If you’re looking for a Tea Party in Lincoln, NE on the Fourth of July, you’ve come to the right place!
Links (all exist on this site):
Join us at the Post Tea Party Picnic on Saturday July 4, 2009
We are having a picnic following the Independence Tea Party at the State Capitol.
The Tea Party is scheduled from 12:00pm - 2:00pm.
The picnic will begin immediately following (2:15pm) and conclude at 4:30pm at Cooper Park (see map below).
Please pack an old-fashioned family picnic for your family or group.
We suggest you pack a blanket and or lawn chairs for spreading out. We have the shelter reserved, but depending upon the number of people who attend, there may not be picnic tables available for everyone.
The idea behind this gathering is for as many people who wish spend some relaxed time socializing and getting to know one another.
If you have any play equipment for children (balls, bats, croquet, etc.), please consider bringing it along.
Hope you can join us.
Map of the route from the Capitol to Cooper:
View July 4 Post Tea Party Picnic at Cooper Park in a larger map
**ACTION ALERT** Cap & Trade HR 2454 To Come Up For A Vote
The Cap and Trade bill (H.R. 2454) is coming up for a vote on the House floor at any time after 9:30am EST today and before recessing for the July 4 holiday tomorrow. It is unclear when the Senate will vote on the bill, so our Senators need to be contacted also.
Unfortunately:
- H.R. 2454 is yet another stealthy bill
- On the fast-track in Congress, meaning it will not be read or debated prior to a vote
- Unknown quantity of other bills being embedded by amendment process
- Will not / cannot be read prior to a vote based on its size, prior to a vote
Effective action steps:
- Most effective means of contact is fax or phone call. You can / should also email in addition to faxes or calls.
- When you call your district / state representative, be sure to provide your zip code so they know you are a constituent
- Remember to be polite and tell them what you think, make as many calls as you can.
- Try to get on talk radio today about the issue
- Forward this message to anyone you think would call
- It may be worthwhile to let AARP know that you are concerned about the bill in regards to seniors on fixed incomes. Phone number:
1-888-687-2277
Goal of our calls, faxes, and emails:
- Members of Congress should, at minimum, work to delay the vote
- Urge Rep. Fortenberry and Sen. Johann to be more forceful in their opposition to H.R. 2454
- We want to see visible, vocal, and articulate opposition to such damaging legislation
- Senator Nelson should be urged to vote “NO”!
Information you can cite:
- Sen. Harvey Waxman, one of the bill’s co-sponsors admitted he doesn’t know the bill’s content; he’s relying on “experts”
- Is projected to cost at least $3,100 per household in increased utilities
- Will negatively impact public and private energy generation, transportation, building codes, appliances, and more
- Is projected to lower gross domestic product
- Will cause a loss of jobs
- Impacts most aspects of our daily lives
- Will hurt small business
- Creates a “climate exchange”, a commodity-type market based on nothing of real value, literally on carbon credits
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR NEBRASKA REPRESENTATIVES FOUND
–>HERE<–
If you would like to help in exerting pressure on “Blue-dog” Democrats or Republicans who are reportedly being targeted to vote “yes” on HR 2454, their contact information is listed below:
“Blue Dog Democrats” that should be contacted:
A
Congressman Parker Griffith Alabama, 5th District Phone: (202) 225-4801
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Arizona, 8th District Phone: (202) 225-2542
Congressman Marion Berry Arkansas, 1st District Phone: (202) 225-4076
Congressman Mike Ross Arkansas, 4th District Phone: (202) 225-3772
Begich, Mark - (D - AR)(2 02) 224-3004 Arkansas
Lincoln, Blanche L. - (D - AR) (202) 224-4843 Arkansas
Pryor, Mark L. - (D - AR) (202) 224-2353 Arkansas
C
Congressman Joe Baca California, 43rd District Phone: (202) 225-6161
Congressman Dennis Cardoza California, 18th District Phone: (202) 225-6131
Congressman Jim Costa California, 20th District Phone: (202) 225-3341
Congresswoman Jane Harman California, 36th District Phone: (202) 225-8220
Congressman Adam Schiff California, 29th District Phone: (202) 225-4176
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez California, 47th District Phone: (202) 225-2965 Congressman Mike Thompson California, 1st District Phone: (202) 225-3311
Congressman John Salazar Colorado, 3rd District Phone: (202) 225-4761
Udall, Mark - (D - CO) (202) 224-5941 Colorado
Lieberman, Joseph I. - (ID - CT) (202) 224-4041 Connecticut
D
Carper, Thomas R. - (D - DE) (202) 224-2441 Delaware
F
