Men's Forum Feb 2021 (sl)
2021 SESSION OF THE VIRGINIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Please join us at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24 for our second Men's Forum of 2021 where HDC's own Morgan Goodman offers a review of the General Assembly's current session. The Democratic trifecta in the House, Senate, and Governor's mansion accomplished so much in 2020, and all of us are eager to learn what's next on the agenda.
Morgan's presentation will review the Assembly's progress on Democratic policies to date as well as addressing the bills still to be voted on. The session tentatively ends on February 27. As usual, the floor will open for questions towards the end of the program, but for time's sake, please forward them in advance if possible so our speaker has the opportunity to incorporate them into her talk. RSVP with your questions to Don Barth (donna.don@comcast.net) no later than Feb. 17.
Our monthly Men's Forum provides a candid way for Hanover's Democratic community to stay informed, invigorated, and connected, with opportunities to talk politics with expert speakers in our slowly bluing county. We are grateful to be back to our regularly scheduled programming despite the ongoing pandemic, and thank our members for their...
March 2021 Two Cents (2)
MARCH TWO CENTS
Here’s a shocker: the U.S. economy fares better under Democratic administrations
By Gordon Silver
In the lead-up to every election, Republicans are usually credited with being the party more likely to be good stewards of the economy. However, the data does not support this assumption.
Historically, the economy has fared far better under Democratic administrations.
This flies in the face of what the sensible answer might seem to be: It’s probably been similar. Presidents, after all, have only limited control over the economy. They don’t have much influence over the millions of decisions every day, made by consumers and business executives, that shape economic growth, jobs, incomes and stock prices. Over the course of a century, it seems logical that the economy would have performed similarly under Democrats and Republicans.
But it has not! And here is a ranking of presidents by average annual G.D.P. growth according to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. Read more
2021 Scholarship Information (sl)
SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS BEING ACCEPTED
The Hanover Democratic Committee will be awarding scholarships of approximately $500 or more to graduating seniors from each of our county high schools.
The Melissa J. Dopp/Bobby Ostergren Scholarship is awarded yearly by the Hanover Democratic Committee to graduating Hanover County seniors with the highest level of participation and involvement in Democratic campaigns and activities. The scholarship was established to honor the late Bobby Ostergren, the former Hanover County registrar for many years, and the late Melissa Dopp, a longtime activist in the Hanover Democratic Committee.
The scholarship is not needs-based or for academic merit; it is for students who have participated in Democratic campaigns, supported Democratic candidates, helped the Hanover Democratic Committee or participated in/started a Young Democrats Club.
More details about the scholarship along with the application form can be found on the Hanover County Public Schools scholarship website.
Applications are due on April 10th. We were so happy to award 13 scholarships in the past three years and look forward to awarding more this year. We encourage you to share this information widely, especially with families of Senior students. In addition, if you would like to donate funds for the scholarship fund for this year, please contact Andrea Ferment at aferment@comcast.net.
Rachel Levy for Delegate - 2021 (sl)
CARE ABOUT GOOD GOVERNMENT? THEN JOIN TEAM RACHEL
Dr. Rachel Levy is running for the House of Delegates in the 55th District. The 55th covers Hanover west of U.S. 301, almost all of Caroline County and a slice of Spotsylvania County.
Rachel is a long-time member of the HDC, a teacher, a community activist and a leader with a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy. She lives in Ashland with her husband and 3 children. She wants to strengthen public education, increase access to health care (she believes this is a human right), preserve our environment, ensure that working people are paid fairly and enact tax reforms
.
How can you help? Glad you asked. Check out Rachel's website (a work in progress), her Facebook page, her Twitter feed and her Instagram.
Please (please!) donate to her campaign here. Finally, please sign the digital petition to get Rachel or Sarah and the Democratic statewide candidates on the ballot (Thanks to Rachel and the campaigns of six other Democratic House of Delegates candidates, delegate candidates can gather signatures electronically).
Have questions? Contact Rachel's campaign manager Ashley Hall at info@rachelfordelegate.org.
CARE ABOUT GOOD GOVERNMENT? THEN JOIN TEAM RACHEL
Dr. Rachel Levy is running for the House of Delegates in the 55th District. The 55th covers Hanover west of U.S. 301, almost all of Caroline County and a slice of Spotsylvania County.
