Tooele County Democrats

The President Holds an Open Discussion Across the Aisle

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Pollock) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 07:51:00 +0000

via whitehouse.gov:

Today the President did something unusual in American politics -- initiated an open dialogue with members of the opposite party. Visiting the House Republican retreat, he took questions on anything they wanted to talk about. He heard them out, acknowledged where they were right, and gave a genuine explanation where he felt they were wrong.

The 2010 State of the Union Address

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Pollock) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:48:00 +0000

Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Pollock) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:14:00 +0000

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

In an email from President Obama...

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Pollock) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:32:00 +0000

On Tuesday, a catastrophic earthquake struck near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed, but the death toll -- already in the thousands -- is climbing fast.

This is the worst earthquake to hit the area in more than 200 years. Entire communities have been ripped apart and as many as 3 million people have been directly affected, including tens of thousands of American citizens who are in Haiti.

Our neighbors in Haiti are racing to confront the enormous devastation -- and this community can help.

Click here for more information about essential relief efforts and ways you can help today.

Footage is pouring in of homes collapsing, Haitians carrying injured family members, and hospitals being overrun in what was already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.

I have directed my administration to respond with a swift, coordinated, and aggressive effort to save lives. Personnel from the United States and our partners in the international community are on the ground in damaged areas right now, working side by side with the Haitian people. They're providing much-needed food, water, and sanitation supplies, saving lives and helping local communities start to rebuild.

Despite the fact that we are experiencing tough times here at home, I encourage those who can to reach out and help. It's in times like these that we must show the kind of compassion and humanity that has defined the best of our national character for generations.

Click here to find out what you can do:

http://my.democrats.org/Haiti

As this story continues to unfold, I hope you will continue to keep the people of Haiti in your thoughts and prayers, as well as the many Haitian-Americans who have done so much to enrich our country and who are worried about friends and loved ones in this time of need.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

VIDEO: Service and Remembrance

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Pollock) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 22:38:00 +0000

iparticipate.org

VIDEO: The President's Back-to-School Message to America's Students

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Pollock) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:47:00 +0000

Obama's speech to our children

tobiah.dillon@gmail.com (Toby Dillon) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:15:00 +0000

"Much ado about nothing" comes to mind when I think about the overreaction of some few, vocal parents who feel that children in public school shouldn't be listening to the President of our country when he addresses them directly.

We have a public school system because we cannot do it alone. Our children need to hear things over and over again from different sources to confirm the truth. These same parents, who won't let their children listen to this man because they disagree with him on some few subjects, complain that our public school system doesn't teach values, doesn't teach character. I listen to this and say, "Yes, friends and neighbors, it does, but you won't let your children be taught."

Too often, we dictate to our teachers and education administrators that this subject needs to be emphasized while that is off-limits. What does this teach our children? That some things are too "dangerous" to know? I'm not too old to know that those are the subjects our children will seek out, without our help, and because they can't be taught in the safety of our schools, they will be taught "the hard way" on our streets.

I don't throw my support behind Mr. Obama because he's a black man from Chicago with a touching story and a prestigious university degree. I throw my support behind him because, as he demonstrates here now, he supports me, as a father and a citizen concerned about the welfare of our children, the future of our country. I didn't wade into the debate about whether our children should be allowed to listen to the President of our country give a talk to them about the importance of them taking responsibility for their education. There is no debate. There are only children who heard this speech, hopefully hearing echoes of what parents like me have been telling them for years, and children whose parents simply don't understand that good parenting requires the help of the community, and there is no greater figure in our community than the President of the United States. I pity those parents, and I cry for their children, for they have rejected the hope embraced in "Yes, we can" and cling to the failure of "No, we can't," not just today, but throughout their lives.

Our country is founded on hope. To take that away from our children is to deny them the very heart of citizenship and every right and blessing given by God to our nation. Thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership and inspiring words today, and may God plant those words into my sons' hearts and minds, inspiring them to be good students, productive citizens, and great leaders in the years to come.

Labor Day, More Than Just a Day Off

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Pollock) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:38:00 +0000

reprinted from the Salt Lake Tribune, 9/7/09

Tribune Editorial

Labor Day: a day of leisure, one more three-day weekend, summer's last blast.

Though sometimes forgotten in the rush to the beach, lake, mountains and amusement parks, the day holds a far greater significance. It's a celebration of the industriousness of the American worker, who built a nation, won World War II and continues to set productivity records to this day.

