Contents: Welcome | What's New | Community-building Opportunities

Welcome

Political party platforms and candidates' position statements on issues are read by few but maligned by many. Political parties themselves are widely held in contempt by many citizens. News media increasingly ignore state, county and precinct conventions (the Austin American-Statesman did not mention Travis County's in 2002 for example), and their coverage of national conventions is half-hearted compared to the Super Bowl and the Olympics. But political parties deserve more respect. They perform a useful public service as institutions and forums for citizens to educate one another and to learn the skills and habits of self-government, leadership and service. Though seldom regarded as voluntary associations, parties rely on public-spirited volunteers acting out of personal convictions as much as any non-profit organzation. Parties help build community by allowing relationships of respect, common purpose, and trust to develop among diverse individuals. Participation in political parties enables ordinary citizens to exercise more influence over their government and their own lives. Rights we now regard as inalienable were once regarded as radical political ideas; they became mainstream because political leaders and ordinary citizens participated in politics.

Everyone of voting age should take advantage of the opportunities political parties present to learn about and participate in electoral politics on every level, and most especially locally. Learn more about the issues and how your neighbors feel about them and help find solutions to problems and lead public debate toward what you believe is important. If you don't participate, you are missing the opportunity to have a real say in selection of candidates and issues, and thereby deferring to the wealthy donors to political campaigns and to the increasingly superficial and sensationalist news media. And you're missing the fun of neighborly political activism: getting to know, enjoy, learn from and serve your neighbors. For details about upcoming opportunities, see What's New below.

As Chair since 1994 of Precinct 259 of the Travis County Democratic Party, I hope everyone living in Precinct 259 will consider becoming active in the Democratic Party and take advantage of many other great opportunities for community-building leadership and service. Volunteer at the Travis County Democratic Party via the website at http://www.traviscountydemocrats.org. And check out these ideas for non-partisan, non-sectarian community service in Milwood in Community-building Opportunities.

What's New

First, we got some good results. Mark Strama won and is doing a great job as our state representative. And every Democrat, including John Kerry and John Edwards, whose name was on the ballot won in our precinct. Lorenzo Sadun got a respectable (for a write-in) 16% in our precinct. See http://www.co.travis.tx.us/county_clerk/election/results.asp and click on the "Precinct by Precinct Results" to download or view the huge PDF document covering all 261 precincts in the county with three pages on each. Our precinct, 259, had a turnout percentage of 70.39%, considerably higher than Travis County's average.

Second, the volunteers in our precinct did outstanding jobs organizing, working, and turning out Democrats. For that, as precinct chair, I am deeply grateful to and very proud to be working with dozens of volunteers in Precinct 259. In fact, I am in awe of the tireless commitment and resourcefulness of so many who organized events, volunteered countless hours, block-walked, and gave generously to the Democratic campaigns.

Third, George W. Bush and all the Republicans running for statewide office won, despite our efforts and their sorry records and increasingly bleak prospects for leading our nation and state, largely because of artful, persistent lying to the American people.

Fourth, instead of trying to think of ways we can do better next time, I believe we need to keep fighting without pause. For the next four years, we need a continuous political war for social justice, peace, religious freedom, and a sustainable planet and economy. We have the truth as the most powerful weapon; we need to perfect delivery methods and more effective defenses and counterattacks against the lying machine, the only real weapon of mass destruction George W. Bush has discovered and one that may be his most lasting legacy unless Americans committed to democractic values and truth in journalism and government fight back. What can you do? Write a letter to the editor, call a radio talk show, attend a legislative hearing and testify, and compain loud and long when you confront Republican lies to hold elected officials and news media owners accountable. And don't stop there. Hold corporations accountable too. If they give heavily to Republican candidates or help pay for Tom DeLay's defense, consider buying elsewhere. For the facts you need, check out http://www.buyblue.org.

What Was New Back in July 2004

What Was New Back in May 2003

1. Help stop House Bill 2292 in the Texas Senate. On April 24, the Texas House passed an abomination of a bill to scuttle, scramble, and squeeze to death 11 state health and human services agencies, leaving 3 large agencies under 1 mega agency with the governor completely in charge, leaving hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable Texans without life-saving services, and leaving thousands of state workers without jobs except working for privateers. The floor debate showed the viciousness of the cuts and the refusal of the sponsors to consider ways to mitigate the human suffering. See the video replay. The state's best think-tank and advocate for the poor, the Center on Public Policy Priorities catalogues the harm the bill would do to needy people in every county. The state's best advocate for state employees, Texas State Employees Union, has an excellent analysis of the impact on citizens and public servants and an unequivocal position, which I wholeheartedly share: kill this bill. Call your Senator and email friends and family who live in Texas urging them to do the same.

