Crossposted from OC Progressive

This has been another eventful week for me and I wanted to share something I wrote for our new local blog, I think it’s universal and true for many here so that is why I share it.

Orange County, California is still a solidly red County but those of us living in “The OC”, who are proud progressives, want to find a public space to voice our ideas and to push our agenda locally and eventually on the state and federal levels.  Not only that but we want to encourage our fellow progressives to run in local elections and support them up that harrowing climb to higher office.

As we all know, none of this can happen though until many things are fixed about our election financing process and so on, but the progressive blogosphere has somewhat leveled the playing field but supporting such candidates and generously funding their runs for office.

Anyone Can Blog?

I thought of Ratatouille and the line that “Anyone can cook” when I read Paul Anderson’s piece Blogging Done Right…

In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau’s famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.

Source

So, just because anyone can blog does not mean the product put before you will be the highest of journalistic standards, it doesn’t have to be.  There is a reason that Freedom of Speech is in the First Amendment, anyone can blog.

I think there is a misnomer about bloggers in general.  I don’t think many of them feel they are creating news or reporting on news in an original way but I do think they are taking what’s out there and attempting to make sense of it.

The past eight years has been filled with a lot of misery for progressives.  It was a bitter fight in 2000 and many felt cheated and that the “system” failed them miserably.  The media was not doing its job to ask the right questions, if it had been, maybe there might have been a different outcome.

You see the blogosphere in many ways thinks the Fourth Estate failed Americans by not asking enough questions, they felt that they were not doing their jobs either.  

Too many blogs these days just deconstruct some news organization’s content and spew out a bunch of conspiracy theories. Most of the time I think, who cares what you think? And that’s because a lot of the bloggers aren’t very informed. I like the Atlantic bloggers, like Andrew Sullivan, because they’re journalists and they have informed opinions when they comment on someone else’s work. That’s called perspective.

Source

This is true, I read it often on the Daily Kos but because blogs like this are on the “rating” system, the readers are able to separate the wheat from the chafe and those diaries rarely make their way to the Recommend list.  Usually when they do, the comments themselves are far better than the gaggle of quotes from other news sources and the sorry excuse for commentary.

But blogs have become more than just this, they’ve become a place to gather and collectively scratch our heads.  There are so many who felt completely ostracized by our last Administration that this was what was needed to fill that gapping maw of information or any really intelligent questioning of flawed policy.

But that’s just it.  The news, those “journalists” have an obligation to remain impartial, yes?  Isn’t that the point?  It’s really not that they didn’t comment on what was happening; they just didn’t ask enough questions.

Bloggers don’t have the obligation to keep their point of view a secret.  There is no unspoken vow of impartiality (which, if you’ve read the content of the Register, you’d realize that it’s non existent in some places) to the subject matter.  We are able to rail against the questions asked, the answers and the disappointing outcome of the whole ordeal.

Blogging was born out of a need to fill in the gaps and those “conspiracy theories” such as torture is illegal and the war in Iraq was a mistake, those aren’t theories, those are realities that many on the right refuse to recognize.

Universal Health Care?  The stories we share about young girls dying because they’ve been denied treatment from their insurance company and those who can’t get insurance because of pre-existing conditions, those stories are meant to push people into action.  Those stories are put into a context to where many can understand that a Country such as ours should not allow anyone to die because the free market deems it a necessary loss.  

I could go on and on about the topics of concern to bloggers who have, through their tenacity, made voices like mine relevant.  Elected officials pay attention to the blogosphere because they know that there is a knowledgeable voting block behind the stoic lines and blocked in quotes.  They know that the power of these free media outlets has driven the most important issues to the headlines and to the chambers of Congress.  

And when the local means of news gathering refuses to recognize an entire voting populace then that “free market” will create an alternative such as the OC Progressive. Concerned citizens believe it’s time that the right questions were asked of those who represent us and that our opinions, even if in the minority (Although I’m starting to think that’s not the case either) are valid and just as important as those of the editorial board at the OC Register.

