Democratic Party - 49th Ward

Guns and the U.S. Senate Race

Contributed and the opinions of Mike Pond, Chairman of the 49th Ward Young Democrats

We have seen the present and it does not work. On Tuesday, August 24, a Florida woman was critically wounded while her two children were in her car. 31 year-old Teri Lee Moody was entering her parent’s home in Hudson, Florida early in the morning when her father shot her thinking it was an intruder.

Meanwhile, here in Illinois, Alan Keyes is attacking “liberal” Democrats for calling for more gun control, while the transplanted Republican proposes allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons and automatic weapons. There is no doubt that when George Earl Ingram, shot his daughter, he was doing so to protect his family against an unknown invader. Once he realized it was his daughter, however, don’t you think he wished he could take it all back? Perhaps he wished he hadn’t owned a gun at all. Perhaps he wished that he had just called the police instead!

I understand our Republican Senate candidate from Maryland is eager to protect and promote our second amendment right to bear arms, heck, so was the Michigan Militia, the NRA, Timothy McVeigh, the Nichols brothers and a host of other people who use the amendment to suit their own agendas and NOT the principles upon which this country was founded.

While there are many responsible gun owners out there, firearms should not be considered as the last line of defense to fend of intruders, as the scenario in Florida indicates. Americans have the right to defend themselves, and should for all practical purposes, but we need to closely examine why there is a need for concealed and automatic weapons in an era of already flawed gun control. The last thing we need, Mr. Keyes, are armed citizens using their concealed weaponry to solve issues of road rage, confrontations, gambling debts, workplace issues, etc. Do we really want to live in a society with metal detectors in EVERY building?

Please, if nothing else, let’s not consider gun control for us, but for the children of Teri Lee Moody, who might wind up without a mother.

49th Ward Goes to the Ballgame

Thursday, August 19, the Democratic Party of the 49th Ward volunteers took the Red Line to 35th St. and had a great time at the White Sox game. The night started with an all you can eat buffet that featured ribs, fried chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers and other good eats. The Patio package also included wine, beer and soda. From 5:30 until the start of the game we visited, enjoyed the great view and ate well. The game itself was quickly a wipeout with the Sox down by 6 runs after two explosive innings from the Detroit Tigers bats. Even though the Sox weren't doing well, the 49th Ward fans sure were having fun. Michi and Mike Land’s nephew won the raffle prizes in the 4th and 6th innings and both were very happy to have a souvenir to bring home.

We'll be back for a game next year. Don't miss the opportunity to join us.

14th Annual Back To School Picnic

Started in 1991, the 49th Ward Back to School Picnic is probably our biggest community event of the year. Our dedicated 49th Ward members staff this wonderful party on the lakefront to celebrate a great summer and to remind everyone that the start of school is just around the corner. This year’s party was a huge hit with the nearly 2,000 who attended. We were able to offer something for everyone, bingo, face painting, the dance stage, the jumping jack, a mock election by the 49th Ward Young Democrats, and it was topped off by enough free food for an army. Here are a few shots of the day.

My personal thanks go out to the many who did their part to bring this event together! Nobody really knows how much it takes to get this together until they are faced with doing it. All of you make it the great time that it is.

See you next year!

Election Judges Needed

The Democratic Party of the 49th Ward is seeking candidates who would like to serve as an Election Judge on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. With training a judge can earn $150 for a days work serving your community.

I would like to remind all of those persons who are activly working to elect Kerry-Edwards and Barack Obama that Election Judges are not allowed to campaign inside the polling place. You will serve a useful perpose, but you will not be able to work to elect your candidates on Election Day.

Applications are available in Alderman Joe Moore's Ward Service Office (7356 N. Greenview) Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9 am to 6 pm, on Wednesday from 9 am to 7 pm and on Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. Applications can also be picked up at the Howard St. Campaign Office (2049 W. Howard) on Monday from 7 pm to 8:30 pm and on Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm.

You must be registered to vote to be an Election Judge.

Deputy Registrar Classes for September

The Chicago Board of Elections continues to offer classes to become a Deputy Registrar. It’s not to late to get started. After the Labor Day holiday many people are just starting to focus on the election. That means that many people will begin to realize that they need to register or re-register. That's where you come in.

