Galveston County Democrats Club E Letter Archives

Galveston County Democrats Club

E-LETTER ARCHIVES

E-Letter, October 3, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

Life is getting back to normal! Through the efforts of the people who live here and our leaders, we have weathered Ike. We need to move on though. The election is looming ahead of us. Ike has slowed us down, but not stopped us! It is time to get to work! We need people, but we also need to get money for our Get Out The Vote efforts. We are going to have to make up for lost time. Please, if you can, help us raise the money to get out OUR voters.

You are invited to an appreciation dinner honoring the accomplishments and contributions of Galveston County Probate Judge Gladys Burwell, Thursday, October 23, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., Wayne Johnson Pavilion at Carbide Park, 4102 FM 519, La Marque. Invitation/RSVP

Due to Hurricane Ike's visit we will have to Postpone Our Rally on the Island! We will be working to reschedule it. We will let you know any updated information. Everyone! Stay safe!

E-Letter, September 7, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

I know that you all have been following what is going on with John McCain! We found out who his Vice President pick is. This is supposed to be the first test of a president's judgment and he failed it.

Sarah Palin is a person who has little experience, and what she does have doesn't look good. She is the Queen of Earmarks even though she says she isn't. When she became mayor, the town was in the black. She left it with about $20 million in debt and increased taxes. This is just a sample of what has come out in less than a week. The problem is that John McCain didn't vet her. Also see

I think that this raises questions about John McCain's judgment and how he makes decisions. He is impulsive and rash. He shoots from the hip without thinking about the consequences. Do we need this?

Sarah Palin was disparaging community organizers at the convention. Well! We are all community organizers. Every time you register someone to vote or get a group together to change something in you community, you are an organizer. Here are a few organizers to think about: Go to

So let's do some community organizing!

Obama/Voter Registration Rally

This Sunday, September, 14, 2008

Starting at 1:30pm

It is going to be in Kempner Park at 2704 Ave O Galveston

Spread the word to your neighbors throughout the county.

To help or for info Contact: (409) 763-6866 mkcasey@yahoo. com

We are going to have our final organizing meeting, tomorrow, Monday September 8, 2008 starting 1:00 pm at the Island HQ, 1124 25th St., Galveston. For more information contact me at 409-763-6866

I hope to see you there!

E-Letter, August 24, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

We all know who Senator Obama's running mate is by now! Senator Joe Biden! He is a guy with a compelling story. An Irish Catholic (I like that!) from a working class family, he was one of the youngest persons to ever be elected to the Senate. He also has overcome personal tragedy.

Biden also belongs to that special wealthy man's club, the Senate. He ranks 100th in the wealth ranking of U.S. Senators. For someone who has been in the Senate for over 30 years, he hasn't gotten rich. [See related article] Biden's a scraper too. This is from George Stephanopolous: THE BUZZ -- ABC's George STEPHANOPOULOS, to Kate SNOW on "Good Morning America Weekend": "I have never seen a vice-presidential candidate, in the announcement, come out with THAT KIND of ferocity. Usually, you see it a little bit later in the campaign – not at the announcement. But Joe Biden showed one of the main reasons that Barack Obama picked him. They WANTED a scrapper out there. They WANT a fighter out there. They know Senator Biden will be able to get UNDER Senator McCain's skin. They've known each other for an AWFUL long time – more than 35 years. As one Obama aide told me yesterday, "We know that Joe Biden can go out there with a 2-BY-4 if he has to."

Biden calls his wife of thirty years drop dead gorgeous. Here is a taste of Jill Biden. Jill Biden and Michelle Obama are going to form a wives club to get their husbands elected. Check out the photo. Notice how they look like normal people. Now it is time for the Convention. Our own Lee Medley is a delegate. I am hoping to get some updates from Thomala Walker as to what is going on.

Here is the schedule of speakers [Go there]. Hope this helps keep you on track.

I don't know if you have been keeping up with the Daily News lately, but on Friday, I brought the paper in and saw this article. It was front page above the fold. John LeCour is the stooge that Cheryl Johnson got elected as Republican County Chair. She really is in charge of things. This was a disgrace. We attacked back and sent in 5 letters to the editor.

Here's Michael Smith's editorial. I loved the last part of it. Because, "while LeCour's name was on the news release, Johnson's fingerprints were all over the effort." Here is the original letter that John LeCour sent in. This shows me that the County Republicans are going to fight dirty this election. They are desperate to keep Cheryl Johnson's and Lonnie Cox's seats. And they are worried that they are going to lose Mike Jackson's seat. How do I know this? I was at Hitchcock `Good Old Days'. Mike Jackson was there. I have NEVER EVER seen him out campaigning in the 13 years I have lived here. So, they came after Matt Crowder; they are going to come after Susan Baker and Joe Jaworski. We need to be prepared with our Letters to the Editor. We have people who will do it but we need more people. Last week we sent in 9 letters to the editor. If you can help us get letters into the paper, let me know. WE NEED YOU! We are also doing a phone bank for Chris Bell on September 2nd, Tuesday, to identify supporters on the Island. We will be calling out of both the Island office and the Texas City office. The time is from 5 to 7 pm and 7 to 9 pm. Let's help send Chris Bell along with Joe Jaworski to Austin!

We are going to be pretty busy this week too. Here are the events:

Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 7:00 pm, Grace Edwards and Sonia Hernandez will be hosting a big house party for Judge Susan Baker. The address is 121 Saint Cloud, Friendswood. The event begins at 7:00 p.m. If you get lost, please call 281-992-0321. Let's really turn out big for this event!

North Galveston County Democrats Club will meet on August 27th starting 7:00 PM at the Dickinson Senior Center 2714 Hwy 3 (corner of Hwy 3 & 28th Street), Dickinson. Join them for pizza and drinks and watch the Democratic National Convention. Watch Senator Joe Biden accept the Democratic nomination for Vice President of the United States. President Bill Clinton is also going to speak. A representative from the Galveston County Tax Assessor's office will be available to deputize those who would like to become Deputy Voter Registrars.

On August 28, go watch Senator Obama's acceptance speech at the following great locations:

Now is The Time / Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 7:00 PM, Barcena's, 11013 Delaney Road, in the Outlet Mall, La Marque.

Join Galveston County Mainland Democrats at Home of Mary Jones (Friendswood, TX) 602 Park Lane Friendswood, 281-648-4564 RSVP: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/conventionwatchparty/gpgdbf

Join us on Thursday, August 28th at the Spot on the Seawall to watch Barack Obama's Acceptance Speech. The Spot has the best hamburgers and onion rings around. Large Screen TV. Democratic bumper stickers lining the Seawall will be very impressive. "Partieeeee" All Democrats are now supporting Barack Obama. Now let's prove it. The press will be informed about this so we need lots of Democrats.

The Grand Opening of Galveston Election Headquarters will be on August 30th from Noon to 2 pm. It's located at 1124 25th St., Galveston. It's and Ice Cream Social. We'll be serving Root Beer Floats and ice. Come meet our great local and County candidates. Joe Jaworski, Judge Baker, Matt Crowder, Freddie Poor, Laura Ewing, Stephen Holmes. Check out the office. Find out how you can help elect Democrats from the White House to the Courthouse. Matt Crowder is having a Candidates Rally on August 31st, at the Eagles Lodge on Bolivar Peninsula from 4:00-7:00 PM. Come and show our support for Matt! Now that we have gotten into election season, we are going to need everyone's help. We now have 3 offices open in the county [See HOME page for addresses and phone numbers] Please give them a call to ask how you can help! With the convention going on, we are trying to keep the Island Office open for a few hours everyday this week. We need some one to help staff the office Thursday afternoon. If you can help, let me know.

