IL FAIR TAX – GET TO KNOW THE FACTS

IL FAIR TAX – GET TO KNOW THE FACTS

By Sue Sitton

Think Big Illinois (https://www.thinkbigillinois.com/) is “committed to addressing the challenges our state faces and creating an Illinois where everyone can thrive.”  One of their progressive priorities is “Advocating for a Fair Tax.”  Recently, the Senate passed a resolution to put the Fair Tax question on the 2020 ballot; now it’s up to the House.  Take a moment to CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE AND ASK THEM TO SUPPORT FAIR TAX.

Think Big Illinois has prepared the following “Fair Tax Surrogate Talking Points.” Now it’s time for each of us to get to know more about Illinois Fair Tax so we can share the facts with our family, friends and neighbors.   

·        Illinois faces a number of long-term challenges after four years of an administration that was defined by irresponsible governance and playing politics with our budget.

·        Action needs to be taken to address our financial situation and put Illinois on the path to fiscal stability and a balanced budget.

·        Implementing a fair tax is the only way to fix our current financial situation without imposing a 20% tax increase on all Illinoisans or making drastic cuts to critical services Illinoisans depend on.

·        Under the fair tax plan, 97% of Illinois residents would not see a state income tax increase. Only those making more than $250,000 will see their taxes go up, with the largest increases going to those making more than $1 million.

·        This plan not only lifts the burden off middle and lower income families who are disproportionately hurt by our current tax structure, but it creates a more fair and just system where everyone can get ahead.

·        Currently, everyone in Illinois pays the same tax rate, regardless of how wealthy they are. This is fundamentally unfair because it means middle and working-class families pay significantly more in taxes as a percent of their income than the wealthy. 

·        Middle-class families in Illinois on average are forced to pay nearly 13% of their income in state and local taxes. Meanwhile, the top 1% of Illinoisans only have to pay around 7% of their income in state and local taxes.

·        Four out of five of Illinois’ neighboring states have a fair tax, and they are doing better economically than Illinois.

·        A fair tax will also bring billions of dollars in much-needed revenue into our state, which will help the state meet its obligation to fund our schools and ensure we’re investing in our children

VENEZUELA - CAN IT HAPPEN HERE?

VENEZUELA - CAN IT HAPPEN HERE?

By Maryann Vazquez

Working aboard a cruise ship during the 1990’s gave me an opportunity to visit Venezuela on a weekly basis; it was one of the ports on our itinerary. We docked about a 30-minute drive from Caracas or if you took public transportation, about 90 minutes on a rickety bus. The resorts and beach fronts were gorgeous. Caracas could have been any beach resort, any city not all that different from parts of Chicago or a major metropolitan area. I loved the people I became acquainted with during that time, most of whom I believe were middle-class. Now I see what is happening in Venezuela and wonder what has become of those people.

The overall income disparities were clear, as shanties lined the mountain sides and rural areas, while high end neighborhoods had homes surrounded by high walls that were gated with barred windows and doors, and on occasion even an armed guard at the entrance to a home or business. At the time I thought they must feel the need to protect themselves from the poor. It was a stable Democracy with more middle-class citizens than any other South American country, yet the gap between rich and poor? It was huge! It was also quite disturbing to see as a visitor and someone who was working with businesses in Venezuela. This foreign land became more and more familiar and beloved.

The history of Venezuela and its political left and right swings are far too much to examine for this newsletter. Only looking at what has occurred over the past several years, we realize somewhere along the line this country stopped being a democracy and became an authoritarian regime.

In 2013 Nicolas Maduro replaced Hugo Chavez who had died, and he won election by just 1.6 percent.  Maduro began consolidating his power as the country began to suffer economically because of the decline in oil prices worldwide.  The opposition party became critical of Maduro decisions and he had those who disagreed with him arrested.  He detained journalists that reported negatively, shut down news websites and began attempting to control the narrative. The government rapidly started becoming more authoritarian. The Venezuelan Supreme Court was filled with Maduro supporters who began removing powers from the National Assembly, their version of Congress.  Juan Guaido was the opposition candidate, the leader of the of the National Assembly who opposed Maduro in the 2018 election. The election results of 2018 are questioned--was it truly a fair and free election? It was wrought with voter intimidation and accusations of voter fraud. Since then there has been a division amongst world leaders as to who is the rightful leader. Chaos, crisis and possible US intervention, what should we make of it all? I will not draw any conclusions.