It's a holiday born of the labor movement in the Gilded Age, when industrialists lived opulent lives and amassed great fortunes at the expense of an underpaid, uneducated and overworked work force.

At the end of the 19th century, many Americans, including children, labored 12 hours a day, seven days a week in sweatshops, unsafe mines, dangerous factories. Their reward? Enough money to live in squalor.

By the 1880s, they were ready to fight for their rights, for a fair share of the wealth, and for a much-deserved day off.

"There is no wealth without labor," early labor organizers argued. "Eight hours of work, eight hours of rest, eight hours of recreation," they demanded.

The day off came first. Labor Day was first observed in New York City in 1882 with parades, picnics, speeches and demonstrations. By 1894, when Congress approved the holiday for the District of Columbia and federal territories including Utah, 23 states had followed suit.

Today, despite rising joblessness, stagnant wages and a wide gap between rich and poor, Labor Day is less about activism, more about activities. And the movement that brought the holiday about -- organized labor -- has fallen on hard times. In 2008, just 12.4 percent of American workers belonged to a labor union, up a tick (.3 percent) from 2007, but down from 20 percent from 1983.

But the reforms these activists and organizers helped engineer -- safer work places, better wages, the eight-hour workday, child labor laws, regulatory agencies, workers compensation, etc. -- are a lasting legacy from which we all benefit.

The following observations are a tribute to their efforts:

"Labor was the first price, the original purchase-money that was paid for all things. It was not by gold or by silver, but by labor, that all wealth of the world was originally purchased."
- Adam Smith, 18th century economist

"We have been enjoined by the courts, assaulted by thugs, charged by the militia, traduced by the press, frowned upon in public opinion and deceived by politicians. But notwithstanding all this and all these, labor is today the most vital and potential power this planet has ever known, and its historic mission is as certain of ultimate realization as is the setting of the sun."
- Eugene Debs, 1894, American union leader

"We should so live and labor in our times that what came to us as seed may go to the next generation as blossom, and what came to us as blossom may go to them as fruit."
- Henry Ward Beecher, 19th century American orator and abolitionist

"The man who doesn't relax and hoot a few hoots voluntarily, now and then, is in great danger of hooting hoots and standing on his head for the edification of the pathologist and trained nurse, a little later on."
- Elbert Hubbard, 19th century American philosopher

"Many times a day I realize how much my outer and inner life is built upon the labors of people, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received."
- Albert Einstein

"Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop."
- Ovid, ancient Roman poet and philosopher

"The end of labor is to gain leisure."
- Aristotle, ancient Greek philosopher

"Constant labor of one uniform kind destroys the intensity and flow of a man's animal spirits, which find recreation and delight in mere change of activity."
- Karl Marx

"One cannot properly appreciate the human realities so long as one labors under the adolescent delusion that people get the fates they deserve."
- Nicholas Rescher, American philosopher

"Few can be induced to labor exclusively for posterity. Posterity has done nothing for us."
- Abraham Lincoln

"All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence."
- Martin Luther King Jr.

"The Labor Movement: the folks who brought you the weekend."
- From a bumper sticker, 1995

Here's the sign you've been waiting for.

tobiah.dillon@gmail.com (Toby Dillon) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 05:44:00 +0000

Dear Neighbors,

Summertime is winding down and cold fronts are ushering in a new school year. The campaigns for municipal elections will start ramping up operations as the time for campaign signs draws near. This is the time when candidates need resources, especially money and volunteers, and that's where the Party comes in.

Election Season is coming up.

If you are waiting for a call to volunteer, consider this your call. A healthy democracy needs vigorous campaigns, whether partisan or not, and those citizens who are willing and able to serve are needed now and for the next few months leading up to the election. We also need election judges, poll workers, transportation providers and so on; there is plenty of work to do for the true patriot.

Tooele County Bipartisan Fundraiser

I am excited to announce that plans for the First Annual Craig Dillon BBQ have been finalized for Friday, September 25th, 2009. When I was elected party chair at our convention in April, I said that I wanted to bridge the partisan gap with our Republican neighbors and return civility and neighborly love to the political process - at least in Tooele, where so many of us depend on each other. I love a hot political debate over healthcare as much as anyone, but I love my neighbors more. This bipartisan fundraiser will bring the Tooele Republican Party and Tooele County Democratic Party together in an unprecedented show of neighborly love and appreciation, as well as give our local candidates a single forum where they can speak (briefly) to all of the political "movers and shakers" in the county.

