Local elections are elections, too.

Did you participate in your local school board election on May 5? According to the Washtenaw County Registrar's Office, Elections Section, less than 5% of registered voters did.

Involved Voters have a lot of work to do to keep informed about these local elections. It's often the case that decisions made at the local level have the most direct impact on us and our families.

The demise of the print version of local daily newspapers is going to make keeping up with local government even more difficult. We've got to come up with creative, effective ways to gather information about what's happening in our communities and share it with others.

In the 2008 General Election, we proved we could get out the vote. We need to apply what we learned then to our local elections.

Four Principles for the Federal Budget

In case you missed President Obama's weekly address on March 21, here is a transcript of the part that lays out the four principles he expects the Federal budget to meet. (I've added the bold type to highlight a few key points.) The President needs your support to make sure the budget measures up to these standards. As an Involved Voter, you can pledge your support at Organizing for America.

...I expect a budget that meets four basic principles:

First, it must reduce our dependence on dangerous foreign oil and finally put this nation on a path to a clean, renewable energy future. There is no longer a doubt that the jobs and industries of tomorrow will involve harnessing renewable sources of energy. The only question is whether America will lead that future. I believe we can and we will, and that's why we've proposed a budget that makes clean energy the profitable kind of energy, while investing in technologies like wind power and solar power; advanced biofuels, clean coal, and fuel-efficient cars and trucks that can be built right here in America.

Second, this budget must renew our nation's commitment to a complete and competitive education for every American child. In this global economy, we know the countries that out-educate us today will out-compete us tomorrow, and we know that our students are already falling behind their counterparts in places like China. That is why we have proposed investments in childhood education programs that work; in high standards and accountability for our schools; in rewards for teachers who succeed; and in affordable college education for anyone who wants to go. It is time to demand excellence from our schools so that we can finally prepare our workforce for a 21st century economy.

Third, we need a budget that makes a serious investment in health care reform - reform that will bring down costs, ensure quality, and guarantee people their choice of doctors and hospitals. Right now, there are millions of Americans who are just one illness or medical emergency away from bankruptcy. There are businesses that have been forced to close their doors or ship jobs overseas because they can't afford insurance. Medicare costs are consuming our federal budget. Medicaid is overwhelming our state budgets. So to those who say we have to choose between health care reform and fiscal discipline, I say that making investments now that will dramatically lower health care costs for everyone won't add to our budget deficit in the long-term - it is one of the best ways to reduce it.

Finally, this budget must reduce that deficit even further. With the fiscal mess we've inherited and the cost of this financial crisis, I've proposed a budget that cuts our deficit in half by the end of my first term. That's why we are scouring every corner of the budget and have proposed $2 trillion in deficit reductions over the next decade. In total, our budget would bring discretionary spending for domestic programs as a share of the economy to its lowest level in nearly half a century. And we will continue making these tough choices in the months and years ahead so that as our economy recovers, we do what we must to bring this deficit down.

I will be discussing each of these principles next week, as Congress takes up the important work of debating this budget. I realize there are those who say these plans are too ambitious to enact. To that I say that the challenges we face are too large to ignore. I didn't come here to pass on our problems to the next President or the next generation - I came here to solve them.

The American people sent us here to get things done, and at this moment of great challenge, they are watching and waiting for us to lead. Let's show them that we are equal to the task before us, and let's pass a budget that puts this nation on the road to lasting prosperity.

President Obama's Address to a Joint Session of Congress

Listening to the President's speech last night reinforced my conviction that American voters selected the right leader for the times. It left me hopeful and determined to do what I can to help the country meet its challenges.

The full text of President Obama's speech can be found here. One of my favorite commentaries on the speech is this one by Steve Benen at The Washington Monthly blog.

In my opinion, the Republican response by Louisiana Governor Bobbie Jindal fell flat - no new ideas, same old "government bad, taxes bad" rhetoric.

I was inspired by the words the President used to conclude his address to the joint session of Congress:

We are not quitters.

...(E)ven in the most trying times, amid the most difficult circumstances, there is a generosity, a resilience, a decency, and a determination that perseveres; a willingness to take responsibility for our future and for posterity.

....I know that we haven't agreed on every issue thus far, and there are surely times in the future when we will part ways. But I also know that every American who is sitting here tonight loves this country and wants it to succeed. That must be the starting point for every debate we have in the coming months, and where we return after those debates are done. That is the foundation on which the American people expect us to build common ground.