And I’m honored to be included in the same breath as Joe Shaw and Gus Ayer as fellow bloggers.  Both showed tremendous support for Gary, my husband, when he ran for State Senate (As did hundreds of others, to us that election was a huge win)and have encouraged me to keep writing and pushing my own unique point of view.  I just hope with my limited time (Working parent) I can contribute, just a bit, to this new community and encourage others to do the same.

I was at work yesterday, working.  This has been a very big week on many fronts but the elation of a shiny new President Obama was going to end quickly.  I just gave notice that I would finally be cutting back my hours (And it scares the hell out of me, because I just kissed 25% of my income away) due to chronic illness.  It was time.

And my Mother has been dealing with issues related to my Grandmother’s health.  My Grandmother can no longer care for herself and it was a very tough time for my Mom, to know her Mother can never go back home again.

And then what?  I get a phone call from my Mother that she’d just been laid off.  She had been working at the same company for over ten years, underpaid and overworked and taken for granted.  And to top things off, they escorted her from the building, letting her know she could clear up her desk after working hours.

I understand the need to do this but I also feel it’s just cruel.  And to hear my Mother sobbing on the phone, my Mom who had already been dealing with so much recently, it broke my heart. She’s worked her whole life, she deserves better than this.

My Mom knows the reality of things, she knows that at 61 years old she will find it very difficult to get another job and she is just not ready to retire yet.  Unfortunately, my Mother doesn’t have much retirement savings and was hoping to really stockpile in the last few years of working.

My Mother is a young 61, she still goes to concerts and loves her life and her granddaughter very much.  I don’t think of 61 as “old”, not anymore.  And personally, I think it should be her choice.  It’s up to her.

The bright side is that she is technically employed until February 18th and she has health insurance, etc.  She is going to visit every doctor possible and get anything taken care of before her last work day.  She is also receiving three months severence and then will have a chance to apply for unemployment.  After she had had a chance to calm down (She told me through sobs that she had to pee and that they probably wouldn’t let her back in the building.  My Mom is a spitfire, she said she might as well just pee in their parking lot) she realized that she had time to find another job and time to help the transition for my Grandmother from her rehabilitation home to a new permanent home.

There is a lot to do, they have to clear out my Grandmother’s belongings (I’ve already been offerred her China and her sewing machine) so they can either sell her house or rent it out.  My Grandmother has two years savings to pay for her care already socked away and she’s one of those lucky ones.  My Grandfater worked for ConEdison for forty years, she gets his pension and his social security.  But we know times are different now.

But our whole family has already sworn that we would be there for each through thick or thin and that the next few months were going to be tough ones.  I told my husband the news and his first reaction was, “Do I need to clean out the spare room?”  Yes, he’s a good guy.  If it came to that, my Mother could move in with us and she could rent her condo and pay her mortgage that way.  There are always things to be done.

And so, when Barack Obama said that we’d all have to sacrifice, I knew he was right.  We all knew he was right, that we would all have to help each other.  I just think yesterday’s news was so out of the blue.  But just as many here have already proved, most of our jobs are not “safe”.

So please, say a little prayer, send a little thought to my Mother and Grandmother, they need it but I also know that it will all work out just fine.  

Both women have worked their whole lives, my Grandmother caring for her four kids and then my ailing Grandfater.  She’s always been there to help raise her Grandkids, she also deserves better.  She’s 4’9″ and a tiny little Italian lady, everyone thinks she’s just adorable with her chin hairs and her cooky hair cut.  She’s just my Grandmother.

Update:  I just got this email.

Toshiba/Tabs in Irvine and they laid off about 100 employess between Monday & Tuesdaybasically did the same thing walked them right out and wouldn’t let them get their personal effects they have to come back Friday after 6pm.

And a personal note since this is A California Blog, my husband teaches at Cerritos College and we’re not even sure he will get paid next month.  So how are we going to pay our mortgage with an IOU?