The Republican contribution to this fundraiser is significant: they are covering the entire financial cost of setting this up. The Democratic contribution is no less important: we will be the ones with our feet on the ground - at least a half-dozen volunteers to help set up booths, chairs, tables, and take tickets. We'd also like decorations (the ones we had at the convention were great!) Most importantly, we need to fill these seats - so your participation in one form or another is greatly appreciated. Details will be posted to the website at http://www.tooeledemocrats.org/ as well as emailed to you shortly.

Fair Boundaries Initiative

Another volunteer opportunity exists in the form of collecting signatures for the Fair Boundaries Initiative. As of today, those petitions are ready to be distributed. As a Party, we have pledged our support for this measure and we will need every district covered. Organization is critical, and that's why we have precincts and precinct chairs to make sure that everyone who wants to has the opportunity to voice their support for this effort.

A brighter future for everyone depends on the efforts of those willing to volunteer their time and energy to good causes. As your Democratic Party Leadership, we encourage you to join in these efforts to bring new life into our communities. For those with a willing heart, here's your sign: VOLUNTEERS WANTED.

To volunteer for any of these outstanding causes or to get more information, email tooeledemocrats@gmail.com.

Yours,

Toby Dillon

Fill That Bus!!

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Pollock) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:38:00 +0000

As you've probably heard, Grantsville Elementary School suffered some serious damage from a fire earlier this summer. The Tooele County Chamber of Commerce is working to help out the displaced students.

In an email from Debbie Winn . . .

Wal-Mart will be sponsoring a "Fill that Bus" supply drive for the Grantsville Elementary School in front of the Tooele Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Wednesday 8/12 - Saturday 8/15

10:00 am - 10:00 pm

There will be a School Bus placed in front of the Wal-Mart store and our goal is to fill the bus by Saturday with school supplies to be given to the Tooele School District.

We will also place a school bus in front of the Grantsville Elementary on Saturday 8/15 and try to fill that bus as well. Thanks for any support you can provide.

Stop by, do what you can. Let's help make the transition for the Grantsville Elementary students as seamless and easy as it can be.

Happy Birthday Mr. President

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Pollock) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 06:32:00 +0000

So, I just realized that we missed Barack Obama's birthday on Tuesday. To make up for it, I wanted to post a picture that my son did in his first grade class on Inauguration Day.It says, "I feel so great for Barack Obama. I am going to go to a party today." So, there you go. My little boy, one of only two to "vote" for Barack Obama in their class election. :)

Volunteer Opportunity!

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Pollock) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:41:00 +0000

The second annual Tooele Children's Health Connection is fast approaching, and this year is going to be even bigger and better than last year! Their goal is to serve 3X as many uninsured & underinsured children as they did last year, and they are going to need the support of the outstanding volunteers in our community to make it happen! They need both medical and non-medical volunteers, to assist with everything from registrations to food service to clothing distribution.

Volunteer shifts are from 8-10, 10-12, 12-2, and 2-4pm. Come and help for a couple hours, or for the whole day on Saturday August 8th! They also need assistance with setup on Friday August 7th between 2pm & 8pm. The event will be held at Northlake Elementary.

Please send an email to tclinccs@gmail.com if you are willing and available to help make this event a success! They need to know:

Your name & contact info (phone, address & email)

If you have any clinical / medical background.

If you speak spanish.

What times you are available. (Anytime Friday between 2pm & 8pm to setup, or Saturday 8am - 4pm.)

If you have any questions, or prefer to give your info over the phone, please call Relief Services at 435-843-9955 and ask for Ivette or LouAnn. You can also try Karen via cell phone at 435-830-7953. If you have mentioned in the past that you are interested, please call and confirm that they have you on their volunteer list.

Spread the word! Please send this to anyone you think is interested! Together we can make sure that every child in our community has the opportunity to start the school year healthy & prepared.

New directions, old needs

tobiah.dillon@gmail.com (Toby Dillon) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:37:00 +0000

Dear neighbors,

As I write this, I'm at a public hearing regarding the forthcoming Fair Boundaries initiative, which seeks to create an independent redistricting committee. When I ran for Senate last year, this was really the only item in my "personal agenda," and it wasn't to consolidate my power (if elected) but to consolidate Tooele County's power on the state level, regardless of who we choose to be our elected leaders.

At our convention in May, we heard about this initiative and voted, as a body, to support Fair Boundaries in getting the petitions signed. From what I've heard, the County Republicans also have pledged their support. Currently, we expect to have petitions in hand sometime in August. I encourage everyone to visit www.FairBoundaries.org, become familiar with the initiative, and join me in gathering signatures and support for this effort.

