Monthly Archives: January 2011

Blog: Do you want to spend a year fighting poverty?

January 31, 2011 – 4:23 pm

Join AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps, a year-long program combining work for justice, Jewish learning and community building. The application application is available online.

Work full-time on issues you care about: immigration, hunger, literacy, public health, domestic violence, and more. Learn from veteran organizers, activists, and educators about how to make change in the world and about the Jewish connection to social justice. Live with other young people ages 21-26 from all Jewish backgrounds and build a community committed to integrating social change and Jewish values. You’ll receive a modest living allowance plus health insurance and be eligible for an AmeriCorps Education Award of $5,350 for repayment of student loans or future education.

Find out more on a conference call for prospective applicants. You can also check out this video to learn more.

Questions? Contact Mollie Spevack, Recruitment and Communications Coordinator, at apply@avodah.net or 212-545-7759 x312.

Application Deadline: February 8, 2011

Blog Featured: Progressing Toward an Internship That Matters

January 30, 2011 – 6:41 pm

If you have progressive values and are looking for a spring or summer internship that will make a difference, have we got a deal for you!

Tenth Dems Interns

Tenth Dems Interns, July 2010

The Tenth Congressional District Democrats (Tenth Dems) is accepting applications for spring and summer internships. Several of our interns have gone on to internships in Washington, to college majors in political science or law, or to paid political and nonprofit positions locally and in Washington.

Interns may do research, walk door-to-door with candidates, work in campaign offices, staff events and issue forums, and get to meet many political figures. In the past, they’ve helped at Tenth Dems events featuring former Presidential nominee George McGovern, as well as Presidential hopefuls Senators Evan Bayh of Indiana, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, Howard Dean of Vermont, and Illinois’ Barack Obama.

Tenth Dems is a grassroots political organization that helps elect Democrats to all levels of political office throughout the 10th Congressional District. The organization has had more than 2,000 volunteers helping Democratic candidates.

The 10th Congressional District includes all of the North Shore from Wilmette through Waukegan and extends as far west as Libertyville, Vernon Hills, and Buffalo Grove in Lake County, and Wheeling, Arlington Heights and Palatine in Cook.

Applicants should be high school juniors or seniors, college students, or graduate or law students with a desire to help the Democratic Party. Computer skills are desired. Spring interns are expected to work a minimum of 12 hours per week, and summer interns should commit to 20. We are looking especially for interns with Web administration and/or data skills.

Course credit is available with cooperating high schools and colleges. Acceptance into the Internship Program is selective and contingent upon an interview. Applicants are asked to submit a brief paragraph explaining why they want this internship, and a resume of their educational background and activities. Neither need be formal.

For more information on the Intern Program, or to apply, contact Lauren Beth Gash, Chair, at info@tenthdems.org or call 847-266-VOTE (8683).

Read more about the internship in Tenth News, Tenth Dems’ newsletter:

News: Obama Supporters Show Up Strong in 10th District

January 27, 2011 – 2:40 pm

More than 150 people gathered at Durty Nellie’s Pub in Palatine to watch the President’s State of the Union address Tuesday evening. The event, sponsored by several local Democratic groups, featured jumbotron televisions and opportunities for attendees to discuss their priorities for government action.

President Obama expressed his unifying theme of “Let’s move forward.” He offered an inspired vision for a future America by letting go “the government of the past.” The tools for inspiration include re-organizing federal government to become more efficient and effective; re-energizing American industry with creativity, resourcefulness, and innovation; and re-establishing America’s fiscal strength, educational achievements, and economic opportunities.

 “The size of the crowd exceeded our expectations” said Matt Flamm, an organizer of the event.  “Every chair was filled, and walk-ins from the restaurant joined us to watch the President’s address. We were excited to hear President Obama lay out his ideas for the future of our country. In our discussions before and after the speech, it was clear that everyone was supportive of the direction that the President wants us to go, particularly in regard to jobs and education.”

