MCPA will endorse issue campaigns, educate the general public on issues, host events, and otherwise support progressive issues and campaigns as MCPA and in concert with other organizations. To achieve everything we should–to expand our meetings, hold more forums, extend outreach, and organize support for the best candidates–we ask you to become a paying member of MCPA now. Contact mikehersh@mikehersh.com to work with MCPA.  Become a paying member of MCPA.

Paying members will help us establish our priorities, allocate our resources, and make a real difference.  For the low cost of $25/year, about $2 per month, you can participate in the changes you want to see in Montgomery County. Contribute online or bring payment to any event or meeting.

Paying members will be eligible to serve on committees (including the new steering committee), participate in charting our course into the next year including formulating the process through which we will nominate candidates and voting to endorse candidates for office in 2010. Organizations and individuals are eligible to join MCPA. They will also participate in our planning and decision-making processes governing our role in state and local elections.

Our committees will study and make recommendations for MCPA’s positions on issues facing all levels of government including: health policy, transportation and land use, energy and environment, equality under the law, accurate and transparent elections, clean politics including public campaign financing and other fundamental changes in access to our government, affordable housing, access to needed services, protection from public or private violations of basic rights, respect and support for all members of our community–regardless of race, age, gender, sexual identity, national origin, creed, denomination, religion or lack thereof.

If you haven’t yet: please join our Meetup Group, our Google Group, and our Facebook Group.

Please donate to support our ongoing meetings, public forums, website, and more, or bring payment to any event or meeting.  Sponsor our Meetup Group. Attend our meetings and events, join our committees, help us organize more events and develop or endorsement process.

Thanks!

Mike Hersh
Executive Director, Montgomery County Progressive Alliance

Action planning meeting to achieve progress. We’re building up our
coalition and lobby efforts on the state and national level, planning
special events, forming a steering committee, and working on meetings
with legislators, and other organizations.

Tuesday, February 1 · 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Saigonese Restaurant, 11232 Grandview Ave
Silver Spring (Wheaton), MD 20902

Google Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=11232+Grandview+Ave+Silver+Spring+MD+20902

Public Transportation: Short walk from Wheaton Metro (red line)

Please join the Montgomery County Progressive Alliance Google Group:
http://groups.google.com/group/mcprogressivealliance

1. MCPA: The Montgomery County Progressive Alliance is a result-oriented
coalition working on local, state, national and international issues.
MCPA includes more than 1,000 local activists, mainly in and around
Montgomery County Maryland. The organization began in 2003 when
Democracy for America Meetup members reached out to other Meetup groups
and other groups. In 2004, 100s of Montgomery County for Kerry members
and local Progressive Democrats of America members joined the MCPA. MCPA
adopted a mission statement, organized special events, and has held
meetings nearly each month since 2003.

2. DFA/DFMC: Democracy for America emerged from Gov. Howard Dean’s
presidential campaign in 2004, and has organized grass-roots activists
to support socially progressive, fiscally responsible candidates. DFMC
is Democracy for Montgomery County, a local DFA-inspired organization
which is not directly or legally affiliated with DFA. DFMC has organized
events and meetings; and endorsed and organized volunteers for several
candidates. DFMC is currently seeking additional steering committee
members.  You can sign up for DFA here:
http://democracyforamerica.com/session/new

3. PDA: Progressive Democrats of America began just after the 2004
Democratic National Convention in Boston. Bringing together people from
the 2004 Kucinich and Dean Campaigns with other progressives, PDA
adopted an “inside/outside strategy” uniting activists working inside
the Democratic Party with those working in peace and justice movements.
PDA’s core issues include clean, accurate and transparent elections;
environmental protection; single-payer healthcare; economic and social
justice; and peace. See: http://www.PDAmerica.org/ You can sign up for
PDA there.

You are essential! Thanks to you, the Montgomery County Progressive Alliance is making progress in Montgomery County and Maryland. As we move into 2011, the work goes on. With your help, the dream shall never die. But we need you to keep MCPA going and growing. MCPCA is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization. We can only keep working with generous member donations. We will not be able to pay for social networking tools such as Meetup.com, rent venues for special events, print flyers and other materials, and keep organizing for progress without your support.

We’ve been organizing events, supporting candidates, and informing you about progressive efforts in our area since 2003. We have big plans to work with our friends and allies in the county and state on healthcare, the environment, equality, and more! MCPA is playing a role organizing, supporting, and/or promoting ALL of the events below. NO OTHER ORGANIZATION is involved and promoting progress on such a wide range of issues and efforts!

Help keep us working for you! Please support the MCPA with a generous donation now. We hope you will give $25 or more, but we appreciate any help you afford in these tough economic times. You can donate safely and easily online here https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=UW2R635KZPP9L or bring your donation to our meetings and events. Note: donations to MCPA are not tax deductible.

