Powershift West is TODAY! Over 500 young leaders from all over the west coast will be joining YOU to learn about solutions to the climate crisis and grassroots organizing skills!

If you still haven’t registered this is your last chance:
http://www.west.powershift09.org/register

Here’s what you need to know to be prepared for the weekend:

*Check-in is in the EMU Lobby.

*Keynote speeches start at 7:00pm on Friday, don’t miss out!

*Bring: a pen, a notebook, a reusable mug and lots of energy.

*Look over the conference program ahead of time to select which workshops and panels you want to attend (there’s a lot to choose from!).

*Download the conference program now! http://west.powershift09.org/blog/conference-program-available

Those are the essentials!

Read on if you want all sorts of other details:
————————————-

*Prepare for a rockin’ dance party on Friday night. (Join the facebook event)http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=159168154484&ref=nf

*Bring a rain jacket as it will be raining most of the weekend.

*Please allot 15 minutes to find parking if you’re driving. South of campus is your best bet. Read the signs so you don’t get a ticket.

*There will be “commons space” where you can share, trade, express, learn, and meet other leaders. Stay tuned for the location and time.

Charles Denson, Jeremy Blanchard, and Zach Stark-MacMillan
PSW09 Core Organizers
west@powershift09.org
http://west.powershift09.org

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medsticker What you need to know about measure 66 and 67 Most other states aren’t envious of Oregon’s tax structure which relies heavily on an unstable income tax. Recently it’s weaknesses have been underscored by a a less than envious economy. While income taxes are progressive (taxing the wealthy instead of the poor) they have one major drawback, when the economy suffers the taxable income decreases, making our State legislature struggle to find funding sources for our most needed social programs. Facing an $852 million dollar cut in the state budget, Democrats worked diligently last year to pass Tax Fairness legislation. The increase in taxes will only affect those who can afford it; wealthy Oregonians sharing the burden while our poor economy recovers.  According to Defend Oregon 97.5% of Oregonians won’t see their taxes increase.

Without hesitation conservative ideologues quickly responded by creating the maligned group Oregonians Against Job Killing Taxes. Acting under their deceptive name, they gathered enough signatures to put the tax increases on the ballot.

So here’s the facts:

  • A “no” vote will cut 3 million dollars from the University of Oregon’s budget. Making another tuition increase imminent.
  • A “Yes” vote will preserve public services we need most including education, health, and safety.
  • A “Yes” vote will tax those who can afford it, wealthy Oregonians making over $250,000 a year.
  • The Oregon Corporate Minimum tax has not been increased since 1931. A “no” vote will keep it at $10. Fact: Adjusted for inflation $10 in 1931 would be equal to $140 in 2008.
  • A “Yes” vote will raise the Corporate Minimum tax to $150, preserving funds for social programs.

Sometimes the boundaries of the University give us the perception of being in a protected square unaltered by the difficult times around us, but this recession has already hit our campus hard. Students, including myself, have seen a 7.9% increase in our tuition and the threat of another hike is very real. Classified staff that we rely on are being forced to take furlough days equal to pay cuts and our professors are underpaid compared to universities of equal size, seriously threatening our schools ability to hire and retain the best teachers.

A “no” vote will only exacerbate the problems we as students already face; increasing our tuition, and cutting programs and services we need most.

In January vote “Yes” on measure 66 and 67. Your vote will count.

Sign the pledge:

Your Vote Counts!

Your Vote Counts!

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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi

Today House Democrats unveiled their Health Care bill which includes a “robust” public option. Fueled by ressurging confidence from progressives on the left, House Democrats are moving forward with what is clearly the most comprehensive  health care plan to date. Unlike the Baucus bill which leaves millions without insurance, the House bill will cover 96% of Americans extending coverage to nearly 45 million uninsured. Forcing private for-profit insurance companies to compete with a public option will reduce costs without sacrificing quality – a win-win scenario. New regulations and requirements will make insurance companies cover those with pre-existing conditions, cap out-of-pocket expenses, and protect people from being dropped when they need it most. The bill will also allow parents to keep their children on their plans until they are 26, giving us young folk time to find a job with benefits.

At first glance the price tag seems daunting coming in at an estimated $896 billion dollars, however Democratic leadership has made it clear that it won’t add to the deficit. To cover its costs the bill will raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans (those earning $500k individually, or $1 million combined), instead of taxing what have become known as “cadillac plans.” Increased tax revenue led the congressional budgeting office to predict that the bill will reduce the federal deficit by $30 million over the next 10 years.

Do you want to see a public option in the final health care bill?

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In an effort at transparency, Democrats have agreed to publish the 2000 page bill online for a period of 72 hours starting Monday. This means we can expect floor debate on the bill as early as next week.

