An Introduction and an Invitation

Hello!  My name is Glen Scheele and I am honored to serve as the new Chair of the Union County Democrats.

 

My wife and I have lived and worked in Oregon for more than 30 years, mostly right here in the Grande Ronde Valley.  We feel privileged to have raised our three children in this wonderful community.

 

I’ve always been a Democrat and active in politics.  But in recent years I decided to take an even more active role in light of the grave challenges we face.

 

Our nation has been at war for a decade.  We are in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  Millions of our fellow citizens are unemployed.  Millions have lost their homes.  Reckless gambling by Wall Street and banks has decimated the modest savings of our working families.

 

Decades of relentless, well-financed conservative attacks have eroded faith in a common purpose.  As a result, Republican themes – Privatize! Deregulate! Shrink Government! Cut Taxes! -- have gained traction. 

 

Yet these policies are failures.  For proof we only need to look at how much more precarious life has become for ourselves and for millions of our fellow citizens after decades of pursuing these policies.

 

There is a saying: “In crisis is opportunity.”  Unfortunately for some it’s an opportunity to enrich themselves or cynically grab for political power.  Corporations are earning unprecedented profits, yet continue to ship jobs and investments overseas.  Wall Street and Big Banks are earning unprecedented profits, yet refuse to ease access to credit or help struggling home owners.  Republicans have decided that to win the next election they must make Democrats fail, no matter the cost to average Americans. 

 

I believe Democrats see different opportunities.  Tough times mean a chance to leverage smart public spending to rebuild, to modernize, and to jump-start our economy.  A reckless financial economy can be reined in once again serve the real economy.  Corporate excesses can be addressed with sensible regulations that benefit workers, consumers, and our environment.  The many families being saved from impoverishment by Social Security, Medicare, and the new health care reform will make the case to further strengthen those programs.

 

At times, I’ve been overwhelmed by the challenges and felt powerless to address them.  I found that by teaming up with my fellow Democrats I no longer felt powerless or overwhelmed.  Democrats are ready to stand up, to speak out, to work, and to fight for what is right. 

 

As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”  Won’t you please join us to hasten that day?