The Democratic Headquarters is now open! It is located at 69 East 1st St. Office hours are Monday - Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 3:00p.m. to 5:00 p.m. On Saturday, the office will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The office phone number is 456-4968.
2008 is our Year!
The chickens are coming home to roost! The disastrous policies of the last eight years, designed to serve an elite group of Republicans have been blowing up like car bombs in the lives of the American people. President Bush has now been forced to acknowledge that U.S. forces are an occupying army and the Iraqis are tired of being occupied and are demanding a timetable for withdrawal. The Republican strategy of deregulation combined with easy money has led to a debt crisis that may take a hundred years to get out of. While the speculators on Wall Street and in the Banking and Mortgage industries got rich, homeowners and taxpayers got screwed. The Republican solution - bail out their friends with more borrowed money, and stick the taxpayers with the bill. And the "fired" executives of these big financial corporations walk away with $46 million termination packages, while their workers get to file for unemployment. Do we need to mention the oil industry, where the oil companies got to set energy policy for the country, which deemphasized efficiency, conservation, and alternative energy (except for ethanol which was a gift to their friends in the the corn processing and oil industry, and which we now know not only produces very little new energy, but has dramatically driven up food prices around the world. As Marie Antionette said, "let them eat cake!) And when the solution that they keep coming back to is borrow more money (heaven forbid that we end the tax cuts to the super-wealthy), and print more money, we end up with the U.S. dollar declining by almost half against other major currencies, making it cheap for foreign investors to buy U.S. companies (think Budweiser) and real estate, while making all imported goods (including food and oil) much more expensive. And don't forget policies like opposing any sensible fix for health care or social security arguing that we don't have the money while squandering our children's inheritance on an impossible military adventure in the Middle East. Ideas like cutting Medicare fee rates to doctors so that there are fewer and fewer doctors that will provide health care to our seniors. And how do the Republicans answer their failures - by fear-mongering. It's not going to work this time and every special election for Congress has gone for the Democrats. The American people have had enough. The people of this country, this state, and this county want a government that solves problems, addresses needs, and is not made up of people who are only in it for themselves and their friends. Please join us in fighting to get qualified people who share the American values of opportunity, fairness, and justice elected.
Dear Fellow Democrat,
We have our Presidential nominee, a historical first for our Party and the Nation, Barack Obama, a young dynamic U.S. Senator from Illinois, who in his actions and words seeks to pull the country together to face the hard times that are upon us. He is calling for an end of the class warfare promoted by the Republicans where the wealthy are given the benefits and the middle class pays the bills. He is calling for all Americans to rise to the occasion to do their part, sharing the costs and sharing the benefits. The current price of gasoline is partially caused by speculators, but the underlying problem is that the world is no longer finding oil at a faster rate than it is using it. Other countries like India and China want to have lifestyles like ours and now that we are sending them most of our money for the goods that we buy, they have the money to afford this. We are facing a period of great adjustment. While many people view these trends as close to disastrous, the fact is that our lifestyles are going to change, our per person energy consumption is going to go down, but if we're thoughtful and creative about it, our quality of life is not going down. Europe and Canada both have as high if not higher standards of living than we do with a much lower energy consumption per person. Think $14/gallon gasoline and you'll understand why they're way ahead of us. Would we like to go back to $1.00/gallon gas? Of course, but there is no way to make it happen. Would it help if the Oil companies drilled more? Sure, but they have millions of acres of leases that they are not drilling now and they're not doing it. Giving them more places to drill, either closer to shore or in Alaska, does not mean they will necessarily drill there not would there be any new oil in less than 10 years. By then, we will all have made adjustments in how we travel, in order to keep our energy costs within our budgets. And one thing's for sure, the oil brought on line in ten years will be more expensive than the oil that's being produced now.