E-Letter, August 17, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

I want to talk about how important it is that we work on getting Democrats elected from the White House to the Courthouse. Where to start, that is the question. Then I read Sunday's Daily News and saw this article: School finance system breaking districts' budgets.

A couple of snippets:

District officials say there are two aspects of the school finance system that are causing budget problems — the so-called Robin Hood system, which forces "property-wealthy" districts to send money back to poorer schools, and a state funding formula called "target revenue," which hasn't changed since 2006. House Bill 1, passed in 2006, froze the level of funding that districts receive per student so it doesn't take into account rising costs such as fuel, utilities and insurance.

I guess the powers that be (Republicans) forgot about inflation. And if I recall correctly, we were already experiencing problems with gas prices.

State Sen. Mike Jackson said legislators tried last year to equalize state funding for all school districts but found it was difficult to do so. Because the state is so diverse, it's difficult to find a solution that solves funding needs for the state's richest and poorest school districts, Jackson said. When the legislative session convenes in 2009, Jackson said he would push for appropriations for districts to pay for rising fuel, utility and insurance costs.

Mike Jackson couldn't do anything about the Windstorm Insurance Program. He won't do anything about this.

We had a chance to change in 2005, but didn't. State Rep. Scot Hochberg had this to say at the time: The system is broken. We had a chance to change it in 2005, but people like Tom Craddick and What started with bold pronouncements to "drive a stake through the heart" of the "Robin Hood" system of public school finance in Texas has deteriorated into closed-door discussions among state leaders about whether to do anything at all. That is because, despite all the rhetoric, Robin Hood is not the real problem with the way we finance our schools.

Robin Hood is a scapegoat for school district boundaries that separate large industrial plants from the schools their workers' children attend, or that isolate million-dollar homes from schools educating the populations around them. Some district lines are accidents of history. Others were intentionally drawn to create property tax breaks for special interests. One way or another, it's not Robin's fault.

Robin Hood is also the scapegoat for the state not maintaining its share of school funding. Most of the growth in appraisals that homeowners have experienced has been used to reduce the state's share of school funding not to increase school budgets. Now schools need more money and taxpayers need relief but there's nothing left in state coffers. If your car stops running because you didn't buy gas, don't blame the car.

This why we need to work at electing Democrats. The Republicans don't have a clue on how to do things. They were supposed to fix the finance rule -- instead we got a tax cut. We still have problems paying to educate our kids. What kind of state will we have. They did this with deregulation of electricity and tuition. We used to have some of the lowest electricity rates in the country. Now they are some of the highest. Tuition has doubled.
Republicans are not interested in serving the needs of Texans. Only in pushing forward their ideological agenda.

We need to help our candidates get elected! There are things that you can do.

Sobie Malik wants to get the young vote out, so let's help her! If you have kids or grandkids who want to do something to make a difference this election, get them to go to Sobie's Under 21 Campaign Facebook site. Even young people under 18 can make a difference by getting others to go vote!

We will are setting up a voter registration drive on the Island. We have a lot of Democrats here. We are going to use a two-prong approach: Set up in high traffic areas such as grocery stores and go door to door in apartment complexes.

We are going to try to get someone from the Tax Assessor's Office to come to the Island Campaign Headquarters to deputize people as voter registrars — hopefully, on August 30th right before our Grand Opening. If you want to be part of this or get deputized, please email me.

We now have 3 offices open in the county:
Galveston HQ 1124 Rosenberg (25th St) at Ave L (409) 763-6866
Texas City HQ 825 25th St. (Logan) (409) 945-5711
Dickinson HQ 2404 FM 517 E (832) 415-4490

Please give them a call to ask how you can help!

Some upcoming events in the next week and a half:

Freddie Poor, Candidate for Sheriff, is having a Kick-Off at Haak Winery in Santa Fe. It's from 2:00-5:00 PM. Cajun food will be served. They are having the PeeWee Bowen Band. I heard that they are great and that PeeWee is a good Democrat!

Join us on Thursday, August 28th, at the Spot on the Seawall to watch Barack Obama's Acceptance Speech. The Spot has the best hamburgers and onion rings around. Large screen TV. Democratic Bumper stickers lining the Seawall will be very impressive. "Partieeeee." All Democrats are now supporting Barack Obama. Now let's prove it. The press will be informed about this so we need lots of Democrats to be there.

E-Letter, August 10, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

This week, I want to talk to about the County Tax Assessor race. I had been doing it for awhile. I have been seeing Cheryl Johnson signs pop up here and there. The black and white ones. They have a scissors and say that Cheryl Johnson can cut your taxes. It got me to thinking about Cheryl and the past four years that she has been the Tax Assessor. It has been a rocky 4 years. Missed deadlines with mailing out tax bills and voter registration cards. The Motor Vehicle Voter registration process being screwed up. Making numbers fit her personal agenda. These are just a few things.

I do want to say one thing. She has some absolutely great people working for her like Dominique Allen. However, when you have problems with process and systems, 99% of the time, it is a management problem. It shows a basic lack of understanding of what the job requires. And no matter how hard the staff tries, if the leader is not with it, there are problems. It dawned on me that Cheryl doesn't understand what her job requires. She thinks that it has something to do with taxes. So she decided that meant cutting them. Well guys, the Tax Assessor has nothing to do with cutting taxes.

The Galveston CAD is the entity that can lower your taxes. Tax rates are set by your city council, the county commissioners, and the state legislature. The Tax Assessor is a purely administrative job. The Tax Assessor is responsible for the smooth running of that office and its many processes. That person ensures that rules and regulations are followed. That deadlines are met. That is the job. The scissors on her sign are purely decoration. They have no meaning.

I am also concerned by the fact that Cheryl is a member of The Americans for Prosperity. This is a ding bat group that wants to privatize Social Security. Hates the CHIP program. They think that electricity deregulation is a success. Do you want this?

Well, we have a great choice in Matt Crowder. He has held office before. He is also a successful business man, with a lucrative business. He has worked in management, so he will understand what the job is and how to work with people. And he will make sure that the office is run in accordance to the rules and regulations set by the state. We need to get out there and help him get elected. Read the message he gave me and get out there to help him!

MATT CROWDER WILL BE YOUR NEXT TAX ASSESSOR-COLLECTOR WITH YOUR HELP!

To make a real change, Matt needs your help now.

There are direct mailers to mail, TV commercials to telecast and door hangers to hang...and that doesn't even include Early Voting and Election Day activities for some 100 voting precincts in Galveston County. Matt needs your help in the form of volunteers and contributions.

From Matt: "PayPal makes it easy to contribute what you can, when you can. Just look for the "contribution " tab on my website and be a part of the Team. With your contribution of $25, $50, $100 or more, will make us successful on November 4th. A copy of the mailers and a schedule of the tentative advertising dates, can be e-mailed to you! Welcome to the Matt Crowder Team! And thank you for your support."

There is a lot going on this month. Also, we had our meeting last Wednesday night at the Galveston Campaign Headquarters. We actually got a mailing done there. This office is so much larger than the one we had in 2006. It was great. We are going to limit our office hours to Friday and Saturday, Noon to 5 PM, until Labor Day. Then we will be open full time. We will be doing some special projects through out the month.

We will be having an Obama Speech Watch, Thursday, August 28th starting at 7 PM. It will be at The Spot at 33rd and Seawall Boulevard in Galveston. We will have the upstairs room with the large screen TV. I thought that it would be cool to watch it that way and we can get the full effect. Please join us.