Congressman Allen Boyd** Florida, 2nd District Phone: (202) 225-5235
Nelson, Bill - (D - FL)(202) 224-5274 Florida
G
Congressman John Barrow Georgia, 12th District Phone: (202) 225-2823
Congressman Sanford Bishop Georgia, 2nd District Phone: (202) 225-3631
Congressman David Scott Georgia, 13th District Phone: (202) 225-2939
Congressman Jim Marshall Georgia, 8th District Phone: (202) 225-6531
I
Congresswoman Melissa Bean Illinois, 8th District Phone: (202) 225-3711
Congressman Joe Donnelly Indiana, 2nd District Phone: (202) 225-3915
Congressman Brad Ellsworth Indiana, 8th District Phone: (202) 225-4636
Congressman Baron Hill Indiana, 9th District Phone: (202) 225-5315
Bayh, Evan - (D - IN)(202) 224-5623 Indiana
Congressman Leonard Boswell Iowa, 3rd District Phone: (202) 225-3806
K
Congressman Ben Chandler Kentucky, 6th District Phone: (202) 225-4706
Congressman Dennis Moore Kansas, 3rd District Phone: (202) 225-2865
L
Congressman Charlie Melancon ** Louisiana, 3rd District Phone: (202) 225-4031
Landrieu, Mary L. - (D - LA) (202) 224-5824 Louisiana
M
Congressman Mike Michaud Maine, 2nd District Phone: (202) 225-6306
Congressman Collin Peterson Minnesota, 7th District Phone: (202) 225-2165
Congressman Gene Taylor Mississippi, 4th District Phone: (202) 225-5772
McCaskill, Claire - (D - MO) (202) 224-6154 Missouri
N
Nelson, Ben - (D - NE) (202) 224-6551 ** Nebraska
Shaheen, Jeanne - (D - NH) (202) 224-2841 New Hampshire
Congressman Mike Arcuri New York, 24th District Phone: (202) 225-3665
Congressman Mike McIntyre North Carolina, 7th District Phone: Phone: (202) 225-2731
Congressman Heath Shuler North Carolina, 11th District Phone: (202) 225-6401
Hagan, Kay R. - (D - NC) (202) 224-6342 North Carolina
Congressman Earl Pomeroy North Dakota, At-Large Phone: (202) 225-2611
O
Congressman Dan Boren Oklahoma, 2nd District Phone: (202) 225-2701
Congressman Zack Space Ohio, 18th District Phone: (202) 225-6265
Congressman Charlie Wilson Ohio, 6th District Phone: (202) 225-5705
P
Congressman Chris Carney Pennsylvania, 10th District Phone: (202) 225-3731
Congressman Patrick Murphy Pennsylvania, 8th District Phone: (202) 225-4276
Congressman Tim Holden Pennsylvania, 17th District Phone: (202) 225-5546
S
Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin South Dakota, (202) 225-2801) 225-2801
T
Congressman Jim Cooper Tennessee, 5th District Phone: (202) 225-4311
Congressman Lincoln Davis Tennessee, 4th District Phone: (202) 225-6831
Congressman Bart Gordon Tennessee, 6th District Phone: (202) 225-4231
Congressman John Tanner Tennessee, 8th District Phone: (202) 225-4714
U
Congressman Jim Matheson Utah, 2nd District Phone: (202) 225-3011
V
Warner, Mark R. - (D - VA) (202) 224-2023 ** Virginia
W
Kohl, Herb - (D - WI) (202) 224-5653 Wisconsin
Targeted Republicans who need calling:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman are reaching out to the following House Republicans for their support on Waxman-Markey, according to Carbon Control News:
Tim Johnson (IL)
Vernon Ehlers (MI)
Todd Platts (PA)
Jim Gerlach (PA)
Mary Bono Mack (CA)
Mike Castle (DE)
Frank LoBiondo (NJ)
Tom Petri (WI)
Peter King (NY)
Mark Kirk (IL)
Leonard Lance (NJ)
Republicans being targeted to vote “Yes” on HR 2454
Timothy V. Johnson
Illinois-15th, Republican
1207 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515-1315
Phone: (202) 225-2371
Vernon J. Ehlers
Michigan-3rd, Republican
2182 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515-2203
Phone: (202) 225-3831
Todd Russell Platts
Pennsylvania-19th, Republican
2455 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515-3819
Phone: (202) 225-5836
Jim Gerlach
Pennsylvania-6th, Republican
308 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515-3806
Phone: (202) 225-4315
Mary Bono Mack
California-45th, Republican
104 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515-0545
Phone: (202) 225-5330
Michael N. Castle
Delaware-At Large, Republican
1233 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515-0801
Phone: (202) 225-4165
Frank A. LoBiondo
New Jersey-2nd, Republican
2427 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515-3002
Phone: (202) 225-6572
Thomas E. Petri
Wisconsin-6th, Republican
2462 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515-4906
Phone: (202) 225-2476
Peter T. King
New York-3rd, Republican
339 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515-3203
Phone: (202) 225-7896
Mark Steven Kirk
Illinois-10th, Republican
1030 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515-1310
Phone: (202) 225-4835
Leonard Lance
New Jersey-7th, Republican
114 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515-3007
Phone: (202) 225-5361
Lincoln, NE Independence Day Tea Party at the State Capitol
Event flyer. Check out the options on Scribd to embed, print, etc.