Classes are being held on the following September dates at the downtown location:

September 2 - 6:00 pm - Thursday
September 8 - 10:00 am - Wednesday
September 9 - 6:00 pm - Thursday
September 11 - 9:30 pm - Saturday
September 15 - 6:00 pm - Wednesday
September 18 - 9:30 pm - Saturday
September 21 - 10:00 am - Tuesday
September 23 - 6:00 pm - Thursday

In order to be a Deputy Registrar you need to be registered to vote and be sponsored by an organization. The Democratic Party of the 49th Ward is a sponsoring organization and we would be happy to sponsor anyone who wants to work in the 49th Ward doing registrations. To attend the class you must let me know three days prior to the date of the class.

One final and important point is that Deputy Registrars are not allowed to express any partisan sentiment, thoughts, ideas. If you are interested in partisan activity while doing registration you can do that by using NVRA card otherwise known as "Motor Voter" cards.

Please send an email if you would like to become a registrar.

You can also get more information from the Chicago Board of Elections.

The Sun Was Shining on Springfield…

One delegate’s impressions of the 2004 Democratic Party of Illinois State Convention, by Christa Velbel

The only word to describe August 18 is ‘celebration.’ 49th Ward Democrats convened with the state party in Springfield for a jolly, joshing affirmation of the hopes we share for the 2004 election campaign. Those aspirations are embodied by the undisputed star of the show, Barack Obama. The U.S. Senate candidate needed to just quietly enter the door at the back of a room to trigger a loud, whooping standing ovation – which the collected Democrats repeatedly offered up over the next 24 hours.

The festivities began on the eve of convention day, with the Obama party at the Crowne Plaza. Hundreds of happy Democrats crowded the bars, exchanged cards, and compared satirical campaign buttons – the hot seller being one that depicted George W. Bush as a Charlie McCarthy ventriloquist puppet, seated on the lap of Dick Cheney as Edgar Bergen. Michelle Obama made a charming introduction of her husband, who was already being accosted by autograph seekers. Obama’s speech met the lofty expectations of everyone who’d seen his keynote in Boston (which is practically everyone with any interest in politics) – intelligent, idealistic, eloquent, and inspiring. During the next day’s official party events, Obama kept up the energy, mixing up a little improvised banter with his Democratic colleagues. And the hundreds of fans cheered his every word.

The convention itself ran for two hours on Wednesday. The stage was full and the speeches were numerous. That, as Dan Hynes put it, is the price we pay for successfully electing Democrats to almost every major state office – plenty of speeches. Hynes added “The Republican convention lasted six minutes. Judy Barr Topinka played accordion while Alan Keyes tried to find his way to Springfield.”

Next stop was the Illinois State Fair, for Governor’s Day. More speeches, now accompanied by hot summer sun, hot dogs, and cold beer… We cooled ourselves with little cardboard Kerry/Edwards fans (and then had them autographed by you-know-who). We snapped photos of friends old and new. Then we wandered off, proudly displaying our Obama stickers and our buttons, drinking from our Blagoyevich cups, spreading Democratic cheer at every pork concession stand and each livestock barn on the fairgrounds.

America Leads the World In Prisoners

Did you know that August 11th is Alcatraz Day. It is a day that commemorates, ( an event surprisingly worthy of greeting cards) the arrival of the first prisoners in 1934 to be incarcerated on Alcatraz. While Alcatraz is certainly a part of Americana, it is unfortunate that we would celebrate the incarceration of people. No country on the earth can manage without a penal system, but just recently NPR aired a report that America now had more than 2,000,000 people in prisons and jails.

The rate of incarceration in the United States, 702 inmates per 100,000 residents, continues to be the highest in the world. When looking at population sub-groups two-thirds of the people in prison are now racial and ethnic minorities, and for black males in their twenties, one in every eight is in prison or jail on any given day. Overall, 4.8 percent of black males were in prison or jail, compared to 1.7 percent of Hispanics and 0.6 percent of whites. Since 1980 the number of women in prison has increased at nearly double the rate for men. Nationally, the 93,000 women in state and federal prison represent a figure more than seven times the number in 1980. Black women in prisons and jails continue to outnumber their white (5 times as many) and Hispanic (more than twice as many) counterparts. What is also surprising is that in rough numbers, approximately 10,000 children are transferred annually to adult criminal court.

Paying your price to society is what we classically think of about people who have done wrong, but since the early 1990s, an increasing number of laws and policies have been enacted that restrict persons with a felony conviction (particularly convictions for drug offenses) from accessing many social benefits and economic opportunities. These include restrictions on employment, receipt of welfare benefits, access to public housing, and eligibility for student loans for higher education. These prohibitions severely affect offenders' life prospects through employment and other restrictions.