Republican precinct ‘targeted’ by Obama tax plan

Voters in Orange County’s second most GOP precinct complain that Obama tax proposal would spare others by hitting them with increases.

OC Register

This was the headline and lede that caught my attention when this little gem was published on October 22 of this year.  The Republicans in one of the most richest counties in America were playing the victimized rich card.  They are going to be victims of the Obama Presidency.

NEWPORT BEACH Janet Miedema feels like Barack Obama has put a big bull’s eye on her neighborhood.

…

In large measure, that’s because most here are the 5 percent of the population that make more than $250,000 and, would likely see their taxes rise under the Democrat’s tax plan.

I wasn’t kidding, was I?  Those who had profited the most in the last eight years are going to be victims of a progressive tax system.  Is this really such a travesty?

“The people I know here are working professionals,” said Ron Williams, after unloading Costco groceries from his Lincoln Navigator. “Attorneys, doctors, CPAs. Some are small business owners. They’re paying mortgages. They worked to get here.

“I come from a very poor family. When I hear how Barack Obama wants to spread the wealth, I want to say, ‘Get an education and work hard, and you can get what you want.'”

Yes, because if you aren’t making the kind of money this guy is making then you aren’t just working hard enough?  I found this one of the most insulting sentences I had read in many years.  

You see, my husband has a Ph.D. and teaches at a Community College.  He’s highly educated and he put himself through school with no help from his family.  He’s worked hard and yet he will never make as much money as these people do.  So, I guess he’s just not working hard enough.

But what about the teachers in Newport Beach?

Teachers in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District expressed mixed feelings about the tentative agreement between the district and teachers union, with some praising the salary increase while others called it insufficient.

On Tuesday, the district and union ended six months of negotiations with a plan that would give teachers an extra 1% retroactive pay raise for this year, followed by a total 19% increase over the next three years. The union’s goal, spelled out in its 1999 contract, is to bring teacher salaries between the mean and the 75th percentile for unified districts in Orange County.

Daily Pilot

1% pay increase in one of the richest counties and cities in America for the people who teach their children.

Median Salary by Employer Type – City: Newport Beach (United States)

Source

So according to this salary site, teachers in the Newport-Mesa Unified School district aver $48,000 a year.  In fact, none of these median incomes are close to $250,000 and wouldn’t even reach that when you consider a combined income.  So are all these people not working hard enough?  The people in our hospitals?  Those who care for and teach our children?

Now granted, this is the “median” income and I’m sure that with the upper levels of these professions the $250,000 is easy to meet.  But what?  Isn’t that adjusted gross income?  Yes.  So, still it’s hard for two people, working at the top of these industries to make the $300,000 to $350,000 that would be most effected by Obama’s tax plan.

And as we all know, the number of people at the top is most likely smaller than those bunched around the median number.  This is not an average.

And this is the myth that the rich in our Country continue to push, that if you just work hard enough, you too can be rich like me.  But as we know, everyday people work hard, very hard to just make ends meet, to just put food on the table for their families and to meet their modest monthly expenses.  They are working hard too.

And of course, this is why I’m a Democrat.  Hard work is valuable at every level of our economy and that every job keeps all of us going.  I pine for the day where the man who dig ditches is just as honorable a profession as the one who heals the sick.  The irony in the Republican line of bullshit is that well, it’s just not true.  They don’t value hard work, they value money over people.  

Money over people.  Just as we see in our failed health insurance industry, bottom line over human beings.  

I know in the last six months I’ve given up being humble and have taken the stance that not only is being liberal the right thing to be but the morally superior thing to be.  I gave up in trying to apologize for those who wish to keep everyone feeling as if their work just isn’t good enough.  That their contribution to society is just not important enough.

And the irony of it all?  That in Orange County, many of the people who work hard everyday and fail to make six figures salaries are registered Republicans.   And they bought the line that Obama wants to take their hard work away from them, they bought it big.

