you from home and available by telephone at 972-578-1483 or contact us on the web at collindemocrats.org.
Check our Online Events!
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Collin County Democratic Party (CCDP) | 972-578-1483 | www.collindemocrats.org © 2021
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