Today is the last day of Early Voting...
Dear Fellow Democrat,
Have YOU voted? Tuesday, November 4 is Election Day. In our area, there are no candidates on the ballots. That makes this a very low turnout election with only 5% of Dallas County voters and 6% of Collin County voters having cast their ballots as of Thursday. But the 17 state Constitutional Amendments on the ballot are important!! YOUR VOTE MATTERS. You can find information about voting on our website, familiarize yourself with the propositions and print out the recommendations if needed to take with you! Whether you vote NO to everything (a fair assessment, given the makeup of the body that brought them to the ballot), or are FOR some (most agree that Props 1, 4, & 14 are aligned with our ideals), OR you also want to expand tax relief for various folks (Props 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, & 13 give lots of relief!), in my book, the main things you want to vote AGAINST are Proposition #12 that gives the governor even more power over the judiciary oversight committee, and Proposition #16 that only seems to be red meat for voter fraud conspiracists. It is URGENT to vote against these constitutional amendments!! PLEASE GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!
Unless you've been living under a rock (which sounds pretty good about now - is there room for me under there?), you know that as of tomorrow, November 1st, the United States is going to default on our commitment to the poor, that in the richest country in the world, no one should have to go hungry. The predecessor of the current SNAP program began in 1939 as a response to a food surplus in a time when the country was emerging from the Great Depression. In the 60's JFK and LBJ brought about the food stamp program as a part of the War on Poverty. I remember personally counting the food stamps my family needed when I was 10 or 11 years old... it was a sad reality that our family of eight were living in food insecurity, despite both parents working and grandparents who were always there to help. Since the 70's, despite recessions and war and all the changes in administrations including several government shutdowns, the government has never reneged on that promise to fight hunger. But tomorrow, almost 42 Million Americans will not get their EBT credits, which means almost 17 million children will go hungry. In North Texas alone, over 400,000 people will be looking for another way to eat.
The ripple effect of this travesty makes the situation exponentially worse. Farmers and ranchers won't have buyers for their food, and grocery stores, which depend on the program for about 8% of their sales, may have to lay off employees. Truck drivers will be affected... the list goes on. It's hard to imagine how this bargaining chip is anything but focused on cruelty as the point.
This month we will focus on how we can help. There are many options that are popping up and our community wants to be a small part of the alleviation of suffering. Food banks are perpetually short on supplies, even before this administration came in and took a chainsaw to all kinds of assistance programs. With the government shutdown already forcing thousands more into food lines, the hundreds of thousands more in North Texas alone is truly unimaginable. RAD is partnering with our local food bank, Network of Community Ministries. Typically, in November, we have collected food and supplies as well as unwrapped toys to donate to them. This year, while we will still deliver any items that are donated, we have decided that donating money to them will be a more effective way to help. They can buy in bulk, they know what items are needed, and it reduces the manpower needed to sort donations. If you are able, please donate here. You will be able to count this as a charitable contribution as it is being directly given to a nonprofit. We hope this will encourage you to give as much as you are able.
This Saturday, we'll be ROARing again at the corner of 75 & Campbell! This is our weekly protest and it's been a real success! We have between 30-70 people that show up with signs between 10-11 on the Southeast corner. The reception from drivers has been so encouraging and every time someone sees someone else stand up, it gives them courage to do it themselves. JOIN US! We've been enjoying lunch at Russo's after, so plan on that as well if you can!
Every Thursday evening and Saturday morning, we have a team of dedicated protestors who are showing up on the Collins bridge over 75. They are there from 4-6 on Thursdays and from 9-10 on Saturdays, and talk about response!! Every week they change the message and the thousands of cars that drive by are being reminded of things like "Vote Today!" and "Honk like it's 1776 - NO KINGS!" and "Healthcare Over Billionaires - Stay Strong Democrats!" and this week's message - "GOP Needs BALLS, Not Ballrooms!" We are getting national attention on protest social media and organizations that are promoting visibility brigades. If this is your jam, SHOW UP!! They park at Cafe Max on the east side of Collins & 75. They could use the help and it's a lot of fun!
This month's RAD Happy Hour on November 20th will be focused on informing our community about the effects of the government shutdown. We'd planned to do a candidate event, but given the ongoing challenge to the redistricting efforts, we are going to reschedule that to January. Instead, we've invited Congresswoman Julie Johnson to speak with us and she said she'll be there if they aren't back in Washington. We'll hear from a representative from Network of Community Ministries about the local impact and need. ALSO! Candidate for Governor and cattle rancher, Bobby Cole will be joining us! He'll talk with us about his vision for Texas and his first hand experience with the effects of state and federal administrations on Texas ranches. Please Register for details and bring a friend!
Please take care of yourself and others ~ As this year winds down and we consider our challenges along with our blessings, take time to appreciate the community we've built. We are stronger together. Now get out there and VOTE!!
~ See You Soon ~
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Once again, if you haven't done so yet, we invite you to join or renew your membership in Richardson Area Democrats. Your suggested donation of $10/month will help us continue to build this inclusive community! Thanks for all you do.