Lincoln NE Independence Day FLYER PDF
Event at Antelope Park TONIGHT, June 3rd @5:30PM Opposing H.R. 676
As noted a couple of days ago, I will continue to get out information regarding H.R. 676: The United States National Health Insurance Act “Expanded & Improved Medicare for ALL”.
I have received some very consistent feedback from folks regarding the first message I sent: it was written for people who would already be opposed to the bill. While the message may reinforced what you already think, what I hear you saying is that you want information you can use to distribute to others who may not understand the bill or its potential impact.
It’s exciting to see so many people clearly wanting to active in getting information out as widely as possible, and I will move forward with that in mind.
In the meantime, I want let you know about an event that will be taking place here in Lincoln on Wednesday regarding H.R. 676. Americans For Prosperity, under the project name “Patients United Now”, is sponsoring:
Lincoln, NE
Date: Wednesday, June 3rd
Time: 5:30pm**
Location/Venue: Antelope Park, off of 30th and A streets
**Note that there is a discrepancy regarding the time of the event. The website stated 5:00PM, but it is confirmed through the organizers that 5:30PM is the correct time (you may have heard a radio ad with 5:30PM)
Confirmed Speakers: State Senator Tony Fulton, Lincoln City Councilman Adam Hornung, State Board of Education Member Bob Evnen
I want to be very clear about why I am passing this information along.
Keeping in mind the Grassroots in Nebraska mission statement:
Our mission is to promote a return to Constitutional government as originally intended by the Founders, as the most effective avenue to encourage public policy that promotes personal responsibility, individual liberty, limited government, and free markets.
In keeping with the principles upon which the United States was founded, we think this mission is best fulfilled through efforts from the bottom up, not the top-down. Therefore, we offer support to all in the state of Nebraska who wish to collaborate openly with others to meet our stated mission. We will not endorse or support any group whose agenda and / or use of funds is not clearly stated, or is in conflict with our mission.
Based on my own experiences and observations coupled with information from others around the country, Grassroots in Nebraska cannot endorse this group. I do not want anyone to think that I am doing so by providing this event information.
If anyone from our group plans to attend on Wednesday evening, I ask you to do so with the following goals in mind:
1) We can all make connections with local people of like-minds and invite them to join with us in our efforts here in Nebraska.
I still have 25 – 50 pocket Constitutions left from April 11 to which could be applied a sticker with Grassroots in Nebraska information and distributed. You could share our mission and give some examples of what we’ve begun working on to give people an idea of how they can make an impact.
Some suggestions of examples to share:
· Investigation of the City of Lincoln budget and the process being used to get it passed
· Exploring possible support of Kent Bernbeck’s efforts to increase citizen access to the ballot initiative process
· Researching, making connections regarding a Tenth Amendment resolution or bill
· Upcoming projects include a group to make regular visits to the Capitol to make contacts with staff and Senators.
Please find me at the event and I will give you some pocket Constitutions to hand out, if you wish.
2) We can show visible opposition to H.R. 676, which is important. There are two rallies in Lincoln to show support FOR the bill this coming Saturday, June 6. (There are rallies across the country organized by several groups, including Organizers for America, and Health Care Now
3) Few elected officials, unfortunately, are speaking out against H.R. 676, so when they do, it is a good idea to let them know that you who support them. If we are able to hear directly from Sen. Fulton, Councilman Hornung, and Board Member Evnen say on the subject, we will know what their positions clearly.
4) If “Patients United Now” / Americans for Prosperity is circulating clipboards or has a sign-up table, please be advised that your signing is likely to add you to the “membership rolls” of AFP. You will receive requests for donations, and most likely, your name will be added to the list of those people they cite as supporting this and future actions, some of which you may or may not agree with, without your endorsement.
