Speaker: Richard Kimball, President, Project Vote Smart
Richard Kimball has held elected positions in Arizona, both on the Corporation Commission and in the state legislature, before challenging John McCain for the US Senate in 1986. He has experienced first hand the influence of money on political campaigns. With the encouragement of several national leaders, he began Project Vote Smart to combat the erosion of our democracy. At its heart, Project Vote Smart seeks to enhance the People's ability “to self-govern” by providing access to “abundant, relevant, and accurate information” - the essence of Jeffersonian democracy.
There will be ample time for general discussion:
What is the state of our democracy? Realistically, can it be improved?
What is the track record of our two-party system in confronting these issues?
What evidence is there that people want more information that empowers them?
What practical solutions are there for reducing the role of money in influencing elections, beyond the collection and dissemination of candidate positions and the voting records of our representatives?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more information on Project Vote Smart, click here: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday , August 13th, 7-9pm DFATucson Monthly Meeting, (2nd Wed. of every month) City of Tucson Ward 6 Office, 3202 E 1st St. (One block south of Speedway on Country Club, turn east onto 1st St to address) Click on Location Map
DO OUR REPRESENTATIVES REALLY REPRESENT US?
Speaker: Jody Gibbs, DFATucson Steering Committee member
Jody will present his views in detail, linking the actions or lack of actions of our elected officials to the factors that influence their decisions:
- Is there a substantive difference between Congressional District 8 Democratic Representative Gabrielle Giffords and the Republican candidate Tim Bee?
- 70% of Amercans oppose the Iraq War: a Democratic controlled Congress passes yet another $162 billion off-budget funding.
- Multiple other Bush supported issues are passed by the same Congress, now with a 9% approval rating by the public.
The big question then is what strategies will be effective to change the Let's get some new thinking and direction for our efforts. We will also have a brief update on impeachment.
How Can We Get Tax Policy Right?
To whet your appetite on the topic, check out the commentary of investor Irwin Stelzer at the American Enterprise Institute, where he challenges the free market mantras.
