On the Radar: Extreme Texas Heat and National Health Reform

Extreme Texas Heat
We've seen record heat here in Central Texas and it's barely one week into Summer 2009! It is no surprise to read that the National Weather Service forecast for Travis County this week includes temps at or near 100. The Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services offered these important safety tips:

Staying safe in the extreme heat

• * hydrate early with clear, cool liquids
• * avoid strenuous activity during the hottest time of the day
• * avoid alcohol and caffeine use
• * wear a wide-brimmed hat and lightweight clothing
• * pay particular attention the very young and the elderly
• * call 911 if you suspect a heat-related emergency

Texas summers can be unbearable, but most of us are able to find reprieve from the extreme heat. However, for Austinites who are homeless, finding relief from the scorching summer temperatures and staying hydrated is a matter of life or death. The City of Austin has teamed up with Mobile Loaves and Fishes to deliver bottles of water to Austin's working poor and homeless. You can help "keep Austin cool" by visiting www.mlfnow.org/water.


National Health Reform
You may have watched ABC's Prescription for America on Wednesday (6/24/09) where President Obama discussed the need for health care reform. Click on Whitehouse Blog to read a recap of what questions were asked and answered, if you happened to not catch it on TV. Excerpt:

The average family has seen their premiums double in the last nine years. Costs for families are going up three times faster than wages... Out-of-pocket expenses have gone up 62 percent. Businesses increasingly are having to cut back on health care or ...employers even if they don't want to are having to pass on costs to others. -President Obama

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 43 million people under 65 are uninsured. According to a 2008 report from www.AmericasHealthRankings.org, Texas ranks in the bottom five states on overall health scores. The low rank is due, in part, to Texas's limited access to primary care and the high rate of uninsured individuals (1 in 4).

The people behind the numbers, the lives that have been effected by the current health care system are more important than all the stats. Do you have a health care story you want to share? Texas Voice for Health Reform (TVfHR) is collecting stories for its state-wide health care story bank. Contributed stories will be used for educational and informational purposes (e.g. legislative testimony, TV, radio, or print media). Click on Texas Voice for Health Reform for more information on how you can contribute!

You can also join in the conversation locally at tomorrow night's "Health Care for All Texas," hosted by the Travis County Democratic Party (TCDP.)

• Date: Monday, June 29, 2009
• Time: 6:00 - 7:30pm
• Location: Central Market North Lamar Community Room
• Info: TCDP will be discussing what we can do to push forward the passing of HR 676
  Single Payer Health Insurance.

Want more information about health insurance coverage in Texas?
Health Insurance Resource Center
U.S. News and World Report, Texas Health Plan Search

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HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Regardless of where one may stand -behind, to the side or in opposition- with respect to President Obama, his article in Parade is definitely worth the read and has truth in it. I was particularly moved by the article. The following excerpt resonated deeply with me:

And it’s not enough to just be physically present. Too often, especially during tough economic times like these, we are emotionally absent: distracted, consumed by what’s happening in our own lives, worried about keeping our jobs and paying our bills, unsure if we’ll be able to give our kids the same opportunities we had.

Our children can tell. They know when we’re not fully there. And that disengagement sends a clear message—whether we mean it or not—about where among our priorities they fall.

------

On this Father’s Day, I am recommitting myself to that work, to those duties that all parents share: to build a foundation for our children’s dreams, to give them the love and support they need to fulfill them, and to stick with them the whole way through, no matter what doubts we may feel or difficulties we may face. That is my prayer for all of us on this Father’s Day, and that is my hope for this nation in the months and years ahead.

For the full article, click on We Need Fathers To Step Up by President Barack Obama,
published: 06/21/2009 in Parade.

Mark your calendar: Events happening on 6/16 and 6/18!

Texans for Obama (TFO) Event on Tuesday, June 16th!


If you're on Facebook and connected with other TFO members, you may have already seen information about Tuesday's "Meet John Sharp, Candidate for U.S. Senate."

• Time: 6:00pm - 7:00pm
• Location: Scholz Garten
• 1607 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX

John Sharp is the former Comptroller of Texas, and he's running for the U.S. Senate being vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchison. Learn more about his campaign at: www.johnsharp.com

I plan to post some photos, and possibly Tweet, from the event! Hope you can make it out!
The above image is from www.johnsharp.com.

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Also happening this week, is...United Way Capital Area's VIVIR UNIDOS event on Thursday!

