Sun City Texas Democrats

General Meeting:

Saturday, January 7,  2012
Time:  9:30 AM Coffee, 10:00 AM Meeting
Location:  Sun City Cowan Creek Center, 1433 Cool Spring Way, Florence/Georgetown Rooms

Speaker: Royger Harris is a repeat speaker for us.  He is an investigator in Jana Duty’s County Attorney’s office, and he gives us great insight into what is going on behind the scenes in Williamson County government.  The problems in the Williamson County Criminal Justice system, the Michael Morton exoneration, and District Attorney John Bradley will surely be a part of this free-form discussion.

Thursday, December 8,  2011
Time:  5:00 to 9:00 PM or maybe longer …
Location: Ruby’s Café & Bakery,
305 Limestone Terrace in Jarrell, TX
Event: Sun City Democrats’ Holiday Party

The following is the menu for our Holiday Dinner & Social:  Chicken Cordon Bleu or Roast Beef Au Jus.  The sides for both selections will be:  Grilled Potatoes, Green Beans, Very Nutty Salad and rolls; dessert will be a parfait served in a flute glass (sugar free upon request).  Coffee, tea, water and ice will be provided; but BYOB if desired. The room is large enough that we can stay and dance if we wish; a variety of music will be provided.  All this for only $17 per person!

The deadline for sign-up is December 1.  At the end of this newsletter, we have provided a flyer and with a tear-off portion to make it easy for you to fill in and mail to Billie.  Or you can leave your check on Billie Reaney’s front porch at 721 Texas Drive in Sun City.  Don’t forget to sign the form with your name, contact info, and select an entrée and dessert.

Interested in car pooling to Jarrell?
Call Billie Reaney at 512-868-0098.

General Meeting:
Saturday, November 5,  2011

Time:  9:30 AM Coffee, 10:00 AM Meeting
Location:  Cowan Creek, Florence/Georgetown Rooms
Speaker: Ann Dunkelberg
Program:  Medicare

Ann Dunkelberg, Associate Director of The Center for Public Policy Priorities, will speak on the subject of Medicare.

The Center for Public Policy Priorities is a “think tank” in Austin focusing on monitoring and lobbying the Texas Legislature. For more than twenty years, the Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) has been a nonpartisan, nonprofit policy institute committed to improving public policies to better the economic and social conditions of low- and moderate-income Texans.  Ms. Dunkleberg’s expertise is in policy and budget issues relating to health care access.

Social Event:

OctoberFest, Mexican-Style
Wednesday, October 26,  2011
Time:  4:00 PM to 7:00 PM Happy Hour
Location:  El Patron Restaurant & Cantina, 603 W University Ave, Georgetown

Hospitality Chair Pat Prudhom has set up another fun place for us to meet and socialize.

As before at Hardtails, we will simply order from the menu as we wish and pay as we go.  Please RSVP to:  Larry Hilliard at larry.hilliard@gmail.com

Please wear your Sun City badges (or any other you may have) name tags.

Saturday, October 1,  2011
Time:  9:30 AM Coffee, 10:00 AM Meeting
Location:  Cowan Creek, Florence/Georgetown Rooms
Speaker: Julius Getman
Program:  Restoring Power to the Union

Our October meeting focuses on that mainstay of Democratic politics, Labor Unions.

Julius Getman, our speaker, is a preeminent scholar in the field of labor law. He pioneered empirical studies in labor law and continues to do extensive field work on labor issues. He is a Professor at the University of Texas, where he holds the Earl. E. Sheffield Regents Chair. His new book, Restoring the Power of Unions: It Takes a Movement, will be available for purchase at our meeting.

Republicans have launched an unmitigated attack on Unions since their ascendancy in the elections of 2010. Unions are critical to maintaining a middle class in America and fighting back has been fruitful for union workers. In Wisconsin, two Republican lawmakers lost their jobs through recall elections. Walker, Wisconsin’s Governor, is next.