City of Lincoln Budget Process: The Mayor’s Approach is Flawed
Notes: If you are a property owner in Lincoln, it’s important to take notice of the Mayor’s Budget and the “Taking Charge” project, which is stated as an effort to obtain residents’ input. It’s important to pay attention to the budgeting process overall and the Mayor’s project in particular as it appears higher property taxes are in the offing.
The “Taking Charge” project included a May 16 public budget discussion. Two members of Grassroots in Nebraska participated and one of them, Linda Rohman, submitted an analysis of that meeting to be shared. In addition, she provided comprehensive contact information so you can express your opinion about the budget.
As most of you probably know, Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler held a citizens’ meeting on Saturday, May 16th, at the East Campus Union. The meeting was billed as an opportunity for Lincoln residents to have input concerning the city budget for 2009-2010. Attendees were selected from among those who voluntarily completed an online survey about budget issues. Pat Carlson and I from our Grassroots group were invited to attend. This is our report back to the group on our experiences and observations.
First, the discussion was not open-ended. Six budget items were presented for our consideration. These included the following:
(1) Snow Removal: It requires far less expense to clear arterial streets, intersections, and bus routes for public safety and traffic flow than to clear neighborhood streets. Currently, the City plows whenever there is four inches or more of snowfall. Public safety would not be compromised by not plowing neighborhood streets unless there is more than eight inches of snowfall. The City could save $250,000 to $500,000 per year by focusing on snow removal for arterials, intersections, and bus routes rather than neighborhood streets.
We were asked a) Would you prefer for the city to plow only arterials, intersections, and bus routes but not neighborhood streets when snowfall exceeds four inches?; b) Would snow removal performance for 90 percent of arterials be satisfactory if completed in 8 hours (time presently required), 24 hours, or some other time period?; and c) When snowfall exceeds 8 inches, should 90 percent of the neighborhood plowing be completed within one day, two days, or some other period?
Many, if not most people, seemed to prefer continued plowing of neighborhood streets, although many indicated a willingness to “compromise” and let the City raise the snow level triggering plowing to six inches.
(2) Police investigation and reports re non-injury accidents: The police department currently writes automobile accident reports even in situations where no one is injured. If officers continued to respond to such accidents when called, but did not conduct a formal investigation as to fault and did not complete a formal report, the police chief opined that the department could cut three officers from its budget. Police Chief Cassady expressed a strong conviction that current practice of making such reports was for public convenience only, and that the practice had essentially no public safety/law enforcement value.
We were asked if the practice should continue. If it continues, would we want the City to respond within 30 minutes and increase taxes $1.56 per household per year OR would we want response within 15 minutes at a cost of $3.00 per household per year OR some other option?
Surprisingly (at least, to me) people seemed to want the police to continue making these reports even though Chief Cassady described them as for public convenience only. Many seemed to think insurance rates would increase by at least as much as the amount of the tax increases predicted if the practice is continued. I, personally, do not see this as a legitimate government function. For that reason, if I am to pay for the service, I’m content to pay insurance premium increases should they be necessitated by discontinuance of the practice.
(3) Indoor air quality inspections currently conducted by the Health Department:
The City Health Department currently responds to complaints about poor indoor air quality in residential properties. They investigate the complaints and let the property owner and/or the occupant know the cause of any problem found. They get approximately 2000 calls per year, but investigate only about 220 of these. About half of the 220 are rental properties and the other half are owner occupied.
We were asked whether we would favor a 2.5 cents per month per average household tax increase to continue the program OR whether taxes not be increased but the cost necessary to continue the program be passed to the property owner OR whether there should be no increase and the program eliminated.
There seemed to be a consensus here that the program should be paid for by the property owners.
(4) Public libraries: $781,000 in budget reductions to the library system have been proposed, $511,000 of which would come from closing three neighborhood libraries (i.e., South, Bethany, and Arnold).
We were asked if we would be willing to pay increased property taxes in the amount of 43 cents per month per average household to maintain all the libraries at the current level OR not increase taxes and close the three neighborhood libraries OR not increase taxes or close but curtail hours at all city libraries OR some other unspecified option.
Most people wanted to keep all libraries open but seemed rather evenly split between paying more taxes to maintain the status quo and curtailing hours at all the libraries to cut the necessary costs.
(5) Recreation Centers versus Middle School Resource Officers: It is thought that City Recreation Centers limit youth crimes and that School Resource Officers keep kids safer. The City government consensus is that Recreation Centers are a higher priority.