I talked about oil because energy is fundamental to every single thing in our economy. It's required for harvesting or mining raw materials, manufacturing goods, transporting those goods, storing the goods, and in the case of food, preparing the goods. The theme of Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign was, "It's the economy, stupid." Barack Obama's challenge is to stabilize the economy while we make the transition to an economy based on more expensive energy. This will not be easy. Many people are upset that they are having to change the way we do things. We all dislike change, and the people with the least money, have the fewest options. If you're wealthy, you can buy a more fuel efficient vehicle, if you're poor, the cheapest used cars are going to be the ones that get the worst gas mileage. But if we work together and harness the imagination and energy of the American people, the next ten years can be a dramatic reversal of some disastrous policies of the past thirty years. Instead of jobs going overseas, they will come back to the U.S. to reduce transportation costs (think of the new VW plant north of Chattanooga just announced). It can mean the resurgence of the family farm as local markets for local food once again become important as it no longer makes sense to buy lettuce from California and grapes from Chile. It can mean smaller regional manufacturing facilities serving a state or a few states, rather than a region or the nation. It can mean new investments in low-cost transportation such as rail, barges, and busses. In Cumberland County, it can mean more retail stores and more restaurants as people are less willing to shop and dine in Knoxville and Nashville.
As we continue down this election path, with Obama's announcement of a Vice-Presidential choice, and the Democratic National Convention, and the Presidential debates, remember what's at stake. Cumberland County Democrats overwhelmingly supported Hillary Clinton, but that pattern did not hold for the rest of the nation. Senator Clinton, who clearly has the best interest of the American people at heart, has fully endorsed Senator Obama and is actively working for his election. She is not deterred by the fact that he is half-white, something he had no control over. She is not deterred by the fact that his father was a Muslim, something he had no control over. She is not deterred by the fact that the minister at his Christian church, occasionally overstepped the line of truth in order to make a point, something which Obama could not control and which he has publicly rejected. She has acknowledged his intelligence, his compassion, his morality, and his effectiveness in bringing people together to solve difficult problems. The smear campaign against Obama began before the Tennessee primary and will continue until the November election. Don't fall for it and don't let your friends fall for it. After the last election, a friend came up to me and said, "I'm so sorry. I know I shouldn't have voted for Bush, but I was so afraid of the terrorists, that I lost sight of the election, and the fact that John Kerry was the better candidate." I don't want to hear that this time. We have an opportunity to put America back on the right course, or we can choose to stay on the wrong course. It's that simple
Dennis Gregg, Chair
Dear Fellow Democrat,
It's been an exciting primary season with the end in sight. For those able to look beyond the media's attempt to turn a serious campaign into a soap opera, it has been a very positive race. The field was narrowed to two candidates, both U.S. Senators, with strong desires to serve the country and to lead us in a new direction. There are differences in policy, approach and styles, but they are nothing like the stark contrast with the Republican's choice, a man who has voted for literally every failed policy that the Bush Administration has put forward, and who promises to continue those policies into the future. Our selection process is nearing its conclusion and we will soon have a candidate to unite behind. If we unite, we will reclaim the Presidency. You can be sure that those who do not want this to happen will use every trick in the book to try to divide us. They will use the only tool that they are good at - fear. If it is Obama, they will stir up fear of having a man with African descent in his heritage in a position of such power. If it is Hillary, they will stir up fear of having a woman in such a position. They will make up lies about our candidate and they will put them on the internet, circulate them through e-mails so that those who are not willing to take the time to find the truth will be confused. They will do everything they can to discourage Democrats from showing up at the polls because they know, as we know that the majority of Americans identify themselves as Republicans, yet the Republicans do a better job of showing up to vote. Make no mistake about it, this will be a nasty campaign. It's the only way the Republicans know how to play.
Which gets us to our U.S. Senate race. Senator Alexander, who has become a multi-millionaire while serving in public office has voted for every single piece of the Bush agenda, and as a Republican "leader" in the Senate, has strong-armed other Republicans to toe the Bush line. Now that he has serious opposition from three excellent Democrats who are vying to replace him, he comes to Tennessee with his "new idea" - give money to Oak Ridge to "solve the energy crisis," as long as doesn't include wind power, which he opposes and supports coal and nuclear which he supports. That's it. After six years, one idea that didn't come directly from the Bush White House. Well, not quite just one idea. He did have another, which thankfully died. He wanted to personally decide what should be taught in U.S. History in every high school in America. Seems he found it upsetting that some teachers were looking at some of the parts of U.S. History that we might not be proud of. Better not to talk about those things at all. Next thing you know, folks might be questioning their government. Isn't it interesting that the Party that used to say they were for small government and getting government out of our lives wants to take away local control and state control and oversee exactly what it taught. I guess they're only against government intrusion when its not "their" government. I won't even talk about the Patriot Act and the routine spying on U.S. citizens without warrants. Privacy is for Vice President Cheney, not for you. Anyway, that little rant was just a lead into the fact that you can come meet our excellent candidates for U.S. Senate on June 14th at Martin Elementary School. They'll all be there, they're going to speak, take a few questions, and they'll be there to meet you and talk to you individually. We can have a different and more responsive Senator. You come help pick the one.