Rachel is a long-time member of the HDC, a teacher, a community activist and a leader with a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy. She lives in Ashland with her husband and 3 children. She wants to strengthen public education, increase access to health care (she believes this is a human right), preserve our environment, ensure that working people are paid fairly and enact tax reforms
.
How can you help? Glad you asked. Check out Rachel's website (a work in progress), her Facebook page, her Twitter feed and her Instagram.
Please (please!) donate to her campaign here. Finally, please sign the digital petition to get Rachel or Sarah and the Democratic statewide candidates on the ballot (Thanks to Rachel and the campaigns of six other Democratic House of Delegates candidates, delegate candidates can gather signatures electronically).
Have questions? Contact Rachel's campaign manager (another HDC member!) Ashley Hall at info@rachelfordelegate.org. Help Rachel put Buddy Fowler into the retirement that he already practices as a member of the House!
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SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS BEING ACCEPTED
The Hanover Democratic Committee will be awarding scholarships of approximately $500 or more to graduating seniors from each of our county high schools.
The Melissa J. Dopp/Bobby Ostergren Scholarship is awarded yearly by the Hanover Democratic Committee to graduating Hanover County seniors with the highest level of participation and involvement in Democratic campaigns and activities. The scholarship was established to honor the late Bobby Ostergren, the former Hanover County registrar for many years, and the late Melissa Dopp, a longtime activist in the Hanover Democratic Committee.
The scholarship is not needs-based or for academic merit; it is for students who have participated in Democratic campaigns, supported Democratic candidates, helped the Hanover Democratic Committee or participated in/started a Young Democrats Club.
More details about the scholarship along with the application form can be found on the Hanover County Public Schools scholarship website.
Applications are due on April 10th. We were so happy to award 13 scholarships in the past three years and look forward to awarding more this year. We encourage you to share this information widely, especially with families of Senior students. In addition, if you would like to donate funds for the scholarship fund for this year, please contact Andrea Ferment at aferment@comcast.net.
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- Parent Category: About HDC
Here’s a shocker: the U.S. economy fares better under Democratic administrations
By Gordon Silver
In the lead-up to every election, Republicans are usually credited with being the party more likely to be good stewards of the economy. However, the data does not support this assumption.
Historically, the economy has fared far better under Democratic administrations.
This flies in the face of what the sensible answer might seem to be: It’s probably been similar. Presidents, after all, have only limited control over the economy. They don’t have much influence over the millions of decisions every day, made by consumers and business executives, that shape economic growth, jobs, incomes and stock prices. Over the course of a century, it seems logical that the economy would have performed similarly under Democrats and Republicans.
But it has not! And here is a ranking of presidents by average annual G.D.P. growth according to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis:
The gap exists not only for G.D.P. and jobs but also for incomes, productivity, and stock prices. The gap also exists if you assume that a president’s policies affect the economy with a lag and doesn’t start for several months after he takes office. Virtually any reasonable look at the data shows a big Democratic advantage.
What are the potential reasons for this? A few possibilities are easy to reject. It’s not about congressional control, nor is it about Democrats running up larger budget deficits. (Republican presidents have run up larger deficits in recent decades.)
Coincidence surely plays some role — but it’s highly unlikely to account for the entire gap, given its size, breadth and duration.
Keynesian and Hayekian economic theories were opposite and competing ideas from the 1920’s.
John Maynard Keynes proposed a macroeconomic economic theory of total spending in the economy and its effects on output, employment, and inflation. Based on his theory, Keynes advocated for increased government expenditures and lower taxes to stimulate demand and pull the global economy out of the depression.
Friedrich Hayek believed that the prosperity of society was driven by creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation, which were possible only in a society with free markets.
The Republican Party is generally considered business-friendly and in favor of limited government regulation of the economy, follows the Hayekian theory. This means favoring policies that put business interests ahead of environmental concerns, labor union interests, healthcare benefits and retirement benefits. Given this more pro-business bias, Republicans tend to receive support from business owners and investment capitalists, as opposed to support from labor. The Republican approach to governing is often referred to as “trickle-down economics”.