So how can we employ a workable model in this County to show these average working men and women that the Republican party isn’t really looking out for them.  The Republicans who blocked tax hikes in the State Legislature were merely protecting those who made $300,000 or more (That was the cut off for raising taxes on income when the budget was being obstructed by many of the Republicans who represent the OC).

They signed pledges that they wouldn’t raise taxes, no matter what, they wouldn’t raise taxes.  But just who are they protecting?  Many of the Republicans who are proud to have their children in their public schools were asked to write checks to the School District to cover the gaping hole that the budget cuts were going to leave their schools.  Yes.  That’s not a tax?

I, __________, pledge to the taxpayers of the ___ district of the State of _______ and to all the people of this state, that I will oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes.

So again, who bears the burden of the costs?  Those who can least afford it of course!  Those districts with higher populations of the poor can’t ask for huge checks to their district.  They just find that they fall even further by the wayside in funding.  So, public schools, the place where all should be seen as equal, fails on every level possible for the sake of protecting those who can afford to send their kids to private schools.

How do these people even keep their jobs?  How do Republicans, who only stand in the way of funding the many important services that Republicans and Democrats alike depend on keep their jobs!?!?!?!

They don’t have to put forth a solution; they don’t have to put forth ideas to really solve the budget crisis or the revenue issue.  There are concrete things Republicans can do to help how the budget is allocated to schools, etc. by guaranteeing that when a line item in a budget is not spent, rather than reverting back to the general fund and that piece of the budget being cut for the following year, they could reward those who stay on budget and have a surplus at the end of the year.  But no, that would be a real solution.  They would have to do something.

Of course this is personal to me.  Not only did my husband, Gary Pritchard, run for state senate but we are facing our own hardships in this economy.  I guess we just don’t work hard enough?

I found myself facing a chronic illness that has made it difficult for me to work my forty hours a week.  But since Gary’s student loans have gone up in their payments, our house has lost $150,000 in value and our credit cards have been maxed to make ends meet, I can’t cut my hours back.

I have even explored the possibility of modifying our mortgage to allow me to work less hours.  Did you know that you have to have a debt to income ratio of 70% before they will even consider you a hardship?  Since our debt is only 50% (Granted, this did not include student loans and credit card debt or afterschool care costs)we are not doing badly enough.

I do know that, I know we are the lucky ones (we have health care that covers mostly everything we need covered) and we both still have our jobs.  But to consider $1,300 enough to cover expenses in Orange County is quite absurd (heating, electricty, water, trash, food, gas, insurance, etc).  I guess it continues to be that wallstreet still has no clue about mainstreet and Republicans still have no idea who they serve.  Joe six pack doesn’t make this kind of money and neither does Joe the plumber.

So when are people going to stop letting those who, yes, who have worked just as hard as they, think that the trickle down is enough to reward the hard work of those who are in the “median”?

I know I’m preaching to the choir.  I know that I’m not telling you anything that you don’t already know but I still can’t help be find myself frustrated knowing that there are millions more who are suffering far worse than anything my own family is going through and there are people out there who think they just aren’t working hard enough.

This is the divide we face.  This is the class warfare that the right has been imposing upon the people in their quest to divide and conquer and it’s worked well until Obama made it impossible to keep lying as they do.  Nice huh?  

So we continue to fight, we continue to fight for those who don’t even agree with us but we want to fight for their rights too and their hard work so that it’s not taken and siphoned up to large corporations and industries that don’t have to follow the model the Republicans set forth.  (Oh, don’t get me started on the toll roads that most can’t afford to take asking for a billion dollar bailout).

So, I’m going to keep fighting for Orange County and for all of those who work hard everyday.  EVERDAY, no matter what it is they do.  I just ask that you help Gary and I try to retire our debt from our campaign.  

Thanks for reading.