We're having a busy Democratic Summer, so please go to the Calendar Section. We start off how in June with the Democratic Regional Rally and Meet the Candidates Event, followed the next Saturday by our booth at Depot Days, then on July 4th we'll be at Fairfield Glade, on July 18th, we have a Rally on the Courthouse Lawn, then we cap off the summer with the Democratic Women's Picnic at Cumberland Mountain State Park. Come join us at these events and work with us to get good Democrats elected.
Dennis Gregg, Chair
Dear Fellow Democrat,
As I sit here waiting for the results of the New Hampshire primary, I am excited about the possibilities in front of us for this election year. There has been an impressive surge in voter registrations, not only in Tennessee but across the United States. People understand that we will have a real opportunity to choose the next President. It is not a "done deal," with slick packaging and no substance. As Democrats, we have the strongest field of candidates in my lifetime and they're talking about real issues that people care about and which the government can do something about. Instead of wasting time talking about fear issues, our candidates are talking about solutions to real problems, like the adjustments that our economy will have to make as we deal with $100 and then $200 a barrel oil over the next twenty years. Like the impact of moving jobs overseas when we get back contaminated products that are no longer cheap because of the transportation costs. Like getting serious about health care for all Americans, so that we can join the other industrialized nations that invest in the health of their citizens. Like balancing the federal budget so we don't pass on to our children the kind of instability that the current financial markets are suffering under. Like getting serious about public education, recognizing that we're asking more from our schools than ever before, and it's not going to happen without everyone recognizing the importance of investing in our future generations. Like assisting small business and entrepreneurs who create 80% of the new jobs in our economy, rather than subsidizing the biggest corporations that have been steadily moving their jobs overseas.
2006 will be a busy year for Democrats. We're starting off this month with a number of events and there will be things happening all year long. We're already making phone calls to identify our fellow democrats and we're hosting a number of candidate forums before the February primary and we'll have more as we get our candidates for State Representative and US Senator. Keep checking the site for our calendar of events.
This is our year, but it won't be handed to us. Join in the work. We'll have fun and we'll win.
Dennis Gregg, Chair
Dear Fellow Democrat,
I want to welcome you again to our website and share some reflections with you over the past month and a half. On July 4th, I intended to write a new message but I was overwhelmed with sadness and anger. The Declaration of Independence was written by men who were willing to sacrifice their lives over a principle, the principle that government must be accountable to the people that it is set up to govern. This present administration in Washington has made a mockery of this principle, refusing to comply with requests from Congress for information, misleading the public about its spying on American citizens, its secret meetings with oil company executives, and its true intentions in Iraq. It's Attorney General lies to Congress to protect the Administration, hardly the role of the "people's lawyer" who has sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, not allegiance to the President. When less than 30% of the public support the President's policies, we no longer have a representative government.
Out of these difficulties, we have opportunity. While it is still legal to practice democracy, and we are allowed to publicly speak out about issues of importance, more and more U.S. citizens are doing so. Our Democratic leaders are moving forward with plans to address global warming (have the new record temperatures and drought brought any new folks around to accepting the overwhelming scientific evidence?). There has been leadership in reducing the U.S. dependence on foreign oil by enacting incentives for conservation, efficiency, and alternative energy. Health care has been extended to millions more low income children. Our Democratic Congress has held the line on spending, seeking to return the country to the fiscal discipline of the Clinton years. Congress is also heeding the call from the U.S. people to end our disastrous fantasy in Iraq. It is clear to all now, that as bad as Saddam Hussein was, he was no threat to the U.S. but we have now provided a training ground for guerrilla fighters that did not exist before. We have made far more enemies than friends, created a refugee problem of massive proportions, and destabilized the region. It will not be easy to find a way to move forward that will not make things worse, but the Democrats understand that you cannot solve a problem if you don't admit you have one. If only the Bush administration had recognized the gap between their desires and reality earlier, we would have more options.
