Daily Archives: June 30, 2007

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The Weekend/EOQ Open Thread

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Well, today is the last day of Q2, and I must say, we did pretty well.  SO, thanks! But, if you haven’t had a chance to give a few bucks, think about dropping some coin in the Calitics ActBlue kitty.  Truthfully, any amount helps, so if it’s just a buck, that’s cool. ActBlue’s minimum is a single dollar per candidate. But, that still helps the # of donor totals.  So, hey, it’s a bottle of soda, and your dentist will tell you it will just rot your teeth anyway.

On to other news:

  • Things are getting ugly at the California Air Resources Board. Arnold was accused of deceit. Umm…duh?
  • The Dueling Ex-Gay and Ex-Gay Survivor Conferences are in Irvine. Reality seems to be the major divide between the two groups.
  • There’s a Voter Reg Drive in El Dorado County today. This is an important step in defeating DoneLittle.

  • I invite you to look at jhotchkiss2’s diary on the Delegate selection process.  If you agree, or disagree, submit some comments, or talk to your local CDP E-Board member.

    • Now, let’s chit, let’s chat…

    Orange County

    March with the Democrats at the Surf City Fourth of July Parade!

    10 Comments

    (Cross-posted at Ditch Crazy Dana and Trash Dirty Gary)

    What do you think of when you think “Fourth of July”? The American flag, perhaps? Fireworks? Independence? Apple pie? Ice cream? The beach? A parade? Well, what if I told you that you can experience all of that AND MORE on Wednesday?!

    Yes, my friends, this Wednesday is July 4th. And yes, this means it’s time for the Huntington Beach Fourth of July Parade, THE LARGEST INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER! And guess what? The Democratic Party of Orange County will once again have a fantastic float in the parade! Oh yes, and our fabulous Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez will be marching with us! Oh yes, and we need more people to march with us in the parade. Come on now, don’t YOU want to be a part of the parade?

    So would YOU like to be a part of this world-famous All-American celebration? Follow me after the flip for more…

    For the past 28 years, OC Democrats have been a part of this VERY OC tradition. We’ve had local elected officials like Former State Senator Joe Dunn and current State Senator Lou Correa join us in the parade. We always have the Young Democrats dancing on the float. Oh yes, and how about that float? Live music. Festive decorations. The American Spirit. What more could you possibly want?

    So why NOT go? Join in on the fun. Just remember to COME EARLY TO FIND PARKING. Here are some details on what will be happening, courtesy of The Liberal OC:

    The parade begins at 10:00 A.M. and ends at 12:30 P.M. Democrats begin gathering at 7:30 A.M. to march. We will have shuttle cars to take you to the staging area or to the handicap cheering section.

    Shuttle Starts: 7:00 A.M.
    Last Shuttle: 9:00 A.M.

    Please come early, the traffic gets very busy and we cannot transport everyone at the last minute.

    For parking and shuttling, drive to Seacliff Village, located at Goldenwest and Yorktown. Look for the Del Taco fast food restaurant. Then look for the signs saying “Democratic Parking.”

    Oh yes, and before I forget, we should all remember that all marchers with the Democratic Party of Orange County entry must wear red T-shirts or polo shirts and blue jean or dark/navy blue shorts or pants. Get it? Got it? Good.

    Well, I’m picking out my red shirt and blue jean shorts. How about you? The Fourth of July Parade may only be once a year, but it’s something that give us great memories to last us all year long. Why not be a part of these great memories?

    To participate, simply show up!

    If you have any questions, please contact Caren Bolinger at 310-293-8320 or email her at [email protected]

    : )

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    CA-04: Doolittle’s Gravy Train Still Alive And Well

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    All that snooping by federal investigators hasn’t stopped John Doolittle from continuing to reward his friends with favors.

    Rep. John T. Doolittle, who’s been caught up in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, has requested a substantial earmark for a college represented by one of his former aides, who, coincidentally, has just been contacted by the FBI.

    Pete Evich, a lobbyist and Doolittle’s legislative director until 2002, has been representing Sierra College, which could end up receiving $300,000 if the congressman’s request is approved.

    My favorite part of this is that it comes right at the time when Pete Evich is being sought by federal investigators for questioning about Doolittle’s role in the Abramoff scandal.  It doesn’t take a genius to see that as a potential payoff; Evich gets his $300,000 for the college, and he suddenly has a memory lapse when speaking with the FBI.

    Incidentally, this is just one of the earmarks we know about, Doolittle has repeatedly refused to release the others.

    Brown said that with most U.S. debt now owned by OPEC nations and military rivals like China , “every wastefully spent dollar by our Congress represents a national security risk.”

    “Addressing this growing threat starts with full public disclosure of all earmark requests,” Brown said.

    Personally, I believe earmarks are occasionally valuable and overblown in their purported role as the most wasteful portion of the budget (I’d direct your attention to the useless WWII-era weapons systems we’re still building), but the fact that the only Doolittle earmarks we DO know about are going to friends is pretty telling.

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    Video: Asm. Laird and Senator Ducheny on the Budget

    3 Comments

    Over the flip, you’ll get some low-fi dish from the leaders of the Budget Conference committee.  They are working hard to iron out the differences.  Obviously, the bigger problem is trying to get the Republicans to agree to anything. I mean, if you can’t agree on $10.5 million for foster kids, are you going to steal old ladies’ purses next and sick kids’ health care?  I’m sure Sen. Ackerman and Asm. Villines are hard at work on Proj. Eliminate Sick Kids Health Care as we speak.

