I’ve had conversations lately with several PCOs about why we have so many events and activities, during each of which we’re asking for money – usually, from the same, limited number of dedicated supporters. This leads to the question: Wouldn’t we attract more potential supporters if we spent more time educating about issues, strategizing and organizing, rather than asking admission fees for one event after the other, often at prohibitive prices for families struggling to pay for necessary food and shelter in our increasingly impoverished economy?

Believe me, along with many fellow executive committee members, I share this concern. We believe we could more successfully grow our local party, and promote Democrats in general, if we focus more on learning about and discussing issues and candidates, and organizing and strategizing around them. Unfortunately, there are significant expenses involved with doing all of this, so we’ll still have to raise funds. Wouldn’t it make sense to spread that opportunity among more supporters, so we don’t ask so few for so much?

Take a look at the draft budget summary our Treasurer, Jane Johnson, has provided below and you’ll note most of our revenue to support organizing efforts, forums, caucuses, communications and candidate support is still derived from traditional events and activities, such as the Burger Booth, Champagne Brunch and JJ Dinner/Auction. As many know, these are all very labor and cost intensive activities! Yet, although there are nearly 7,000 active Democrats receiving our quarterly newsletters, we estimate less than 1% of them will pay their annual membership dues of $20. If just 20% of our active Democrats would pay their $20 dues, we’d net more than we expect to net from these labor, cost intensive activities.

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably a committed Democrat who wants to promote the values we share and elect folks who will help craft and implement public policy promoting those values locally, statewide and nationally for the benefit of all people, not just the privileged few. If you haven’t yet paid your membership dues for 2006, please consider doing so to help us make this vision a success.

Pre-Caucus Issue Forums

The Thurston County Democrats will host a series of public Issue Forums leading up to the Precinct Caucuses on March 4. Three Issue Forums will be held in northern Thurston County, with two additional forums in Yelm and Bucoda. The topics identified are Healthcare, Environment, Education, Economy, and one forum will be an Open Topic discussion.

Democrats from across the county are beginning to chime in on the online pre-caucus issues forums at www.bettersouthsound.org/opendemocrat. Already there have been comments on abolishing corporate civil rights and increasing our focus on healthcare and ethics in government. Remember, one of the scheduled in-person forums is still without a topic. If you have a topic you want to discuss, make sure you let your voice be heard.

This is an excellent opportunity to get together with our friends and neighbors to talk about issues that are important to us and influence the Democrat Party Platform. If you are unable to attend these forums or are interested in getting the conversation started before the Pre-Caucus Issue Forums scheduled below, go to www.bettersouthsound.org/opendemocrat and take part in a series of online Issue Forums. You can use this handy platform plank submission form www.thurstondemocrats.org/newdocs/2006PlankForm.pdf to help you document your planks for the 2006 Platform.

Tumwater Timberland Library
Wednesday, February 22, 6:00-8:00 pm
Healthcare or Environment

Olympia Timberland Library
Thursday, February 23, 7:00-9:00 pm
No topic determined yet

Caucus Cycle Described

Many are understandably confused with all the caucuses and convention activity that occurs this time of year. The following chart and descriptions should help clarify the purpose of each of these activities.

Precinct Caucuses – (this year - March 4, 2006)

In the Spring of every even-numbered year, PCO's are required to hold a Precinct Caucus for the purpose of adopting resolutions and selecting delegates to the Legislative Caucus and County Conventions.

Legislative District Caucus – (this year - April 8, 2006)

At the Legislative District Caucus, delegates from the Precinct caucuses meet to elect delegates to the State Convention. In Presidential election years, these delegates also attend the Congressional District Caucuses.

County Convention – (this year - April 8, 2006)

Precinct caucus delegates also attend the County Convention to discuss local issues and candidates and to adopt a county platform. Some State Convention delegates are also elected at the County Convention. Platforms adopted at this level are submitted to the Platform Committee of the State Convention.

