Washington County Democratic Meeting

January 8, 2104

The Washington County Democratic party met on January 8, 2014 in the Washington Public Library with 12 county Democrats present: (Richard Gilmore, Kay and Dave Ciha, Louise and Harold Frakes, Mimi Jacoby, Pete Morrison, Bob Spenner, John Greener, Merle Haige, Lorraine Williams, and Jim Gorham).

President Richard Gilmore called the meeting to order at 7:00pm. 

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 

Minutes of last month’s minutes were approved as posted on the blog. 

Kay Ciha presented the treasurer’s report that shows a balance on hand of $2522.01. This includes the $500 in the candidate fund. Bills were paid to the Washington Evening Journal and USPO box rent,

It was reported that Jack Hatch is the only Democratic candidate for Governor remaining. John Greener said he will contact Hatch and try to get him to come to Washington County.

In the Senate 39 race, Kevin Kinny has declared his candidacy. There will be a primary vote between Richard and Mr. Kinny. Harold encouraged everyone to know where each of them stands on various issues. Richard said he has a one-page handout that is supposed to be put into all caucus packets. He passed that around for all to see. In the Republican race for Senate 39, there are 2 or 3 other candidates besides Mike Moore. 

Kay has heard that County Attorney Brock may not run again and that rumor has it that Barb Edmondson may run.

John Greener ask that each of us give $10 to the Bruce Braley campaign and that each one ask 10 more people to also give $10.

There will be 2 seats for County Supervisors open this fall. They are District 3 (currently held by Steve Davis) and District 5 (currently held by Richard Young). Harold suggested we try to get Ceanne Alvine or Sally Hart to run for District 3. Merle Haige is interested in running for District 5.

January 21 will be the Caucus. All precincts except Brighton will meet at the Washington Public Library. Louise and Harold will bring punch and cake. Richard Gilmore and Robin Plattenberger will bring coffee and tea. Brighton precinct will meet at Rose Jaynes in Brighton. Everyone needs to be signed in before 7:00 pm and the caucus officially begin at 7:00 pm.

Caucus chairpersons will be W1: John Greener; W2: Terry Phillips; W3:Pete Morrison;

W4: Richard Gilmore; Wellman: Steve Maxim and Doris Park; Riverside: Les Lamping or Bob Spenner; West Chester : Harold Frakes; Brighton: Rose Jaynes; Ainsworth: Ceanne Alvine; Kalona: Not yet decided.

March 8, 2014 starting at 9:00 am will be the County Convention. It will be held in the Old Library. Delegates will be elected at the Caucus.

Under Candidate Development: Harold strongly suggested that we begin holding "Democratic Home Parties" inviting 10 people who are Democrats and encouraging them to become active in the Democratic party. At the very least we should try to get them to commit to voting.

It was moved, seconded and passed that the Washington County Democratic meeting will be moved to the second Tuesday of each month.

Meeting adjourned at 8:15. 

The next meeting will be Tuesday, February 11, 2014 at 7:00 pm in theWashington Public Library. 

After the meeting cake was served.

Respectively submitted,

Mimi Jacoby and Louise Frakes

W.J. Astore
I can’t remember where exactly, but I stumbled across this apothegm of Karl Marx:
“In every era, the ideas of the rulers are the ruling ideas.”
Striving for even more brevity, I truncated it to rulers’ ideas rule.
Contrarians of the world should unite to identify and challenge these ruling ideas. When they serve only the needs of the powerful, we should be prepared to mark them as dangerous and most likely as undemocratic. And we should work to change them.
What are some of today’s ruling ideas? I challenge you to come up with some. But on this Friday morning, here are ten that I see as ruling our lives:
1. That capitalism is the only economic system that works, and that rampant consumption is necessary to keep the economy growing.
2. Related to (1) is the idea that GDP and similar economic measures are the best measure of America’s strength.
3. That “success” in life is measured by money and titles and possessions.
4. Related to (3) is the idea that education that doesn’t end in a lucrative career is largely worthless.
5. That poor people and other disadvantaged groups are the way they are because they refuse to work.
6. That it’s absolutely necessary to spend nearly a trillion dollars a year on national defense, wars, homeland security, intelligence agencies, and nuclear weapons, all of which are justified in the name of “keeping us safe.”
7. That privatization is the way to improve everything, including public services like education, the prison system, and health care.
8. That corporate spending in elections is the equivalent to freedom of speech for individuals and is therefore protected by our Constitution as our nation’s founders intended.
9. That there’s no such thing as class warfare in the United States.
10. Related to (5), that there’s equality of opportunity for everyone in the United States, regardless of race, ethnicity, economic background, and so on. Thus those who “fail” do so because of their own failings, not because the system is rigged against them.
That’s my non-rigorous, somewhat off-the-cuff rendering of rulers’ ideas. Please add your ideas in the comments section. Contrarians of the world unite!