E-Letter, August 3, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

Things are really starting to get going for this election season. We are in our office now! And we aren't the only ones opening an office! The North County/Neighborhood are starting now too. Their HQ is located at 2404 FM 517 East in Dickinson. HQ phone number is 832-415-4490. Give them a call to see how you can help.

Right now, there are a lot of angry people. They are realizing that they have been bamboozled. For 30 years, we have lived with Reaganomics. We have heard that unions were destroying America. That Free Trade was the answer to all our problems. People now know that is all hogwash. For six of the last years, the Republicans had complete control of Congress. They pushed every bad policy they could. They have loosened laws and regulations that protect people who work for a living. They have gutted agencies that protect Americans. What have we gotten? Stagnating wages while corporate profits soared. More people living in poverty. Good paying jobs with benefits being shipped overseas. The jobs that are being created pay less and more than likely don't have benefits. These articles [about Walmart] hit a chord with a lot of people. And they show why we don't want McCain to be our next president.

My Dad always said that two things built the middle class: the GI bill and unions. Without them, we wouldn't have come this far as a country. McCain fought the new GI bill and then when it looked like it would pass with a veto-proof majority, he didn't show up for the vote.

John McCain is a supporter of free trade. He despises unions. And willingly votes to weaken employee protections. Big multinational corporations love him. He is their guy.

These big multinational corporations are sweating bullets. They know that if we get a Democratic president, the Employee Free Choice Act will be passed. Did you know that about 60% of Americans would join a union if they could? We also would see these trade agreements looked at and changed. We would see work rules enforced. With McCain, you would get a continuation of Bush. Some people say that he would be like Bush on steroids.

E-Letter, July 30, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

We had a busy week! We are getting there with the office. The electricity is on and the telephones are in. We got some furniture this weekend. There is more stuff we could use and I will send out a new wish list. Don’t forget that we have our meeting next week on August 6th. It’ll be at the office, so come and check it out.

We also had our reception for Joe Jaworski and Chris Bell. There were a ton of people there! I met people from all over the area including Houston. There is excitement in the air. We need to do everything that we can to help get our candidates elected.

Here are experts weighing in about the races.

Just to remind you about Joe: Joe Jaworski-----Doing what is right!/. Joe and John Dean talking about Watergate. Texas Labor Backs Jaworski. The Sierra Club endorses Joe! The Galveston Municipal Police Association endorses Joe!.

Some of our other candidates to support: Chris Bell, Judge Susan Baker, Freddie Poor, Matt Crowder, Rick Noriega . Check them out. They are great candidates and need our help.

Speaking about needing help! The Neighborhood Democrats would really appreciate contributions to the RAFFLE BASKET and the RETIREMENT BASKET for Gean Leonard. They need as many items as possible, as soon as possible to begin putting the baskets together.

THIS IS NOT A SILENT AUCTION - WE DON'T NEED BASKETS - JUST THINGS TO PUT IN THE TWO THAT WE ARE MAKING....THE MORE WE GET - THE BIGGER THE BASKET - THE MORE MONEY WE CAN MAKE ON THE RAFFLE. All types of items are needed for both baskets....wine, whiskey, things to go with wine and whiskey : -) gift certificates, gift cards to local restaurants or other establishments. Democratic memorabilia will work, too. Please contact Kathryn Lanan.

We will be having our regular club meeting on Wednesday, August 6th, starting at 7 pm. It will be at the Headquarters located at 1124 Rosenberg (25th Street). Come and check it out. Also, find out how you can make a difference in the 2008 election season. The Executive Committee meeting starts at 6:15 pm. Everyone is invited.

E-Letter, July 19, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

We are definitely in election season! I have added some new events below. Check them out. Our biggest one is the reception for Joe Jaworski and Chris Bell this week. Please join us to show them our support. Heck! Bring a friend!

There were lots of interesting tidbits this week:

Here is a chart comparing McCain's tax cut proposals vs. Obama's. Notice how much goes to the super wealthy with McCain.

State of Play from Texas Monthly talks about some of our candidates. Chris Bell and Joe Jaworski. And Laura Ewing is singled out for her race against David Bradley. She is the only one in all the SBOE races. Hmmm. Article

Events in the County and there are lots!

Freddie Poor, Candidate for Sheriff, is having a Hometown Kick-Off at Haak Winery in Santa Fe on August 23 from 2:00-5:00 PM. There will be Cajun food. Yummm! The PeeWee Bowen Band will be playing.

The Neighborhood Democrats are having a Roast of Gene Leonard on August 10 from 2:00-5:00 PM at Walter Hall Park in League City. Cost is $25. This is their fundraiser for the election season office. Please support them.

The Galveston Island Election Office will have its Grand Opening on August 30. The location is 1124 Rosenberg. Details to follow.

Matt Crowder will have a candidate rally on August 31 on Bolivar Peninsula at the Eagles Lodge from 4:00-7:00 pm. Details to follow.

You are cordially invited to The AFL-CIO Labor Day Breakfast, Monday, September 1, Walter Hall Park, 9:30 a.m. If you can make it, please RSVP to Lee Medley.

There will be a Labor Council Meeting, Monday, September 8 at the USW Hall,Texas City. It starts at 7:00 PM.

We will be having an Obama Rally on Galveston Island September 14 at Kempner Park. We are using it for a voter registration drive. We will have bands, hot dogs, booths. Kid stuff. As of now, Congressman Al Green and State Representative Dr. Alma Allen will be speaking. The time is 1:30-5:00 PM. I will let you know more as it comes in.

Do you remember Congressman Honda? Well, he is coming to visit us on September 28 at Peppers restaurant. I don't have all the information but will get it out to you when I do. The time is TBA.

Come meet Judge Susan Baker, Matt Crowder, Joe Jaworski, Freddie Poor, and others on Sunday, October 5 in Bayou Vista at the MUD building at 2929 Highway 6. Details to follow.

Chris Bell is announcing that he is running for SD 17. Now we have two great Senators to send to Austin next year! Come join us at a Reception for Candidates for Texas Senate in Galveston County: Joe Jaworski SD11 and Chris Bell SD17, on July 24, 2008, from 5:30-7:00 PM at the Galveston Yacht Club.

E-Letter, July 12, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

This was supposed to be the week that John McCain re-launched his campaign. The week he was going to focus on his wonderful plans for the economy. The best laid plans of mice and men. Article

We are now a bunch of whiners. Our problem isn’t that the cost of health care, food, and gas are going up. That wages falling or stagnating. It’s all in our heads. We are in a mental recession. Just buck up! Who do you believe? Me or your lying eyes? And the media is the problem. They shouldn’t report the news. Only the happy stuff. McCain better start working at catapulting that propaganda. Article

And even if John McCain disowned Gramm, they are joined at the hip about economics. Article

Realize, that Phil Gramm is the primary architect of McCain’s economic plan.

Gramm on the Minimum Wage:

“Minimum wage laws tend to cut the bottom rung off the economic ladder. The plain truth is there should be no minimum wage law in this great land of free enterprise.” — Gramm, 5/17/89

It is Phil Gramm’s policies that have caused the pickle that we are in right now. Article

We need to let everyone know about the real John McCain. Please send all the above information to everyone you know. People need to start thinking about what a President McCain would bring us. He just doesn’t get it.