Congressional Caucus

In Presidential election years only, each Congressional District also has a caucus session made up of delegates from the Legislative Caucuses with the purpose of electing delegates to the National Democratic Convention.

State Convention

In even-numbered years, elected delegates meet to write a state platform and make decisions relating to Party governance. In Presidential election years, delegates will elect Democratic National Committee members and select delegates to the National Convention.

National Convention

Every four years, the National Democratic Party holds a convention to adopt a platform and nominate a presidential and vice-presidential candidate, and to conduct other party business.

PCO Spotlight

Meet Jerry Broadbent, PCO Bucoda #801

Jerry is now retired from the Department of Licensing but prior to that he spent 23 years teaching junior and high school students in British Columbia, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and Washington.

He became more involved with the Democrat party when he became increasingly disgusted with the direction our country was going under the Bush administration. He decided he needed to do something about it, so he applied to be PCO of Bucoda #801.

Bucoda is a lower and middle-income working class mill town that used to be mostly Democrat until redistricting changed the political landscape to be more Republican. It is situated about half way between Tenino and Centralia.

Last summer, Jeanne Pasarrelli, At-Large Committeewoman and K.D. Chapman, PCO Skookumchuck #158 together canvassed his precinct. They found most people really appreciate knowing that someone is available to answer questions. Jerry says that meeting people face-to-face is the best way to reach out in a small town and it has been a great way for him to get to know others more personally.

In addition to canvassing his precinct, Jerry plays cribbage on Tuesdays and has the opportunity then to talk with people about political events and issues of importance.

When asked what his biggest surprise was since becoming a PCO, he says he was surprised to find the majority of people are genuinely glad to talk with him!

His advice to a new PCO or someone considering becoming one is to remember that canvassing your precinct is your strongest tool. When you interact with others in your precinct, it makes them think about issues more than they might otherwise have done and it gets them interested. Secondly, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Other PCOs and volunteers are available to help you canvass, prepare mailing materials, and more.

Champagne Brunch - February 11

Join us along with your friends and neighbors at the popular Thurston County Democrat's Champagne Brunch.

This is a great opportunity to get acquainted in a casual and welcoming atmosphere. Many elected officials will be on-hand to share their vision for the new year.

When: Saturday, February 11 - 8:30am-11:30am
Where: Elk's Lodge 1818 4th Ave. E

Purchase your Early Bird tickets by February 7 to receive the discounted price. To purchase, contact Roger Erskine 709-2445. Checks can be mail to TCDCC, PO Box 164, Olympia, WA 98507.

Don't miss this unique opportunity to meet your local elected officials and network with others in the Thurston County area!

Proposed Budget for 2006

2006 Budget
INCOME:
Burger Booth	45,000
Brunch, JJ Dinner, Picnic	25,500
Dues & Donations	18,500
Advertising Sales	10,000
T-Shirt Sales	2,500
Refunds, Interest	500
Total Income:	102,000
EXPENSES:
Burger Booth Expenses	24,690
Office, Supp., Misc.& Comm.	19,300
Brunch, JJ Dinner, Picnic Exp	15,500
Donations to Candidates	15,000
Edu Forum / Caucus / Convention	12,500
Newsletters	10,000
T-Shirts Cost & Sales Tax	2,278
Scholarship	1,000
Young Democrats	1,000
Total Expenses:	101,268
INCOME LESS EXPENSES	732

By Jane Johnson
Treasurer

The Executive Committee is preparing a proposed budget for 2006 which will be voted on by the whole body at the February 2006 Central Committee meeting. The budget reflects new strategies as well as building on our experiences from last year. Here are some highlights of the proposed budget:

Assumes we will sell the same amount of burgers as last year but at a higher price to ensure a profit.
Advertising sales should pay for our newsletter.
Aiming for 400 paid members.
Additional expenses for caucuses and convention this year (but opportunities for obtaining memberships and donations).
Improving our contributions to candidates.
Offering an educational scholarship to a high school student(s).
Improving our financial support of Young Democrats.

