The Island County Democrats publish a monthly newsletter, which we are posting here. We believe that the statements made by the leadership of each party is of general public interest, particularly as we enter an election year.
Message from ICD 2nd Vice-Chair, Matthew Colston
Breaking Points
Written By: Matthew Colston
(Please view the article in incognito so that you don’t get paywalled.)
I had a web call with friends for the first time in nearly two years over the winter break. They have two children a six year old and a three year old. While we were in the middle of the call, the six year old son interrupted the call. The son, who kindly reminds me that he is six and a half years old, said something that stuck with me and I ended up writing this. The kid said he feels like everything is broken. He is very prescient for his age. I have sat and thought about what the kid said and came to a realization. Coronavirus did not break the world. Our society allowed a small elite to break the world. Our world was already broken before the pandemic started.
The American healthcare system was in shambles for nearly half a century. It wasn’t broken by COVID-19, it was already responsible for thousands of deaths before the first case of the disease was reported. The wars we waged across the world for industrialists and war profiteers broke the world. The workers of the world were crushed, broken, and their bodies used as the concrete for the towers of the rich. The biosphere of this planet was broken before this boy was born, and before I was born to increase the third quarter dividends for the investor. This doesn’t have to be this way.
We must choose another way. As the conditions worsen, the choices left before us will be “socialism or barbarism”. The Business Plot showed us the elite of this society wanted barbarism, all the way back in 1935. Their descendants are still in control of this country. Prescott Bush (the patron of the Bush political and business dynasty), J. P. Morgan Jr. (of JP Morgan Chase), Robert Sterling Clark (inheritor of the Singer sewing machine fortune), and Irenee du Pont (of the famous DuPont Family of Delaware) all would have us aligned with fascists in Europe and Asia during the Second World War because they disagreed with FDR’s jobs and tax policy. For the last seventy five years they have done the Business Plot in slow motion, eroding the fundamental tapestry so many of our forebearers wove to bring this nation out of the Dark Age. We have to remember all of that and remember there is always still hope, if you are willing to believe. Believe in each other, not in our leaders, for they maybe be false, but our belief in our families and friends, with the knowledge that you are willing to fight for someone you don’t know, is not.
News from ICD
PCO Recruitment Drive
In the next couple weeks PCOS will receive a cut list of surrounding precincts to search out for new PCOs with phone numbers and dem scores attached.The county now has nearly doubled the amount of precincts so we have lots of work to do! We are hoping to encourage participation from rank and file along with new members. Please if you have friends in precincts that do not have a PCO please send them my way at mfcolston2224@gmail.com or the chair’s email icdchair@gmail.com.
Northwest Cooperative Developmental Center
Announcing the Northwest Cooperative Fund
Last month, we announced that our new NW Cooperative Fund seeks Advisory Board Members. This month, we want to provide some more information about this exciting new effort to help co-ops access capital and meet the needs of their members.
The mission of the Northwest Co-op Fund is to provide access to capital to those individuals or cooperative associations owned by or serving low-income or otherwise underserved individuals. In other words, NWCF hopes to provide loans to co-ops and their members to support a growing regional cooperative economy. Immediate steps for the fund will be to form the initial advisory board and apply for CDFI status. The fund will assume all of NWCDC’s revolving loan work and will start pursuing ways to access additional capital. The goal for NWCF is to work with co-ops as its borrowers, investors, and primary stakeholders to ensure more dollars brought into the cooperative economy stay in the cooperative economy.
If you are interested in serving as an Advisory Board member, please fill out the application.
https://forms.monday.com/forms/5dbb5154cd4a76a80a5e7bff2fc74504?r=use
Fairvote WA
You’re invited to join your local ranked-choice voting chapter meeting on January 27th at 6:30-7:30 via Zoom.
The Washington State Legislature is currently considering two ranked-choice voting (RCV) bills; now is the time to make your voice heard! An hour of your time now could be the difference between having a ranked-choice ballot in your hands or politics as usual.
During the meeting we will outline both bills, answer questions you may have, and walk you through easy online actions to show your support for RCV.