In Ohio, Governor Kasich is watching his bill to limit unions’ ability to collectively bargain face repeal on November 8, 2011. Faced with overwhelming likelihood that his union busting bill will go down in the repeal, the Governor has been reduced to begging the union leaders to cancel the recall. He wants them to bargain and reach a compromise with him. Gee, that’s just what his awful law forbids.

General Meeting:
Date:  Saturday, September 10, 2011
Time: 9:30 AM Coffee, 10:00 AM Meeting
Location: Sun City Ballroom
Program: Evan Smith

Evan Smith is the The Texas Tribune’s CEO and editor-in-chief. ( www.texastribune.org ) He spent nearly 18 years at Texas Monthly, stepping down in August 2009 as the magazine’s president and editor-in-chief. He previously served as editor for more than eight years — only the third person to hold that title. On his watch, Texas Monthly was nominated for 16 National Magazine Awards, the magazine industry’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, and twice was awarded the National Magazine Award for General Excellence.

A New York native, Smith has a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., and a master’s degree in journalism from the Medill School at Northwestern University. He previously held editorial positions at a number of national magazines, most recently at The New Republic, where he was deputy editor. He hosted a weekly interview program, Texas Monthly Talks, that has aired on PBS stations across Texas since 2003, and he is an occasional guest on numerous TV and radio shows.

Smith sits on the boards of the Austin Film Society, the Trinity Episcopal School, the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and the Headliners Club. He is also the founding co-chairman of the Texas Film Hall of Fame.

In 2005, in recognition of his contributions to Austin and Texas, Smith was named Austinite of the Year Under 40 by the Young Men’s Business League and Young Women’s Business League. In 2006, he was inducted into the Medill School of Journalism Hall of Achievement.

Summer Social:
Date:  Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Time:  4:00 to 7:00 PM
Location:  Hardtails Bar & Grill, Georgetown
Program:  “Beat the Heat”

Sun City Democrats and guests are invited to an informal gathering of like-minded souls to meet and have fun. Hardtails is a funky biker bar that’s known for its great and plentiful food. Pay as you go, drink and eat what you wish. Happy hour is in effect until 7:00 PM. Check out the ceiling fan while there.

Hardtails Bar and Grill is located on the southbound access road of IH 35 (Exit 262) in Georgetown. Traveling North – Exit 264 and take the crossover to southbound access road. It’s right next to Hog Alley with plenty of parking behind the shop.

http://www.hardtailsbarandgrill.com/HardtailsBarandGrillHome.htm

If you plan to attend (or have questions), please contact Larry.Hilliard@gmail.com so we have an idea of how much space we will need. If you have friends who are non-members, this would be a good opportunity to introduce them to our club.

Saturday, June 4,  2011

Time:  9:30 AM Coffee, 10:00 AM Meeting
Place: Cowan Creek Amenity Center, Florence/Georgetown Rooms

Program: 2012 Election Workshop

A Message from  Sun City Democrats President Roe Mackey regarding the June meeting:  June is almost upon us, half of 2011 is nearly gone, and preparations are starting to get ready for the important political year of 2012.  A few months ago the political weather was mixed, but much has happened lately.   In 2010 many individuals wanted to and were ready to run against President Obama for President, today just a few.

In the election for Congress the Republicans made major gains in the Senate and took control of the House.  Things did not look good for the Presidential election in 2012.  Could President Obama win?  Would the Republicans take control of the Senate?  Would they win every office in Texas?

But things have changed.  The economy has improved, bin Laden is dead, and many of the president’s plans are now in their second year, the cry to eliminate President Obama’s medical changes are almost gone.  But the biggest change is the Republican Party has moved way to the Right, in my opinion to the Radical Right.  It is now our turn to be aggressive.  We cannot let the Republicans win the Senate and (think about it) win the Presidency.  What would our country look like?