There will be a Blockwalk with Joe Jaworski on Monday, July 14, It starts at 5:30 PM with an orientation and assignment at 17300 Saturn Lane, Houston (Webster),

Come join us at a Reception for Candidates for Texas Senate in Galveston County: Joe Jaworski SD11 and Chris Bell SD17, on July 24, 2008 from 5:30-7:00 PM, at The Galveston Yacht Club

Freddie Poor, Candidate for Sheriff is having a Hometown Kick-Off @ Haak Winery in Santa Fe on August 23th from 2:00-5:00 PM, There will be Cajun food. Yummm! The PeeWee Bowen Band will be playing.

The Neighborhood Democrats are having a Roast of Gene Leonard on August 10th from 2-5 pm at Walter Hall Park in League City. Cost is $25. This is their fundraiser for the election season office. Please support them.

The Galveston Island Election Office will have its Grand Opening on August 30th. The location is 1124 Rosenberg. I will have more details soon.

Matt Crowder will have a candidate rally on August 31st on Bolivar at the Eagles Lodge from 4-7 pm. More details to follow.

We will be having an Obama Rally on Galveston Island September 14th at Kempner Park. We are using it for a voter registration drive. We will have bands, hot dogs, booths. Kid stuff. As of now, Congressman Al Green and State Representative Dr. Alma Allen will be speaking. The time is 1;30-5 pm. I will let you know more as it comes in.

Do you remember Congressman Honda? Well, he is coming to visit us on September 28th at Peppers restaurant. I don’t have all the information, but will get it out to you when I do.

I will be having another e letter coming out about the office.

E-Letter, July 5, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

This week, I am going to do a little rant. I know that everyone is following the arguments on the Offshore Drilling issue and McCain's flip-flop on it. We are hearing that if only we allowed more off shore drilling, our problems would disappear. It ain't that simple. There is more to it than what we are being told. First off, it is not a ban on oil drilling. It is a moratorium on giving the oil companies more leases. Article

Most of the oil resources that are there are already available to the Big Oil companies. 4/5's of the offshore acres. 68 million acres. And they are just sitting on it. This Op-Ed sums it up very nicely. Article

The Big Pander to Big Oil

Even if Big Oil got 100% of the oil resources that Bush wants to give them, it would change very little. They are sitting on a lot of resources. Not doing anything to get what is there. Do you think that they are going to do anything if they get all the possible resources? I think not. And even if they did.....

Offshore Drilling would do little to decrease the cost at the pump. Article

Arctic Drilling wouldn't do much Article

We also have to face the fact of the Devaluation of the dollar and the cost of Oil. People think that all the oil that is drilled here would stay here. That is not how it works with corporations. It would go on the world oil market. We would be bidding with everyone else. And paying in our dollars. The oil would still be expensive. Article

And finally, oil is bought and sold in the commodities market. In about 2000, Senator Phil Gramm got a bill passed that stopped any significant oversight of the commodities market. It's called the Enron loophole, because this allowed Enron to bid up electricity prices at will. Enron made billions. This was a big reason why the real estate market went bust. There are some people in congress, who is trying to stop this.

Closing the Enron Loophole Article

“About an equal percentage of Republicans and Democrats qualified as ‘likely voters.’ This outcome that suggests unusually high enthusiasm among Democrats, as, “Republicans typically have a party identification edge over the Democrats on Election Day,” according to Shaw. “The Democrats need to maintain this greater intensity to be competitive in 2008.”

If the loophole is closed, it is predicted that oil could come down 20-50%. Bush is of course threatening to veto it.

So there you have it in a nutshell. Our oil problem is a lot more complicated. There are many factors that have come together to put us in the fix we are in. We need to develop a real energy plan. We are not going to get that until Bush is gone. If McCain becomes President, it will be the same thing. We need change.

This is an issue that impacts the entire economy. Our country. Nothing has been done to address this. Until we do, we will continue to see prices go up. We will continue to be at the mercy of Big Oil. It will continue to hurt the average person and our small businesses. Remember, small businesses create 70% of all jobs, so we need to go to bat for them.

I'm done!

E-Letter, July 3, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

Happy Fourth of July Everyone!

Some neat quotes for the day:

"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." ~ Abraham Lincoln

"Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." ~ Adlai Stevenson

"There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America." ~ William J. Clinton

"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism." ~ Erma Bombeck

And remember:

The Galveston Island Parade starts at 8:30 am with decorating, Line up is at 9 am and the parade starts at 10 am. The location is at 28th and Santa Fe next to the R.R. Museum.

Chris Quintero is doing a Bush/McCain Challenge at the Texas City Dike (at the park) at 4:00 PM Why don't you go and check out how much you know about McCain? There will be fireworks, large waterfront park with plenty of picnic tables, a protected swimming area, musical entertainment, game area, many walking trails

Have a safe July 4th.

Now for some news. Rick Noriega has had a great week! First off, Rick Noriega wins Senator Barbara Boxer’s PacForChange! candidate change. He will receive $2,500. Then she will get her supporters to contribute to his campaign. Thanks for everyone’s help.

Some good news for both Rick and Obama:

LYCEUM POLL REPORTS OBAMA TRAILING McCAIN BY 5, NORIEGA TRAILS CORNYN BY 2.
Methodology indicates Republicans and Democrats at parity. The Texas Lyceum today released another piece of the poll we first reported yesterday. This one confirmed other polling showing likely voters responding the country was heading in the wrong direction and other questions that could be problematic for Republicans and incumbents.

Buried in the release were some startling numbers at the top of the Texas ballot. According to the Lyceum poll, McCain leads Obama by only five points and Cornyn is only two points ahead of Noriega.

The release says: “The poll also tested how Texans feel about the upcoming November political contests. Among likely voters, 43% said they would support Arizona Senator John McCain for President if the election were held today and 38% would support Illinois Senator Barack Obama. One in six (17%) remain undecided.

“Incumbent U.S. Senator John Cornyn leads Democratic challenger Rick Noriega by a slim margin of 38% to 36%, but 24% have not decided yet which candidate they will support.

“About an equal percentage of Republicans and Democrats qualified as ‘likely voters’. This outcome that suggests unusually high enthusiasm among Democrats, as, “Republicans typically have a party identification edge over the Democrats on Election Day,” according to Shaw. “The Democrats need to maintain this greater intensity to be competitive in 2008.”

The wording of the release suggests that the historical Republican advantage of 9 or so points in Texas may have evaporated leaving the two parties at rough parity. If true, that is the real story to come from this study.

Although Democrats have clearly come back to life in Texas and have a good shot at gains in both the House and Senate, there is little evidence to date that they are close in a statewide contest. Stories from major dailies cited in our NewsClips this morning indicate that the Obama camp does not see parity in Texas although it will try to help local Democrats exploit some down-ballot opportunities.

This is the THIRD INDEPENDENT poll showing both Rick and Obama within single digits of their opponents!

And Good News For Texas!

Obama is actually going to staff up in Texas for the election What he wants to do is help with the down ballot races. Turn us purple.

E-Letter, June 29, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

Hi Everyone!
Last week was a sad week for us. Our Mary McLaine is moving up to Pasadena. Mary Mac has been a big part of our community. Our Wise Woman. The person you can always count on. We had a lunch for her on Monday at the Island Breeze. We had a good turnout for her. Thanks for coming to wish her well. We will miss Mary, but she has promised to visit us from time to time. And I know that given time, Mary is going to be busy with politics up in Pasadena.

So, we are going to have a big week. All I can say is Happy 4th of July!