Observing the recent uprisings, I have wondered what happened to this country, how did it get to this point? How did things get so far along that it has become a humanitarian crisis in a modernized country? How did the people of Venezuela spiral into a situation where the basics of food and water are not affordable? People are going hungry, and in some cases dying, due to the situation. Hospitals lack resources, medications and antibiotics.

How did it come to this? Was it out of their control? Or were they buried in their cell phones? Were they obsessed with the latest and most popular Telenovelas? Or just enjoying a glass of wine on a lovely plaza? Were they overwhelmed with work? I don’t know.

As I watched William Barr release the Mueller Report and lie to the American public, I could not help but think of Venezuela and wonder if we as a country are allowing the same situation to unfold in our beloved land. Will we allow it to happen here? Can it happen here?

HINSDALE HS DISTRICT 86 WINS REFERENDUM IN GRASS-ROOT

HINSDALE HS DISTRICT 86 WINS REFERENDUM IN GRASS-ROOT, NONPARTISAN CAMPAIGN

by Linda Burke, D86 resident and campaign volunteer

A facilities referendum for $139 million passed in Hinsdale High School District 86 by a 60-40 margin, a triumph for public education in Chicagoland. The referendum will implement mandatory life safety upgrades, ADA compliance, new swimming pools, and improvements to facilities for arts and academics at the district's two high schools, Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South. Many facilities to be replaced or upgraded were over 50 years old.

Using the logo Save Our Schools, the pro-referendum campaign engaged a huge grass roots effort, with around 1,000 donors, and at least 350 volunteers! That is amazing! We really did pull together as a community--our consultant said he had never seen such unity of purpose in 25 years at his job. Scores of volunteers canvassed the community door to door and also met with the voters face to face at community tables and public forums. We also had phone banking and postcard parties.

Voter turnout was 42 percent in District 86, believed to be a record high for a municipal election. "Yes" votes increased by 8,000 over last November's failed referendum.

The effort was totally nonpartisan, with prominent volunteers from both parties, including many we know well from Township Democrats! The referendum was endorsed by Judy Biggert and Kirk Dillard, as well as supported by our own Tom and Judy Casten in a letter to the editor that was also a poem. 

When a referendum wins to support our schools, everybody wins, no matter how we voted. Our public schools do so much for the entire community--through academics, sports events, cultural events, and facilities available to all.

Of course we still have work to do, but this is a victory that will serve the entire community for many years to come.

PC CORNER: HOW CAN WE PREP FOR 2020 NOW?

PC CORNER:  HOW CAN WE PREP FOR 2020 NOW?  ENGAGE THE SUPER-DEMS!

By Anne Sommerkamp

Your job as a PC is to turn out the vote. To turn out the kind of numbers we will need to keep this blue wave going in 2020 - we need to get busy NOW. Before the municipal elections Downers Grove Township PCs were given walk lists that included our SuperDems. A SuperDem is a person who is in the 85th percentile or above in the Votebuilder database for voting Democrat. Find your list (or ask the office to re-send it) and start smiling and dialing.

Depending on what your precinct looks like there are many ways to get closer to your SuperDems. Start by calling or sending a note introducing yourself. The call to action is to get the SuperDem’s email address. Once you have the email address you can inform them about upcoming events or causes we support. Also use this time to be sure SuperDems actually live at that address, make sure the phone number is correct and get that email address. When talking to the SuperDems take time to listen to their concerns on the local, state, and federal level.

After your SuperDems are contacted, try hosting a get together for them. The get together can be held at a local bar, a neighborhood park, or maybe a hot dog and burger BBQ at your house. Once you have all your SuperDems together the call to action is to keep meeting, maybe once a month, every two months. Do not let the first meeting end without a date to meet again.

Some of these SuperDerms are going to want to get more involved. This is when you direct them to DGDTO meetings, ask them to talk to neighbors and friends about 2020, find out who they like in 2020, tell them to call, email, or tweet federal, state, and local legislators. Tell them to look at ilga.org and create a dashboard so they can send witness slips when legislation important to them is coming up.

Some of these SuperDems may not want to engage, but keep getting our information to them. These are voters. If you, as the PC, don't know your neighbors it's high time to do so. Engage, inform, and have fun with these neighbors.