And if the anticipated income looks like it’s going to be achieved:

Opening a Thurston County Democrat Office.

Here’s a summary of a preliminary draft:

We ended 2005 with about $13,000 in the bank at the end of 2005 not included in the above and are planning to have a like number in reserve at the end of 2006.

Please plan on attending the February Central Committee meeting and hear more about some of our exciting ideas for 2006. We are anxious for your input and hopeful for your support!

Thurston County Democrat T-Shirts

If you are not yet a Thurston County Democrat member or haven’t renewed your membership for 2006, here’s a great opportunity to support your local Democrats and receive a discount on a Thurston County Democrat “Walk the Talk” t-shirt.

To become a member or to renew your membership, just fill out the membership form and return it with your $20 check. In addition, as a thank you for becoming a new or renewing member, you will receive a discount on the purchase of our new “Walk the Talk” t-shirts. Just indicate on your membership form what size and style (short or long sleeve) you prefer.

Include your $20 membership and the additional $10 to cover the cost of the t-shirt. If you prefer to use a credit card, please visit our website at: www.thurstondemocrats.org/membership.

Additional t-shirts can be purchased at the non-member price of $15 for short sleeve and $18 for long sleeve.

Jefferson-Jackson Dinner and Live Auction - May 13

If you were able to participate in last year’s JJ Dinner and Live Auction, you know what a fantastic event it was with champagne, a scrumptious dinner, and our very own Gov. Christine Gregoire giving a rousing speech which made us all glad we stayed the course to make sure her election was validated.

From there we were treated with the stimulating and fast paced live auction with professional auctioneers who did a great job of squeezing every penny out of us that was possible. All for a great cause! We raised over $10,000 for the Thurston County Democrats that evening.

To top it off, we had the wonderful Mud Bay Blues Band on hand to get us on our feet dancing the rest of the evening.

So, don’t miss this year’s JJ Dinner and Live Auction. It’s shaping up to be just as fun and exciting as last year’s event.

Thurston County Democrats Jefferson-Jackson Dinner and Live Auction
Olympia Red Lion Hotel - 2300 Evergreen Park Drive
Saturday May 13, 2005
6:00pm-11:00pm
Tickets will be on sale in March.

State Party Chair Selection

Dwight Pelz, a former state senator and former King County Council member, was elected to be the next Washington State Democrat Party chair. He brings thirty years of progressive work in Washington including fifteen years as a community organizer, and fifteen years as an elected official.

In a joint letter to state central committee members, Gov. Christine Gregoire and Sen. Patty Murray said Pelz "stands out" in the field.

In his thank you letter to state committee members, Mr. Pelz shares what he sees are issues Democrats will be facing in the coming months and years.

I heard stories of what divides us as Democrats, but learned far more about what unites us. We are all concerned about the future of our country – a country which appears to be turning its back on the middle class.

Democrats in Washington support health insurance for our families, pensions for those who were promised them, college loans for our children, and Social Security and Medicare for all retirees. We know that these investments are critical to 90% of the families in America – that to cut them is to cut our middle class. We know that America is wealthy enough to afford good roads, good bridges, and good schools. We challenge a war with no strategy and no end in sight.

We are committed to re-electing Sen. Maria Cantwell, and confident that our grass-roots troops will defeat their millions of dollars of advertising funded by out-of-state interests. We are determined to expand the Democratic majorities in the State House and Senate this year. We will challenge Bush cheer-leaders McMorris, Hastings, and Reichert with excellent candidates and excellent campaigns.”

We are pleased to welcome Dwight Pelz and look forward to working with him to carry out this vision.

When I graduated from college, I thought I was done worrying about the rising cost of college and the increasing number of loans sought by students pursing their degrees.

