On the morning of Saturday, September 9 starting around 8:40, Representative Debra Lekanoff held a coffee at Tide Pool in downtown Eastsound. We had an excellent turnout of about 25 people. Debra gave a wonderful presentation that highlighted her efforts to bring positive change not just for today, but she talked in terms of what we are looking at in our natural world fifty years from now. It was sobering but very important. She then proceeded to take questions and provide responses for quite some time, finally leaving at about 10:20 to attend our county Democrats meeting that followed. We are truly fortunate to have such a thoughtful, engaged representative.
The highlight of our meeting was the visit of State Senator and 20-year Senior Deputy King County Prosecutor Manka Dhingra, who is running to be the next state attorney general, and she was wonderful.? She is a fabulous candidate, and her proposed ten-minute visit turned into a passionate 45-minute presentation and Q and A.? If elected, Manka will?work for all the people of Washington State as we confront national challenges to voting and access to reproductive rights, and she will lead nationally on laws that safeguard worker rights, hold polluters accountable, and address the epidemic of gun violence. She will be the first person of color, the first immigrant, and only the second woman in this role. You can find more information at info@electmanka.com. While we still want to hear from the other major Democratic candidate for attorney general, Nick Brown, Manka is a very strong candidate.
Councilor Cindy Wolf attended our meeting. She told us that at the County Council meeting on Sept. 18, they will be considering a greenhouse gas inventory, sea level rise, and the Destination Management Plan. Cindy also told us that the proposed 1/10 of 1% sales tax that is dedicated to affordable housing can use some support. If you can, send a note to the councilors telling them that you support the continuation of this tax.
____________________________________________________________
One of the things we have been working on over the past year is a one-page statement representing what we, the county Democrats, stand for. We have a 15-page platform on our website that is wonderful, but we would like a short document to share. We started by reading a book called Democrats 101, which gives a brief history of the modern Democratic Party and at the end, a four-page creed of what the Democrats stand for. Geri and Peggy have worked at distilling this into one page that reflects our county group, and I am going to share the rough draft with you all in order to allow you to give feedback and possibly suggest changes or additions. Here it is:
What are the basic beliefs of the San Juan County Democrats?
San Juan County Democrats believe that the purpose of the United States government, which is created by and accountable to its people, is to ensure the well-being of the residents of America.
We believe the responsibility of the United States government is to:
- Ensure free and fair elections with equal access to voting
- Ensure a healthy environment for all living things, including clean air, land, and water
- Guarantee mass communication platforms dedicated to truth and objectivity
- Guarantee the right to privacy, including a woman’s right to autonomy over her own body
- Provide quality healthcare for all
- Ensure quality, affordable housing and healthy food for all
- Provide quality education for all
- Guarantee a livable wage and safe working conditions for all
- Protect the health and well-being of its people from external and internal dangers, both natural and man-made
- Guarantee that every member of our society is treated equally before the law, regardless of background
- Eliminate automatic weapons among the general public
- Ensure equal opportunities for all, regardless of race, religion, or gender identity
- Treat all people around the globe as being created equal
- Embrace and celebrate diversity
- Ensure freedom of movement for all
- Ensure that every member of our society is free to shape their own beliefs and lives, so long as it does not infringe on the rights and safety of others
- Inform the population about all the policies in place that provide for the well-being of the people
As San Juan County Democrats, we strive to support candidates who share our beliefs. If you share these beliefs, please consider joining our email list at https://sjdemocrats.org/membership/, or email Chair David Turnoy at davidgeri@rockisland.com.
At yesterday’s meeting, a number of constructive criticisms were raised. First, do we expect the government to provide all these items? Must one believe in all these items, or only most, in order to be part of this group? Should we include something about honoring tribal treaties and international agreements? Should we specify equity of opportunity as opposed to simply equal opportunity, as perhaps the latter isn’t enough? Your feedback is welcome as we try to hone this statement into a document that truly represents what we believe and will draw in others of similar beliefs.
Another item we discussed yesterday is the creation of a mechanism to use to hold discussions with others in the local party who would like to engage about various topics that perhaps we don’t have enough time to adequately cover at our meetings. This would be something to opt into and would be available to anyone in the party. Stay tuned for more on this.
_____________________________________________________________
One of the things that is so challenging in maintaining democracy in this country today is the media emphasis on covering Trump and all the negative actions of the Republicans while failing to give nearly as much attention to the accomplishments of the Biden administration and the Democrats. And this slanted media coverage impacts polls that show Biden doing very poorly in the eyes of the public. Not that I don’t have serious policy disagreements with the Biden administration, but if we want a chance of maintaining a Democrat in the White House, it is important to give credit where credit is due. To that end, it has been suggested that wherever and whenever possible, we mention the positive accomplishments of the current administration. Here are a couple of things you may or may not be aware of that are worth highlighting with others:
On Sep 6, 2023, President Biden canceled the remaining illegal leases in the?Arctic Refuge?and announced new protections for +12 million acres of Special Areas in the Western Arctic/Reserve?and a strengthened environmental review of the Congressionally mandated oil and gas leasing program in the Arctic Refuge.
Biden’s National Labor Relations Board has taken an action that will help employees trying to unionize. Under the new framework, when a union requests recognition on the basis that a majority of employees in an appropriate bargaining unit have designated the union as their representative, an employer must either recognize and bargain with the union or promptly file an?RM petition?seeking an election.? However, if an employer who seeks an election commits any unfair labor practice that would require setting aside the election, the petition will be dismissed, and—rather than re-running the election—the Board will order the employer to recognize and bargain with the union.?
So there we have an example of the administration helping the environment and helping working people, two positives you can share with others.
As we look ahead to the elections coming up in 2024, we continue to find ourselves in a fund-raising mode. Our main expense in election years is printing and sending out our election postcard, which many people tell us they rely on for voting. Costs have accelerated greatly, and last year it cost us well over $4,000 to make this happen. We would also like to have a booth at the county fair next year if we can recruit enough volunteers, and there is a fee to have a booth. Finally, it costs money to send our local party representatives to the state meetings. A one-time donation or a small monthly contribution is greatly appreciated. There are now six different donors contributing monthly, and if you can afford to participate, even with just $5 or $10 per month, it helps a lot. Checks can be mailed to PO Box 1007 in Friday Harbor, 98250, or setting up a monthly contribution on Act Blue is very simple; just go to secure.actblue.com/donate/sjcountydems. Thanks for considering.
David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com