We were asked, if safety and security budget cuts are needed, which program would we choose to fund, Recreation Centers or School Resource Officers. According to Police Chief Cassady, there are only four middle school resource officers who split time between 10 middle schools. In his opinion, their time and our money could be better utilized because time is lost traveling from one school to another during the day and because the officers do not establish a presence in any one of the schools because they are not there enough. He thought, for the program to be more effective with the four existing officers, they should be assigned to the four most needy schools where problems are more frequently encountered. LPS is unwilling to allow the police department to assign the officers to four particular schools and leave the other six without.
In spite of the Chief’s recommendations, many people argued the program should be continued and that the four officers should be assigned to four of the schools. This was in spite of LPS’s refusal to cooperate.
(6) Child bike safety: The City currently conducts a safety education program which it claims has decreased child injuries by 40%. The program costs $41,000 per year, and its continuance would require a four cent per month per average household property tax increase.
We were asked whether we would prefer to increase property taxes to continue the program that has helped reduce injuries by 40% OR not increase taxes and eliminate the program allowing injuries to return to previous levels OR some other option.
The wording of this question was very offensive and clearly designed to lead respondents to a commitment to increased property taxes. I asked the health department head advocating the program how he could claim reductions in accidents were attributable to the program. He told me the program had been in existence more than eight years. I pointed out that the City has invested in a trails system during that time that has led to a decrease in children riding on streets and sidewalks, which formerly exposed them to the risk of being hit by a car. That could explain the decrease in such accidents over time instead of the City’s program. He indicated the relation between the program and the statistical evidence of a decrease in accidents was a correlation only, not cause-and-effect. In spite of that fact, he implied a certain callousness on the part of any taxpayer who didn’t want to continue the program, saying something to the effect that, “We could discontinue the program and see if more kids got hurt, but that wouldn’t be right.”
Most people seemed to favor continuance of this program because of the small amount of the cost and because it involved children.
In summary, Pat and I would make the following general observations: First, Lincoln citizens are willing to suffer an increase in property taxes to retain a surprising number of services of even questionable merit or value. Many of the services in question go beyond those envisioned by the founders to be within the proper purview of government to begin with. There is a decided contentment to let government do for the people in many instances what the people, properly motivated, could do for themselves.
Second, the proceedings seemed designed to elicit a consensus in favor of increased property taxes. The issues we were asked to discuss largely involved services provided by the City to children and low-income families, which are groups most likely to appeal to the sympathies and, consequently, be most difficult to “deprive.” Most of the costs associated with the programs which were supposedly candidates for elimination were quoted as pennies per month per average household rather than in aggregate figures. As a result, in most instances, we had no real idea of the actual cost of the program as a whole during our deliberations. Clearly, it is more difficult to say no to spending pennies than it is to spending thousands of dollars. There were both pre- and post-questionnaires to detect any change in participants’ opinions during the discussions. Why do both a pre- and a post-assessment unless the material presented during the interim was intended more to persuade us rather than to inform them?
Finally, fiscal conservatives seemed to be scarce among the 150 or so attendees. We need to let City officials know that we favor cuts over property tax increases. If you agree, please contact one or more of the officials listed below to share your opinion in this regard.
Office of the Mayor — 441-7511 — mayor@lincoln.ne.gov
Lincoln Area Agency on Aging — 441-7022
June Pederson, Director — 441-6132
Deb Peck, Community Activities and Services Administrator — 441-6158
Building and Safety — 441-7521
Fred Hoke, Director — 441-7049
Lana Tolbert, Administrative Officer — 441-7831
Citizen Information Center — 441-7375
Diane Gonzolas, Manager — 441-7831
Commission on Human Rights — 441-7624
Larry Williams, Director — 441-8691
Finance — 4417411
Don Herz, Director — 441-7412
Law — 441-7281
John Hendry, City Attorney — 441-7290
Library — 441-8500
Pat Leach, Director — 441-8510
Lincoln Fire & Rescue — 441-7363
Chief Niles Ford — 44108350
Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department — 441-8000
Bruce Dart, Director — 441-8001
Steve Beal, Assistant Director — 441-8042
Judy Halstead, Resource & Program Development Coordinator — 441-4603
Lincoln-Lancaster County Personnel Department — 441-7597
Mark Koller, Director — 441-7888
Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Department — 441-7491
Marvin Krout, Director — 441-6366
Parks and Recreation — 441-7847
Lynn Johnson, Director — 441-8265
Police (non-emergency service desk) — 441-7204
Chief Tom Casady — 441-7237
Public Works and Utilities — 441-7548
Greg MacLean, Director — 441-7566
Urban Development — 441-7606
Dave Landis, Director — 441-7126
City Council — 441-7515 — council@lincoln.ne.gov
E-mail addresses for individual members
You might also be interested to know that the Lincoln Independent Business Association has concluded that the Mayor’s budget poll, which concerned the topics discussed by the participants in Saturday’s meeting, was unscientific and, therefore, inherently unreliable. LIBA recommends the City not place any reliance on the results of that poll in formulating the budget.
