SILICON VALLEY REPUBLICAN WOMEN FEDERATED NEWSLETTER

                September 2008     

 

President: Ellen Longworth (408)354-0419 ~ 1st V.P & Program: Carol Greenleaf (408)867-5680

~2nd V.P/Membership: Laura Riffle (408)263-0990 ~ Treasurer: Naomi Blais ~

Secretary: Gloria Estes ~ Newsletter Editor/Legislation: Eve Bretzke  

Website: www.svrwf.org, Address: PO Box 2153, Sunnyvale, CA 94087

 

All SVRWF Luncheon and Dinner Meetings are held at the Ramada Inn,

Silicon Valley located at 1217 Wildwood Ave. Sunnyvale, California.

Luncheon Meetings: Social 11:30 AM., Lunch 12:00 PM, Cost $20.00*

 

Our next luncheon meeting is September 4^th at 11:30 AM.

 

Menu Choices*:  Chicken Picatta  - Tender Chicken Breast with Creamy Lemon Caper Sauce OR Shrimp & Artichoke Salad - Steamed Artichoke filled with Mini Bay Shrimp 

*Please note that our lunch prices have increased to $20 each.

Louise Kenny 739-4724 or Alice Wilson 733-6352 for reservations.

“A reservation made is a reservation paid!”

 

Our guest speaker this month is Steve Mullen, the new Chairman of the Santa Clara County Republican Party.  Let’s welcome Steve Mullen to this month’s luncheon meeting.  Bring a friend!

Steve Mullen is married with 2 daughters, both of whom attend Cal Poly. Steve has been actively involved in Republican politics for many years.  As a retired financial services professional, Steve has the time – and more important, the talent – to devote to a resurgent Republican organization in Silicon Valley. In 2005, Steve had been involved in his children’s school and decided to run for Palo Alto School Board. He ultimately lost, but came away with a passion and devotion to local politics. In 2006, Steve volunteered as treasurer for California Assembly Candidate, Virginia Chang Kiraly. 

As Chairman of the Santa Clara County Republican Party, Steve will focus on recruiting and helping candidates for local office, raising money and voter registration. 

 

 

SILICON VALLEY REPUBLICAN WOMEN FEDERATED NEWSLETTER – SEPTEMBER 2008

 

 

 

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE (8/26/08)

 

How I wish I was going to the National Republican Convention in Minneapolis next week.  There is something about going to a big meeting, seeing the people in person, and perhaps having a chance to speak to some of our party leaders.  I went to a Northern California Convention years ago and I was inspired to get out and work for some of the people I met.  I especially remembered meeting Maureen Regan and watched her work the crowd.  She was so attractive and so friendly.  If I were at the national convention next week I would go to as many meetings as I could to hear the speakers.

 

This election is quite different from what we re used to.  With our rapid communications and having a really one-sided media we have to be on guard.  There are so many professionals who have a way of manipulating words to tell lies, twist facts, and history to their purpose.  We are bombarded constantly with so much information.  The wonderful internet and television can lead you astray.

 

Hold fast to your principles and stay conservative.  Do whatever you can to put Republicans in office on every level.  These are people who will represent us in government.  Keep track of what these people do and say.  Keep up with the phone calls and letters.  Watch the convention and let our politicians know you expect them to act on certain bills and laws to protect us.  They must speak up for things that really need to be done now! 

 

Regards,

 

Ellen Longworth,

President, SVRWF

 

 

UPCOMMING EVENTS

 

Sept. 4             Regular Luncheon Meeting, 11:30 AM Social, 12:00 PM Lunch.  Speaker:

Steve Mullen – New Chairman of the Santa Clara Republican Party

 

Sept. 11           Regular Board Meeting, time/location TBA

 

Nov. 4             Election Day – VOTE REPUBLICAN!

 

Nov. 22-23      Northern Division Fall Conference -"Race to the Crowne Plaza", Foster City, Nov. 22-23.   Speakers will address global warming, Mid-east developments, "In God We Trust," and Garage Sale 101.

 

May 2009        CFRW 34th Advocacy Workshop and Spring 2009 Board of Directors' Meeting, Hyatt Regency at Capitol Park, Sacramento, May 3-5, 2009.