The Democratic Party follows the Keynesian theories and is generally considered more willing to intervene in the economy, subscribing to the belief that government power is needed to regulate businesses that ignore social interests in the pursuit of earning a return for shareholders. This intervention can come in the form of regulation (such as limits on carbon emissions) or taxation to support social programs. Opponents often describe the Democratic approach to governing as "tax and spend."
Republican presidents have been slow to respond to recessions and other crises — Donald Trump and both George Bushes being examples. (Herbert Hoover was too, and the partisan gap would be even bigger if the data went back far enough to include him.)
Recent Democratic presidents have been more pragmatic, willing to listen to the evidence about when the economy would benefit from deficit reduction and when it needs government support for education, infrastructure, scientific research and more.
Republican presidents over the past 40 years have pursued one economic policy above all other — tax cuts, skewed heavily toward the affluent — and there is little evidence that they do much for economic growth. This philosophy is the extraordinary belief that the wealthiest people will somehow work for the benefit of us all.
Of course, individual politicians might disagree with their party on how to manage the economy. Still, knowing their party affiliation can suggest which approach they might take in influencing the economy. The market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent.
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Team shop open again
Round two of our Democratic Team Shop is open. Order your shirts, hats, hoodies and more for yourself and for family/friends. They make great gifts and they are a great way to spread the Democratic spirit. Order your gear here: https://www.bsnteamsports.com/
COVID-19 RespoNse
The Women's coffee and Men's forum had great discussions about the state of the Commonwealth. Many people still want to know where to access information about the response to the pandemic. You can access the links to the Chickahominy Health district here: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/chickahominy/
Information from Caitlyn Hodge, director of the VA Chickahominy Health district
Vaccine information:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/Moderna.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/Pfizer-BioNTech.html
Become a volunteer for your friendly Chickahominy Health District: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/mrc/apply-to-volunteer/
support our candidates
Below are links directly to candidate Levy, Hanover election results, VPAP, Ballotopedia, and Wikipedia. Learn about our candidates and support them. The next election is the Primary on June 8, 2021.
55th Delegate: Rachel Levy
HDC member Dr. Rachel Levy is running for the House of Delegates in the 55th District! Please check out her website: rachelfordelegate.org, like her on Facebook: facebook.com/RachelforDelegate, follow her on Twitter: twitter.com/RachelAnneLevy and Instagram: instagram.com/rachelfordelegate, and support her campaign: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/friends-of-rachel-levy-1
97th Delegate: TBA (It looks like we will be having a candidate announce soon!)
Candidates for VA Governor: click here
Candidates for Lt Gov VA: click here
Candidates for Att Gen VA: click here
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FEBRUARY TWO CENTS - THE NOTORIOUS RVG
By Jen Chambers
Three amigos from Central Virginia — Jen Chambers, Christiane Riederer, our fearless driver, and Lorna Charlton (aka Thelma, Louise and Coffee) — assisted with voter registration, awareness and getting out the vote both in key states prior to the November election and in Georgia for the Senate run-off by bringing a big lavender RV to locally organized events.
This article explains the mission and how it was adapted for the pandemic, the progress made on the three trips and the local organizations and events that reached voters. Thank you to Dan McGraw for asking us to share our journey and being our cheering squad to welcome us back to the Center of the Universe!
It's long, so please take the time to download the PDF from here: The_Notorious_RVG.pdf
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HABITAT SPEAKER ON TAP FOR FEBRUARY MEETING
Please join us at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13 for our monthly Hanover Democratic Committee meeting. Renee Robinson will be our February guest speaker. She is the director of Hanover Habitat for Humanity, and will enlighten us with what the group does, what it plans to do and how we can help.
Here is how to join us:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85699040716?pwd=cGtvK0IwbkpZcjFmUUVSS0NPZ0FXdz09
Meeting ID: 856 9904 0716
Passcode: 890597
+1 301 715 8592 US
Live Streamed on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK8XYH_xdXqcH1xE4kBoXiA
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2021 SESSION OF THE VIRGINIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Please join us at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24 for our second Men's Forum of 2021 where HDC's own Morgan Goodman offers a review of the General Assembly's current session. The Democratic trifecta in the House, Senate, and Governor's mansion accomplished so much in 2020, and all of us are eager to learn what's next on the agenda.