HATE IS ON THE RISE IN AMERICA…

HATE IS ON THE RISE IN AMERICA…

By Carla Feinkind (HAIR ON FIRE IS BACK!)

 Data collected by the FBI, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Anti-Defamation League, and various universities have documented that until Trump's 2015 election campaign, reported hate crimes had never risen above 1500 a year. But by 2018, reported hate crimes climbed to 2000!  Indications are that in 2019 numbers will be higher again.

What were those hate crimes?  

·        Bullying in person or online for religious, racial or sexual identity  

·        Acts of vandalism:  to personal property, to cemeteries, to Houses of worship  

·        Acts of violence: Driving into marches, attacking and beating people in religious garb, beating people of other races, burning black churches, shooting up black churches, mosques, synagogues, and other houses of worship

From 2016-2017 Hate crimes rose by 17%. In 2017 the DOJ documented 7175 hate crimes: 

Of those, 2013 were hate crimes against Blacks, 102 crimes against Arabs, 427 crimes against Hispanics, 938 Anti-Jewish acts, 273 Anti-Muslim acts.  1130 hate crimes were recorded against homosexuals.  These are the largest categories of all recorded incidents. NOT ALL incidents are recorded.  

WHY is this happening?

Factually, the rise coincides with Trump's campaign and administration. Counties that hosted Trump rallies in 2016 saw hate crimes rise by 226%!!  President Trump saw "very good people on both sides" of the KKK/ Nazi rally in Charlottesville that killed Heather Heyer who was protesting the hate rally.  Trump has welcomed the support of White Nationalist leaders like David Duke.  Even the shooter in New Zealand referred to Trump as a "renewed symbol of white identity" before he shot up a mosque.

Trump uses hate to gather and solidify his base (basket). Like Hitler, Trump uses and manipulates hate for political gain.  “BE AFRAID--THEY ARE INVADING US", and Trump's supporters screamed, "THEY WILL NOT REPLACE US."                        

But, why is the GOP so silent?  

Southern voters had been FDR New Deal Dems.  But, by the 1960's the Democrats were the party of civil rights and those rights kept growing!  So, in 1981, Lee Atwater, Reagan's campaign director, developed his Southern Strategy to attract the southern whites.  He knew you could not say the N word, so his strategy was to dog whistle hate. Remember Reagan's “Welfare Queens”, "Takers" and Busing?  Since then, the GOP has been dog whistling hate.  Some presidents have whistled with greater gusto, but none more so than Trump.

Trump rode that escalator ranting about really bad Mexicans rapists and drug dealers, and he has ramped up the hate each time he needed to distract from some unpleasantness like the Mueller probe.

Why does it matter?

 HATE LINGERS!  HATE METASTISIZES!  The numbers show that what started with Mexicans and Muslims flowed onto Jews and Homosexuals, etc.

We just honored the memory of the 6 million Jews that the Nazis slaughtered and the millions who were merely starved, tortured and enslaved...Many survivors were the sole survivors of their families.  

REMEMBER the Holocaust did NOT begin with concentration camps and gas chambers.  The Holocaust began with endlessly spewed and manipulated HATE.  NOT every German was a Nazi hater/killer. BUT, too many looked away.  Too many went along to get along.  The few who stood against hate were isolated and eventually sent to the camps with those they tried to defend. 

What can we do? 

We must BUILD a BLUE WAVE to wash out Trump's hate AND the complicit GOP that has watched and benefited from the hate.  WE MUST also DENOUNCE ALL the haters and their hate. 

The Skokie Holocaust Center teaches, “Don 't be a By Stander! Be an Up Stander!”  Stand Up to hate against everyone.  It is NOT just about dead Jews 70 years ago!  WE ARE FACING VERY DANGEROUS HATE NOW!  History teaches us that later is often too late!   IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

ENGAGING YOUNG PEOPLE

ENGAGING YOUNG PEOPLE

By Reid McCollum

We often ask, “How can we get young people more engaged in policy and politics?” Perhaps instead we should ask, “What are young people doing to engage in policy and politics and how can we support them?” 

On Sunday, April 28th, four local student-led chapters of March For Our Lives hosted a Rally for Change in Downers Grove. They were from Downers Grove, Naperville, Aurora and Geneva. 