    Asm. Laird:

    Sen. Ducheny:

    Arnold Schwarzenegger, Blog Roundup, Environment, Health Care, Prisons

    June 29, 2007 Blog Roundup

    3 Comments

    It’s been a while, but there’s a California Blog Roundup on the flip. Lots of health care coverage, some land use, water worries and environmental coverage, and a fair bit about the atmosphere in the legislature.

    If I missed a blog post that should have been here (and it’s a liberal or lefty post), feel free to promote in the comments.

    Wow, there’s a lot of
    health care posts

    Land and water

    Federal Representatives
    and Elections

    Other State Issues

    California, Health Care, Orange County

    Watching My Grandma, Feeling “SiCKO”

    14 Comments

    My grandmother was just released from the hospital this morning. She nearly collapsed in the bathroom on Wednesday morning, and she’s had to spend the last two days in the hospital. She was severely dehydrated. She had diarrhea. She couldn’t eat. She was extremely weak. Basically, this is what happens to a ninety-two year old diabetic woman all too often.

    So we had to drive Grandma to the hospital. We got a bed for her in the emergency room pretty quickly, but then we had to wait forever in the emergency room until the hospital finally had a room ready for her. Grandma finally got her room, she was able to sleep, and she was able to recover over the next 36 hours.

    Thank goodness we caught Grandma in time, before she lost consciousness. Thank goodness Grandma’s feeling better. And thank goodness she has good health insurance. What would have happened if things weren’t as good for us?

    Follow me after the flip for more…

    My aunt and I stayed with Grandma overnight on Wednesday. We just couldn’t bare the thought of having her stay in the hospital alone. She doesn’t like sleeping in a strange bed in a strange location, so we didn’t want Grandma to be alone. She was able to fall asleep, though we couldn’t (we had to “sleep” on cheap, uncomfortable chairs). We were there withe Grandma, she didn’t have to be alone, and she was at ease.

    Earlier in the day, my dad paid the hospital $50 so that Grandma could stay in the hospital. Her insurance covered the rest. I guess I should consider my family lucky. Other seniors go into debt to cover their health care costs. I don’t imagine how they could ever be at ease.

    Yesterday, Grandma was starting to feel better. She was starting to eat again. She was hydrated again. But we had something scarier to worry about. The hospital wanted to send a therapist in to help Grandma walk again! Ahhh! Scary! Another $300 tacked onto our bill! No!

    OK, so we also really didn’t need the therapist. We can help Grandma walk. My dad used to work in a hospital, after all. But what if we did actually need the therapist? And what if we really didn’t have the money to pay for the physical therapy? Why should we have to turn that down for Grandma, just because we couldn’t afford it?

    Many seniors in California face exactly that problem every day. They must go without the prescription drugs that they need. Yep, over one-third of California seniors have no prescription drug coverage. They have to worry about being “burdens” to their children. As more and more people become caregivers for their elderly parents, they don’t get the support they need to afford the financial burden of being a caregiver. To be honest, that’s what my family DOES have to worry about right now.

    As soon as we got to the hospital this morning, we had some frightening news waiting for us. Grandma’s blood sugar was down, so I suddenly began to worry. Will she have to stay in the hospital longer? Is her condition worsening? What will happen next?

    Well, I got some reassurance from the doctor. The doctor said that Grandma should be released today. And after a few more hours, a couple more blood tests, and another hospital meal, we were finally able to take Grandma home. We’re back at the house now, and Grandma is so happy to be home.

    However, my dad isn’t happy that he has to go to the pharmacy to get Grandma’s new prescriptions. She has a new pill to take for her Diabetes, and another pill to take for her diarrhea. We’re not quite happy about another trip to the pharmacy for more drugs with more co-payments. However, I guess we should be happy that Grandma’s not one of those people who can’t even afford her prescription drugs.

    Now that I’ve seen a little more of our crazy health care system in person at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center, maybe I need to learn some more about our dysfunctional health care system and what we can do about it. I know Michael Moore’s new documentary, “SiCKO“, is opening tonight. Maybe I should see that this weekend. I know that SB 840 will be voted on in the Assembly soon. Maybe I should contact my Assembly Member soon, and ask my Assembly Member to vote for real universal health care that covers not just all our seniors, but all Californians.

    These past two days, I’ve been in an emotional inferno as I’ve been monitoring Grandma’s condition. However, I know that many more families undergo much worse every day as they worry over whether their elderly relatives get ANY care. This is just another reason why we need real action on health care, and why we need it now.

    Uncategorized

    Putting the Cart Before the Horse

    The current Draft Delegate Selection Plan of the California Democratic Party has a flawed timeline. It requires delegate registration for those Presidential Delegate Selection Caucuses be held after 2/5/07 .Since we are operating in the “political world,” the party’s current plan would allow someone who had worked for candidate “A” to go to a caucus for candidate “B,” knowing that candidate “B” had won the most votes in his/her congressional district. However, we ARE in the Public Comment period for the Draft Plan. The Executive Board will vote on this draft at it’s July 13-15 meeting in Sacramento.At the very least, it should be possible to have Delegate Caucus Registration close PRIOR to the Presidential Primary. Alert your district’s EBoard rep and go to “Denver here We Come” on Cadem.org to leave comments on the process as well as Affirmative Action and other aspects of the Draft Plan.