A few tips to political folks

So much is being written about this past election, as if one party had never controlled both the US House and US Senate, ever. We know this is not the case. As a progressive, I remember that, in not so distant time, both chambers and the presidency were controlled by Republicans and we got through it. Yes, it might have sucked and yes there were some bad things that happened, but we got through it.

After spending a lot of time helping candidates I support get elected, and hanging out at election parties, I was reminded that I have always wanted to write a note to those in politics in regards to my thoughts on what they could do better. This goes to folks in all political parties.

Here you go:

When in public, be kind. Don't be arrogant. This goes for your staff too. Nothing is worse than running into arrogance-filled staff members at events. Anyone representing you or your campaign should be rocking it for you in public.

If you were part of something good, talk about it. Even if it means talking positive about someone who is not popular. For example, the economy seems much better off than it was two or four years ago. Certainly better than six years, no matter who is talking about it. Sure someone who hates the President will tell you, when talking about better unemployment numbers, that this number doesn't include folks who stopped looking for employment, but they never have. Never. So it is still apples to apples.

If you like something, admit it. Don't bs us. I firmly believe that folks will respect someone who sticks to their beliefs, even if those folks don't agree with those beliefs.

Thank people. Yes, you won. It was close. Thank those who took their personal time and decided to do what they could to help get you elected or re-elected rather than spend time with their family, go for a run, or volunteer for a non-profit.

Show up. Nothing sucks more than to see ads with you being attacked for not being present at work. This doesn't fly for most of us, nor should it for you. If you have missed a bunch of work, in any capacity, tell us why.

If you lost an election, don't stop. If it is a four year term that is a bit tougher, but for two year terms run again. And again. If you firmly believe that you are a better candidate and would support the citizens better than the other person, keep going. Rock it in between elections and run again.

Give a shit. This is crucial, although many folks get elected who don't. Many folks in politics want to be mayor or governor or president. If that is the only reason you are running for state house or some other position, please don't tell me that. I want to believe that you actually care about the people who you are asking to vote for you. I get that folks aspire to a higher office, and I also want someone who represents me on any level to give a shit.

And my regular readers would be shocked if I didn't include this part. If you want to make change but do not want to get into politics, the least you can do is vote.

Thanks for reading.

Another legislative session in Colorado - make your voice heard!

In Colorado, our state legislature is not year-long. They begin in January and go through early May.

I believe that it is vital for any activist to be politically active. When politicians, especially on the state level, know who you are and are familiar with your concerns, change has a better chance of happening.

This session won't be much different than past sessions. A lot of hot air against the other side.  Egos run rampant. Meanwhile the people of Colorado many times get left behind. I must say that I have met many of those who represent Coloradans at the state capitol and they truly care about the people they represent. I don't know what happens through the process of creating legislation that they tend to forget this.

One of the bills I have been watching is a bill that would allow gay and lesbian couple who have married in states where there is marriage equality to file state taxes as a couple. This passed the state senate along party (Democrat/Republican) lines 18 - 16. One Republican must have not voted as they have 17 folks in the state senate. The bill goes on to the state house where the Democrats have a large majority. Most likely Governor Hickenlooper will sign it.

This bill makes a lot of sense, especially because gay and lesbian couples who are legally married can now file federal taxes as a couple. The religious extremists say this would affect traditional marriage. I imagine many things affect traditional marriage. In this case, the couples are already married. Legally. I think most of the no votes boil down to the fact that many of them just do not like gay folk and the rest feel like they have to vote the party line.

Just as a refresher, Republican politicians in Colorado generally do not care for gay people. Many will talk your ears off that their votes/opinions have to do with a long list of other reasons, yet the simple fact is that they just don't like us.

Why is this important to activists? Many in state races win by a very few votes. The new Attorney General in Virginia won by less than 1,000 votes in a statewide vote!

Also, state legislators have control over state laws, which have a huge affect on each of us.

And just to remind you, everyone has two people who represent them at their state capitol. In Colorado we have one state legislator and one state senator. We also have term limits, so the max a state legislator can serve is four, two-year terms and the max a state senator can serve is two, four-year terms.

If you care about animal cruelty, let your state rep and senator know. If you have an opinion about gun control, send an email. Care about poverty, women's rights, speed limits or GMO's, pick up the phone.

We can complain amongst ourselves as much as we want. Change does not have a chance of happening until we express our opinions to those who have the power to make change.

Here's a website  where you can look up who represents you at your state capitol: http://votesmart.org/

Thanks for reading! 

Gay, vegan and voting

Election night was quite the night in our household. I am a geek when it comes to politics so election night is typically a flurry of going from website to website watching results as I watch local results on the television.

Last night was no different. Although there were no huge headline elections, I was very much interested in the Virginia governor's race, a congressional race in Alabama (go figure), school board elections in the county we live in here in Colorado as well as a tax hike initiative to support public schools in Colorado and a GMO labeling bill in Washington state. Whew.

The celebratory part of last night was that a bigot lost the governor's race in Virgina. Although I was accused last night of being "super nasty" when calling Ken Cuccinelli a bigot, the fact is he is a bigot. Although in the end the voters of Virginia didn't have a fantastic choice, I am relieved that there will be one less anti-gay, religious extremist in power. Wow, maybe I could just call him and people like him that rather than a bigot?

