We'll be meeting this Wednesday, April 2, from 5 to 6 pm in the second floor conference room of the Sac Annex at 105 Fir Street in La Grande.

Here are some of the items for our agenda:

- Treasurer report
- Update on ballot measure making county commissioner races non-partisan
- Voter registration
- Getting out the vote for the May primary
- "Inequality for All" available for showing at home

If you have other topics to bring for discussion, let me know.

Thanks... see you Wednesday!
 

Glen Scheele
Chair, Union County Democrats
541-975-4149 

Senator Jeff Merkley stopped to visit with Union County Democrats before his Town Hall meeting in Imbler on Monday, February 17. We discussed his legislative accomplishments to date and his priorities going forward. He noted that his campaign will be the target of mountains of out-of-state spending by national Republican and conservative PACs. But he expressed confidence that his record on behalf of Oregon, his focus on re-building the middle class, and the help of Democrats across the state could win his re-election.We are looking forward to his second term as our Senator!

We'll be meeting this Wednesday, February 12, from 5 to 6 pm in the second floor conference room of the Sac Annex at 105 Fir Street in La Grande.

Here are some of the items for our agenda:

- Push to recruit PCPs
- Local elections: Where are our Democrats for local office?
- May primary: Plan to Get Out The Vote
- Schedule showing(s) of "Inequality for All"
- Ask to host 3rd Qtr. State Central Committee meeting July 12-13?

If you have other topics to bring for discussion, let me know.

We need your voice and your help to elect more Democrats.  When Democrats run, and Democrats turn out, we win.  When Democrats win, great things happen at the local, state, and national level.

Let's hope for the roads to clear and see you Wednesday!

Thanks... here's to success in 2014!

EOU marks MLK, Jr. Day with march against bullying

News contact: Laura Hancock | University Advancement
541-962-3585 | lhancock@eou.edu

Source contact: Bennie Moses | Multicultural Center Director
541-962-3741 | bmoses@eou.edu

EOU file photo / An MLK, Jr. Day march begins at 11 a.m. Monday at Max Square in honor of Jadin and Joe Bell. All are welcome to participate.

January 14, 2014
LA GRANDE, Ore. (EOU) – Eastern Oregon University’s commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day begins with a march at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20.

Participants are asked to meet at Max Square where a member of EOU’s Black Student Union will give a short welcome, followed by brief presentations from Bud Hill and Dr. William Whitaker.

Hill will share information about Faces for Change, an anti-bullying foundation established in memory of La Grande teenager Jadin Bell.

Whitaker, representing Oregon Rural Action, will talk about his experience in the American civil rights movement and lead the song “Stayed on Freedom” to start the march.

EOU marks MLK, Jr. Day with march against bullying

News contact: Laura Hancock | University Advancement
541-962-3585 | lhancock@eou.edu

Source contact: Bennie Moses | Multicultural Center Director
541-962-3741 | bmoses@eou.edu

EOU file photo / An MLK, Jr. Day march begins at 11 a.m. Monday at Max Square in honor of Jadin and Joe Bell. All are welcome to participate.

January 14, 2014
LA GRANDE, Ore. (EOU) – Eastern Oregon University’s commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day begins with a march at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20.

Participants are asked to meet at Max Square where a member of EOU’s Black Student Union will give a short welcome, followed by brief presentations from Bud Hill and Dr. William Whitaker.

Hill will share information about Faces for Change, an anti-bullying foundation established in memory of La Grande teenager Jadin Bell.

Whitaker, representing Oregon Rural Action, will talk about his experience in the American civil rights movement and lead the song “Stayed on Freedom” to start the march.

Tonight was election night in many areas of the country.  Democrats celebrated key victories including the Virginia governorship and the New York City mayor's office. 

Sadly, labeling of GMO foods was defeated in Washington state where the distortion of politics by corporate money was on full display.  The No on 522 campaign spent a record $22 million - but only $550 came from Washington residents!  The rest was outside corporate money - the top five contributors were the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Monsanto, DuPont Pioneer, Dow AgroSciences, and Bayer CropScience.

Rather than a business meeting, we plan a social hour for next Wednesday, November 13th, from 5 to 6 pm.  We'll gather at Joe & Sugar's Cafe at 1119 Adams Avenue (next to Red Cross Drug).  Owner Wayla Chadwick will make sure the coffee is on and the treats are at the ready.

Please come on by!

I hope everyone enjoyed their summer. Snow has already graced the peak of Mt. Fanny - a certain sign that winter is nearly here. 

It's been a long hiatus for the Union County Democrats - I trust it has been a welcome and needed break from politics as usual for you.

But now we have the Oregon legislature in special session wrangling over PERS, taxes, and GMO seeds.  At the Federal level, Congressional Republicans are forcing a government shutdown in an incredible display of petulance that the 2012 elections didn't go according to their plan.

There's work to be done!

We will meet next Wednesday, October 9th, from 5 to 6 pm in the second floor conference room of the Sac Annex at 105 Fir Street in La Grande.

Here are some of the key items for our agenda:

Report on Chair/Vice Chair conference call
Recruitment for local races in 2014
Update on UC Citizens for Good Government
Update on Health Care for All - Oregon

Please plan to attend -- your participation is always welcome.

Fellow Democrats...

We are postponing our regular meeting (first Wednesday of the month) until next week.  I hope this won’t inconvenience you and that you'll still be able to attend!  The meeting will be held Wednesday, May 8, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.  We'll meet in the second floor conference room of the Sac Annex at 105 Fir Street in La Grande. 

Here are some of the items on our agenda:

  Update on May 21 Special District Election
  Update on the HCAO effort/finalize resolution approval
  Update on plans for the Union County Fair
  Planning for a UC Dem social gathering/community project

Questions?  Want to add to the agenda?  Give me a call at 541-975-4149.
 
Thanks... see you there!

Glen Scheele
Chair, UC Democrats
541-975-4149

Resolution on Health Care of the Democratic Party of Union County (DPUC) (essentially an agreement to join Health Care for All--Oregon)

Whereas

1.    There are many components that contribute to good health, including the ability to respond to sickness, disease and injury;

2.    Achieving the goal of living a healthy life is impossible without the ability to access health care;

3.    Health care should be available to everyone;

4.    The lack of available health care is a barrier to opportunity, success and quality of life;

5.    Oregonians should not be divided between those who can afford to be healthy and those who cannot;

6.    Oregonians should not be divided between those who have hopes and dreams and those whose sickness, disease or injury robs them of their hopes and dreams;

7.    The cost of health care is the primary cause of personal bankruptcies, even though the majority were insured when their health crises occurred;

8.    The inclusion of health insurance in employer overhead makes Oregon (and U.S.) industry non-competitive with industry in most other industrialized nations where the cost of health care does not have to be added directly to the cost of production;
 
9.    Comprehensive single payer health care for everyone living in Oregon is estimated to cost no more than our current costs for incomplete and inadequate coverage, and to cost much less than the current system in the future;

10.    Private insurance markets are inherently ineffective, inequitable, excessively bureaucratic and wasteful as means to assure universal access to health care;