Allen County Democratic Party

Statehouse Organization Day Report from Rep. Phil GiaQuinta

From Rep. GiaQuinta:

Organization Day

Your Indiana General Assembly lawmakers returned to the Statehouse last week to convene Organization Day and begin preparations for the 2010 session of the legislature, which is scheduled to resume on January 5 and last until the middle of March.

Organization Day is traditionally a ceremonial time, but the House leadership and members, realizing this was no time for formalities, began work on day one to try and get Indiana back on track.

Speculation that the national recession ended has yet to become fact in Indiana, and the economic downturn continues to impact your pocketbooks and the state's treasury. Lagging unemployment and declining state revenue will continue to control the path of the legislature's work.

The top priority will be to get our economy moving again through job creation and retention. There are too many Hoosiers out of work, and as of yet, there is no word from the Administration on any major job creation programs.

In an effort to get a head start on the upcoming session, the House of Representatives will be holding early hearings on five major legislative proposals. They are as follows:

Happy Thanksgiving!

We at the ACDP have much to be thankful for.  The best thing about this holiday - even better than turkey, pie and football or competitive shopping (as you wish) - is that it reminds us to give thanks for the wonderful people and many blessings in our lives.

Here's wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving.

Twofer Introduction

If you haven't had an opportunity to check out A Loyal Opposition or learn about Pete Buttigieg, candidate for State Treasurer, you can do both here.

Putting the debate in perspective

As usual, Andrew Sullivan nails it.

This sums it up:

The fantastic hypocrisy of today's Republicans - their refusal to come to terms with their own responsibility for the current fiscal crisis, their attempt to project their own profligacy onto a new administration struggling with one of the toughest economic legacies of any White House since Reagan - makes me ill. And how a man like Karl Rove can go on television complaining about the debt boggles the mind.

Well: it doesn't boggle the mind as long as you accept that he is a principle-free, ends-over-means tool.

Thanks to a friend of the blog for passing this along.

Stephen Colbert on Going Rogue

This is classic Colbert - very funny, but real food for thought as well.  Enjoy.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Grand Old Pity Party
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor U.S. Speedskating

H/T TPM

Health reform: meet the people

Keith Olbermann had a powerful segment on last night about the free health clinic that MSNBC helped organize in New Orleans.  He read a piece written by one of the show's producers which is incredibly powerful and highly recommended.

Some excerpts:

After watching for hours as the patients moved through the clinic, it was hard to believe that I was in America.

Eighty-three percent of the patients they see are employed, they are not accepting other government help on a large scale, not "welfare queens" as some would like to have us believe. They are tax-paying, good, upstanding citizens who are trying to make it and give their kids a better life just like you and me.

Ninety percent of the patients who came through Saturday's clinic had two or more diagnoses.
Eighty-two percent had a life-threatening condition such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or hypertension. They are victims of a system built with corporate profits at its center, which long ago forgot the moral imperative that should drive us to show compassion to our fellow men and women.

Health reform is not about Democrats or Republicans or who can score political points for the next election, it's about people. It's about fairness and justice in a system that knows none. I'd defy even the most hardened capitalist-loving-conservative to do what I did on Saturday and continue to pretend that the system in place right now is working.

Read the whole thing or watch the video.

Now pick up the phone and call Senator Bayh (260-426-3151 or 202-224-5623) and Senator Lugar (260-422-1505 or 202-224-4814).  Ask them to vote for real health reform with a robust public option.

Do it today.

Fallen off the wagon

People suffering from addiction often mean the promises that they make, and just as often they break those promises.  It is a sad but true symptom of the disease.

And so once again, despite promises to the contrary, your humble correspondent is drawn back into New York politics, this time attracted to the glittering lights of horserace polls in their governor's race next year.

It seems that Giuliani leads Paterson (who would even lose to Lazio), but Cuomo leads Giuliani.

So what comes next?  Perhaps a phone call from Rahm Emanuel?

Whatever it takes

Normally, your humble correspondent is not a fan of political prayer vigils, since they often reek of "God is a member of a specific political party" which is not consistent with my personal theology.

However, I am so done with Joe Lieberman that all I could do when I read this was smile.

Sam Locke for State Auditor

This morning at the monthly Breakfast Club we were joined by Sam Locke, candidate for State Auditor.  Sam is from southeastern Indiana.  He is a young military officer and has a background both in non-profit financial management and as a small business owner. 

Sam has been all around Indiana (he's put 12,000 miles on his car so far already) listening to Hoosiers.  Today, for instance, he started out in Fort Wayne and has events scheduled in Indianapolis and Evansville.

Check out his website.

New 3rd District Website is Up!

Check out the new homepage of the Indiana Third District Democrats.  It features news, candidate links, upcoming events, contact information and ways to get involved.  Looks great!