Universal Healthcare Panel - OC, CA

Monday May 18th Young Democrats @ UCI will be holding what one of our biggest events of the year. This will be a panel devoted entirely to discussing Universal Healthcare, featuring experts in the field.

Information:

Who: Former State Senator Joe Dunn, J.D., Former Irvine Mayor Beth Krom, Bill Honigman, M.D., and Healthcare Advocate Cindy Young
What: Universal Healthcare Panel
Where: Pacific Ballroom A & B of the UCI Student Center, located at the corner of Pereira Dr. & W. Peltason Dr., Irvine, CA.
When: Monday May 18, 6-8 pm
Why: Because our nations medical infrastructure is collapsing and we need to discuss the remedies before it is too late.

Note: if visiting UCI for the event please park in the UCI Student Center Parking Structure, located at the corner of Pereira Drive and West Peltason Drive, Irvine, CA. Parking is $7.

The event is free and open to the public, donations will be accepted at the door.

More information on the speakers:

• Former State Senator Joe Dunn, J.D. - CEO and Executive Vice President of the California Medical Association, he will present the views of the Medical Association
  
• Former Mayor of Irvine, Beth Krom
  
• Bill Honigman, M.D. - an emergency room physician, and he will discuss how the single payer program could provide healthcare for all.
  
• Cindy Young - she has been working for California School Employees Association for 20 years and has been a healthcare advocate for over 30 years. SHe has helped write bills such as Sheila Kuehl's Senate Bill 840

If you would like to download a flyer to help spread the word just visit this website, and thank you!

See everyone next MONDAY!

A Dream Confirmed

A man once had a dream
A poet once lamented a lost dream
A child once cried out for his lynched mother

We’ve lived and died an American dream
An American nightmare across the seas in burning deserts
Shot and bleeding in the streets of Kabul

But limping, wounded, strong, powerful and resolute

That dream continues to thrive and grow
Rallying around signs of hope, progress, change,
Around a half African, half Kansan, swirls the first seeds of courage

Around the youth of this nation, around the angry old generations, the past old guard, wanting something more, something greater, something momentous and beautiful.

This isn’t just about change. This is about re-birth. This is about genesis, a new beginning.

This is not just symbolic, this is real, pervasive, true and alive.
Langson Hughes once asked what happens to a dream deferred. Does it explode? Does it fester and rot until it destroys itself?

Thankfully we wont have to ask anymore, as the dream is now, undeniably, incredibly, wonderfully and finally confirmed.

Change is here. And my is it sweet.


- by: Emilio Arias, written for Inauguration Celebration - January 20th, 2009

Inauguation & President Obama!

Obama has officially been inaugurated!

At what is being reported as the most attended Presidential Inauguration ever, (he beat out LBJ who previously held the title, and beat out Clinton by 1 million), D.C. Mayor is saying that 1.8 million people were on the Mall attending the event, "The National Parks Service estimates Tuesday’s crowd to be the largest ever at the Mall", according to Politico.

There was of course the now famous slip up by Roberts about the placement of the word "faithfully" within the oath. In case you somehow missed it, here's a video:


Later that night Politico is reporting that President Obama retook the oath in the Map Room of the White House. This has spurned what I believe is a spurious debate over the authenticity of the orders Obama signed before retaking the oath. If you want to to read the article go here, but I think they're just looking for hairs to split and SOMETHING to talk about.

One of his first executive orders as President was to put a pay freeze on all White House staff who make more than $100,000/yr, which is roughly 100 people. He is quoted by MSNBC as saying "Families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington...". And in an effort to create transparency within the government,

Obama said he would change the way the federal government interprets the Freedom of Information Act. He said he was directing agencies that vet requests for information to err on the side of making information public — not to look for reasons to legally withhold it — an alteration to the traditional standard of evaluation. - once again according to MSNBC

Newsweek is also reporting what I find to be fantastic news:

In the first sign of friction within his new administration, President Obama overruled the pleas of senior U.S. intelligence officials and signed a new executive order that bars the CIA from using harsh interrogation methods beyond those permitted by the U.S. military.

Yay!! The US will no longer be breaking international law, at least on the torture front. This same directive also includes an order to close Guantanamo, something many people have been looking forward to. Though it's a bit up in the air over where all these detainees will go until their cases can be sorted out, it has even been suggested Camp Pendleton here in our own Southern California. In other news the Guardian is reporting that a town in Vermont has indicted Bush and Cheney for "crimes against our Constitution", though it is unlikely this will get much done.