Please sign up here to receive your Zoom link invitation – https://www.mobilize.us/fairvotewa/event/435248/?utm_campaign=01112022nwwashington
Whole Washington
Event addresses for February 5 @ 11:00 am – 12:15 pm and 7th sign up.
The most direct path to universal healthcare in Washington state is by putting it on the ballot and passing it through a vote of the people. All it takes is 400,000 signatures.
In order to collect them, Whole Washington is recruiting Signature Captains – people who are willing to step up and collect just 15 signatures a week either by themselves or with a small team.
Please join us for Signature Captain Orientation to learn more about being a signature captain including the training resources you’ll be given to ensure success.
If you’re seeing this it means we haven’t yet created a meeting link but if you’re interested you can sign up on our Signature Captain Interest form and someone will be in touch soon:
https://bit.ly/WholeWASignatureCaptains
Matthew Colston, ICDCC Vice Chair
Look Ahead for 2022 Election
Buckle up, this could get exciting. Filing week is May 16-20.
Rick Larsen is running for reelection for 2nd CD U. S. Representative
Dave Paul is running for reelection for 10th LD State Representative Position 2
Janet St Clair is running for reelection for Island County Commissioner District 3
Jason Call is running in a primary contest for 2nd CD U. S. Representative
Ashleigh Gregorius is running for 10th LD State Representative Position 1
Clyde Shavers is running for 10th LD State Representative Position 1
Note from Island County Commissioner, Janet St Clair
It’s been a little over 3 years since you helped elect me as your Island County Commissioner for District 3. It has been an honor to serve the people of Island County. As you are aware, these last few years have been tumultuous and challenging. I didn’t anticipate a global pandemic when I ran for office and when we first began to deal with COVID, I was Chair of the Board. Often working 7 days a week, I worked hard to stay connected to our state and federal officials and always be abreast of the best information possible, relying on science to help guide me in keeping our communities safe. This has continued in my leadership as Chair of the Board of Health and last week, I was unanimously re-appointed to that position by my colleagues on the Board.
During my tenure as your Commissioner, I worked hard to also accomplish my goals and fulfill my promises despite dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve worked for broadband, environmental issues, support for working families and transparency accessible government. I believe I have demonstrated an ability to lead in challenging times, and a willingness to listen and achieve results for the people of Island County. I continue to affirm my commitment to bring our communities together with common sense and practical solutions. As always, there is more that we share in common than those things which divide us.
Join me at our campaign launch on January 30. Let’s do this together.
Thanks for your support.
Janet
Virtual Campaign Launch
Register in advance for this meeting by clicking on the link below
Sunday, January 30, 2022 at 07:00 PM
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvc-qqrTsuGNPorSyXs9CJEWUEfAnxNsV8
Please visit her website and hit the Endorse Me button then go to her Facebook page and LIKE it.
https://www.facebook.com/stclair4islandcounty
Message from State Representative, Dave Paul
We are now entering the 3rd week of the 2022 Legislative Session. This is a 60-day session—often referred to as the “short session”—where the legislature writes a supplementary budget, strengthens policies from earlier sessions, and addresses emergent needs in our community and state.
We know that education is an important pathway to family wage jobs. I’ve introduced several bills to strengthen these pathways. House Bill 1760 will expand access to important educational programs, like Running Start and College in the High School. I’ve also sponsored House Bill 1805 to expand the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship and better connect rural residents to apprenticeship programs.
Ferry service is critical to our community, and many of us rely on ferries for work and access to healthcare and education. I’m working hard with the Ferry Caucus to ensure our state prioritizes new vessel construction, the maintenance and preservation of the existing fleet, and the recruitment and training of new crew members to keep the ferries moving. I am also proposing legislation to create pathways for high school and community college students to start their careers in Washington State Ferries.
Finally, protecting the environment and addressing climate change is absolutely necessary to protect the quality of life in our region and state. I’m proud to have introduced House Bill 1700, which will provide more resources to our state to remove derelict vessels from our waterways—and before they pollute the environment. This is an issue that affects every corner of our district. House Bill 1700 has passed the Appropriations Committee and is now headed to the House Floor.