We must start now to work to re-elect President Obama, elect additional members to the US Senate and House, as well as to make major inroads into the Republican controlled Texas government.  The picture in my mind of

the United States with a Republican President, Senate and House and the continued control over Texas is a nightmare that is truly too scary to even think it might happen.  Thus what can we do as members and friends of Sun City Democrats?  PLAN  –  ORGANIZE  –  SELECT CANDIDATES – GIVE TIME AND MONEY – VOTE – but mostly we must WORK – HARDER THAN WE HAVE EVER WORKED BEFORE.

The first step is to meet, organize, and make preparations TO WIN.  That first step takes place on Saturday June 4, 2011 at 10:00 am – in Sun City’s Cowan Creek Georgetown and Florence rooms.  This is the time to start TO WIN.  The meeting will be in three parts:  The first is to meet with and plan with the committees we need to have TO WIN.  1)  IMPACT (our Political Action Committee) – How to raise money and more importantly how to spend that money;  2)  Membership – How to increase our membership from nearly two hundred to over 400;  3) Activities and Programs – What are the programs, speakers, activities, discussion groups that we need to plan to help us understand the problems and methods to solve them; 4) Communications – What is the best way to communicate, not only with the members and friends of Sun City Democrats, but with the wider community?

The second part of the meeting will be easy – we are asking everyone to complete a short survey relating to what is the best time (day & time) to meet for our discussion groups, our monthly general meeting and for special meetings or activities – such as meeting candidates, major speaker, etc.

The last part of the meeting is fun – We will watch about 20 to 30 minutes of the film – ‘Inside Job’.  This will just be a short introduction to an issue that is very important to us.  We will continue watching the film, with discussions, in the fall.

I understand that 30 minutes of committee work is not too exciting – BUT it has to be done if are TO WIN.  See you Saturday, and please bring your ideas.

Saturday, May 7,  2011

Time:  9:30 AM Coffee, 10:00 AM Meeting
Place: Cowan Creek Amenity Center,

Florence / Georgetown Rooms

Program: Steve Bickerstaff    REDISTRICTING TEXAS

Steve Bickerstaff served as Parliamentarian of the Texas Senate and special assistant Texas Attorney General before founding the private law firm of Bickerstaff & Heath in 1980.  Bickerstaff retired from the private practice of law in 2001, but remains active as a member of the adjunct faculty of the University of Texas School of Law and several nonprofit corporation boards. He is the author of Lines in the Sand: Congressional Redistricting in Texas and the Downfall of Tom DeLay (2007), a book about the controversial 2003 congressional redistricting in Texas, a coauthor of International Election Principles (2009), and an author of more than 25 law journal articles dealing primarily with election law or telecommunications regulation. Bickerstaff was a Fulbright Foundation Scholar teaching in Germany (2000), a Rockefeller Foundation Scholar in Residence at the Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio, Italy (2002), and a member of a Carter Commission team advising on elections in the Peoples Republic of China (2003). His firm, Bickerstaff, Heath, Delgao, Acosta is helping Georgetown and Williamson County work out the changes in districting that are required by the 2010 Census.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Time: 9:30 AM Coffee, 10:00 AM Meeting

Place: Cowan Creek Amenity Center, Florence / Georgetown Rooms

Speaker: Ken Martin, Founder, Editor, Publisher of The Austin Bulldog

Subject: Investigative Reporting: Focusing on Local Politicians

Ken’s definition of The Austin Bulldog: “The Austin Bulldog is a nonprofit 501(3)(3) for publishing investigative journalism in the public interest. My primary focus is holding elected officials and governmental organizations accountable to the citizens they are supposed to serve. Our job is to do the difficult work of journalists, such as interviewing, analyzing, and adhering to professional standards.”

In launching The Austin Bulldog, Ken returned to his roots in investigative reporting, covering both the public and private sectors. Ken was an investigative reporter for the Austin Business Journal 1989-1990 and served as editor 1990-1994, a period in which the newspaper won numerous awards for journalistic excellence. In 1995, he started the In Fact weekly newsletter covering Austin City Hall and local politics. In 1999, Ken began publishing the In Fact newsletter five days a week, making In Fact Daily Austin’s first online newsletter.