On a local level, we are confronted with a situation that no one is happy with but must be faced - funding for our public schools. Americans have a long history, starting before we were a nation of resenting the paying of taxes for any purpose, but as time has gone on, most Americans have come to realize that we don't get anything for nothing. We've come to a general agreement about services that we understand that the government can provide more efficiently and effectively than any other entity. Things like police, fire, roads, and schools are necessary for the kind of community and nation that we want for ourselves. In Cumberland County, we have been fortunate in receiving a higher percentage of state funding for our schools than most of the other counties in the state. This allowed us to keep our local property taxes near the bottom in the state. Unfortunately for us, but perhaps fairly for other Tennesseans, the state decided not to continue this and is supplying over $3 million dollars less this year than last. For a school system our size, that's a lot of money and it cannot be made up by simply "tightening the belt." The number of students in our schools continues to increase, the number of teachers required by state law continues to increase, and the need for new schools to accommodate these students increases as well as the utilities and maintenance needed to keep schools safe and adequate for learning. Many would argue that we should just increase class size, but that is no longer allowed. When the state and federal governments give you money, (even if it's not all you would like), they also give you rules to follow. Don't follow the rules and you get no money. We need to applaud the fiscal oversight that the School Board, the Director of Schools and the County Commission all are displaying is looking for ways to reduce costs, and there may be some "extras" that can be eliminated. In the end, though, it looks like there will need to be a property tax increase, and we owe it to our community's children, even if we have no children of our own in school, to support that investment in our community.
Remember, democracy only works when it is practiced. Get involved.
Sincerely,
Dennis Gregg, Chair
Dear Fellow Democrat,
I want to welcome you to our website and tell you how much your participation in our county party can mean. Democracy is just a word unless we exercise our rights to express our views and insist that our elected officials listen. Democracy requires that we take on the issues that concern us and we sit down and discuss our views with each other. We must show respect for each other, not engage in name-calling and labeling because that blocks listening and understanding. We have real problems and concerns that we face at the local, state, and federal levels. We need all the ideas on the table, and we need to allow everyone to participate in the discussion, even those who have different views. We can't be sure that the majority view is being adopted if we don't discuss an issue enough to find solutions that the majority can actually support. If we allow a minority to make decisions for the rest of us, we've given up the most fundamental right we have, the right to determine our own future.
A good example of this is the situation in Iraq. Support for the invasion was based on scaring the American public with information that we now know was false. Millions of people around the world demonstrated against the war before it began because they suspected that the reasons given were not accurate. Now we find ourselves in a situation where over 75% of both the citizens of the U.S. and Iraq want the U.S. troops to leave. The Democratic leadership said to President Bush, "Tell us your plans and your timeline to end this." His response was "No timelines and no end." Why can't we talk about this? If we're in Iraq because of the oil and we don't intend to leave ever because of the oil, let's talk about that. We're adults. We're strong enough to handle the truth. We understand what losing access to cheap (or not so cheap) Middle Eastern oil could mean to our country. But let's talk about it. Let's weigh the issues. Let's consider the alternatives. Let's consider all the alternatives, not just those that the oil companies want us to consider, or the private defense contractors. We all love our cars and the freedom of mobility that they give us. But how much are we willing to pay in terms of the national debt and the deaths of many of our soldiers and the permanent disabilities of others? When we honor our veterans on Veterans Day and Memorial Day and ignore their needs every other day of the year, we say they served to guarantee our freedom. Do we really mean the freedom to drive our cars as much as we want?
I'm not suggesting that I know the best way to proceed. What I am saying is that we've lost democracy in the U.S. because our government does not represent the American people. There is no policy in Iraq that the majority supports and majority rule is the foundation of democracy. I could extend this discussion to health care or public education, or public safety and prisons, but I won't at this point. I believe that the only way we can restore democracy to America is to practice it. The Democratic Party, though imperfect, supports fundamental beliefs about equality under the law and the rights of the many to be raised up against the claims of the powerful. I invite you to become involved with the Democratic Party as we organize for change in how our government makes decisions. Individuals are made to feel powerless, but people working together is more powerful than any special interest.
Get involved. You will make a difference and together we will make things better for the majority.
Sincerely,
Dennis Gregg, Chair