(Written from earlier today)

So here I am at Monkey Business in Fullerton to do some phone banking for our local candidates, including for my husband Gary Pritchard, who is running for California State Senate.

The 33rd district covers a huge amount of area, including Anaheim, Anaheim Hills, Fullerton, Villa Park, Orange, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Aliso Viejo, Buena Park, Tustin, Silverado, Irvine, Santa Ana, Lake Forest, Coto de Caza and Foothill Ranch.  I like to call the district map, “Rexi”.  

The other two candidates I’m calling for are John MacMurray for Assembly and Florice Hoffman for Orange Unified School Board.  All of these are progressive Democrats working hard to help turn Orange County a bit bluer this year.

And today we also have Karen Haluza, who is a Democrat running for Fullerton City Council.  Haluza has been hit rather hard by the local Republicans in some nasty mailers.  You always know you have a chance when they start sending out the hit pieces.

This is our last great push to get the votes out for the amazing local candidates and my chance to do more than just blog on behalf of Gary’s campaign.  It’s the local campaigns that can have such a tremendous impact on the lives of voters but it can also help grow some bluer grass in the heart of a Red County.

The more Democrats that run, especially in non-partisan races, the more other Democrats feel comfortable to come out for what they believe in and to encourage others to run as proud progressive Democrats.  People need to know they have an option, even the redest of red districts.

Now the 33rd district in California is huge.  It is bigger than any of the Congressional districts in Orange County and covers over 500,000 registered voters.  The registration layout is quite discouraging as well for any Democratic candidate and it’s the reason it is so difficult to get Democrats to run in Orange County.  It is an uphill battle as they say.

So, 29% of those registered voters are Democratic, 48% Republican and 19% Declined to State.  Yes, it’s that bad.  But if Democrats don’t run then how can Democrats win?  We have to run in every seat possible, it’s how we build the party even in the very red districts like the 33rd.

Unfortunately, we still have a major expense to pay for that we’ve not yet raised enough money to do so and that’s the ballot statement.  It’s quite confusing to many to try to explain that we paid for the first half of the ballot statement in August of this year but because the Republican did not buy a ballot statement we must come up with the other $7,000 plus to cover the costs of the printing.  It’s a crazy rule and it really does help the lesser party in the area.  And that would be Democrats

So, I’m asking to help us raise the money we need to pay this ballot statement and we’re unfortunately a good five thousand dollars away from that.  Can you help?  Donate here if you can.

Gary and Charlotte!

SO, here I go, phone banking for Gary, he’s sitting next to me with his very own list calling on behalf of all these great candidates.  Every vote counts when you’ve races like these and every donation helps!

Yes we can!

Gary Paul Pritchard is a 37 year old teacher at a Community College in South LA, Cerritos Community College to be exact.  He is a tenured Professor in their Fine Arts Department, music to be more specific.  In 2006, Gary finally finished his Ph.D. in 2006, which allowed us to also purchase our first home here in South Orange County.

Gary has been the chair of his department and he recently got a grant for the Fine Arts Division, a very important grant that I think shows what an amazing legislator he has the possibility to be.

When the grant was first proposed the prior year it was rejected.  The Chair of the Fine Arts Department asked Gary to come aboard and help rewrite the grant.  He was happy to do so and this year in June, the grant was fully funded.  So what is the grant for?

Job training.  Yes, it is to help train those students who didn’t graduate from high school and have no plans to go further in their education in stage craft.  South LA is obviously very close to Hollywood and there are many jobs of this kind in the area.  The program is also working with local employers such as Disneyland.  Gary is actually walking the walk so to say.

Now the 33rd district in California is huge.  It is bigger than any of the Congressional districts in Orange County and covers over 500,000 registered voters.  The registration layout is quite discouraging as well for any Democratic candidate and it’s the reason it is so difficult to get Democrats to run in Orange County.  It is an uphill battle as they say.