2. Help stop House Bill 2 in the Texas Senate. (See the note above for what to do and where to find analysis of this reckless and destructive governance bill.) This bill would:

• Give the governor absolute power to change policies and operations of all state agencies, including universities, by executive order. This essentially would make Texas a strong governor/cabinet type of government.
• Give the governor power to appoint all presiding officers of all policy-making bodies over state agencies and universities.
• Dissolve the current TWC 3-commissioner system and replace it with one, governor-appointed commissioner who is also the executive head of the agency.

3. Demand a sensible state budget that will work for all Texans. Contact your Senator and Representative and urge friends and family statewide to do so as well. The people of Texas need to express their outrage at the inhumane treatment proposed for the next two years for those among them who need help to survive. The House passed an appropriations act that would endanger many lives, ending basic home care services to to 56,000 elderly and disabled Texans and Medicaid to 332,000 children, and mental health services to 10,000 Texans...and much more. The Senate cuts less but just as mercilessly: "only" 17,000 elderly/disabled, 298,000 children's Medicaid, and 5000 mental health services. Republican Sen. Bill Ratliff scolded the Senate for a shameful failure to raise the revenue and keep needy Texans in life-saving basic services, but he voted for the bill anyway. He's right that Texas deserves better, and he was wrong to vote for a budget that violates common decency. If enough Texans say so, we'll get a better budget out of the Conference Committee or a later special session.

Who should you and your friends and family call or write or email? See Legislative Research Library's list or Texas Legislature Online.

Want to do more? Send an email or call local news media, using the Legislative Research Library's News Media list.

If you're a state employee and still not a member of Texas State Employees Union (TSEU), JOIN UP! Actions speak louder than words, and the increase in membership in TSEU will be heard by the the legislature. If you work in the private sector for wages, join or help organize a union. Your economic future and American democracy will improve as more wage earners organize. The American middle-class is losing the economic war that George W. Bush and the Republican Party deny they're waging relentlessly!

Get wired and help others keep up. In both the virtual world and the real one, personal access and the public and private infrastructure needed are major issues of growing significance. The term "Information Superhighway" conjures up images of fast global access, but like vehicle superhighways, the metaphor and vision are incomplete. In addition to superhighways, both virtual and real infrastructure "transportation/communication" paradigms need to include neighborhood street and sidewalk networks that allow for and support physical community and physical access to all its benefits by all who are in it, including those who don't own or operate a costly vehicle or Internet-enabled-computer. The interplay of major forces are creating a great opportunity and challenge. The forces include rapid technological advances, competition for the exploding online consumer population, transformation of business organizations and relationships, growing disparity in Internet access by income, and the lagging of some governments and non-profits in providing e-services and information. We can watch the revolution and hope our institutions and professions find a place in the new society that will take shape. Or we can take an active part and insist that all institutions of which we are a part focus on the challenges and opportunities to do their part to help shape a more equitable and democratic society using the new technology. For inspiration, ideas, and free help, see the Travis County Democratic Party webpage at www.traviscountydemocrats.org, Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN) at http://www.main.org, Austin FreeNet at http://www.austinfree.net and Central Texas PC User Group at http://www.ctpcug.org.

Community-building Opportunities

Help with voter registration, voter turnout, voter education or conducting elections. Become a deputy voter registrar and help others do the same. Ask to be appointed as an election worker or judge. Contact your county voter registrar, county clerk or the state Secretary of State (SOS) Election Division. In Texas the SOS # 1-800-252-8683 or www.sos.state.tx.us. Or join the respected, non-partisan public service organization, the League of Women Voters. The LOWV in Austin is at http://www.leaguewv.austin.tx.us. Become informed, help inform others, and keep candidates, elected leaders, and the press focused on issues that matter to you and your community, not just what matters to wealthy campaign contributors and owners of newspapers and radio and television stations and networks.