To start, the Galveston County Democrats Club will be having our Annual July 4th Potluck Dinner this Wednesday, July 2nd. Come join fellow Democrats in celebrating the birth of our Nation. Bring your favorite dish. Bring a friend! The location is the Boilermakers Union Hall #132, 2930 I-45, La Marque, Texas. (Exit #10, Building on northbound side of freeway.) The time is 7:00 PM.

Then, on July 4th, we are going to have some parades to go to.

Johnny says we need someone with a pick up (wired with a hitch) to pull the trailer. Please let him know if you can help with this.

The Galveston Island Parade starts at 8:30 am with decorating, Line up is at 9 am and the parade starts at 10 am. The location is at 28th and Santa Fe next to the R.R. Museum.

If this or Friendswood is too far, we need people to organize the Texas City parade. Let Johnny know if you can help.

With all the parades, we need decorators. float riders, candy, and beads. Our theme is Patriotic: Red, White and Blue (Dress accordingly). Please come and join us for some fun!

Laura Ewing, our candidate for SBOE is going to walk the Galveston Island parade this year. She needs people to help her walk it with her. She is going to be handing out literature to people. Please give her a hand.

Also, we need people who have Susan Baker shirts to wear them. We have got to make sure that people know that they have a choice. Her or Lonnie Cox. My choice is Susan!

E-Letter, June 15, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

We had a great meeting this month. A good turn out. Dominique Allen from the Tax Assessor's Office came and talked about voter registration. What we can do and what we can’t. Then nine people were sworn in as voter registrars. We are ready to go! If you are interested in getting involved with voter registration, let me or Johnny Shelton know.

We also have a campaign office for the Election Season. It is located on the Island at Rosenberg and Avenue L. It was the old Wreath Company. It is much larger than our last office. And it’s within our budget! We will be able to get into it on July 15.

We are also planning another fundraiser on August 30 at the office. It is going to be an ice cream social. More details to come.

E-Letter from Club President Marcey Casey

Just to remind everyone: June 19 is Juneteenth. For anyone new to the area, Juneteenth commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas. The holiday originated in Galveston, Texas; for more than a century, the state of Texas was the primary home of Juneteenth celebrations. It is spreading to other states. There are 26 states that celebrate Juneteenth. There is a movement to make it a national holiday.

We are going to be part of the parade on Thursday June 19, 2008. Decorating begins at 9: 30 am. Lineup is 10:00 am. Parade Starts at 11:00 am at 25th and Ave. H in Galveston. We need people there to help. If you can’t be there, could you help out by donating candy or beads?

Freddie Poor is also going to be there. He needs volunteers to help. So if you can, we need to help our next Sheriff!
Some other goings on that day:

The Annual Emancipation Proclamation Reading and free prayer breakfast, Starting at 8:30 am at Ashton Villa, 2300 Broadway, Galveston.

Reedy Chapel’s annual free march, musical and reception Starting at 6 p.m., from Old Galveston Courthouse on 21st and Sealy Avenue to Reedy Chapel A.M.E. Church, 2015 Broadway, Galveston.

Loretta Davis has set up a Unity Action Breakfast - REGISTER GALVESTON COUNTY on Saturday, June 21, from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM at Taqueria El Jaliciense - Meeting Room 2013 Palmer Hwy (HEB parking lot, behind Blockbuster), Texas City. Coffee provided. BYOB: Buy Your Own Breakfast if you are hungry.

We want to reach out to supporters of the former candidates for President and ask them to join us.
We'll talk about registering local Democrats and new voters. We'll talk about how to get all the groups registering Democrats together under the umbrella of the Democratic Party. That way we can make sure we don't miss registering anyone.

We need our new voters to vote straight ticket!!!! President Obama will need Democrats in all positions to affect change. We'll have lot of FUN! Bring your ideas. We need everyone and we need new ideas. Let's get out of that BOX!

For more info, please contact Loretta Davis 409-771-3162 or 281-559-1456 or via email.

E-Letter, June 8, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

This was a big week in Texas! Our State Party convention! Well, for all those who went, I hope that you had a great time and raised a lot of hell! Our own Loretta Davis was elected to the female slot for SDEC. Woo Hoo! Way to go! She will do a great job. Joe Parra from Brazoria was elected for the male position.
We canceled last week's meeting, but rescheduled it for this Wednesday, June 11. It starts at 7:00 pm. We should have a lot of good stories from the people who went to the convention. It will be held at the Boilermakers Union Hall on the I-45 feeder road off Exit 10. We hope see you there.
For people who live in League City don't forget that we have the run off for city elections. Neil Baron is in a run off for city council and Chris Mallios for mayor. They are both competent and would help to move League City in a better direction. Get out there and vote! Call a friend and get them to vote.

About Chelsea Clinton. My husband and often talk about how she is a kid that turned out well. Think the Bush twins if you doubt me. From YouTube

E-Letter, June 1, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

This has been a really busy week. First thing was our Peace Vigil. We had a great turnout. We are doing this again and I will let you know when.

The Galveston County Democrats had the fundraiser on Thursday. There was a great turnout. We learned a lot about some of our great judges. And Grand Prize barbeque was great as usual. Many thanks to Kathryn Lanan for organizing everything. She kept everyone in line (we can get a little rowdy) and made it fun too.

Yesterday, Laura Ewing had her campaign kick off for State Board of Education. The turnout was a great. Laura was fantastic in relaying why she is running. A lot of democrats were there. More impressive were that there were a number of republicans. Ann Reid, the hostess is one. I think that people realize that we have a problem with our educational system and want to do something about it. I am going to write about this next week.

This week is a big week! The Texas Democratic Party convention starts this Thursday. If you need some information go to http://www.txdemocrats.org/.

It looks like this is going to be a pretty special year. An article from the Chronicle.

I won’t be there, but I will be thinking of you. Please go, learn a lot, and most of all have fun! Take plenty of pictures too!

A couple of weeks ago, I talked about how important it is to elect judges. I got a pretty positive response from that. I want to get people to think about our candidates for county and statewide offices. These races might not be as exciting as the presidential race, but these positions have a greater, more immediate impact on our lives.

By now, you probably know that I like David Sirota. Here he is on The Colbert Report talking about this very topic.

One such race that is really important is Joe Jaworski for Senate District !! Right now, our State Senator is Mike Jackson. He has won Texas Monthly’s “Furniture” award. Meaning that he just sits there and does nothing.

This last session, he along with republican Rep. Smithee were charged to deal with our windstorm insurance problem. Smithee railroaded him into doing nothing. This after pushing through the mold remediation bill in 2005. This was nothing, but a give-away to insurance companies.

Mike Jackson is also one of big polluters' biggest friends.

Also, Mike Jackson voted yes on the TransTexas Corridor. This is another giveaway and this time to a Spanish corporation.

We don’t need a person like Mike Jackson. We need to help him retire. Joe Jaworski is the person who will do that. He will go to bat for us! The average Texan. Not special interest groups like big insurance and foreign corporations. Joe believes that now is the time for change in Texas. Get back to being the Great State of Texas. Since George Bush and the republicans have taken control we have seen an increase in pollutions, sky rocketing increases in our electricity rates, increased insurance rates, and much more.

There is another reason that we need to elect Joe. A lot of bad bills can be stopped in the Senate. We do this by filibustering these bills. It takes 11 senators to do this. Right now, we have just 11 democratic senators. Last session, the Republicans tried to push through a voter ID bill. Mario Gallegos, one of our senators had a liver transplant and was recuperating. He got up off his sick bed to stop this. Heck, he brought the bed with him.

http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=24104

If he had not been there, this bill would have gotten through. This is a really big reason to work to get Joe elected. Please go and check out his website. Send the link to your friends. Let's get the message out!