SILICON VALLEY REPUBLICAN WOMEN FEDERATED NEWSLETTER – SEPTEMBER 2008

 

MEMBER NEWS

We hope everyone enjoyed the summer!   Now that it is September we will be back to our regularly scheduled meetings and hope to see all of you soon.

 

Adopt-A-Chaplain continues to support our troops in Iraq.  Currently the Chaplains are asking for greeting cards and cup-of-noodles along with beef jerky and powdered drink mixes.  If you would like to donate items please bring them to the meeting.  Thanks to the club members for supporting this ongoing effort.

 

 

LEGISLATION

 

California Update from CRWF and other sources

 

Cashing in on High Gas Prices: The total amount of motor fuels taxes received by California state and local government in 2000 was $2.1 billion.  By 2007 it was up to $4.3 billion. The debate is this: is that new tax money coming out of your budget, or are you shifting your spending from other taxable items to gasoline?  The statisticians and I disagree on this.  They believe you are simply shifting your spending by buying fewer taxable items (clothes, restaurant food, etc.) to pay the higher gas price, including the tax.  I believe there is a shift in spending going on, but that it is just as likely to be from non-taxable items, say your premium cable package or movie tickets, or to go further afield, maybe even less food and medical services.  You end up cutting costs in one area, but those savings are more than eaten up in the higher gas tax due on each fill-up.  -- Leonard Letter 07/21/08, Bill Leonard, Member, State Board of Equalization

Number 1 Poll Issue: Illegal immigration

In my recent poll to members, the number one response was the illegal immigration issue. Here is an example of what happens in a “sanctuary city” such as San Francisco: San Francisco's immigrant sanctuary policies played a "substantial" role in the slayings of a father and two of his sons by allowing city officials to shield the alleged killer from deportation, despite his violent history, according to a legal claim filed on behalf of the victims' family. Tony Bologna and his sons Michael and Matthew were shot to death on June 22, 2008. Edwin Ramos, who authorities say is a member of a street gang, has been charged with three counts of murder. San Francisco’s sanctuary practices were denounced by the family after The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Ramos, a Salvadoran native suspected of being in this country illegally, had committed felony attempted robbery and assault as a juvenile. The Chronicle reported that officials with the Juvenile Probation Department, relying on their interpretation of San Francisco's sanctuary city ordinance, had not referred Ramos to federal immigration authorities for possible deportation. The ordinance bars city officials from cooperating with federal crackdowns on illegal immigrants. The Bologna family's claim does not make a specific request for monetary damages. Lawyers for Bologna's wife and his two surviving children assert in the claim that the city's sanctuary policy was illegal, reckless and a "substantial factor" in the slayings. The claim further asserts that the city knew that federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials were targeting illegal immigrant gang members for removal from the United States and would have sought to deport Ramos immediately had they known of his juvenile record. The claim places blame on the city's Juvenile Probation Department for adopting "official and unofficial policies" that amounted to unlawfully harboring illegal immigrants who committed violent crimes. The claim also cites a 2006 bulletin to police officers that limited how and when officers could communicate with immigration authorities and a directive issued by Mayor Gavin Newsom in March 2007, which prohibited "dissemination" of immigration information by police or other city departments to the federal government unless the agencies were required to do so by U.S. law. The Bologna family contends that the city created an environment that was hostile to anyone who would report offenders for deportation because of the city’s sanctuary policies, reinforced by an unwritten but enforced policy that discouraged police officers from reporting any illegal alien. The city of San Francisco has forty-five days to respond to the claim. Denial of the claim allows the family to proceed with litigation against the city. --- Michelle P. Connor, Legislative Advocate, CFRW, 08/25/08.