So, 29% of those registered voters are Democratic, 48% Republican and 19% Declined to State.  Yes, it’s that bad.  But if Democrats don’t run then how can Democrats win?  We have to run in every seat possible, it’s how we build the party even in the very red districts like the 33rd.

Orange County is home of many of the obstructionist legislators that helped create the gridlock that happens every year when we enter budget time.  In California you must have 2/3’ds in order to raise any taxes or pass any budget.  The Republicans in Orange County see themselves as conservative warriors that battle back the wasteful spending of all those evil liberals in Sacramento.  No, really, they do.

Meet Mimi Walters, “The Taxpayer’s Hero”.  Mimi Walters handily won the primary in June and it’s thought that her trip to the Senate is guaranteed.  Some even call her “Senator-Elect” and talk about how she’s moving on up from the Assembly to the State Senate in January.  

Poor, lonely Mimi Walters.  I’ve done some research on Ms. Walters legislative record and found that in 137 votes she only voted yes five times.  FIVE TIMES.  And according to the Sacramento Bee, Mimi Walters was one of the most ineffective legislators they have.

Number crunch: The 2008 legislative year in numbers

Who passed the most bills? Who had the most vetoes? Which GOP lawmaker finished with the most new laws? Who didn’t pass anything.

We’ve got the skinny.

Fewest bills signed into law

0 – Assemblywoman Audra Strickland (R)

0 – Sen. Tom McClintock (R)

0 – Sen. Ed Vincent (D)

1 – Assemblywoman Nicole Parra (D)

1 – Assemblywoman Mimi Walters (R)

Sacramento Bee

This is why we have to run in every race, we have to challenge every Republican seat that is taken for granted because we have to challenge their ideas on the issues.  Mimi Walters blames many of our budget woes on Illegal Immigrants and high taxes.  But just like John McCain, Republicans fail to mention that just because our taxes on Corporations are high in the State doesn’t mean that those taxes are paid.  

And of course the second question is, if you hate Government so much, if you think that it is so ineffectual and useless, then why do you want so much to work in Government?  Why?  Why not stay in the private sector and do what you think you do best?

Here is a clip of Mimi Walter’s speaking to the CRA.  I think it says it all.

The odds are that Mimi Walters will win this seat.  We know the reality of the situation but Gary still chose to run and to work hard.  He has walked almost every weekend since May of this year.  Gary has been putting up his own signs for the last week, sometimes getting up as early as 3am in the morning (As told in my Diary, Three AM Phone call? Not Quite…).  Gary is working as hard as any full time employee with a five year can (Gary also volunteers in Charlotte’s classroom on Wednesday mornings!).

Daily Kos has really come through for this campaign in the generous donations that helped us pay for Gary’s ballot Statement.  But when Mimi Walters didn’t buy her ballot statement it left us holding the other half of the bill, which is $7,400!  

So, I’m back again asking for your support, Gary needs it and I know we are all stretched.  Friday we got the new coupon book for Gary’s student loans, the payment has gone up $250 at a time when we can least afford it.  I haven’t been able to cut my hours at work (Which would be helpful since I’ve been diagnosed with a chronic condition) because we are making ends meet, barely, as it is.  We understand that people are hurting, we are one of those families who have lost a tremendous amount of their equity in their home.  It’s an endless list isn’t it?  But I also know we are blessed in having two stable jobs, a roof over our head and a beautiful, healthy five year old to care for, it’s just how you look at it.  We see ourselves as one of the lucky ones.

Here is Gary’s Act Blue page.  If you can spare a few dollars it could add up here fast at Daily Kos.  Thank you.

Some other diaries I’ve written about Gary’s campaign:

Berry Gordy, MLK Jr. and Barack Obama

Please Help my Candidate, my Husband, stand up for Democrats in Orange County, CA

Candidate’s Wife, My husband’s letter to NARAL

Pat Buchanan and Gary Pritchard, Native American running for State Senate

Some photos…

One of Gary’s signs!