Don’t forget our meeting this Wednesday, June 4th. It starts at 7 pm, though we have the executive committee meeting at 6:15 pm. You are welcomed to join us there. We are trying to get someone from the County Treasurer’s office to talk about voter registration laws. And to deputize people who want to become voter registrars. The location is the Galveston Senior Center at 2201 Avenue L, Galveston Island. See you there.

E-Letter, Memorial Day Weekend 2008

Did you know that Memorial Day started after the Civil War? General Logan, a Union soldier, had been impressed with how the South had honored their dead. Memorial Day was called Decoration Day until after World War II.

I remember my Mom and Dad calling it Decoration Day. When I was growing up, it was a pretty big holiday. There was always a parade. Then we would go to the cemetery and lay flowers on everyone’ grave. We would have a picnic and later that evening, there would be fireworks at the city park. That has gone by the wayside though. We don’t celebrate it like we did.

Of course, George Bush [was] at his “ranch” [on Memorial Weekend]. He did find time to say this [from President Bush's radio address on May 23]:

"This Memorial Day, I ask all Americans to honor the sacrifices of those who have served you and our country. One way to do so is by joining in a moment of remembrance that will be marked across our country at 3:00 p.m. local time. At that moment, Major League baseball games will pause, the National Memorial Day parade will halt, Amtrak trains will blow their whistles, and buglers in military cemeteries will play taps. You can participate by placing a flag at a veteran's grave, taking your family to the battlefields where freedom was defended, or saying a silent prayer for all the Americans who were delivered out of the agony of war to meet their Creator. Their bravery has preserved the country we love so dearly."

Bush talks about honoring our soldiers at the same time that he is threatening to veto the new GI Bill that Senator Jim Webb introduced on his first day in the Senate. Senators McCain and Cornyn are supporting him in this. Why? They give two reasons:

- It would prevent retention of soldiers, because they would choose to get an education rather than fight in an immoral and mismanaged war. Retention is already a problem. That is why the Bush administration are issuing “stop loss” orders to prevent soldiers from leaving after they have fulfilled their obligation.

- It costs too much. We are paying private contractors twice as much to perform the same duties our soldiers do. We are giving tax breaks to oil corporations who are making obscene profits. How much is too much to pay some one to fight your war for you? To dodge bullets for you?

E-Letter, May 17, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

We had a great turnout on Thursday, May 15. First, the County Party Executive Committee met to elect new precinct chairs. There were a lot of new people who want to get involved. We actually had contested precinct seats. All the people who ran are great. They are ready to help make a change in our government. They want to take back our country. You can too. If you want to help organize a precinct, please let me know.

After the Executive Committee meeting, we had our forum to meet the judges. Our State Representative Craig Eiland opened the meeting. Then John Eddie Williams spoke. He talked about how our court system in Texas has been taken over by the highest bidder, meaning the courts work for corporations and not for the average Texan. 82% of all jury trials are overturnedby the Texas Supreme Court. As Judge Criss says, we are losing our right to jury trial. This has got to change.

I think that we stand a good chance of making this change. Sam Houston, Leslie Taylor, Susan Strawn, Mary Markatonis, J. R. Molina, Jay Beverly, and Jim Sharp were our candidates there. They are all talented candidates with lots of smarts. We were able to chat with them all after the meeting. I was impressed by all of them. We need to vote for them in November.

In order to get our candidates elected, we are going to have to get our story out. Tell people about the urgent need for change. The GOP has pretty much had control of the conversation. One of the ways that we can take control of the message is through a Letter To The Editor campaign. We have started a committee for this with Nate Wilson to head it. He has a lot of experience with message control. His background is in public relations. Nate has been involved with campaigns, the latest being Latonia Wilsons. We know how well that turned out.

What we are going to do is focus on issues at first. We need to let people know how badly the republicans have hurt our state and our country. Why we need to get democrats elected. Later we will send in letters in support of our candidates. We need your help to do this. If you can help us, please e-mail Nate Wilson.

May 14, 2008 Reminder

We are really lucky to have some of the finest judges in the state. Galveston County's judicial system works in a fair and impartial way. We need to commend our Galveston County Judges: Judge Jim Yarbrough, Judge Mary Nell Crapitto, Judge Trey Dibrell, Judge Roy Quintanilla, Judge Gladys Burwell, Judge Wayne Mallia, and Judge David Garner. And don't forget our JPs, Judge Jim Schweitzer, Judge Penny Pope, Judge Mike Nelson, and Judge Sonny James. We need to help the rest of Texas get judges like ours. Ensure that there is a legal system that works for all parties. Please come and meet our Democratic judges on Thursday, May 15, who will do that.

E-Letter, May 10, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

Right now, we are in the middle of a Presidential primary. Please don’t forget that we have local, county, and state officials running for office. I want to talk about our Democratic judicial candidates and why it is important that we elect judges who are impartial and fair. The United States is a nation of laws. Our laws impact our lives in every way. We have labor laws. We have laws that protect us from malpractice. Laws that regulate our environment. Consumer laws. Laws that protect the average Texan.

When Karl Rove started the Republican takeover of Texas, he started with getting Republican judges elected. You control the courts, you can direct things pretty much the way you want it. The Republican Party is the party of Big Business. So Big Business controls the courts, especially the Texas Supreme Court. Texas Watch has been grading the Supreme court for 10 years. Each year, they show that they are the tools of Big Business. In 2007, the Court overturned citizen juries in consumer cases a staggering 81% of the time. That is pretty bad. Judge Criss has told us that we are losing our right to jury trial and she is right. Go read the article at Texas Watch.

Since Republican control of the courts, they no longer protect the average Texan or small businesses. They are no longer our courts. I do have to recognize that we are lucky in the judges that we have in this county. Judge Criss, Judge Garner, Judge Mallia ensure that justice is applied fairly.

Texas as a whole is not so lucky. And if a decision from our courts is appealed to the Supreme Court, we tend to lose out. A recent case that was decided in favor of the consumer was just overturned by the Texas Supreme Court. The Daily Morning News had an editorial on it: The Texas Supreme Court's Credibility Problem.

Things are going to get better though. Texans are starting to wake up. We have several talented candidates who are running for Appellate Court and the Texas Supreme Court. You have the chance to meet them.

The Galveston County Democratic Party will host a meet and greet event honoring Texas top Democratic judicial candidates for the Texas Supreme Court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the candidates for the 1st and 14th Courts of Appeals on Thursday, May 15, in Texas City.

Honored guests include Supreme Court candidates Justice Linda Yanez, Sam Houston and Judge Jim Jordon and Texas Court of Criminal Appeals candidates Susan Strawn and J. R. Molina. The program will also feature a presentation by John Eddie Williams and State Rep. Craig Eiland on the recent State Supreme Court decision on Entergy Gulf States Inc. vs. John Summers. Williams is a partner in Williams and Kherkhn and is regarded as one of the nation's top trial attorneys. The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, May 15, 2008, at the Steelworkers Union Hall, 2327 Texas Ave. in Texas City. Galveston County District Judge Susan Criss will serve as Master of Ceremonies.

Please pass this on. We need to get people to know how important who are on the courts.

Other Events in The County:

The 2nd Annual Matt Crowder for Galveston Co. Tax Assessor Collector Golf Tournament will be held on May 21st from 1:00-6:00 PM at the Bayou Golf Course, 2800 Ted Dudley Dr, Texas City. For more information please call Matt Crowder at (409) 682-1381.