SILICON VALLEY REPUBLICAN WOMEN FEDERATED NEWSLETTER – SEPTEMBER 2008

 

National Update from NRWF and other sources

 

Democratic Congress is Playing Partisan Politics:  There is a disturbing trend with regard to the slow pace of the Senate's consideration of judicial nominees. Although many of the nominees have received a well-qualified ranking from the American Bar Association, they have been denied a fair up-or-down vote. We are seeing partisan politics in action which is a great disservice both to the nominees and to the American public. No other President in the history of our great nation has had to experience this kind of inaction - especially when the courts are so important to the citizens of our country. It is also unfair to those who are waiting to see what they will be expected to do. While the overall confirmation of these conservative nominees is important, the confirmation of conservative jurists to the D.C. and Fourth Circuits is imperative because both courts have great impact on national policy. Now, before the elections, it is important that all points of view are in the court system - that is democracy in action in America. We have one court - the Ninth Circuit - which is dominated by ultra liberal justices and is very undemocratic. Now the Fourth Circuit Court has a 5-5 split between Republican appointees and Democrat appointees. One third of the seats are now vacant. There is a need for the nominees for this court to be voted on this year. President Bush has been allowed only 6 circuit judges and 34 district court judges. In the final two years of the Clinton Administration, the Senate confirmed 15 circuit judges and 57 district court judges. President Bush was reelected by a majority vote in the 2004 election. What is the Senate prepared to do? The people are watching. These are the people's courts. If the Senate Judicial Committee continues to ignore this important obligation, they will be exposed to the nation as having been derelict in their duty. We are calling for immediate action now before the November 4th election. Not to conduct an up-or-down vote now will have repercussions. Americans are fair and square people. --- Mary Lou Terra, NFRW Political Briefing, 7/21/08

Election Money Update:  The lead in fundraising for the November elections that congressional Democrats hold over Republicans continues to widen. If the GOP was alarmed earlier over the anemic results of their fundraising, they must be panic-stricken by now. The Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee raised almost $21 million in the second quarter and has $46 million in cash on hand. The National Republican Senatorial Committee raised $15 million and has a paltry $24 million on hand, leaving the Demos with an edge of nearly 2-to-1. In the House, Democrats hold a 6-to-1 cash-on-hand advantage over Republicans.  Meanwhile, Barack Obama broke his own monthly fundraising record in June with a $52-million haul after a three-month dip. He finished last month with $72 million after spending $25 million, his lowest monthly operating costs so far this year. John McCain has significantly increased his spending now that he has a specific Democrat to target. His campaign spent $27 million in June and took in more than $21 million. While Obama’s fundraising prowess has been touted in the media, the RNC victory fund for McCain has done a pretty good job of leveling the playing field, ending June with $96 million in the bank. Obama and the DNC had $92 million.

 

Other

 

Toss Up States:  The Washing Post has an interesting web site that lets you make predictions. 

Visit: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/interactives/campaign08/electoral-college/

If you highlight the list of 2008 swing states there are a total of 111 electoral votes.  These 10 states are: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Ohio and Virginia.  These states 

and their electoral votes will determine the Presidency.  This is what I mean when I recommend ignoring all national polls. Only pay attention to these states and to the intensity of these voters’ interest in the candidates. The real value 

right now is in understanding the voters of those states and how strongly they are leaning to which candidate. In their actions is the outcome of November. -- Leonard Letter 07/14/08, Bill Leonard, Member, State Board of Equalization

Community Service:  “There’s a weird irony at work when Sen. Barack Obama, the black presidential candidate who will allegedly scrub the stain of racism from the nation, vows to run afoul of the constitutional amendment that abolished slavery. For those who don’t remember, the 13th Amendment says: ‘Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime... shall exist within the United States.’ In Obama’s mind it must be a crime to be born or to attend college. In his speech on national service... at the University of Colorado, Obama promised that as president he would ‘set a goal for all American middle and high school students to perform 50 hours of service a

SILICON VALLEY REPUBLICAN WOMEN FEDERATED NEWSLETTER – SEPTEMBER 2008

(cont.) year, and for all college students to perform 100 hours of service a year.’ He would see that these goals are met by, among other things, attaching strings to federal education dollars. If you don’t make kids report for duty, he’s essentially telling schools and college kids, you’ll lose money you can’t afford to lose. In short, he’ll make service compulsory by merely compelling schools to make it compulsory. ... This is the problem with national service mania: It seeks to fix what ain’t broke. No, national service isn’t slavery. But it contributes to a slave mentality, at odds with American tradition. It assumes that work not done for the government isn’t really for the ‘common good’.” —Jonah Goldberg 