And if we do - if we come together and lift this nation from the depths of this crisis; if we put our people back to work and restart the engine of our prosperity; if we confront without fear the challenges of our time and summon that enduring spirit of an America that does not quit, then someday years from now our children can tell their children that this was the time when we performed, in the words that are carved into this very chamber, "something worthy to be remembered." Thank you, God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

US Rep. Mark Schauer's Town Meeting in Dexter Feb. 18

UPDATE: About 250 Involved Voters attended the "Congress on Your Corner" town hall at Dexter High School. Representative Schauer and his staff provided information about how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka stimulus plan) will help the people of Michigan. Schauer's enthusiasm for government service, intelligence and willingness to answer questions were evident during the hour he spent with his constituents. I was impressed with the tone of the event and look forward to more of them.

You can track can read the entire ARRA and track the spending at www.recovery.gov.

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Don't miss it! Congressman Mark Schauer is making his first town hall appearance in our area since taking office.

U.S. Representative Mark Schauer
Town Hall Meeting
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Dexter High School Cafeteria/Commons

Here's a chance for us, the Involved Voters who got him elected, to have a vital, energized conversation, focusing on our current economic crisis and what needs to be done locally and nationally.

We can raise specifics from the recovery package that affect areas like transportation, education, and agriculture, all of which relate directly to creating and saving jobs in our district.

We can give Representative Schauer a chance to show that he's on our side when it comes to our concerns in these important issue areas.

Ground Hog Day

If you remember the movie "Ground Hog Day," the thought may have crossed your mind that the Republicans in the US House seemed doomed to repeating the same old failed formula of opposing everything that doesn't fit their narrow ideology. Let's hope that Republicans in the US Senate can provide a happy ending to the current drama over the Recovery (stimulus) legislation.

Please take time to let the Republicans in Congress know that you support the President on this one. Urge them to act quickly to save and create jobs and provide financial help to those who need it most.

You can use this chart to see for yourself what actions are likely to give the biggest boost to the economy.

Inauguration Day!

In spirit, I was there at the Capitol when our 44th President, Barack Obama took the oath of office and gave his inaugural address. You can find the text of his address here. I was particularly moved by the portion of the address that asked each and every one of us to do our part.

What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

A Well-Run Transition

In the two months since the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States, his Transition Team has been hard at work and, in my opinion, to good effect.

Have you been following the hearings for nominees to cabinet posts? How many nominees can you name? On the Transition Team's web site there is a section that lists the positions in the new administration.

Here, in order of presidential succession, are President-Elect Obama’s choices:

(Source: http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/thepresidentandcabinet/a/obamacabinet.htm)

Updated, Feb 3, 2009, March 2, 2009. * = confirmed by Senate

Department of State: Hillary Clinton* -- U.S. Senator from New York

Department of Treasury: Timothy Geithner* -- head of the New York Federal Reserve

Department of Defense: Robert M. Gates* -- Current Sec. of Defense

Department of Justice (Attorney General): Eric Holder* -- a U.S. attorney under Clinton

Department of Interior: Ken Salazar* -- U.S. Senator from Colorado

Department of Agriculture: Tom Vilsack* -- former Governor of Iowa

Department of Commerce: Gary Locke -- former Governor of Washington [Judd Gregg -- Senator (R) New Hampshire withdrew] (updated Mar 2)

Department of Labor: Hilda Solis* -- US Representative (D) California

Department of Health & Human Services: Kathleen Sebelius -- Governor of Kansas [Tom Daschle -- former U.S. Senator from South Dakota withdrew] (Updated Mar 2)

Department of Housing & Urban Development: Shaun Donovan* -- former New York City housing commissioner

Department of Transportation: Ray LaHood* -- US Representative (R, Illinois)

Department of Energy: Steven Chu* - winner of Nobel Prize for physics in 1997

Department of Education: Arne Duncan* -- Chicago schools superintendent

Department of Veterans Affairs: Gen. Eric Shinseki* (retired) -- Chief of Staff of the Army from 1999 to 2003

Department of Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano* -- Governor of Arizona

President-Elect Obama has had a wealth of talent to choose from. His choices give me confidence that the new administration will serve the interests of the American people well.