Memorial Day is coming up and we want to honor our soldiers. There will be a Peace Vigil on Saturday, May 24. The time is from 2-3:30 pm. The location is at 46th and the Seawall. We are planning on having special speakers. David Mitchell is going to sing for us. He has a beautiful voice. We are asking everyone to bring a supply to send to our soldiers in Iraq. We hope to see you there.

The Neighborhood Democrats are having a Memorial Weekend BBQ on Sunday, May 25, from 11am to 4pm at 102 7th Street, League City.

The Galveston County will have a major fundraiser on May 29th. It will be an Evening with our Judges. I will have more details as they become available. There will be a silent auction. We are asking for donations for this. If you can help, it will be greatly appreciated. We need to build up our resources for the General Election.

Bush's "slow down" hits the average person
You can have insurance and still feel the pinch
Disneyland in Baghdad?
Indiana nuns denied the right to vote due to Draconian ID law

E-Letter, May 3, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

We have had a pretty busy couple of weeks. Jeanie and Davied Bond had the best turnout ever at their annual barbecue! There were a lot of newbies. We had our great candidates there. Judge Susan Baker, Freddie Poor, Joe Jaworski, Laura Ewing, Judge Wayne Mallia, and Judge David Garner, just to name a few. Don Criss' barbecue was great.

We participated in the Cinco de Mayo Parade in Texas City. Thanks to all who came out. The float looked great. Thanks, Johnny! We got a great response from people. Some “go Democrats!” and thumbs up. We had a great time!

Don't forget to vote in your city elections this week. We have Dee Ann Haney, Chris Mallios, Neil Baron, and other great candidates running. Go Vote for them!

Now to something more serious. This week, the soaring price of gas has been in the news quite a bit.

Some people are flocking to cars to help with the price of gas.

Unfortunately, the price of gas is not going to come down soon. There are a few things that we can do to get better gas mileage though:

Don't drive like a maniac. Meaning don't have quick starts and stops.
Drive the speed limit. By doing this, you can improve gas mileage significantly.
Avoid excessive idling. Meaning, the McDonald's drive-thru is a no no.

Happenings in the County!

The 2nd Annual Matt Crowder for Galveston Co. Tax Assessor Collector Golf Tournament will be held on May 21st from 1:00-6:00 PM at the Bayou Golf Course, 2800 Ted Dudley Dr, Texas City. For more information please call Matt Crowder at (409) 682-1381

The Galveston County will have a major fundraiser on May 29th. It will be an Evening with our Judges. I will have more details as they become available. There will be a silent auction. We are asking for donations for this. If you can help, it will be greatly appreciated. We need to build up our resources for the General Election.

There will be a Peace Vigil at the end of May. The date is not set yet. I should have a date this week. One of the things that we want to do is collect supplies to send to some of our troops in Iraq. Please bring books, snacks, toothpaste, etc to next weeks meeting.

Some articles of interest:

Despite a slow economy, insurance companies are doing great. Better than great.

Why Exxon won't produce more oil.

McCain's HealthCare Plan could mean higher taxes

That's all for now.

Marcey Casey

E-Letter, April 20, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

Happy Earth Day Everyone!

Tuesday, April 22, was Earth Day. Global Warming has been in the news a lot this week. First, Pres. Bush gave a speech with his ideas to combat Global Warming. They amounted to nothing. Just a way to run out the clock. MORE ON Earth Day

Gail Collins explains the ridiculousness of the [Bush Global Warming] proposals in The Fat Bush Theory

We are starting to see the effects of Global Warming and our poor decisions on how to deal with it in Empty Bellies.

We have less than a year before we have a president who will be willing take us in the direction that the country needs to go. Until then, we need to do what we can. Part of that includes talking about Global Warming and the effects it is having on our world.

The Earth Day Network has some useful information.

Kilowatt Ours. This is my favorite link. They have great information and links where you can find items not in stores.

A cool site that has some ideas on how to go green.

Some more ideas at Nature.org.

This week we were working the rodeo booth. We talked to a lot of people. Freddie Poor, Susan Baker, Matt Crowder, and Joe Jaworski were there shaking hands and getting to know people. It was fun even with all the wind. Thursday, we had 40 mile/hour wind. It blew all our stuff 10 feet from where we were. Whew! I want to thank everyone who helped. You were all great.

Don't forget that we will be in the Cinco De Mayo parade on May 3. Johnny Shelton is pulling it all together. We are looking into getting a booth at the fair afterwards. We are going to need people, beads, candy, etc. Let Johnny know what you can do to help.

Weekly E-Letter, April 11, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

I hope that you all have recovered from the convention and are ready to get out there to help our candidates! I know I am. We had a great meeting. Met lots of new people. Charlotte Coffelt, the past president of ROAD Women, gave a presentation on getting single women voters out to vote. Single women are an often forgotten group. We have formed a committee to discuss how we can reach out to them. If you are interested, let me know.

Saturday, April 12, was our first parade after the Primary. It was the Rodeo parade in Santa Fe. I want to thank everyone who came out to help decorate and ride on the float. Our candidates Freddie Poor, Matt Crowder, and Joe Jaworski were there.

Also, mark you calendars for the Cinco De Mayo Parade! I will get you the information soon.

The rodeo will be going on for the next week. Freddie, Matt, Joe, and Susan Baker need volunteers to work their booth at the County Fair and Rodeo. The hours are Friday 4-11, Saturday 9am-11pm; Sunday noon to 10 p.m., Monday-Thursday 4-10. Any help at all would be appreciated. Of course the candidates will be there as well, but cannot cover all the hours. Club members, please HELP! Contact Johnny Shelton.

From Laurie Buchanan: The Neighborhood Democrats are proud to announce that we have moved our meeting location to Peppers Beef and Seafood on I 45 Northbound @ FM 518 in the Kroger shopping center. The street address is 220 Gulf Fwy. S. The meeting time is still 7 PM and still on the 3rd Monday of the Month. Please join us for our first meeting there on April 21st.

Those wishing to order food from the menu should arrive at 6:15 to assure service before the meeting starts at 7:00. Those wishing to order beverages should arrive at 6:45. There is no requirement to purchase anything.

Peppers Beef and Seafood has been host to several Democratic Party and Candidate events. We had our very successful tribute to the Silverman's there and they are good Democrats themselves. They are very conveniently located to attract democrats from all over the county to attend.

Happenings in the County!

2nd Annual Matt Crowder for Galveston Co. Tax Assessor Collector Golf Tournament on Monday, April 21st 2008 from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Bayou Golf Course, 2800 Ted Dudley Dr., Texas City For more information call Matt Crowder 409-682-1381

Sonia Hernandez, Grace Edwards, and Mary Ellen Brennan want to Invite You To A Meet and Greet for Joe Jaworski, Candidate for Texas State Senate District 11 on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm at 121 Saint Cloud, Friendswood, TX 77546.

Galveston County Democrats Club General Meeting will be Wednesday, May 7th 2008. It starts at 7:00 pm. Our program is “Becoming a precinct chair or organizer.” It will be held at the Boilermakers Hall.

The Galveston County will have a major fundraiser on May 29th. It will be an Evening with our Judges. I will have more details as they become available. There will be a silent auction. We are asking for donations for this. If you can help, it will be greatly appreciated. We need to build up our resources for the General Election.