Certainly, with a debt of more than $13,000, I had a considerable student loan burden. Nevertheless, my debt-load was relatively comparable to most of my peers and in quite a few cases less than that of many friends.

Six months later, the first bills came due. The payments consumed a hideous portion of my meager social science major’s paycheck. By the end of this year, the debt from my bachelor’s degree will have been completely paid off.

It might have something to do with the drastic cuts Congress just made to the federal student loan program. It might also have something to do with the state’s absolute and utter failure to restrain the rising cost of high education, forcing today’s middle and lower- class students into an unreasonable amount of debt as they attempt to achieve the American Dream.

Approximately one-half of the public university students who obtained their bachelor’s degree in 1993 required loans to complete their education. The average debt-loan amount those who borrowed was $8,700. In only eleven years this debt-load for similar graduates has risen to $15,500.

Those graduating from private schools borrowed $22,581 on average. Since our public institutions simply don’t have the classroom space to meet the demand for higher education, we absolutely have to care about the cost of private school tuitions.

Forty percent of students now graduate with what lenders consider "unmanageable" debt loads – causing many students to begin their adult lives with a crippling debt-load long before they can even begin to purchase vehicles or homes.

If you don’t consider this chilling, consider this quote from Heather Boushey, an economist for the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

"To put this in perspective, back in 1981, a student could work full time all summer at a minimum wage job and earn about two-thirds of their annual college costs," she wrote in a recent report. "Today, however, a student earning the minimum wage would have to work full time, (for a) full year to afford one year of education at a four-year public college or university."

If you’re like some of my friends who work at Microsoft or Boeing, this kind of debt isn’t a problem. But if you want to pursue a job in public service – your loan payments might put such a goal completely out of reach.

This assumes, of course, that you’ve finished your degree and have the additional job-finding power higher education provides. Those whose educations get derailed face an even grimmer future, particularly since federal student loan never goes away.

Federal student loans are immune to bankruptcy and have practically no limitation on their collections. The Supreme Court recently ruled that the U.S. Department of Education can even garnish Social Security payments to collect past-due loans that would have long been forgiven or written off by any other lender.

As college costs continue to sky-rocket, this problem is only going to become dramatically worse. The excessive burden we are placing on many of our students is helping create the most in-debt generation in the world’s history.

Today’s students already face far too many debts that are being bequeathed to them by previous generations. By failing to provide adequate access to higher education, we are risking the very economic advantage we count on to enable us to pay our nation’s massive debt – our highly skilled and well-educated workforce.

Our federal government and our state legislature MUST do MUCH more to preserve the availability of higher education. It’s not just about starting the lives of today’s students off right – it’s about making sure our economy can continue to support the social programs I know many members of our party are hoping to enjoy when they retire.

Thurston County Food Bank Needs Your Support

If your schedule allows, we encourage you to attend a one-hour "For Your Information/Brown Bag Lunch Meeting” at the Thurston County Food Bank. The dates are Monday, February 6, Wednesday, February 15 or Friday, February 17 from 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. This is a great way to meet other volunteers and learn about the food bank and volunteer activities.

Our next opportunity to work at the Thurston County Food Bank is Monday, February 6th. We always work on the first Monday of the month, although three-day-weekends tend to throw us off, but you can put it on your calendar now for the whole year. Hours are from 8:00a.m. - 12:00p.m., and 12:30p.m.- 4:30p.m., the hours are flexible so if you are late, or need to leave early it is fine to do so. Participation in this volunteer opportunity has unfortunately dropped off significantly since it was started last year. Please put on that new "Blue Crew" T-shirt and spend just a few hours helping out those who really do need help in our community.

Just because we have chosen the first Monday of the month to work as a group doesn't mean that that is the only day you can volunteer. The Food Bank is open every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday except holidays with the same hours. Also, the last Wednesday of the month they have evening hours from 4:30p.m. until 7:30p.m.

Come walk the walk in your Thurston County Democrats shirt, and let our community know we care!