Charlotte and Gary…

Gary bringing a box of food to the Orange County Employee Association’s food drive this summer.

It was instead the three am alarm clock that my husband had asked me to set.  He got home last night at around 9pm from a candidate forum in Fullerton.  He hadn’t eaten dinner and was trying to figure out what to have (He wasn’t much interested in what I had made for dinner, although it was nicely packed in a tupperware container in the fridge just in case he wanted it).  He also let me know that the people who had volunteered to put his signs out were unable to do so now.

So, he asked me to set the alarm for 3am.  He had spent the afternoon attempting to put signs up but with the traffic, etc., he said it took too long.  He was going to get up and do it when there was hardly anyone on the road.

You can’t knock him for not being dedicated.

Gary Pritchard, my husband, is running for the California State Senate in the 33rd district.  He first did this to put a “D” on the ballot and then decided he would do the best he could.  It was quite an undertaking for us but why not?  

It has proven to be quite a bit for us to handle but we are doing it.  Gary works full time, as do I and we have a five year daughter.  It’s been quite a juggling act.

Gary called on Wednesday to ask if I could pick up the stakes for the signs and find a way to assemble them.  Sure!  I panicked a bit but then called the South OC Democratic Club and they were kind enough to assemble his signs.  Done.

But this morning, Gary got up at 3am to put his signs out.  I tried to go back to sleep, I know.  What kind of wife am I?  Well, I’m the kind of wife who seems to be coming down with another cold and who has health problems that tend to get worse with lack of sleep.  He understands this.

Gary got back at about 5:30 am.  To say it was a restful night would be far from the truth.  My alarm went off at 6:30 and it was time to start my day.

After showering and getting our five year old up and dressed, I came down stairs to find that Gary had made breakfast.  Biscuits (Trader Joe’s is a Godsend, they were fresh from the oven) and eggs.  Charlotte was eating away and Gary had already packed her snack for school.

I could tell he was tired.  Gary still has to teach today but he said he could get another couple of hours of sleep in before having to be at school.  And then after that he would be putting more signs up.

The 33rd district covers a huge amount of area, including Anaheim, Anaheim Hills, Fullerton, Villa Park, Orange, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Aliso Viejo, Buena Park, Tustin, Silverado, Irvine, Santa Ana, Lake Forest, Coto de Caza and Foothill Ranch.  I like to call the district map, “Rexi”.  

Gary and I spent Saturday morning putting up some of the signs with Charlotte in the car.  Now when she sees them, she screams, “I was with you when you put those up, right?”  We saw a few on the way to school and on my way to work.  I managed some blurry photos from my blackberry.  I had to get the signs while they were still up, who knows how long they’ll last.

This was the first attempt.  Um, what sign?

Not fast enough!

Too soon!

Ah, there we go!

There are a lot of signs popping up all over the County, I’m glad to see some of them belong to Gary.  I’m proud of him and for how willing he is to work hard for this even if it means we don’t see very much of him at times.

I got this with my camera phone as well.  There have been a lot of local protests in favor of Prop 8.

But I try to remember the most important thing about all of this.  Gary is doing this for Charlotte, our five year old.  She’s bright, she’s daring and she’s sweet.  

Charlotte doesn’t quite understand why anyone would care about who someone marries but then again, I don’t think she needs to understand that right now.  I just attempt to answer her questions as simply and honestly as possible.  As much as I want to shelter her from things, I know that by making no question off limits, I will hopefully help her grow to be a compassionate and caring citizen who questions authority and loves her Country very much.  The two are not mutually exclusive!

So, that was our 3 am moment.  I’m sure there will be others, weve still got two more weeks of this to go and I have to say, I’m really looking forward to November 5th.

Gary and Charlotte!

Gary Pritchard is running for California State Senate in the 33rd district.  The 33rd is located in Orange County, CA, birth place of Richard Nixon and home of John Wayne Airport and Ronald Reagan Federal Building.