From Debra Danburg: Good News!!! The Galveston Farmers' Market has reopened today, Saturday, April 12th. The Market will be open the 2nd Saturday of each month. Hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. And the location is Saengerfest Park downtown [Galveston] on The Strand. It is a pretty cool way to spend part of your Saturday. Please pass this email on to your friends and colleagues.

Articles of Interest:

We have seen a lot about Bush fast tracking the Columbian Free Trade Act this week.

The Columbian “Free” Trade act is in the news

More on Free Trade

Truckers have had enough and are protesting the high price of gas

More on the truckers

Eugene Robinson Talks about how the Bush Administration is trying to run out the clock with Iraq

Texans are dying for lack of healthcare

The Poor are Getting Poorer

And the Middle Class isn’t doing so hot either

It’s getting easier for Multinational Corporations though

And finally. Susan Henry has been involved in stopping the Marquette Development on the Island. There is help from an unexpected party.

That’s all this week!

Weekly E-Letter, March 31, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

Well, the county convention is over! Estimates of attendance were 1,200-1,400 people! It was a great time. Lots of people signed up with Johnny to get involved with the club! I want to thank everyone who volunteered to help. Your help is greatly appreciated. Johnny's list has people who can be reached by phone only. We need people to call them for our meeting. Let me know what you can do to help. Just some other conventions this past weekend: Houston Chronicle and, from MySanAntonio.com: 'I Pledge Allegiance to the Hat'.

I think that we did pretty darn good! Again, thanks. I hope to see you at this week's meeting.

Weekly E-Letter, March 16, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

It’s been a busy week. We have been working on getting ready for the convention. I want to thank everyone for helping with setting up the precinct convention packets for the credentials committee. It was a lot of work, but we had a ton of fun!

We have confirmed La Marque High School for our convention location on the 29th. They have been great to work with. I will give you more details after the Executive Committee Meeting on Tuesday. We will be having a planning meeting Sunday, March 16th at Kelly's on I-45 starting at 6:30 pm. We want to talk about making the convention fun for everyone. If you have an idea or just want to hang out with Democrats, please join us.

Events in the County

On Tuesday, March 18. there will be an Executive Committee meeting at the County Justice Center, Jury Assembly Room, 59th Street, Galveston, 7:00 pm. We need to canvass votes, draw for ballot position in runoffs, more.

The League of Women Voters will be holding an awards and fundraiser dinner. They are honoring Jim & Lynda Guidry for their contributions in community service. The dinner will be on Friday, March 28th at 6:30 PM in the Pelican Room at Gaido’s Restaurant here in Galveston. Dinners to be $35.00 with a cash bar. They are asking if we can give them a gift basket for a silent auction. Judge Criss is doing one. If you can help with it, let me know.

Saturday, March 29 - County Convention meets at La Marque High School Auditorium, 300 Vauthier Road, La Marque. More details to come.
Again, I need volunteers to work at the convention! Please let me know if you can help

Items of Interest:

A rabid antigay legislator. Where do these people come from!

David Sirota talks about the mistake that Richard Nixon made that Republicans are repeating.

Insurance Profits are soaring while people are struggling.

I love Gov. Mark Warner’s essay on Why I am a Democrat.

E-Letter, March 9, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

     It has been an exciting week! We had a record turnout in the Democratic Primary. Democrats out-voted Republicans 3 to 1. The number of votes were close to 40,000. The last time we had a high turnout was in 1994, when 20,000 Democrats turned out.
     And the caucuses set another record. We had precinct conventions where turnout was above 500. It was chaotic and people had to wait a long time. However, most people took it in stride. We actually had people who are volunteering to help us.
     One thing that I thought was exciting was the number of people who voted for Judge Susan Baker. She was the highest single vote getter after the presidential candidates. She got over 25,000 votes. Her Republican opponent only got a little over 10,000. Way to go! Matt Crowder, who is running against Cheryl Johnson, received over 24,000 votes. These are races that we want to win and are looking good.

Finally, I want to congratulate all our candidates who won. A job well done. And a big thank you goes out to their opponents. It is really hard to put yourself in the public eye. The time and energy that is spent running for office is immense. This is much appreciated.

Events Coming Up!

Juan M. Peña Your Neighbor At City Hall Campaign Kick-off
for City Council District 3 on Tuesday March 11, 2008 at 5:30 – 7:30
The location is the Mosquito Café, 628 14th Street
“JUAN for all and all for JUAN”

Tuesday, March 18. there will be a [County Party] Executive Committee meeting at the County Justice Center, Jury Assembly Room, 59th Street, Galveston, 7:00 PM. We need to canvas votes, draw for ballot position in runoffs, more.

Saturday, March 29 the Democratic Party County Convention meets. The location at present is the College of the Mainland, Texas City. Because of the big turnout at the precinct conventions, we are reassessing the location. We will let you know as soon as possible of any changes.

I also need volunteers to work at the convention! Please let me know if you can.

Some items of interest:

More People Say That They Are Democrats
A Season Of Change In Texas
Why we have to elect democrats: States Face Budgetary Shortfalls
Halliburton Games The System
A Political Prisoner Yes this is for real!
McCain Clips Please pass this around to people.

E-Letter, March 2, 2008, from Club President Marcey Casey

The Texas Democratic Party sent out the following informational pdfs.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Precinct Convention Process

Handling of Provisional Participation at Precinct Conventions

I hope this helps.

Also, if someone asks you if they need to go to the precinct caucus, tell them YES! It is important that all people are part of the process. We need to see that our voices are heard. That we have the power. And that we matter.

Do not forget that an important part of our precinct convention is submission of resolutions. This is how we tell the democratic party what we are concerned about. What we want to see them fighting for. Please bring some. I know that I am.

This is from Bill Crosier about resolutions:

Fellow Progressive Democrats,

This year, more voters than ever before plan to attend their precinct
conventions. In addition to caucusing for their chosen presidential
candidate, voters can introduce resolutions for the other convention
attendees to vote on. Resolutions help voters shape a party platform
that support issues people care about. Resolutions can also inform
people about important issues.

Here is a link to some printable, ready-to-submit resolutions on the
most important issues facing Americans today. Please go to
http://paa-tx.org and click on "Resolutions for your March 4 Precinct
Convention" to learn more about the resolution and precinct
convention process.

If you are ready to choose your resolutions, just go to
http://paa-tx.org/resolutions and click on the titles you are
interested in, and read the resolution. If you want to print out a
suitably formatted copy, click on the file ending in "pdf" in the
attachment box at the bottom of the page for each individual
resolution.

If you decide you like them all, use the link to a zip file on
http://paa-tx.org/resolutions that will download all the files for
you at once, and then you can print them out. Take at least three
copies of each resolution that you want to submit to your precinct
convention.

Please forward this note to others who may be interested in helping
to promote progressive issues, and who want to help build a more
progressive Democratic Party in Texas.

We want to thank all the people in the Progressive Action Alliance
and other groups who sent us resolutions and who helped edit ones we
developed previously.

Here's a list of the resolutions we have so far:

* Abolish the Death Penalty in Texas
* Banking, Credit Card, and Bankruptcy Reform
* Change Party Rules to Give Platform & Resolutions Committees Time to Meet
* Clean Skies/Clean Energy - Toward Energy Efficient/ Renewable Energy Economy in Texas
* Climate Protection Measures for Texas
* Corporate Personhood
* Department Of Peace: A Renewed Commitment To Peace And Diplomacy
* Disabilities Civil Rights
* End U.S. Intervention Overseas
* Environmental Initiative Resolutions:
* Ambient Air Quality Needs to be the Basis for Emissions from Industrial Plants
* Ene