Super Saturday Burger Booth - June 10

The Burger Booth just keeps getting better and better. We are planning early since this is an important election year. The first day of action will be out at The Evergreen State College on Super Saturday, June 10th. We have volunteer openings for a Day Coordinator and Shift Captains.

Olympia City Councilman Joe Hyer has volunteered to be Head Chef this year and will be in charge of all those who will be cooking the burgers and onions. He will hold a hands-on instructional meeting before Super Saturday for those of you who would like to work at the grill.

To volunteer for taking care of the Burger Booth plumbing, electrical, transportation, etc., call Jerry Muchmore at 413-9720 or e-mail him at bigdogjerry@comcast.net

To volunteer for staffing and stocking the Burger Booth call Elizabeth Shepard at 943-9448 or e-mail her at jemn1@earthlink.net.

Calendar and Events

February 6	Food Bank Volunteer Opportunity - 220 Thurston Street NE - Contact: Elizabeth Shepard at 943-9448 or at jemn1@earthlink.net
February 6	Thurston County Democrats Executive Committee Meeting - 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM – Thurston County Courthouse Building 1, Room 152
February 11	Champagne Brunch - 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM - Elk's Lodge 1818 4th Ave. E, Olympia, Contact: Roger Erskine 709-2445 or www.thurstondemocrats.org/champagne
February 14	Democracy for America Meeting - 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Olympia Center, 222 Columbia Street NW
February 20	Washington State PCO Training - St. Martin's College, Lacey - Training by U.W. Professor David Domke
February 20	Washington State Democrats Annual Crab Feed - St. Martin's College, Lacey - Special guest, DNC Chair Howard Dean.
February 20	Pre-Caucus Issue Forum - TOPIC: Economy - 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Gordon's Grange in Yelm - www.bettersouthsound.org/opendemocrat
February 22	Pre-Caucus Issue Forum - TOPIC: Environment - 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM - Tumwater Timberland Library - www.bettersouthsound.org/opendemocrat
February 23	Pre-Caucus Issue Forum - TOPIC: TBD - 7:00 PM - 9:00 - Olympia Timberland Library PM - www.bettersouthsound.org/opendemocrat
February 26	Pre-Caucus Issue Forum - TOPIC: Education - 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM - Lacey Timberland Library - www.bettersouthsound.org/opendemocrat
February 27	Pre-Caucus Issue Forum - TOPIC: Open Topic - 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Bucoda City Hall - www.bettersouthsound.org/opendemocrat
February 27	Thurston County Democrats Central Committee Meeting - 6:30 PM Social Time; 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM – Thurston County Courthouse Building 1, Room 152 Presentation by Washington Public Campaigns on legislation to allow for public financing of political campaigns in Washington State.
March 4	Precinct Caucuses - 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM - Locate your caucus site here.
March 6	Food Bank Volunteer Opportunity - 220 Thurston Street NE
March 6	Thurston County Democrats Executive Committee Meeting - 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM – Thurston County Courthouse Building 1, Room 152
March 27	Thurston County Democrats Central Committee Meeting - 6:30 PM Social Time; 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Thurston County Courthouse Building 1, Room 152
April 3	Food Bank Volunteer Opportunity - 220 Thurston Street NE
April 3	Thurston County Democrats Executive Committee Meeting - 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Thurston County Courthouse Building 1, Room 152
April 8	Thurston County Convention and Legislative District Caucuses - 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM – Location: Capital High School
April 11	Democracy for America meeting - 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Tumwater Bar and Grill (4611 Tumwater Valley DR SE)
April 24	Thurston County Democrats Central Committee Meeting - 6:30 PM Social Time; 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Thurston County Courthouse Building 1, Room 152

Thurston County Democrats

www.thurstondemocrats.org

Next TCD Central Committee Meeting

Leg. District 2

Leg. District 20

Leg. District 22

Leg. District 35

Inside this Edition

Chair's Message

A Call for Membership