EARTH DAY FUN

Members of the Greencastle Antrim Democrats celebrated Earth Day by weeding the garden planted by community beautification activist Marie Eshleman at the entrance to I81 on East Baltimore Street. We brought perennials from our gardens, planted and marked the new plantings. The Echo Pilot has run photos taken by Dan Jordan. Participants included Karin Johnson, Anne Larew, Shari Morgan, John Gamble, and Ruth Jordan. Marie Eshleman showed up to cheer us on as did a traveling employee of the State environmental protection agency who applauded our efforts. If you are separating plants and want to add hardy perennials or bulbs to the garden please send an email or phone our contact numbers.

Check out Democracy Now

Here's a worthwhile website where you'll find interesting discussions on politics, education and other issue.
http://www.democracynow.org/email/story/9858

President Obama -- Educator

Our President has been working nonstop to educate and activate the American people. He wants us to hear his position on the budget, education, health care, energy and jobs. We may not always agree 100 percent, but it sure is wonderful to have a president that is knowledgeable, clear in his language and ideas and able to communicate with the people. You can listen to the internet town hall meeting by going to the White House web site.

Successful Forum Draws a Crowd

The jointly sponsored GreencastleAntrim Democrats and Waynesboro Democrats forum was a great success. The forum was praised by the large audience and the participants. Waynesboro attorney Clint Barkdoll did a superb job as moderator. You can check out the debate by viewing the video posted by the Herald Mail.
http://www.herald-mail.com/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=218510&format=html

Gov. Ed Rendell Announces Web Site

You can track how Pennsylvania is spending its portion of the recovery package by logging on to a new website announced by the Governor. You can also sound off on proposed expenditures and recommend programs. You can also track when public hearings will be held on pending projects or programs.
http://www.recovery.pa.gov/portal/server.pt?

Excellent Outline of the President's Proposed Budget

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/

Public Opinion Asks About President's Speech

The Public Opinion (Feb. 26, 09) called Democrats to ask their opinion about the President's speech (your editor was included as well as Rev. Steven Harris.) You'll notice another article about Republicans watching the speech. The Republicans, in the main, chose not to watch. I can understand their frustration having often thought twice about watching former President Bush. But in the end I did, because you have to be informed in order to form an opinion. Hopefully Republicans will get over the shock of being in the minority and figure out ways to work with President Obama to rebuild the American economy.

SC 8th Grade Student to Sit with First Lady

Ty'Sheoma Bethea, an eighth-grade student at J.V. Martin Junior High School in Dillon, S.C., will sit with President Barack Obama's family Tuesday night when he delivers his first address to Congress. Ty'Sheoma was invited to sit in first lady Michelle Obama's mezzanine box in the House of Representatives, thanks to her letter imploring lawmakers to help her crumbling school, which was built in 1896. Ty'Sheoma's letter made its way to Obama, who campaigned at J.V. Martin in 2007.

Obama cited J.V. Martin two weeks ago in his first presidential news conference as a symbol of decaying schools that would be replaced by funds in his economic stimulus plan. "The president and first lady were moved by Ty'Sheoma's heartfelt letter and are looking forward to welcoming her to D.C.," said a White House spokeswoman. She walked to the Dillon town library to write her letter because her family doesn't have a computer.

"People are starting to see my school as a hopeless, uneducated school, which we are not," she wrote. "We finally want to prove to the world that we have a chance in life just like other schools, and we can feel good about what we are doing, because of the conditions we are in now we can not succeed in anything."

Keep Track of the Stimulus Bill Spending

This is a very good website posted by President Obama's office to track the funds and spending timeline of the recovery spending.
http://www.recovery.gov/

The White House Web Site

The White House website is full of important information and a terrific blog on the latest Obama Administration initiatives. Particularly don't miss the slide show on the work that went into passing the Stimulus Package. http://www.whitehouse.gov/slideshows/

Happy Valentine's Day

Call In For Single Payer Health Care Feb. 12, 2009

Our Fulton County friends, Jack and Kathie Hendricks, ask us to mark the national call in day for National Health Care, the single payer solution heading for Congress. we are being asked to call our congressman and the White House...the whole thing is nicely organized at this website: http://www.healthcare-now.org/campaigns/call/