When you walk to the El or drive down a bad street you often think about when are the police ever going to do anything about the gang banging and drug dealing. If you get jumped or robbed you certainly want the person to pay for their crime. But are we really solving the problems and benefiting society in the long run by locking more people up without providing alternatives both on the front end of life and the back end of a prison sentence?

Much of this came from The Sentencing Project while the Salt of the Earth website from Clarion Publications also was a source.

Who Is Alan Keyes?

These are a few positions Alan Keyes has taken in his previous campaigns. The Illinois G.O.P. would have us believe that he has the same values as the people of Illinois. David Syverson, a member of the Republican State Central Committee from Rockford, has said “[Keyes] believes that there is a void in Illinois and that Obama certainly does not represent Illinois'. And he believes that he would be, if he were to run, much more representative of Illinois.”

Source: Chicago Sun-Times 8/2/04

Which Illinois Sen. Syverson? Cause it certainly isn't this one!

Mr. Keyes:

On Abortion:

Against, the only exception is to preserve life of mother.

Source: Letter to David Quackenbush Jun 30, 1995

 

On Affirmative Action:

We cannot cure injustice with another injustice.

Source: Organizational website, RenewAmerica.us, "On The Issues" Aug 3, 2004

 

On Separation of Church and State:

Our rights come from God, not the constitution.

Source: Boston Globe, p. A27 Jan 28, 2000

 

On the Death Penalty:

I think that there are circumstances under which it is essential, in fact, that we have and apply the death penalty.

Source: GOP Debate in Manchester NH Jan 26, 2000

 

On Hate Crimes:

The real purpose behind the hate crime legislation movement . . . is to accord to the government the right to punish attitudes.

Source: (Cross-ref from Civil Rights) WorldNetDaily “hate crimes” Jun 14, 1999

 

On School Vouchers:

Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any participating school: public, private or religious.

Source: Vote-Smart.org 2000 NPAT Jan 13, 2000

 

On Gun Control:

Eliminate all bans and measures that restrict law-abiding citizens from owning legally obtained firearms; Allow law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed firearm that is legally owned and registered.

Source: 1996 National Political Awareness Test, Project Vote Smart Jul 2, 1996

 

On Social Security:

Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts which they manage themselves, or which are managed by private firms contracted by the overnment. Invest a portion of Social Security’s assets collectively in stocks and bonds instead of US Treasury securities.

Source: Vote-Smart.org 2000 NPAT Jan 13, 2000

 

On Patient's Rights:

Patient’s rights of access and appeal under HMO’s are rights of contract, and cost money. If recipients of HMO’s want them, they should stand up for them in the bargaining that leads to the HMO contract.

Source: National Association of Children’s Hospitals survey Jan 8, 2000

 

This is the best the G.O.P. could do. Wow!
Vote Democratic on November 2!!

How Diversity Breaks Down In the 49th Ward

Recently I came across some fascinating data about the 49th Ward based on the numbers collected in the 2000 census. The thing I first found interesting was that 45,723 (76.9%) people in 2000 were old enough to register to vote out of the 59,435 people who the Census found living here in the 49th Ward. What was more interesting is the racial breakdown of the people in those groups. I have displayed below a table that shows the racial breakdown of those 18 and over and the second table reflects the racial breakdown of people 17 and under.

Population 18 & Over
	Racial	Number	Percentage	Percentage
Race	Group Total	18 & Over	of Racial Group	Voting Age
White	18,833	17,188	91.27%	37.59%
African_American	18,146	12,800	70.54%	27.99%
Hispanic	15,843	10,589	66.84%	23.16%
Asian	3,915	3,248	82.96%	7.10%
Other/Multi	2,698	1,898	70.35%	4.15%
Total	59,435	45,723
Population 17 & Under
	Racial	Number	Percentage	Percentage
Race	Group Total	17 & Under	of Racial Group	Under Voting Age
White	18,833	1,645	8.73%	12.00%
African_American	18,146	5,346	29.46%	38.99%
Hispanic	15,843	5,254	33.16%	38.32%
Asian	3,915	667	17.04%	4.86%
Other/Multi	2,698	800	29.65%	5.83%
Total	59,435	13,712

Data presented was compiled by the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission and can be seen at this link.

Under Any Name We Are The Democratic Party of the 49th Ward

In order to make finding us easier you can now enter any of the following addresses to get to our page:

www.49thward.com

www.49thward.org

www.49thward.info

www.49thward.us

We're here and we want you to find us!