LIBA’s opinion piece, published in the Lincoln Journal-Star, Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Additional note:
Linda submitted a letter to the Editor Saturday, which will posted here tomorrow. I will provide an update on whether or not it appears in the paper.
Meanwhile, anyone so inclined to do the same is encouraged to use the link below.
Additional link:
Letter to the Editor submission form at the Lincoln Journal Star
New Video of April 11 Lincoln Tea Party at the State Capitol
Many thanks to Don for taking the time to make this excellent video of the April 11 Lincoln Tea Party at the State Capitol.
I don’t think he missed one of the signs there.
I really enjoyed watching this, as I’m sure anyone who was there (or wished they’d been!). No one can see all angles of the crowd or all of the great signs wherever they are standing.
I hope Don will do more of these for us in the future!
What is Grassroots in Nebraska?
From Monday, May 11 meeting
by Shelli Dawdy
GRASSROOTS IN NEBRASKA
What this group was set up for was a truly grassroots effort. True grassroots individuals encourage and inspire one another to use their talents and skills to have an impact on the things they are passionate about and agree need to be accomplished.
Rather than going to the “default” / the pyramidal structure, my vision, after much consideration, thought, and discussion with people who have both been actively engaged in these kinds of efforts for years, and with people in the corporate world, is to do things in a as free a manner as possible while still being effective.
Rather than the failed pyramid, we need to try to do things by project. Projects that are hubs of activity but connected with one another and moving toward shared goals.
I said I had a vision, but it’s not totally mine. For those of you who are members of Grassroots in Nebraska, in other words, the NING website, that is just one of fifty created by a group of people who are committed to protecting the grassroots. They work by project but are not a formal, pyramidal organization either. They don’t control what I do, but I look to their guidance and support. They and I, as free individuals, do not agree on every point of policy. That doesn’t mean we don’t share the same basic goals as this group has defined.
The vision is that we work on projects we think are necessary. Anyone who agrees with the goals of a project is free to join that project group. We are all adults who want to take personal responsibility and we want to get something done.
Part of my vision is that we need to focus on educating and informing ourselves, help one another do the same, and share information and try to educate the public when appropriate. I want to help get people the tools and skills they need to accomplish these goals. I want to help move towards an informed electorate, and help you all have an impact on policies and laws that affect your everyday life.
All of this is backed up by the overall goal of moving towards originally intended, Constitutionally limited government.
That is my vision and I know there are some who do not agree with it. If that is the case you are welcome to start your own group. I understand. This has been a large commitment on my part and a sacrifice for my family. I am not going to be involved in a structure that I believe is sure to fail and amounts to people telling me how to spend my time.
I have already come up with some project group ideas that we’ll get into a little later. But for now, for all who like the ideas I’ve laid out, we can move forward.
May 11 General Meeting Handout
The image below is a printable, embeddable PDF version of the handout distributed at the May 11 General Meeting:
Grassroots in Nebraska Handout Meeting May 11pdf
Summary of May 11 General Meeting
Grassroots in Nebraska
Summary of Meeting
May 11, 2009
7:00 PM
The meeting was held at The Blend (near 27th & Superior), with about thirty people in attendance.
Shelli Dawdy opened the meeting:
WHAT IS GRASSROOTS?
(This is a summary of the statement. To read the full version, click here.)
A grassroots effort is individuals, who voluntarily, out of their own free will, choose to engage with other free will individuals on projects that further their shared goals and on causes they believe in. Grassroots is a collaborative effort of free individuals, with the help of the coordination of an inspired facilitator or leader with a vision.
It’s not a formalized organization of group-think, or layers of bureaucracy in the form of committees and subcommittees. It’s not a pyramidal structure as has been seen time and again in government, in political parties, in 501(c)3’s or large corporations. When we are trying to do anything, we turn to the “default” for the answers. The default is a very formalized, pyramidal structure with layers of bureaucracy. But bureaucracy and pyramidal structures trap potential and paralyze action. Did Paul Revere run around consulting with a committee before he jumped on his horse?
WHAT IS GRASSROOTS IN NEBRASKA?
“Our mission is to promote a grassroots return to Constitutional government as originally intended by the Founders, as the most effective avenue to encourage public policy that promotes personal responsibility, individual liberty, limited government, and free markets.”