The “no party” is already attempting to frame the bill as a government takeover of the health care industry, which worked early on when we were just becoming educated on the issue, but now with over 60% of Americans in full support of a public option it seems like a losing strategy. Hopefully some Republicans will have a change of heart when it comes time to vote, if not for bipartisanship, than just to prove that they’re empathetic human beings. Given the saliency of the issue if the “no party” chooses not support the bill and it’s successful, than we can expect several years of Democratic leadership on the Hill and in the White House.

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Would you prefer a Carbon Tax or a Cap and Trade Mechanism?

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For many years we have had a debate about how to solve the problem of fossil fuel pollution. We have seen many topdown micromanaging regulations, such as limits on the miles-per-gallon in new automobiles, lightbulb regulations, subsidies to “green collar” industries, and others. A debate also exists about the proper replacement for fossil fuels, whether it be solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear, etc…

carbon tax 1 Carbon Tax is the Better Solution

Right now, Congress is considering cap-and-trade, which would limit the amount a pollutant can be used, in this case, carbon. Companies would need to have carbon credits to pollute, and the credits represent one ton of carbon dioxide. If companies wish to increase their pollution, they would need to buy credits from those who pollute less than their credits allow. All these policies might be better than nothing, but that says very little. A carbon tax is the better solution, due to its incentives and the fact that it treats the disease, not the symptoms.”

Continue reading…


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WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (Reuters) – The health reform bill making its way through the House of Representatives will include a public insurance option, but negotiations are continuing on the details of the plan, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday.

“At the end of the day we will have a public option” in the House bill, Pelosi told a news conference.

Read more

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Al Franken: He’s no Joke

Some thought electing a comedian would make a joke out of congress, they were wrong. As it turns out Al Franken, the Freshman Senator out of Minnesota, is handling his new position with the professionalism and respect it deserves. That’s more than we can say about some of his Republican colleagues, thirty of which voted against his Rape Amendment. The bill would end any government contract with companies that force women to sign agreements preventing them from fairly suing their employer after being sexually assaulted. Jon Stewart did a good bit pointing out the moral deficiencies of the Republican members who voted against the bill.

Today, Senator Franken’s hard at work again, trying to make sure this country gets adequate health insurance.

It’s nice to have at least one Democratic Senator  that asks serious questions, even if he’s a comedian.

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With the 2010 mid-term elections not far away pundits have their eyes on the Governor races in Virginia and New Jersey; their outcomes might be an indicator of how successful Democrats will be next November.

Creigh Deeds

Creigh Deeds

During the Obama campaign, students from across the nation bussed to different states, phone-banked for representatives in district’s that weren’t their own, and effectively worked together breaking traditional boundaries in an extraordinary effort that gave us a majority in both houses of Congress and a democratic president. This year the University of Oregon College Democrats will extend the paradigms established in the 2008 election by helping elect Creigh Deeds, the democratic candidate for governor in Virginia.

As Olympia Snowe so delicately put it last week, one person can make a big difference in politics. If Mr. Deeds Republican opponent were elected, it would be a clear reversal of the momentum we all worked so hard to achieve. As Democrats living in the 21st century, we have an opportunity to help make sure this doesn’t happen. If you’re available Sunday Oct 25th from 1pm-3pm  you can help phone-bank for Creigh Deeds, and prove to the pundits that 2010 will be a good year for Democrats.

RSVP via facebook

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The Curse of Free Energy

Editors Note: Erik Erlandson is a Political Science major, and sophomore in the Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon.

images The Curse of Free Energy

With Powershift coming to campus and the Kerry-Boxer climate change bill slowly pushing through congress with heated debate, alternative fuels, energy uncertainty, and our planet’s future continually ripen as issues demanding time on our national stage. Some end the conversation by citing new energy sources, but innovations do not offer a free ride. Too many people fail to realize this.

Industrial economies rely on the subsidy of cheap energy. For roughly three centuries, human civilization exploited cheap fossil fuels, draining our planet of oil, natural gas, and other petro-chemicals useful to economic operations. Resources that had built up over millennia in our planet’s interior have largely disappeared in a few hundred years. The “low-hanging fruit” were devoured by booming capitalist economies which necessitated an increasingly large flow of energy to propel a growing population, even as oil and natural gas fields peaked in production, and even as oil discoveries exponentially declined. US oil production peaked in 1970, and more and more countries are added to the “post peak” club every year.