Thanks everyone who has taken the time over the last year to meet or email me about your policy priorities, feedback, and legislative ideas. As always, it is an honor to serve as your representative.
Sincerely,
Dave
Message from 2nd CD Congressman Rick Larsen
Three hundred and sixty five days ago, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris raised their right hands and were sworn into office. It was a big, bright, hopeful day that arrived just two weeks after one of the darkest days in American history.
After some of the recent setbacks in the US Senate, it is easy to be frustrated. I am frustrated, too.
But let us take a moment and review what has happened in just one year of the Biden Administration.
- More jobs have been created – 6.4 million – than in any year in American history.
- Child poverty is at its lowest level ever, thanks to our recovery package.
- Over 200 million Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID, 75% of all adults.
- 5 million more Americans have health insurance — in the middle of a pandemic!
Finally, as you know, we passed an historic infrastructure plan that is a big, bold investment for the long-term future of our nation’s roads, bridges, airports, and ports.
We are fighting climate change, with a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle chargers, upgrades to our electric grid to make it ready for green energy, a major expansion of passenger rail service, and investments in zero- and low-emission buses and ferries.
And we are doing it all by putting hundreds of thousands of people to work in high-paying, union jobs.
We have a lot of work to do. And the setbacks are real. But here is what I know: We should be proud of what we have been able to do together.
Rick
News from the State Party
Advocacy Committee’s Legislative Priorities Survey
Legislative Session & What You Need To Know: On January 10th, the 60-day “short” state legislative session began for 2022. Here is some of the groundwork information we all need to know about the session, the schedule, and how to get involved.
First, the key dates and the deadlines that bills have to move forward by to stay alive:
- Start of session – January 10, 2022
- Last day for bills to pass policy committee in their house of origin – February 3, 2022
- Last day for bills to pass fiscal committee in their house of origin – February 7, 2022
- Last day for bills to pass the floor in their house of origin – February 15, 2022
- Last day for bills to pass policy committee in the opposite house – February 24, 2022
- Last day for bills to pass fiscal committee in the opposite house – February 28, 2022
- Last day for bills to pass the floor in the opposite house – March 4, 2022
- Last day of session – March 10, 2022
All these deadlines are important for determining what legislation will pass or fail, and the days leading up to those deadlines will be crucial times for advocates to push for action on their bills.
As with last year, every legislative committee will be offering remote testimony options. You have the option of testifying live via video conference or phone, submitting written comments, and/or just noting for the record whether you are for or against a bill. Here are some of the “rules of the road” you should be aware of, if testifying live remotely:
- Registering to testify does not guarantee you a chance to speak or speak at specific times.
- The committee chair may limit public testimony (for example, one minute per testifier) due to time constraints. Be prepared to testify at any point during the hearing.
- Maintain proper committee protocol, which includes waiting to be acknowledged by the committee chair before speaking, ensuring testimony and any objects appearing in the background of video feeds are respectful and professional, and following rules for testimony established by the chair.
For those reasons, it’s a good idea to always combine your live testimony plan with written remarks that you can email to committee members and to the legislators from your own district, in case you aren’t able to deliver your full, planned testimony.
Here are some key links to help with remote testimony participation during the 2022 Legislative Session:
- House remote testimony sign up: https://app.leg.wa.gov/csi/House
- Senate remote testimony sign up: https://app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Senate
- Legislative Committee agendas: https://app.leg.wa.gov/committeeschedules
Albert & Fe
Advisory Committee Openings
Advisory Committee Openings 10-Jan-2022: Apply for Advisory Committee Openings Committee, Board, or Council Openings
There are currently openings for the following committees:
* Board of Equalization
* Conservation Futures Program Citizens’ Advisory Board
* Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve Trust Board
* Ferry Advisory Board
* Historic Preservation Committee
* Island County Planning Commission
* Island Regional Transportation Planning Organization- Technical Advisory Committee (IRTPO-TAC)
* Law and Justice Committee
* Northwest Development Council
* Mosquito Abatement District, Camano Island
[Editor’s Note: Donation links omitted here.]