Regulatory Commissars: ‘Double Nickel’:  Sen. John Warner (R-VA) has proposed returning to the hated federal 55-mile-per-hour speed limit in an effort to save energy. “I drive over 55 miles an hour... sometimes 65,” he said. “But I am willing to give up whatever advantage to me to drive at those speeds with the fervent hope that modest sacrifice on my part will help those people across this land... dealing with this financial crisis.” In other words, if he is sacrificing, everyone else has to as well. The National Motorists Association estimates that 95 percent of drivers regularly exceeded the federal speed limit when it was in effect. In other words, it worked almost as well as Prohibition. Maybe that’s why it was repealed in 1995. Some western states, realizing what a ridiculous law it was, put common sense first. Montana limited speeding tickets to $5, and in Wyoming, state troopers would tell drivers to hang on to tickets because they were good all day. Sure, driving slower saves a bit of energy, but the law also cost Americans an extra one billion hours in their cars each year. If liberals want to feel good about themselves by driving slower, they are welcome to do so... in the far-right lane, of course.

 

Did You Know?   Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Republican!  History shows that Dr. King was a minister who embraced the traditional values that made our country great.   The National Black Republican Association is sponsoring billboards at the DNC convention that read, "Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Republican!"

Republicans Care About the Environment Too…

Check out this website called Republicans for Environmental Protection at http://www.rep.org/ .  The website has many pages and seems to cover the “green” issues of the day from a Republican viewpoint. 

Talking Points:  Millions of Democrats believe Obama is not ready to lead. Democrats are concerned that Obama does not have the experience, judgment and leadership we need today when our country is facing critical challenges at home and abroad.

• Obama says he will change Washington, but in the U.S. Senate, he requested nearly $1 billion in pork barrel spending.  That’s a million dollars for every day he's been in office.

• Obama says he will only raise taxes on the rich, but in the Senate, he voted for tax hikes that would have impacted those making just $42,000 per year. He has proposed tax increases on income taxes, capital gains taxes, dividend taxes and Social Security taxes.

• Obama says he wants energy independence, but he opposes new drilling at home; opposes nuclear power; and opposes encouraging invention of an advanced, affordable electric car.

• On Iraq, Obama says he wants peace, but even today he opposes the surge strategy that succeeded in Iraq and will succeed in Afghanistan.  Barack Obama's policy of unconditional withdrawal could result in renewed violence and a third Iraq war.

Source: Pink Elephants: Weekly Talking Points, Republican National Committee 08/26/08

SILICON VALLEY REPUBLICAN WOMEN FEDERATED NEWSLETTER – SEPTEMBER 2008

 

Republicans Care About the Environment Too…

Check out this website called Republicans for Environmental Protection at http://www.rep.org/ .  The website has many pages and seems to cover the “green” issues of the day from a Republican viewpoint. 

Talking Points:  Millions of Democrats believe Obama is not ready to lead. Democrats are concerned that Obama does not have the experience, judgment and leadership we need today when our country is facing critical challenges at home and abroad.

• Obama says he will change Washington, but in the U.S. Senate, he requested nearly $1 billion in pork barrel spending.  That’s a million dollars for every day he's been in office.

• Obama says he will only raise taxes on the rich, but in the Senate, he voted for tax hikes that would have impacted those making just $42,000 per year. He has proposed tax increases on income taxes, capital gains taxes, dividend taxes and Social Security taxes.

• Obama says he wants energy independence, but he opposes new drilling at home; opposes nuclear power; and opposes encouraging invention of an advanced, affordable electric car.

• On Iraq, Obama says he wants peace, but even today he opposes the surge strategy that succeeded in Iraq and will succeed in Afghanistan.  Barack Obama's policy of unconditional withdrawal could result in renewed violence and a third Iraq war.

Source: Pink Elephants: Weekly Talking Points, Republican National Committee 08/26/08

SILICON VALLEY REPUBLICAN WOMEN FEDERATED NEWSLETTER – SEPTEMBER 2008