Again, I'll be there and will try to Tweet updates from the event. I'm really looking forward to hearing how we can all Live United/Vivir Unidos!
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Date: 6/18/09
Sorry I wasn't able to post Tweets from Tuesday's or Today's event. Tuesday I had a flat -big screw in my tire and I couldn't make it to the 6 PM meeting. Today my iPhone died -no photos, no tweets. :(

TCDP Committee Meeting May 27, 2009

If you haven't been out to a Travis County Democratic Party (TCDP) Committee meeting, please consider coming out to the next meeting on July 29th at 6! It was pretty entertaining to hear the back-and-forth regarding resolutions and recommendations. Plus, you'll get to meet other Austinites invested in making local politics work for us. =) The minutes from last month's meeting were just sent out earlier this week, and here are some of the things that were discussed. 

Appointment of precinct chairs 

• Precinct 126 - Andrew Bucknall
• Precinct 373 - Dave Rawlins
• Precinct 448 - Glen Shield
• Precinct 463 - Noelita Lugo

Resolution re: Lady Bird Lake & the Waterfront Overlay District

The resolution that passed (Yes: 30/No: 17) says that TCDP supports the Austin City Council's adoption of Waterfront Overlay Taskforce (WOTF) recommendations including re-establish Waterfront Planning Advisory Board and sub-district maximum height limits for structures built along Lady Bird Lake. For more information about the WOTF and why this is an important issue for all of us who love Lady Bird Lake, fka Town Lake, check out these resources:

• Austinist's April 2009 article re: Waterfront Overlay District
  
• Austin Chronicle's article re: Lady Bird Lake, what developers want, and the public good
  
• City of Austin's Waterfront Overlay Taskforce
  
• SaveTownLake.org's comments on Waterfront Overlay 
  

Travis County leads in all category of voters compared to statewide averages! 

Jeff Smith of Opinion Analysts Inc., talked about voter trends and turnout in the 2008 General Election -I shared a snapshot, via Twitter, of the chart he distributed. A link to the chart is unavailable, but I'll upload a picture of the table and update the blog.

TCDP web/tech upgrades - a demonstration of what capabilities the new website will have will be shown at the next meeting.

In an effort to have more transparency, TCDP's Finance Chair distributed the 2009 Operating Budget to all attendees. Any significant changes to the budget will be voted on prior to changes in expenditure. 2009 income goal: $191K. Make a donation. It was recommended that the Rules & Procedures Task Force develop specific policies regarding fundraising and expenditures of TCDP funds. This would help provide transparency and increased accountability.

Training

Deputy Voter Registrar training - first Tuesday of each month at 10:30 AM, 2:30 PM, and 6:30 PM at 5501 Airport Road. Training is also available during the workweek. 

Precinct Chair training - Training was conducted with precinct chairs after the meeting. The training covered Chapters 1 - 3 of the newly revamped training manual. The remaining chapters will be covered in August and September. If you want to learn about community organizing and resources available to Get Out the Vote, please contact me.

TCDP's Legislative Issues Committee Chair, David Kobierowski wants to know what issues are important to you. Is it voter rights, education, zoning, military/veteran issues, health care, economy, affordable housing, or other issues? Let's discuss via comments, email, Twitter, or in-person (email me first, please.)

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, July, 29th at the AFL/CIO located at 1106 Lavaca Street. 

The above summary was taken from minutes provided by TCDP.

Web Beat: Summer Reading, Energy Audit and more

Since I'm big on labeling (tagging) things, I'm adding a new category to my blogs: Web Beat. Anytime I share a hodge-podge of info gleaned from the web, it'll be lumped together under "Web Beat." So here we go....

Summer Reading Program

Check out the link above for information regarding Austin's 2009 Summer Reading Program, One Green World. On June 6th from 10 AM to Noon, GreenFest kicks off this summer's reading program at the Pleasant Hill Branch!

City of Austin Budget Town Hall Meetings

Become involved in developing your city's budget priorities. First step, attend a meeting.

Meetings will run from 6:30 to 8:30 PM

• Wednesday, June 10 - Northwest Recreation Center, 2913 Northland Dr.
• Monday, June 15 - Gus Garcia Recreation Center, 1201 E. Rundberg Lane
• Tuesday, June 16 - Toney Burger Activity Center, 3200 Jones Road

Is your house older than 10 yrs? Then you'll want to read the Austinist's post "Energy Audit Requirements Start Today." Excerpt:

Audits are expected to cost $200 to $300 for a typical single-family home of 1,800 square feet...Auditors set their own prices, which depend on the size of the home. ...There is no requirement to make improvements [-you] just have to give the results to the person buying the house.   

DNC coming to Austin -found this on Burnt Orange Report through Twitter post.

According to Marketing Charts, Foxnews.com/politics came in second (by a long shot) to The Huffington Post! Follow the link above to view the results.

And speaking of rankings... Austin ranks as a top 10 city by Kiplinger. Click on Community Impact to read the full article.