The event was hosted by Organizing for America (OFA), Northwest Suburbs of Chicago for Obama, Eighth District Democrats and Independents (EDDI), The Illinois Tenth Congressional District Democrats (Tenth Dems), and the Palatine Township Democrats
 
The Northwest Suburbs of Chicago for Obama, which has grown to more than 600 members, sent volunteers into surrounding states during the 2008 campaign to gain support for the President.  Flamm told the audience that the group will soon begin organizing similar action for 2012.

Hon. Lauren Beth Gash of the TenthDems said, “I was amazed by how many people came out to join fellow Democrats – many of whom were new to the process – but looking forward to working toward civil dialogue and reelecting our President.”

If you are interested in participating in the election process, please contact your local Democratic organization to find out about more upcoming events and ways you can get involved.

The Tenth Congressional District Democrats is a grassroots political organization which welcomes volunteers from all parts of the 10th District, which runs along Lake Michigan from Wilmette on the south to Waukegan on the north, and from the lakeshore on the east, through Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows, Palatine and Inverness on the west.

Blog: Karen May Deserves Applause For Her Vote

January 27, 2011 – 2:26 pm

Letters to the editor in this week’s Pioneer Press

In your (editorial) of Jan. 20, you suggest that we should be angry at the Democrats for “socking” (your term) Illinois residents with the recent income and corporate tax hikes.

One of your arguments is that “Businesses can make more money when taxes are lower, and they can hire more workers as well.” That’s a standard Republican refrain and it gets people riled up, even — or perhaps especially — retirees, whose primary source of income (state-funded or private pensions, including Social Security) are exempt from taxation in the state of Illinois.

Trouble is this argument is so full of holes, I don’t know where to begin.

Maybe we can start with all the things that our tax dollars pay for, which businesses take full advantage of, things such as roads, highways and waterways, clean water, an impartial court system and an educated workforce. An under-funded state on the brink of bankruptcy would not be able to adequately provide these services.

Second, even with the increase, Illinois’ tax rates remain lower than Wisconsin’s and comparable to other nearby states. For too long, Illinois collected revenues at rates far below those of her neighbors, which was one of the contributing factors to our current financial crisis.

And then there’s the bills owed. For some businesses, the state is one of their largest, if not their only “customer.” A business can go belly up if their invoices keep going unpaid.

And finally, mention should be made of the other taxes that go up when incomes are not adequately taxed: Sales taxes, property taxes and fees too numerous to mention, which can knock the wind out of a family’s budget.

You say we should be angry? I am. I am angry it took so long for our elected officials to step up to the plate. It took guts. It took foresight. And it took brave statesmen like my representative, Karen May. Karen, I applaud you.

Elizabeth Bloom Albert – Highland Park

News: Bachmann Repeats Kirk “Fact,” But PolitiFact Says It’s No Better Than Half True

January 27, 2011 – 10:04 am

Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann stretched the truth a little when she appeared on national television Tuesday night as the Tea Party spokesperson in response to President Obama’s State of the Union address. But she did no worse than Illinois Senator Mark Kirk did on the same issue last year.

Bachmann said that the federal government “may put 16,500 IRS agents in charge of policing President Obama’s health care bill.” That’s not quite true, says PolitiFacts, a Pulitzer Prize winning organization which tries to figure out what is true and what is false in the political arena.

What Bachmann said, was basically the same thing Kirk said last year, when he used the same numbers that Bachmann used, At that time, PolitiFact labeled Kirk’s remarks as “Barely True.” Bachmann gets a “Half True” rating, partially because she used the word “may.”

PoliticFacts says it’s true, there may be a need to hire 16,500 IRS agents to police the health care bill. But it also says that number was a worst case scenario. The real number could be half, or less, than that.

Republicans like Kirk and Bachmann chose to use the high number not because it was accurate, or told the whole story, but because it fit their political purposes.  

You can see the PolitFact discussion on this matter, by clicking here.