Number of the Day

Five-hundred and fifty-five votes behind, five-hundred and fifty-five votes needed right now to catch up.  Plus, these same five-hundred and fifty-five people need to vote again every day for the next 9 days.

Can we do this people?

Oh yes, this is what is needed for our very own Solana Center to win the competition in the Earth 8 Eco Ambassadors contest for $25,000 prize money.

Tell everyone you know - 9 days of a simple mouse click or two to give our EUSD school kids a continued program they all love - reducing waste, composting and learning more than many parents know about the earth's natural systems.

Vote here.

Image: flickr Eve the Weaver

How to Vote

From Lisa Shaffer . . .
You get three votes for City Council. You don't have to use them all. I ask for your votes for Tony Kranz and me. If there is not a third candidate that you strongly support, please leave the third slot blank. Here's the reasoning:

The three candidates with the highest vote totals win the three seats. Any vote you cast for a third candidate makes that person's total one vote higher. That means that Tony and I need to have one vote more than that to be at the top. So please don't use your vote just because it's there, if you don't really support the person you're voting for. The most important outcome of this election could be a different majority on the Council, and that requires both Tony Kranz and Lisa Shaffer to win.

Change is VERY possible if we get out the vote and use our votes well. Thanks.

Shaffer Quote of the Day

Tony & Lisa at 5K run - One of dozens of events with community.

The quality of a campaign and the likelihood of winning an election, in my view, is not judged by how many large signs one can afford to post. It's by how much of the community is engaged and supportive of the candidates values and positions.

Misinformation seems to be increasing as the election nears. For the record: I have not asked anyone to approach business owners about whose signs they do or do not have on their property. I have consistently told my supporters that I will not put signs where we do not have permission. If folks who have asked for signs for their property I have tried to provide signs for them.

Taking Treats from Toddlers = False Toughness

Presidential debate Wed. from Romney,

"I'm sorry, Jim, I'm going to stop the subsidy to PBS. I'm going to stop other things. I like PBS, I love Big Bird. Actually like you, too. But I'm not going to -- I'm not going to keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for. That's number one."

PBS released a statement in response to Romney and the GOP's ridiculous desire.

"We are very disappointed that PBS became a political target in the Presidential debate last night. Governor Romney does not understand the value the American people place on public broadcasting and the outstanding return on investment the system delivers to our nation. We think it is important to set the record straight and let the facts speak for themselves.

The federal investment in public broadcasting equals about one one-hundredth of one percent of the federal budget. Elimination of funding would have virtually no impact on the nation’s debt. Yet the loss to the American public would be devastating.

A national survey by the bipartisan research firms of Hart Research and American Viewpoint in 2011 found that over two-thirds of American voters (69%) oppose proposals to eliminate government funding of public broadcasting, with Americans across the political spectrum against such a cut.

As a stated supporter of education, Governor Romney should be a champion of public broadcasting, yet he is willing to wipe out services that reach the vast majority of Americans, including underserved audiences, such as children who cannot attend preschool and citizens living in rural areas..." [read the rest here]

Getting rid of PBS may not seem like a big deal to many in the grand scheme of things, but the GOP's desire to cut its funding points to a tactic they frequently use: cut financially trivial programs to give the false impression that they are making the tough choices to reduce the debt and boost the economy at the same time they are protecting the largest drags on the economy -- tax breaks for the rich, wars, big oil etc.

Via Dependale Renegade
Cupcakes included because they are irresistible.

Let's Honor League of Women Voters

After the disasterous joke of the presidential debates last night, Oct. 3, it is worth taking a look at who is in charge of the debates and how it is decided what format, moderator, questions and other key aspects are to be implemented. The Democracy Now! video clip at the end of this post answers these questions. But first some Encinitas League of Women Voters appreciation is overdue.

Locally this is timely for recognizing the strong presence of our League of Women Voters organization assisting the Encinitas general electorate with all the campaign 2012 issues. On Sept. 6 the League presented a program on Civil Discourse in government, showing the film "Patriocracy.  Candidate Lisa Shaffer and Councilwoman Teresa Barth attended this program and I think Barth shot the photos shared on Facebook.

Tonight at the Cardiff Library the League of Women Voters are offering guidance for any and all on the 11 California Ballot Intiatives for this 2012 general election.  Propositions #30-40 will be covered.

League of Women Voters

Ballot Measures - Pros & Cons

Thu, October 4, 6:30pm - 8:00pm

Cardiff Library, 2081 Newcastle Ave, Cardiff

The presentation will be an impartial discussion of the measures on the Nov. 6 ballot

Presented by League members Margie Monroy and Nancy Telford

And now as promised at the opening of this post, the history behind the Presidential Debates being turned over to the makers of Bud Lite and other corporate sponsors, plus the Democratic and Republican Parties for the mess we witnessed last night.

The League of Women Voters and progressives should be proud of the Democracy Now! successful Expansion of the Debate efforts last night wherein they included two 3rd party candidates into the debate. 

As President Obama and Mitt Romney squared off for the first time on Wednesday night, Democracy Now! broke the sound barrier by pausing Obama and Romney’s answers to get real-time responses from candidates Jill Stein of the Green Party and Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party. Stein and Anderson joined Democracy Now! for a live special just miles away from the Obama-Romney contest at the University of Denver. Many Obama supporters have expressed surprise that Romney was able to put the president on the defensive, while Obama failed to mention several of Romney’s potential weak spots, including including his record at the private equity firm Bain Capital, his vast personal wealth and offshore investments, and his recent remark that 47 percent of Americans are government dependents. Today, highlights from our "Expanding the Debate" special with the voices of all four candidates, showcasing the broadened perspectives on the critical issues beyond the Democratic-Republican political spectrum.

Here is the Link. The only place in the USofA to get a full review of the third parties trying to break into the public consciousness.  Let's hear it for the League of Women Voters and the Independent Press through Democracy Now!

Tuesday is Dues-day: Who Votes in America?

Tuesday is Dues-day. The dues are schooling yourself on how our local governance is organized, who are the players, what are the screw-ups, where is the money and what things get reported? 

You’re a citizen, an advocate for democracy with this first step, paying attention.

Citizen Tip = Said Another Way, Who Isn't Voting?

Infographic this week, will no doubt aggravate our friends on their smart phones with the tiny screens.  Sorry. Be aware of who isn't voting.  The unemployed, the overworked, people of color, the sick and disabled.  In a word, the disenfranchized, who know they have been sacrificed by the overlords in power. Does Encinitas hold a future vision where they can feel secure, they can thrive? 

click to enlarge

August 26th is the 92nd anniversary of the Women's Right to Vote under the US Constitution.  Remember, women are not a monolithic group and there is great diversity.  But the disenfranchised are slanted dramatically towards the female gender.  Yes, you can be old or young, poor, sick, disabled, underpaid, unemployed (underemployed or overextended) a person of color, gay AND a person with a uterus. In a culture celebrating violence, coping with returning vets suffering PTSD and the economic depression that's a reality for the bottom 25%; domestic violence is on the rise. Young women will be more affected by the wrong votes than any other group (magnified again by any other cultural bias markers.)  Let's help get as many young women to the voting booth as possible. 

From the National Women's Law Center,

"Voting's not just your right — it's also your responsibility. Women's votes make the key difference on issues ranging from fair pay to reproductive health to social safety net programs like child care assistance, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid."                 

Click HERE for an interactive site to find out about voting registration, dates, mail-in ballots, voting early, ID requirements and more.