The 33rd Senate District includes Anaheim, Anaheim Hills, Fullerton, Villa Park, Orange, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Aliso Viejo, Buena Park, Tustin, Silverado, Irvine, Santa Ana, Lake Forest, Coto de Caza and Foothill Ranch.

As you can see, the district is huge and covers a million people, more constituents than the State of Alaska.  And the local papers are not willing to even admit that Democratic Candidates exist.  Seriously, neither do the Republican candidates.

Republican absence kills UCI voter forum

October 8th, 2008, 4:45 pm · 1 Comment · posted by BRIAN JOSEPH, Sacramento Bureau Chief

UC Irvine planned to have a candidates forum this evening, but organizers had to cancel it when all of the Republican candidates said they couldn’t make it.

…

Quite a coincidence, huh? I’ve heard of Republicans in Illinois and Indiana ducking debates this year too. Maybe this is another example of how being Republican just ain’t a good thing this election year.

OC Register

The short article then went on to list every Republican who was invited and did not mention one Democratic candidate.  I posted the second comment to the story asking why didn’t they list the Democrats who agreed to come rather than just listing the Republicans.  My comment was removed or not approved.  It was polite and it was a very simple question.  But in admonishing the Republicans for not admitting that Democrats exist in Orange County they refused to admit their presence as well.  Talk about an uphill battle.

Local liberal blogger extraordinaire, Dan Chmielewski asked a very good question of the OC Register at the Liberal OC.  

Ever since Robert Novak was diagnosed with a brain tumor, the OC Register has been trying out a number of hard right columnists in spite of the growing purpleness of Orange County and the paper’s readership.  I’m on the record calling for them to add Paul Krugman of the New York Times as a worthy voice to the paper’s syndicated columnists.

In these trying times, wouldn’t it be good to hear from someone who’s beyond bright about economics?  Well, the Nobel committee this morning validated my rationale for my pitch to the Register by naming Krugam the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Economics.

Liberal OC

So what was the response?  Steven Greenhut had this to say,

Steven Greenhut, on October 13th, 2008 at 9:17 am Said:

Although I am not the columns editor, I might point out that we have a free-market editorial page, so we’re not likely to run a lefty economist. Our running Krugman would be similar to you – who operates a Democratic blog – to start including bloggers who were Republican partisans.

Is it just me, or does anyone else think there is a huge difference between a Newspaper opinion section and a local blog?  Yes?

No wonder no one wants to run as a Democratic Candidate in this County.  It’s just so frustrating for local Candidates that have a D on the ballot.  Gary chose to run this race because no one else was going to.  He’s a community college teacher, musician and father but he also knew that he couldn’t stand the idea of people not having a choice when entering their voting booths or opening their absentee ballots.  

So we keep going, doing what we can when can.  I work full time as well and we are not financially well off.  Many came to our aid when we needed to raise money for Gary’s ballot statement but we are a spot again since the Republican Candidate did not put up her own Ballot Statement.  That means we out the Registrar of Voters at least another $7,400.  That’s about 40% of what we’ve managed to raise so far.  The Republican Candidate has at least $200,000 on hand and will probably not spend another dime as many have already declared her the victor in the election.

So here I am, asking again for your help.  I’ve dedicated myself to a handful of projects to work for, one of them being our Five year old daughter, who is the most important of these things in our life right now, the other is getting Proposition 8 defeated, saving some dogs from being put to sleep by fostering and adopting dogs taken from high kill shelters and raising money for Gary’s election.

So here is Emma and Charlotte:

if you have no desire to donate to Gary Pritchard’s campaign, donate to this rescue to help save more dogs from being euthanized.

and here is where you can donate to Non On Prop 8 if you decided you don’t want to help Gary Pritchard.  Do something if you haven’t yet.

But if you do want to help Gary, you can donate at his Act Blue site or email me and I will be happy to send you a self addressed donation envelope.

and our other woozle, Kona.  A sweet and much older Dachshund mix.