What this group was set up for was a truly grassroots effort. True grassroots individuals encourage and inspire one another to use their talents and skills to have an impact on the things they are passionate about and agree need to be accomplished.
Rather than going to the “default” pyramidal structure, Shelli’s vision (after much consideration, thought, and discussion with people who have both been actively engaged in these kinds of efforts for years, and with people in the corporate world) is to do things in a as free a manner as possible while still being effective. Rather than the failed pyramid, we need to try to do things by project; projects that are hubs of activity but connected with one another and moving toward shared goals.
“I said I had a vision, but it’s not totally mine. For those of you who are members of Grassroots in Nebraska, in other words, the NING website (just one of fifty created by a group of people who are committed to protecting the grassroots). These folks work by project but are not a formal, pyramidal organization either. They don’t control what I do, but I look to them for guidance and support. They and I, as free individuals, do not agree on every point of policy. That doesn’t mean we don’t share the same basic goals that this group has defined. The vision is that we work on projects we think are necessary. Anyone who agrees with the goals of a project is free to join that project group. We are all adults who want to take personal responsibility and we want to get something done.
“Part of my vision is that we need to focus on educating and informing ourselves, help one another do the same, and share information, trying to educate the public when appropriate. I want to help get people the tools and skills they need to accomplish these goals. I want to help move towards an informed electorate, and help you all have an impact on policies and laws that affect your everyday life. All of this is backed up by the overall goal of moving towards the originally intended Constitutionally-limited government. All of you are here because you want to be actively engaged at some level in a way that will have impact on what the government is currently doing.
“But we don’t know more specifically what motivated people to step forward and express an interest in being involved, what kind involvement you’d all like to have, what talents and skills people possess, or what kinds of things people would like to do. To better understand all of this, several volunteers came up with a survey that we’ll collect at the end of the meeting.”
A survey form was distributed to all participants. If you were not at the meeting and would like to take the survey, use this form to send a request:
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DISCUSSIONS ON TOPICS:
(online survey form includes discussion questions)
To further get to know people, generate ideas, and get input from the group, small group discussions, with five to six people per group, were formed and their findings shared with the group as a whole. The questions follow:
(1) What can we do at the local level to reverse the ever-increasing federal encroachment in the state, local, and personal spheres of life?
(2) What can we do to get the local and national media to cover what’s actually a happening around us? Or, if we are unable to get proper coverage, how do we go around them?
(3) What excites you the most about the potential of a grassroots movement?
(4)What will it take for you to become actively involved in a grassroots effort?
(5) What do you think a successful grassroots movement would look like both locally and nationally?
SPECIFIC ISSUES OF INTEREST:
There was a brief discussion regarding the recent movement towards States’ Rights and sovereignty, including many states’ introduction of Tenth Amendment Resolutions. A number of members of the group have been discussing the potential of doing one in Nebraska.
A handout was circulated that includes the text of the recently introduced Texas resolution and an opinion regarding the long-term effects, and the text of a recently passed Montana law pertaining to the Interstate Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
You can view download a PDF version of the handout *here*.
*If there is anyone who would like to distribute paper copies of this handout, there are some leftover from the meeting. Please email to make arrangements to get them.
PROSPECTS OF TENTH AMENDMENT RESOLUTION (State Sovereignty) & RECENT MONTANA GUN LAW PASSAGE
1. Congress needs to stop federal mandates.
2. State legislatures need to have spines and reject unconstitutional federal mandates
OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE INPUT ON CITY OF LINCOLN BUDGET PROCESS
Additional resources regarding these issues:
Sillie Lizzie’s Rock: Tenth Amendment Petitions, Write Your Representatives!
**important** Please see this post regarding avoiding the routine practice of conducting non-ballot initiative related petitions
Democratic Underground: The Bill of Rights for Dummies
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132×3431591
U.S. Tenth Amendment Reserved Powers Scope and Purpose
http://supreme.lp.findlaw.com/constitution/amendment10/01.html
Tenth Amendment Movement: Taking on the Feds
http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/constitution/881-tenth-amendment-movement-taking-on-the-feds
U.S. Constitution: Tenth Amendment
http://supreme.lp.findlaw.com/constitution/amendment10/02.html
What is the 10th Amendment of the Constitution? What does it mean?
http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/42563
We also need to educate ourselves (on the Nebraska Constitution, too).
BALLOT INITIATIVE DEVELOPMENT:
Linda Rohman reported a new development pertaining to ballot initiatives that she’d learned about from an article in the Lincoln Journal Star earlier in the day. Nebraska has had recent changes in the law that have made it much more difficult for the average citizen to do a ballot initiative. You can read the entire Lincoln Journal Star article, which appeared online on the Kearney site.