Balance of power trying to find balance:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/22/president.tension/index.html
Is a divided majority good or bad? How much should we roll back and change from the previous administration? Would spending time repairing damage be a waste?

George Mitchell named special envoy for the Middle East:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/22/obama.mitchell/index.html
Former Senate Majority Leader, is he qualified? What role does US foreign policy have in the conflict? How involved in peace talks must we get? Authored Peace Accords in northern Ireland and served in similar capacity with Bush Administration, calling for "a halt to Israeli settlements and greater Palestinian efforts to crack down on terror."

Henry: Obama's first full day takes turn for the weird

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/22/obama.henry/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
Does this violate Obama's promise of openness?

Obama pushes for Gaza truce to hold

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/01/200912222168481201.html

"I think this is an unfortunate start for President Obama in the region and the Middle East issue. And it looks like the next four years, if it continues with the same tone, will be a total failure."- Osama Hamdan, Hamas Leader

Obama orders Guantanamo closure

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/01/2009122163150709233.html

Obama orders closure of controversial prison within a year. review of the military tribunals set up by the Bush administration to try them. Torture to be defined by the army regulations handbook. A "Step in the right direction".

What do we expect, and want, out of the first 100 days?
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/13/zelizer.hundred/index.html

All You Need Is Love! (Not Prop 8)

Once returning from the high of finding out Obama is really, truly going to be the next President, we Californians were dealt a heavy blow when we realized that Proposition 8 had passed. We posted a video awhile ago that discussed it, but for anyone that doesn't know, California Prop 8 amends the state constitution "to restrict the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples and eliminated same-sex couples' right to marry, thereby overriding portions of the ruling of In re Marriage Cases. The measure added a new section (7.5) to Article I, which reads: Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California" - wikipedia



We here at Young Democrats @ UCI did not take kindly to this certain result on the November 4th election, so there was nothing left for us to do, but PROTEST!


There were protests all over the nation, and YD@UCI visited two protests, one in Laguna Beach and the other outside Irvine City Hall. While we may not have been able to pass legislation reversing Prop 8 just yet, we were able to remind Orange County how we felt on the issue, and remind people that the fight isn't over yet.






And in cased you missed this gem of an internet meme, here is Prop 8: The Musical:

"Prop 8 - The Musical" starring Jack Black, John C. Reilly, and many more... by Jack Black

COUNTDOWN TO INAUGURATION!!!

Obama Countdown
created by James Miller

President-elect Barack Obama is being sworn into office in just a few days!
Everyones hard work and voting really paid off this time. Thanks to everyone for all your hard work and the commitment everyone put in, it's going to be worth it.

Here's to the next four years!

CHANGE.gov

Change.gov, the official website of "The Office of the President Elect" is up and running. Here you can view Obama's weekly address to the nation (much like FDR's much loved Fireside Chats), learn more Obama and Biden, and catch up on the official Obama blog.

One of my favorite aspects about the website is the "Citizens Briefing Book" where anyone can upload an idea they have for the government or President Obama, and other people can vote on these ideas. The most popular idea on the website right now suggests ending prohibitions on marijuana. Other top ideas include making America the "greenest" nation, getting rid of abstinence only sex-education, and creating more light rail and bullet trains.

I'm sure these topics and more are important to you, so get on the site and vote, or present your own idea, you never know, it may end up on the Presidential docket!

Cabinet Picks!

According to the site of The Office of the President-Elect, Barack Obama has picked his nominees for the National Security Team.

For Secretary of State he has Hillary Clinton. Just a few days ago at our meeting we debated the issues surrounding Hillary as Secretary of State. The group was divided, with many members saying she is perfect as she has foreign policy experience, is well respected, intelligent, and much more. Those on the other side of the argument said that the best secretaries of state have been viewed as an extension of the President himself, and Clinton and Obama's fierce fight for the Democratic nomination had divided the two too much to be viewed as almost the same person.
As we all know those who argued for Hillary as SoS obviously won out over in Washington, but we will see in the coming years if she was truly a good fit for this position.

Other announced nominees are:
Eric Holder as Attorney General
Governor Janet Napolitano as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
Susan Rice as Ambassador to the United Nations - (no she is not related to Condi Rice, I already checked.)
General Jim Jones, USMC (Ret) as National Security Adviser
President-elect Obama also announced that he has asked Robert Gates to stay on as Secretary of Defense.

Source: http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/the_national_security_team/