Join your neighborhood's civic associations. In Milwood, the main one is the Milwood Neighborhood Association (MNA), an organization based on households (renting or owning doesn’t matter) with memberships of $15 per year (see http://www.milwoodna.com). There are also others, including a few smaller than MNA and a couple that include other associations as institutional members: the Austin Neighborhoods Council and the Northwest Austin Neighborhoods Association. The City of Austin maintains a listing of others that register to receive zoning and other notices (see http://www.ci.austin.tx.us). MNA and similar organzations are not the government; they are voluntary associations. They vary in purpose (political, social, environmental, etc.), membership restrictions (property owners only, or anyone resident or business, etc.), dues, formality, visibility, and organization. They also vary a lot in terms of representativeness. Usually those that require dues have memberships of 10% or less of the households in the area they represent. Those that are registered with the City of Austin receive notices about proposed zoning changes in their areas, and that’s about all that’s uniform and official. Anyone can form an association representing any or all parts of the city. Some neighborhoods have several with overlapping boundaries, which confuses neighbors and officials. However, spokespersons for associations usually get the attention of city staff and elected officials because associations mediate between government and residents and keep regular forums going (in meetings and newsletters) to identify and resolve concerns. Volunteers who keep these non-partisan but inherently political institutions going deserve thanks and support from everyone. To keep the organizations vital and spread the leadership and service opportunities, everyone should also consider taking a turn at serving on a board, committee, or project.

Participate in the Week of the Young Child every April. Honor and help focus public attention on the teachers and caregivers of children aged 0 through 8 years whose low wages are a continuing national disgrace. Contact: National Association for the Education of Young Children 1-800-424-2460. See also www.naeyc.org.

Celebrate National Volunteer Recognition Week every April. See the Points of Light Foundation for national observance information. Locally, honor volunteers who make a difference, such as those who run the Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN, online at http://www.main.org), the non-profit organization that provides free webpages and related assistance to community organizations, including the Travis County Democratic Party Precinct 259 organization.

Celebrate Public Service Recognition Week the first week of May every year to inform citizens about the quality of people in government and the value of services they provide as well as to enhance excellence and esprit de corps in government, and encourage interest in public service careers. Public Employees Roundtable, a consortium of public-spirited organizations, offers free posters and guidebooks. Write to PER at P.O. Box 14270, Washington DC 20044-4270, call (202) 927-5000, or (202) 927-5001 FAX, or see http://www.theroundtable.org. Locally, the CenTex Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration sponsors collaborative planning of events (see http://www.main.org/aspa).

Promote the Earned income Tax Credit to help working, low-income families with children get the benefit that encourages work and helps millions escape poverty. Help provide transportation to, advertise or conduct a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance workshop. For more information, contact the U.S. Internal Revenue Service 1-800 829-1040 or the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities 202 408-1080 or www.cbpp.org.

Organize a Neighborhood Watch and observe National Night Out every year on the first Tuesday in August. Contact your local law enforcement agency (in Austin, see the Austin Police Department Crime Prevention Webpage at www.ci.austin.tx.us/police/crime.htm) or the National Association for Town Watch at 1-800-648-3688 to register for a visit by law enforcement staff and to receive free promotional items (posters, flyers, and more). See also www.nno.org.

Join WALK Austin, a non-profit 501(c)(3) community organization devoted to building community in the city by improving Austin's pedestrian infrastructure and promoting the idea that sidewalks both symbolize and concretely help create community in cities by allowing safe transportation and providing meeting places for people on foot, in strollers and wheelchairs, which build a civic presence that makes streets livlier and safer. See http://www.io.com/~snm/walk, or e-mail snm@io.com. WALK Austin is affiliated with America WALKS (see www.americawalks.org).

Observe Walk Our Children to School Day in early October. For more information, call 1-800 621-7615, ext. 2383. E-mail thompsoh@nsc.org or see http://www.nsc.org/walkable.htm

Observe "Make A Difference Day" on the last weekend in October, a day of volunteering sponsored by USA WEEKEND and over 560 newspapers in partnership with the Points of Light Foundation. See online idea bank, grant information, organizing kits and incentives at http://www.usaweekend.com/diffday/index.html.

Learn and teach others about your area's unique natural environment. The MNA Wildflower Committee led by Gene Heinemann has for several years helped restore native prairie diversity to a meadow at Balcones District Park, and volunteers are always welcome (call Gene at 339-0618). Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is at nwrc@onr.com or 512 292-4100 voice or 292-4627 fax, 4801 LaCrosse Avenue. See http://www.wildflower.org.

There are many more rewarding service opportunities. Fellow Milwood Democrats, please send a note about your favorites and receive a boost and link here!

Thank you for visiting. Please let me know your interests, ideas and issues.

Reuben Leslie, Jr., Chair, Travis County Democratic Party Precinct 259