Washington County Iowa Democrats

Washington attorney Barb Edmondson has announced her candidacy for the office of Washington County Attorney. Edmondson served as the Washington County Attorney from August 1997 until December 2010, and also served as the assistant county attorney from October 1984 until she was appointed as the county attorney. Edmondson brings 30 years of legal and courtroom experience to the position, including 26 years of prosecuting criminal and juvenile cases and providing legal advice to county officials in Washington County. During her tenure as a county attorney in Washington County, Edmondson created or expanded several successful programs such as the bad check restitution program, which collected over $60,000 for county businesses, and the delinquent fine collection program, where the county received a percentage of the overdue fines collected. Her work as a prosecutor received recognition from the Iowa County Attorneys Association, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. She also was appointed to several state committees and boards which dealt with issues in juvenile justice, domestic violence, and child abuse. Edmondson will bring professional and fair prosecution and legal advice to the county attorney’s office. She intends to focus on the prosecution of serious crimes with appropriate sentences, protection of crime victims, and ensuring timely and accurate legal guidance for the county officials and boards. Edmondson has been an active supporter of and contributor to Washington County projects such as Community Chest, Friends of Lake Darling, the Library Foundation, and Civil Air Patrol.

Washington attorney Barb Edmondson has announced her candidacy for the office of Washington County Attorney.   Edmondson served as the Washington County Attorney from August 1997 until December 2010, and also served as the assistant county attorney from October 1984 until she was appointed as the county attorney.   Edmondson brings 30 years of legal and courtroom experience to the position, including 26 years of prosecuting criminal and juvenile cases and providing legal advice to county officials in Washington County.

During her tenure as a county attorney in Washington County, Edmondson created or expanded several successful programs such as the bad check restitution program, which collected over $60,000 for county businesses, and the delinquent fine collection program, where the county received a percentage of the overdue fines collected.   Her work as a prosecutor received recognition from the Iowa County Attorneys Association, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.   She also was appointed to several state committees and boards which dealt with issues in juvenile justice, domestic violence, and child abuse.

Edmondson will bring professional and fair prosecution and legal advice to the county attorney’s office.  She intends to focus on the prosecution of serious crimes with appropriate sentences, protection of crime victims, and ensuring timely and accurate legal guidance for the county officials and boards.

Edmondson has been an active supporter of and contributor to Washington County projects such as Community Chest, Friends of Lake Darling, the Library Foundation, and Civil Air Patrol.

I thought I would share a letter I received from Congressman Loebsack. Though it doesn't really address my concern, he was kind enough to answer.

Thank you for contacting me about health care policy. I'm honored to represent you. Your opinion is very important to me and my priority is to provide Iowa's Second District with the best representation possible. As you may know, Representative John Conyers introduced the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act, H.R. 676, on February 13, 2013. This legislation would extend Medicare eligibility to all U.S. citizens and it would establish the "Medicare for All Trust Fund" to finance the extension. This legislation is currently pending in the House Energy and Commerce Committee and I will keep your views in mind should it come before the House of Representatives for a vote. You will also be pleased to know that as part of my work on the Education and Workforce Committee, I supported an amendment during the health care reform debate that would have permitted each state to opt to provide public financing for the extension of health insurance for its residents. I understand your concerns about the importance of improving the affordability of health care. As with any bill that Congress passes and signs into law, the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is critical. You will be pleased to know, however, that as a result of the ACA in the Second District of Iowa alone, 5,400 young adults now have health insurance, 9,100 seniors have received average prescription drug discounts of $950 each in 2013, 136,000 Medicare recipients are now eligible for free preventative services, and as many as 43,000 children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied coverage by insurers. As of January 1, 2014, this protection was extended to adults with pre-existing conditions. I will continue to work to ensure that all Iowans have access to quality, affordable health care. If there is any additional information I can get for you or any help I can provide, please do not hesitate to get in touch with my Iowa City office at 319-351-0789. Thank you again for contacting me about this important issue. My office is here to assist you with any and all concerns you have, so please do not hesitate to contact me whenever you feel that I can be of assistance. I encourage you to visit my website at www.loebsack.house.gov and sign up for my e-newsletters to stay informed of the work I'm doing for you. I am proud to serve the Second District, and I am committed to working hard for Iowans.

