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February Newsletter
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Join us for our Zoom meeting on February 8th, at 6:30 pm. You must be preregistered to attend.
Click here to register for Zoom meeting
Vivian Harte, Member of the League of Women Voters
A past President of the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson, Vivian is currently their Program Chair, Speakers Bureau Chair, and the editor of their newsletter. She is also the Chair of the Communications Committee of the League of Women Voters of Arizona. Formerly, she served as the Chair of the Arizona Solar Energy Association, the Chair of Concerned Arizonans for Renewable Energy, and the Arizona Manager of the Southwest Public Recycling Association. The co-author of Self-Esteem for Dummies, Vivian teaches online classes on assertiveness, self-confidence, and teamwork. She will share her knowledge about Request to Speak with us.
David Fitzsimmons, Editorial Cartoonist & Columnist
A cartoonist, columnist and editorial writer for The Arizona Daily Star, Fitz is syndicated to over 700 news publications. A one-time Pulitzer Finalist, his award-winning cartoons have drawn fire and praise “since Geronimo was a paperboy way back in ’86”. When he is not at his drawing board slinging ink or writing editorials, Fitz is entertaining audiences with his “Fastest draw west of the Potomac” chalk talks. He states that he has appeared in every casino, conference hall, resort meeting room, theatre, school, and clubhouse west of the San Pedro. He promises to delight us with “The Usual Cartoonist’s Piffle.”
In Memoriam: DOV Members Grant Winston & Kathy Pastryk
Grant Winston passed away on December 13, 2020. A member of DOV since 2008, Grant was involved in our letter writing committee. His letters to the editor often appeared in the Star and the Citizen newspapers. Most recently Grant sponsored a fundraiser for Mark Kelly at the home of Dr. Felipe Perez. Grant was an administrative law judge in both Kentucky and in Tucson. After practicing law for 33 years, Grant retired and began writing science fiction. He will be missed.
Kathy Pastryk passed away on January 1, 2021. Kathy was an original DOV member from 2004. Kathy worked on many different Democratic committees, wrote Letters to the Editor on behalf of DOV and hosted candidates at her home. Kathy was a passionate advocate for women’s rights and a community watchdog for Oro Valley. Our hearts go out to her family.
ALEC is on a Roll and We Need Your Help!
by Dee Maitland
Our guest speaker Vivian Harte will be taking us through the process of becoming a Request to Speak participant. Now is the time for all of us to learn how to register for RTS, learn how to use the program, and become active in making our voices heard. Republican legislators, particularly those with affiliation to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) have been extremely busy. Since ALEC is for limited government and unregulated markets and against public education and universal suffrage, this should be of concern to us all.
Since the beginning of the new legislative session, 39 bills have already been proposed to restrict voter participation and obstruct our elections. All but 3 of those bills are sponsored by ALEC legislators, including our own Finchem, Roberts and Leach. These bills include moving election oversite from the Secretary of State and AG to the legislature itself; altering ballot counting; requiring notarization and hand delivery of “mail-in” ballots; changing ID requirements; requiring mandatory voter purging; allowing registration only in government buildings; limiting the curing time of ballots; permitting unlimited recounts of ballots, if you can pay for them; allowing legislators access to private voter information; redefining who approves election and proposition pamphlets; and crippling the ballot initiative process in other ways, including requiring a super-majority vote to get them passed . Two bills would essentially eliminate Permanent Early Voting (PEVL) altogether.
If your interest is education there are 4 bills that would expand school voucher spending, give eligibility to 75% of school children, and take funds directly from public schools to fund the vouchers. On the plus side there are a lot of beneficial education bills you will want to support. Follow those with Save our Schools.
If you were pleased that we now have Democrats on the Arizona Corporate Commission (ACC) giving us a voice in energy policy, ALEC has proposed 3 bills to remove energy policy from the ACC, particularly concerning air pollution.
If maintaining a woman’s right to choose is important to you, there are 4 bills that would limit choice, fund religious faux “health” clinics, and require the resuscitation of fetuses.
There are also a number of new tax cut bills that would continue to diminish our General Fund and adversely affect all governmental programs. On RTS we should all be writing “No new tax cuts!” in response to their oft repeated chant: “No new taxes”.
Then there are the absurd ALEC bills. One such bill would limit the emergency powers of the governor and give that power to the legislature. Another would designate gun shop owners and their employees as essential workers at the time when domestic violence and suicides have been on the rise throughout the pandemic.
Please join our meeting and learn how to make your voice heard through Request to Speak so we can stop these assaults on our elections and our democratic values. I look forward to protesting with you!
UPDATE ON FINCHEM RECALL
by Dee Maitland
The recall effort to remove Mark Finchem that was originally headed by Ralph Atchue has been taken over by a group of experienced partners. The official LD11 statement is as follows: “As most of you know, the LD11 board sent an email on January 10, 2021 to the Arizona State Legislative leadership requesting Finchem be removed from committee and House leadership positions and expelled from his elected position in the House. It also advised them that a Finchem recall was underway. Initially, we thought that this effort would be handled by LD11 and any support from other LDs. Since that time, the recall effort has evolved, and is now being spearheaded by a coalition of state and national partners with experience in other successful recalls and political campaigns, so LD11 is not directly managing this effort. If you have questions about the Finchem Recall or are interested in volunteering, you should go to FinchemRecall.com. On the website is a “contact” form you can fill out with any questions, as well as a ‘volunteer’ form you can fill out to volunteer.”
Our Call to Action
by Jacolyn Marshall
The assault on our Capitol by a mob of insurrectionists who desecrated our halls of Congress, terrorized our representatives, and imperiled our democracy will not be soon forgotten, nor can it be. Although our new administration can do much to address and redress the ills that plague us, they cannot do it alone.
We too must act. We need to speak out against injustice by demanding that those who betray their sworn duty to uphold the Constitution are held accountable. We need to speak up in defense of our democratic ideals in order to preserve them. We need to be a part of the reforms we seek.
January 6, 2021 will long be remembered as a day of homegrown terrorism against all that we as a nation stand for. We cannot let it happen again.
2021 DOV Dues are Due! DONATIONS are always welcomed!
Please consider joining or renewing your membership, and/or making a donation to our club. Dues are still only $20. Your donations and dues will keep our club running for another year. Thank you for your help.
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The Democrats of Oro Valley, PO Box 68186, Oro Valley, AZ 85737.
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