The rally was a success and very inspiring. Several students gave powerful speeches, read moving poems, and sang songs with grace and poise. Congressman Sean Casten, teachers, and leaders from Moms Demand Action spoke as well. Dozens of students came in support, making up about half the audience. CBS had a camera there, and at least one story was written about the event by the press.

While students led the way, adults supported each step of the way in mostly invisible ways. This is a model for how we can do our part to help young activists build momentum, confidence, and engagement among their peers. 

Less than a week later, students across Chicagoland organized the Chicago Climate Strike, including several student-led groups: Illinois Youth Climate Strike, Chicago Youth Alliance for Climate Action, and Sunrise Movement Chicago. Senator Durbin and other elected officials joined young activists as speakers. Again, students led, and older adults supported them each step of the way in mostly invisible ways. The students also participated in civil disobedience by skipping school for the event. 

The pattern is clear. The youth are engaged and advocating for school safety and climate action. Our role is to listen to their advocacy, amplify it, and show up. We can also build relationships and alliances that can lead to collaboration and joint actions. We can encourage young leaders to take internships with DGTDO, candidates, or other political non-profits. We can ask them how we can be helpful and volunteer when called upon. We can find hope and inspiration in their activism. 

Here are their Twitter handles -- I know that's not something everyone is comfortable with, but we asked how to get young people more engaged in policy and politics, after all, didn't we? 

@MFOLNaperville

@MFOLAurora

@MFOLdg

@MFOL_Geneva 

@climatestrikeil

@SunriseMvmtChi

@marchfolchi

LOCAL TEENAGERS ORGANIZE DG RALLY TO PREVEENT GUN VIOLENCE

LOCAL TEENAGERS ORGANIZE DG RALLY TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE!

By Gwen, DG North High School Student, MFOL Organizer

Multiple March for Our Lives chapters organized a rally for change to prevent gun violence. The chapters included Downers Grove, Naperville, Aurora, and Geneva. Each of the chapters is organized by middle school and high school students. All of the chapters came together and organized the rally with speakers and selling merchandise. Some of the speakers included volunteers from Mom’s Demand Action, student activists, a Herrick Middle School teacher, a performance of Shine by the DGN choir, and Congressman Casten. Throughout the rally, the student organizers gathered volunteers to help out and run certain stations. The tables consisted of a check-in table, merchandise selling, chapter sign up, and information. Each table had people to talk with rally supporters and keep things organized. Overall, it was a very successful event and people hopefully became motivated to make a change.

The goal of each of the chapters is to work toward preventing gun violence and increase gun regulation. The chapters run fundraisers, sell shirts, and spread the word to others in order to raise awareness about this issue. The Downers Grove chapter is a part of the Downers Grove North High School Empowerment Club which expands its horizons to more than just gun control. They cover topics like LGBTQ+ issues, women’s rights, climate change, and more. The other chapters are solely March for Our Lives focused.

Overall, these chapters are not only fighting for basic rights but they also hope to recognize that the youth are becoming more influential and they can truly make a change.

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR - MAY EDITION

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR - MAY EDITION

By Kim Savage

Summer is coming and the next election seems to be far off in the distance, so it might seem natural to check out for a few months and take a break from politics. While it is true that the pace might be a little slower, the work must continue to ensure success in 2020.

The last two national election cycles have confirmed that we cannot rely on only strong Democratic voters to elect Democrats locally. We must expand our outreach to sporadic voters, especially those who have bought into the myth that DuPage County is solidly Republican. We need to continue to educate people that every vote matters. We need to encourage people to be among the many voices that stand up for community, for social justice, and for equality. We must be ready to welcome more people to the cause.

Are you new to the world of Democratic politics? Do you know people who have blindly voted Republican, or haven’t voted, who should be voting with the party of the people? If so, please invite them to join you at a social event or one of our monthly meetings. If you have been on the sidelines looking in, you are welcome to help build the future. While we do want to welcome people who genuinely support Democratic values, we must be cognizant that there are people who will jump onto the Blue Wave to bolster their agendas, boost their egos, or disrupt the positive flow that continues to swell for our causes.

We have our work cut out for us from the Presidency down to the County Board. Find your place in the movement and help your friends find theirs. Together we can accomplish great things! Be the change you want to see!