*More information will be coming on this issue in the next day or two. This is an important issue to all Nebraska citizens who wish to move towards more limited government. Some necessary changes may require ballot initiatives to implement.
FORMATION OF PROJECT GROUPS
The meeting concluded with an explanation of the Project Group concepts developed to date, based on needs for the group at this stage, and pressing issues of interest. Project groups will focus on the specific areas for their project, but communicate among all of the other project groups as needed.
Those at the meeting were encouraged to sign up on sheets provided for each project group, or alternatively, people could wait for groups to be more fully explained and / or created on the Grassroots in Nebraska NING site (http:netcot.ning.com). At the conclusion of explaining each of these groups, Shelli urged people to avoid choosing a leader for each project until some time had passed in order for those working together to get to know one another better.
The Grassroots in Nebraska NING Project Group link has been provided after the title of each project group. If you do not belong the NING site as of yet and do not wish to join but want to be part of one or more groups, please send a message stating this to lincolnteaparty@gmail.com, along with telephone number, and your name will be given to members of the project so you will be notified of any conference calls, meetings, or activities for that project. The following are the current project groups and each one’s purpose:
Tea Party Planning
http://netcot.ning.com/group/july4lincolnindependencedayteapartyplanningcommitt
Project to plan, coordinate, and put on Tea Party events.
Internal Communication
http://netcot.ning.com/group/internalcommunication
Project group that considers all relevant forms of communication available to the members of the group and carries out the tasks of disseminating information through all the venues online, through phone trees, postcards, etc.
External Communications
http://netcot.ning.com/group/externalcommunications
Project group to research and explore all of the forms of communication from printed flyers to Facebook and determine how they can be used to disseminate information end education to the public, and carrying out the necessary tasks.
Networking
http://netcot.ning.com/group/networking
Project group that works to coordinate internal and external communications for the overall group, researches tie-ins to affiliated regional and national groups, and explores potential relationships with like-minded groups (those meeting the guidelines of the missions statement) to disseminate information.
Book Discussions
http://netcot.ning.com/group/bookdiscussion
Self-education opportunities to read Constitutionally-oriented books so that members may better understand the foundations of our government.
Technical Skill Development
http://netcot.ning.com/group/technicalskilldevelopment
Project that assists and educates people interested in learning new technical skills and particular tools. In addition to locating and developing helps and tutorials, this project will conduct classes for interested parties.
Operation Constitution
http://netcot.ning.com/group/operationconstitution
Project group that looks for opportunities to distribute copies of pocket Constitutions, solicits commitments for people to buy lots, provides instructions for purchase, creates some kind of handout for inclusion, attaches a label inside the front cover with the Grassroots in Nebraska contact information. This group would work with other groups, such as those who plan events to coordinate distribution.
Outreach
http://netcot.ning.com/group/outreach
Project group that looks for opportunities to reach out the public outside of Tea Party events or online venues and works to make connections with Nebraskans who are not online at all, have a lower level of interest, or who use the internet little. This means physical public presence, good old-fashioned shoe leather, and phone work.
Legislative Research
http://netcot.ning.com/group/legislativeresearch
Project to monitor and research pending laws and legislation in general, to explore and develop resources and tools for completing this task. This project will work with the internal, external, and networking projects when it is necessary to disseminate information about legislation. Constitutional rights warranting particular or pressing concerns will be made separate project groups (2nd, 10th Amendment, etc.) When appropriate, additional projects on particular issues and pieces of legislation with “spun-off” from this group.
State Sovereignty
http://netcot.ning.com/group/statesovereignty
Project group that monitors violations of the Tenth Amendment, looks for opportunities to address state sovereignty. Potentially work towards a Tenth Amendment Resolution. Work within this project could entail working towards garnering the support of Nebraska State Senators to sponsor a bill or working towards a ballot initiative.
Second Amendment
http://netcot.ning.com/group/secondamendment
Project that particularly serves as guardian of the right to keep and bear arms. This group would explore tools for monitoring legislation and judicial developments particularly as pertain to this area.
Civil Liberties
http://netcot.ning.com/group/civilliberties
Project to monitor newly introduced and pending laws, legislation, and violations of existing law. Concerns include electronic medical records technology, Real ID, and GPS.
Innovation
http://netcot.ning.com/group/innovation
Project group that examines the methods and work of all of the other projects to improve them. This group will seek out means of accomplishing tasks, reaching goals, and moving towards the overall mission of Grassroots in Nebraska in new, different, and more effective ways that have either been tried in the past or thought of before.
The meeting was adjourned.