Sincerely, Dave Loebsack Iowa's Second District

·         2014 precinct caucuses will be Tuesday, January 21 at 7:00pm.

 

·         Caucusing in 2014 is critical to Democratic victories up and down the ticket, and is the best way to be an active participant in the Iowa Democratic Party’s platform and agenda.

 

·         In 2014, we have our work cut out for us: expanding our majority in the Senate, retaking the Iowa House, electing Democrats to Congress, unseating Terry Branstad once and for all, and making sure that Bruce Braley is elected to the United States Senate.

 

·         To accomplish these goals, Democrats need to get involved early on and participate in the January 21^st caucuses.

 

·         The caucus process is one of the best organizing opportunities for the Democratic Party at the precinct level.  Participants will have the chance to meet with fellow Democratic neighbors and start building a grassroots organization.

 

·         The spirit and common purpose that the Iowa caucuses embody is a reflection of what our party stands for: coming together with friends and neighbors for all different background to fight for the values that are important to our communities and moving Iowa into the future.

 

·     

Obamacare’s Ship Has Sailed

January 3, 2014 | Author Paul Deaton

All the people waiting for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to collapse under its own weight had better find something else to do. Almost four years in, there’s no way to hop in the DeLorean, go back in time and undo the good the law has already done.

Don’t get me wrong. I expect to hear more laments and entreaties about how wrong it was for President Obama to do it, and that government is taking over health care, yada, yada, yada. Please people. Get a grip. We went through all of these arguments during the Clinton administration. When the Republican idea of filibustering health care reform to death the way Bob Dole did died, so did the idea of repealing Obamacare. If Republicans gained control of the presidency and both chambers of the legislature, how would the repeal even work three years from now? Could they go back in time and undo the mammograms already provided, the colon screenings performed, or take away the happiness people who didn’t have health insurance experienced when they got it? I suppose one Back to the Future reference is sufficient: they won’t be able to go back in time, and some form of the law is here to stay.

The ship has sailed for Obamacare, and by that I mean we are in a period of waiting to know how it will work out. The website is working. The reforms set in place are working. The number of enrollments is increasing. What seems most important about new enrollments is answering the question, what kind of medical treatment will people require? Even though part of the new fee structure includes a premium for excess insurance to cover a bad claims experience, if everyone who comes into a plan needs expensive treatment, it will skew the costs. How will that work out? We won’t know until insurance companies review the data and actuarial experience and set 2015 rates. So we wait. For the close of open enrollment on March 31, and to see the claims experience during 2014.

Josh Mitchell of Talking Points Memo has written that as enrollments increase above ten million people (not a typo, read the article), so does conservative rage. Chill dudes. Greg Sargent of the Washington Post hassuggested there are three stages of Obamacare acceptance. Get with the program.

What seems clear to me is that once people get health insurance two things will happen. First, life will return to a semblance of normal, and people will discover that having health insurance is far from a perfect situation. Conservatives will be quick to point this out, although we all know this experience is logical and predictable. Secondly, Obamacare will become the paradigm, generating new struggles to reduce government costs for Medicare, Medicaid, nutrition and other programs, while at the same time attempting to do right by the American people. We’re moving forward in the incredible storm and stress that is living in this country.

If you don’t like it, either move into a yurt, or contribute something positive to the discussion, one our country has been having since Harry Truman was president. A discussion that is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.