Extracting oil has become more and more expensive. Oil is our economic lifeblood, however, so we have been willing to shoulders immense costs to sustain our existing energy infrastructure. But less and less oil in the ground is indisputable, as it is a non-renewable resource. This brings up the issue of EROEI, or Energy Return On Energy Invested. Decreasing supplies mean remaining oil pockets are harder to find. Therefore, the energy required to extract this remaining oil will increase, while the energy we get out of these investments will move in the opposite direction, rendering this non-renewable increasingly uneconomical. If that didn’t make sense, maybe this will; there is no future in oil.

But that is hardly my point. With less and less of our economic lifeblood available and an approaching global oil production peak according to many experts, how will humans deal with a world of energy uncertainty? Millions of people believe whole-heartedly in a future of solar panels, wind turbines, hybrids, hydrogen cars, and nuclear reactors to sustain our current way of life.  And I, as one of the believers, acknowledge that these sources are a part of the solution, although conservation, rather than efficiency, should not be forgotten.

The curse of free energy (aka cheap oil), a phrase coined by scholar Richard Heinberg, has created some of our biggest current problems. Our population explosion and resulting climatic devastation have been propelled by free energy and industrialism.  If we discover another magic commodity for energy usage, more people will be born, more people will consume, more pollution will occur, and economies will continue their expectation of infinite growth in a world of finite resources, exacerbating the problem.  We cannot simply replace our inputs of energy usage, we must scale down our energy usage. Powering-down our economies is where the real solution lies, and conservation, rather than making free markets more efficient, should not be omitted from current talks. In fact, it should be emphasized more than it has been recently.

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College Democrats of America executive board member explains why substantive Health Care is especially important for women in America.

As the health care reform debate continues, there is one issue that cannot be ignored: The current health-care system takes a particular toll on women.

Women pay more for coverage because they require more preventative care, and as such are forced to pay higher deductibles. This price gap is especially high for women in the age group most likely to bear children. Indeed, women aged 15 to 44 spend 68 percent more on health care than their male counterparts in the same age group.

Under the current system, pregnant mothers can be denied health-care coverage altogether, potentially causing not only adverse health outcomes for the mother but also for the child.

However, the health-care bills moving through Congress would fix these disparities between men and women. Insurance rates could no longer be based on sex, which is a common practice today in most states. Additionally, co-pays would be eliminated for necessary preventative care, and all states would need to provide some affordable coverage to pregnant women.

So although a shared sacrifice might be necessary for health-care reform to finally pass, it seems a little price to pay to ensure that all women receive the equality in health care they so desperately need. After all, the health of our next generation is dependent upon the health of its mothers.

-Jen Johns

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09287/1005210-110.stm#ixzz0Tvpy1CRC

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Dear College Democrats,

What: Tuesday meeting When: 6pm Where: Lillis 112

Join us for the 2009 Oregon Summit

Get inside access to campaigns and Oregon’s leading political figures. Freshman and new members, this is a great chance to get to know like minded people and we encourage you to come along! Tomorrow’s meeting is your last chance to sign up to attend the Oregon Summit with Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with Representatives Defazio and Blumenaur, and both gubernatorial candidates Bill Bradbury and John Kitzhaber. Workshops will help us interact, learn from, and share with our political peers, and the after parties will help us network and meet Oregon’s decision makers. Plus, we’ll be staying at Black Butte Ranch resort in Central Oregon where we’ll have a great time socializing and getting to know each other. We already have one car filled and we’d love to take as many people that can come! $50 per person (down from $125!).

Interested in joining the College Democrats Executive Board? We’ll be electing a College Democrats Secretary at this weekends meeting. For a complete job description click here.

Current News:

Current Health Care Legislation Will Not Control Medical Costs, Experts Warn – NY Times
The Politics of Spite – Paul Krugman
Virginia Governor’s Race Turns to Gender Politics Over 20-Year-Old Master’s Thesis

Meeting agenda:

Introductions/Announcements
DPO Summit
Powershift West ‘09 – How can you get involved? (guest speaker Zachary Stark-MacMillian Organizer)
Secretary Election
Short Video
Discussion
Pegasus Pizza!

Upcoming Events/Volunteer information:
Oregon Summit October 16th-18th (this weekend!)
Phone Bank for Virginia Governor Sunday 25th of October
Powershift West ‘09 November 6th – 8th
DPLC Gala Auction November 7th
Pizza Fundraiser November 18th

Sincerely,

Ryan McCarrel
Pres. University of Oregon
College Democrats

phone: (541) 357-7206
email: colleged@uoregon.edu
website: http://www.uoregon.edu/~colleged
twitter: UOcollegeDems
facebook: UO College Democrats

p.s. Are you an Alumni that has an interesting story to share with us? We’d love to feature you on our blog! Please send an email to jfarrel@uoregon.edu and help us stay in touch.

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