Ryan the Best Choice for Obama's Campaign!

This is an excerpt from the blog by writer and film maker, Mitchel Bard.  Please use these talking points with everyone you know!

"By picking Ryan, Romney is telling the American people what they can really expect if he wins: The end of Medicare as we know it, the privatization of Social Security, massive tax cuts for the wealthy, tax increases for the middle class, and a general approach to governing that considers the wealthy and corporations first, and everyone else not at all. That is Romney's true religion. And by choosing Ryan, he has decided to run for the White House with the very symbol of these far-right economic policies."

And so with regard to Romney:

"He doesn't care about the middle class. He doesn't care about women's rights. He doesn't care about those who aren't doing as well in the current economy. He only cares about cutting taxes for the wealthy, cutting spending and providing an environment for the rich to get richer while income inequality gets worse, the middle class continues to collapse and the ranks of the unemployed and working poor swell to Hoover-era levels. In embracing Ryan, he is casting his lot with a public figure who has aggressively fought to redistribute wealth upward, from the working and middle classes to the very wealthiest."

Source:  The Huffington Post, August 13, 2012

Submitted by our blog editor, Lee Scott, Greencastle, PA

New Franklin County Democratic Officers Announced

     Steve Harris, a retired Episcopalian Pastor from Waynesboro, has been elected as the new President of the Franklin County Democratics after the resignation of Paul Politis of Greencastle, PA.  Sheldon Schwartz of the Antrim one precinct of Antrim township has been elected to fill Steve's past position of 2nd vice chair.

    Paul has spent many hours the last two years juggling both politics and business, and the club thanks him for his great efforts.

   Steve's capable wife, Becky, currently serves as secretary to the organization and is on the website committee.

Why Liberals and Conservatives React to Science Differently

  This new article brings up some interesting issues in bridging gaps in understanding and communication in our increasingly polarized society.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
chris-mooney/why-republicans-deny-scie_b_1196823.html

   I hope that all of you who are working for "change" might benefit from the perspective of this writer, a perspective which I found helpful and worthy of further study. Recently someone related a conversation to me about her showing a book to an elementary age school girl in the presence of her religiously conservative parents and being tool to put it away because "We don't believe in global warming".

   As a former NASA scientist who strongly believes in educating our children not only about the concepts and facts of science, but also in the mature thinking processes that lead to good analysis of issues and the ability to conceive (and test) new theories, I am continually frustrated by the challenges of communicating with those who prefer, not only prefer, but seem to be wired, to live their lives with blinders on.  And some of these individuals seem quite intelligent.

   To quote from the article,

   "Here's the bottom line: An increasing body of science suggests that we disagree about politics not for intellectual or philosophical reasons, but because we have fundamentally different ways of responding to the basic information presented to us by the world. These are often ways of which we are not even aware--automatic, subconscious--but that color all of our perceptions, and that effectively drive us apart politically."This jibes with what I have been saying for some time-  You can't change minds unless you deal with the emotional framework involved.  And here in Franklin County, PA,  THAT can be a huge challenge.

Blessings to all
Lee Scott