The celebration kind of ended there. As huge supporters of public schools and the funding of public schools, we were both devastated that our local school board now has three "reformist" members. All three candidates we supported lost. There is a lot of talk around what is actually best for students, and I will be the first to admit that I don't know all of the facts, yet in Colorado we have seen "reformist" school board members in Douglas County and from my point of view it isn't good. With a bunch of out-of-state money the "reformists" held on to power in Douglas County and now will be joined by similar thinking school board members in Jefferson County, where we live.

I haven't seen official results from Washington state. The notes I have read show that the GMO bill failed, yet that is not official as of the time I am writing this.

And in Alabama ( I know you are just waiting to read this part!) the less anti-gay guy won. The guy he beat told gay rights supporters in Alabama that they should move to California or Vermont and take their deviant lifestyles with them. OK, he only said the California and Vermont part but he has referred to us in the past as deviants.

All types of activists read this blog. Some because we are vegan, some because we are gay, some because we are also activists and fight for the voiceless. I absolutely believe that each one of us who is fighting for the voiceless and fighting to make this world a better place for all living beings have to get politically active and have to vote. We have to pay attention to what is going on in our own backyards.

Thank you for reading.

A shut down government

After a month of writing for Vegan Mofo, I am super excited to be writing about other things now, like the government shutdown.

What does the government shutdown have to do with The Gay Vegans?

Everything!

One of the issues I write about is asking people to get involved more politically. Get to know who represents you at your state capitol and find out who represents you in Washington, D.C. For those of us always trying to be a voice for the voiceless, I believe it's important to show up in politics.

Some disagree and that's cool.

So now we have another mess in DC. A lot of name calling and pointing fingers, it's like a drag show gone bad.

I believe that there are many in Congress who just don't give a shit about anyone. They want what they want and that is all they are interested in. And they have the power to shut down the government.

My entire life I have always been totally open to sitting down with people that I disagree with. It's not difficult. I can shut up long enough to listen to another's point of view and they can do the same. We will probably continue to disagree, yet have a good chance of agreeing to some things. In the end, I believe that we all have much more in common than not.

Those in Congress need to hear from us. Not just now; all of the time.

If you are an activist, a voice for the voiceless, an advocate for making the world a better place for all living beings I urge you to consider letting those who represent you at all levels know who you are and what you support and don't support.

We all deserve better than what we are getting. We can complain about what folks are not doing or we can take action.

If you need help finding out who represents you, check out this website: www.votesmart.org

Meanwhile, there are people who are suffering because of this shutdown. It's a good time for us to reach out to friends and family who might be bale to use some help, including a hug.

Thanks for reading!

News from Colorado - gays, guns and pot

If you read the national headlines, news from Colorado in the past week can be summed up in two words: gays and guns.

This past week a civil unions bill, twenty years in the making, passed through our state house 39 - 25 and will be signed by our governor. Civil unions will be legal in Colorado starting May 1st. The anti-gay venom was alive and well in the debates, yet nothing new was said. The message of hate and prejudice never seems to change even if the faces of those expressing the message do. See my past blog post for more information civil unions in Colorado.

NOTE: Mike and I were married in our church on April 30, 2005. As huge of a deal as it was to us it is not recognized by our state or federal government. We will be in line on May 1st to get civil unioned.

Also this week, several gun laws were passed. I have been doing my best to keep up with them but even that effort hasn't been enough to have a good grip on what is going on. Gun rights activists are pissed off as you can see in any comments section for articles or postings about the bills that will most likely now become law. The bills include a 15-round magazine limit, having gun purchasers pay for their background check and one around universal background checks (adding private sales to when a background check is required).

I have read a lot around these. Those supporting the measures believe that they will make Colorado safer while those opposing them believe that the government is infringing on their 2nd Amendment rights and that the bills will do nothing to make the public safer.

As in some other heated topics, people who disagree with each other say unfortunate things. It's pathetic that we as communities cannot debate ideas without personally slamming someone or in some cases even threatening violence.

One thing I really liked from the gun debate (and many probably hated, especially those working in the state capitol) was that on the day that the state senate was debating gun bills, folks opposed to the bills kept a continuous flow of drivers circling the capitol and honking their horns. I thought that was great activism. I wanted to even stand on a corner there and hold a sign that said "honk for gay marriage!".

Also in the headlines here is news about medical marijuana and a new amendment (64) that was passed by voters in November making it legal to be carrying a small amount of marijuana. It's fascinating to watch how this affects people. I read today that our governor has said that while meeting with potential business folks who may consider moving to Colorado their biggest concern is marijuana. I believe him when he says this and I the same time I am thinking "seriously?".

Regarding animals, nothing has really come to the legislature regarding protection, welfare or cruelty. I did see one bill about vet care of ill farmed animals which did not pass (animal groups were opposed to it).

Meanwhile in Colorado spring is here and we have had some beautiful weather. I don't think I can take the sand bags out of the bed of my truck quite yet but winter is definitely coming to an end.

Politics is fascinating. Less than two months left in our state legislative session and I wonder if it is going to get any more exciting. Regardless of people's opinions, I am excited to see so many people get involved politically and make their voices heard.

Thanks for reading!