This convention also saw a "changing of the guard," as we elected a new chairman, secretary, and treasurer. As an executive committee, we are grateful for our predecessors, Marianne Rutishauer-Andrus, Calleen Peshell, and Valerie Lee, for their dedication and time. As a party, we have relied on their leadership for longer than I remember and it's time to let them have their families and interests back!

As new leadership, we are asking for your support, in time and money. The purpose of the Party is to find and help elect people who will govern our county, state, and country well, and that is something that requires everyone's participation, not just a devoted few. Get involved: register with our website at TooeleDemocrats.org, become aware of what's going on in the community and how you can help out, and chime in on the debates of the day so that our leaders can know what is expected of them. This is a new day after a long, dark night in the land of the free. Let's not sleep in—let's get to work making the world a better place right now.

Toby Dillon

Utah Democrats Hold Annual Convention

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Pollock) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:10:00 +0000

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

June 20th, 2009 @ 9:25pm
By John Daley, KSL-TV

MURRAY -- Utah Democrats re-elected Wayne Holland as chairman at their party's annual convention Saturday, giving him 87 percent of the vote.

That move comes as Democrats look ahead to what they believe could be their best shot in years at winning a statewide office in 2010.

House Minority Leader David Litvack said, "I've been an elected official for almost 10 years now, and I've never seen the type of energy, the type of hope we have as a party."

Democrats hold seats as Salt Lake County and City mayor. President Obama won Salt Lake County in 2008, and the party believes momentum is on their side, even in traditionally Republican Utah.

Salt Lake County Councilman Joe Hatch thinks the time is ripe for Democratic heavyweights to make a run for governor and U.S. senator, both currently in GOP hands. "I'm really hopeful that Mayor Peter Corroon would run for governor. I think that would be fantastic. I think Sam is going to be a great candidate. I also hope Jim Matheson may consider that," he said.

Matheson, who left the convention early for his son's baseball game, hasn't revealed his plans.

Corroon is also staying tight-lipped. "Will I run for governor? It's not something I've considered. Never say never, I certainly will look at all possibilities in the future, but I still want to make sure I'm doing a good job for Salt Lake County," he said.

In the race for party chair, Salt Lake progressive Jeff Bell challenged incumbent Wayne Holland. Bell argued the party needs to improve its use of the Internet and targeted social media, and not be satisfied in picking up just two seats in the Legislature like in 2008.

"The world of politics is making a massive change. There's a lot of people, a lot of the younger people in the party that really, really want to see the party change with it," Bell said,

Holland focused on positive things that are happening within the party and the state. "The important number is democratic performance in this state now ranks third highest in the United States for us moving in the right direction," he said.

In order to have enough time and to raise enough money, Democrats believe they'll need their major candidates to decide whether they're going to run for those two big seats by the end of the summer.

courtesy: KSL-TV

Democratic Values

tobiah.dillon@gmail.com (Toby Dillon) — Tue, 05 May 2009 03:50:00 +0000

Following our convention Saturday, I had the opportunity to talk with one of the Republican party leaders here in the county. In the course of our wide-ranging discussion, I asked him, "What do you think is the difference between our two parties here in Tooele?"

"Obama," came his earnest reply.

"You're telling me that, in our county, our values and visions are so aligned that we have to reach out to a national figure to find something to be divisive about?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

As shocking as this revelation was, it didn't much surprise me. As I went around the state during my campaign last year, I heard from disaffected citizens that they were fed up with both parties and that many couldn't tell them apart. In my mind, this is both good thing and a bad thing.

It's a good thing because it means that, despite the name-calling and mean-spirited propaganda that we hear nationally, the reality is that civil dialogue is still possible between opposing parties here in Tooele. This further means that the spirit of compromise, upon which our country was built and is maintained, continues. We have not forgotten our roots.

It's a bad thing, because, as the minority party, we run the risk of assimilation and attrition from our more powerful competitors. If ideology doesn't convince someone to join the Democratic Party, the wealth and promise of power surely must appeal to them from the Republicans.

For those who want to get more involved in creating good government, may I suggest that you bring your chair over to the Democratic Party's table not just because of an ideological affinity, but rather because where there are fewer people, your voice is heard louder? If you want to see change, start with the minority party and build momentum.

For those who have joined the party, I encourage you to post your own thoughts on the subject. Why have you chosen to be a Democrat in Tooele? What do you hope to accomplish through this vehicle of change?