Morgan's presentation will review the Assembly's progress on Democratic policies to date as well as addressing the bills still to be voted on. The session tentatively ends on February 27. As usual, the floor will open for questions towards the end of the program, but for time's sake, please forward them in advance if possible so our speaker has the opportunity to incorporate them into her talk. RSVP with your questions to Don Barth (donna.don@comcast.net) no later than Feb. 17.
Our monthly Men's Forum provides a candid way for Hanover's Democratic community to stay informed, invigorated, and connected, with opportunities to talk politics with expert speakers in our slowly bluing county. We are grateful to be back to our regularly scheduled programming despite the ongoing pandemic, and thank our members for their continued support.
Join the ZOOM Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85699040716?
pwd=cGtvK 0lwbkpZcjFmUUVSSONPZ 0FXdz09
Meeting ID: 856 9904 0716
Passcode: 890597
By Phone +1 301 715 8592 US
RSVP to Don Barth at donna.don@comcast.net, or call his cellphone or text 856.889.5905, or leave a message on his landline 804.299.3160
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Shop with Democrats
The Hanover County Democratic Store is now up and running correctly. You can access the store here: https://www.bsnteamsports.com/shop/HanVADems.
.You may need to copy and paste it into your web browser. The T-shirts and sweatshirts will have the new Hanover Democratic logo across the middle of the front and the polos will have the logo on the top left of the chest.
The store will be open till January 4. When the items come in, they will be hand-delivered to your front door. Place your orders soon. These are the lowest prices that the items will ever be.
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HCDC has a team store!
The Hanover County Democratic Committee apparel is now open! Find items that we've picked out specifically for our team. There is also spirit wear available for your family and friends. Check out the shop details below.
OUR SHOP DETAILS
- Shop Now: https://www.bsnteamsports.com/shop/HanoverDem
- Store Open From November 23 - December 21, 2020
Items will be delivered to the house of Chair Daniel McGraw. We will then distribute them to the members. Get your orders in now! These are the lowest prices that they will ever be. The expected arrival of the items is from late January to early February.
PROBLEMS WITH YOUR EMAIL? a possible fix ...
Many of you on Comcast platforms have not been getting recent emails because Comcast has updated its mail server. It is blocking forwarded mail unless you contact your email postmaster. This affects you because we forward emails through HVAdems.com. We know this is going on because we're getting a ton of bouncebacks. As best we can tell, it appears that Comcast has increased their security to require e-mail addresses to be pre-approved.
Mary Laymen has created a quick video on “How to approve emails from a person or organization in Comcast." It is located at this link: https://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cYXv2XNnEw.
Please watch and review the video even if you do not use Comcast internet because other Internet providers are moving to new systems. This video shows a skill that is becoming an industry standard. Share this with friends.
Appointed School Board vs. Elected School Board?
We want to hear from you about whether you believe one version of the board is preferred to the other one. Currently, we have an appointed school board. Please take this two (2) question survey and let us know your thoughts. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QWM9J7D
we need your support!
There are two runoff elections on Jan. 5, 2021, in the Georgia elections. Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff really need your support. This election is crucial to all of us and especially crucial to the success of the Biden administration. If we can win these two seats, we will break Mitch McConnell's chokehold on the Senate. Please go on Warnock's and Ossoff's websites and donate to their campaigns: https://warnockforgeorgia.com/ and https://electjon.com/
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Hanover Democratic Women's Coffee Caucus
All Democratic and Like-Minded Women Are Welcome!
Faye Prichard, Hanover County's only Democratic member of the Board of Supervisors will be the special guest at our February Hanover Democratic Women's Coffee at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 18. Please join in — by Zoom, of course — to hear Faye give us an update on our local government happenings.
Our Coffees are great for energizing fellowship with other Democratic Women. Come to learn, but come to talk, too, as we maintain connections while observing social distancing. There's plenty of room for a really big group at these virtual Coffees and new friends are always welcome. For more information contact Diane Neergaard at daneergaard@comcast.net or 804-304-1951.
Our Coffee Caucus is a group of Democratic women of all ages who, in non-Covid times, meet monthly, sometimes in the day and sometimes in the evening, at the homes of volunteer hostesses at different locations around the county for the pleasure of being with other Democratic women and to make bonds so we can better work together. During this pandemic, we are grateful to continue to meet by Zoom. We have no formal memberships or fees.
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