Join us at our next meeting: 7-9 PM Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Combined MeetUp/Meeting for MCPA, DFMC, PDA, and more. Progressive Coalition Meeting to plan future events and actions.

Saigonese Restaurant
11232 Grandview Ave
Wheaton, MD 20902

Public Transportation: Short walk from Wheaton Metro (red line)
Google Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=11232+Grandview+Ave+Silver+Spring+MD+20902

Report on progress in our county and state on Healthcare, the Environment, Education, Labor, Transportation, Energy and other issues. We’re building up our coalition and lobby efforts on the state and national level, planning special events, forming a steering committee, and working on meetings with legislators, and other organizations.

Please join the Montgomery County Progressive Alliance Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/mcprogressivealliance

If you’re on Facebook, please join the MCPA group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=3401340272&ref=ts

Four Meetup groups–Progressive Victory, Democratic Party / MCPA, Montgomery County Progressive Alliance and this one–get together with like-minded activists working for Progressive Victories in 2010 and beyond. We meet at least once each month to discuss and plan events and actions.

1. MCPA: The Montgomery County Progressive Alliance is a result-oriented coalition working on local, state, national and international issues. MCPA includes more than 1,000 local activists, mainly in and around Montgomery County Maryland. The organization began in 2003 when Democracy for America Meetup members reached out to other Meetup groups and other groups. In 2004, 100s of Montgomery County for Kerry members and local Progressive Democrats of America members joined the MCPA. MCPA adopted a mission statement, organized special events, and has held meetings nearly each month since 2003.

2. DFA/DFMC: Democracy for America emerged from Gov. Howard Dean’s presidential campaign in 2004, and has organized grass-roots activists to support socially progressive, fiscally responsible candidates. DFMC is Democracy for Montgomery County, a local DFA-inspired organization which is not directly or legally affiliated with DFA. DFMC has organized events and meetings; and endorsed and organized volunteers for several candidates. DFMC is currently seeking additional steering committee members. Please contact me, mikehersh@mikehersh.com if you’re interested. You can sign up for DFA here: http://democracyforamerica.com/session/new

3. PDA: Progressive Democrats of America began just after the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. Bringing together people from the 2004 Kucinich and Dean Campaigns with other progressives, PDA adopted an “inside/outside strategy” uniting activists working inside the Democratic Party with those working in peace and justice movements. PDA’s core issues include clean, accurate and transparent elections; environmental protection; single-payer healthcare; economic and social justice; and peace. See: http://www.PDAmerica.org/ You can sign up for PDA there.

Help keep us working for you! Please support the MCPA with a generous donation now. We hope you will give $25, but we appreciate any help you afford in these tough economic times. You can donate safely and easily online here https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=UW2R635KZPP9L or bring your donation to our meetings and events. Note: donations to MCPA are not tax deductible.

Please contribute now to help STOP TRANSFER OF PENSIONS

“There’s going to be an attempt to shift the costs of teachers’ pensions onto the counties, again, a cost that our own county cannot bear. We have to protect against that.” — Delegate Brian Feldman, on Comcast Newsmakers

Help us plan public events and organize support for sensible policies.

Transferring pension obligations to the counties and cities would devastate local economies, hurt public schools, prevent needed maintenance, and delay or deny new projects by overburdening our local governments. We have better choices–untapped potential revenues. On “Comcast Newsmakers,” Delegate Brian Feldman (D-15, Montgomery County Delegation Chair) warned, “There’s going to be an attempt to shift the costs of teachers’ pensions onto the counties, again, a cost that our own county cannot bear. We have to protect against that.” He’s 100% correct, but that’s easier said than done. Please support our efforts to protect public schools and public services in Maryland! Contribute to STOP and contact us to get involved. (PayPal is a safe, easy way to pay online without revealing your credit card number. Contributions to STOP are not tax deductible.)

Some background: During the Glendenning years, Maryland adopted the “corridor” formula which was not actuarially sound and therefore underfunded the pension systems. The recession–with the stock market and real estate shocks–depleted the value of assets in the pension trust funds. Also, poor investment decisions led to lower-than-expected return on investments. These three factors combined to leave the pensions underfunded.

STOP agrees Maryland must address this shortfall, but we propose real solutions to the underlying problems. If the state dumps some or all of these pensions obligations onto localities, the results will be disastrous. When the state stopped paying for Social Security for teachers some years back, class sizes increased dramatically and school construction ground to a halt. Students attended school in too-hot or too-cold trailers instead of classrooms.

Transferring pensions does nothing to address real problems.

It would merely pass the buck–really billions of bucks–in a way that would exacerbate local fiscal problems. The same crunch Maryland faces on the state level is also hurting localities, leaving budgets overstressed and putting jobs and services on the chopping block. The counties and Baltimore City cannot afford to shoulder the pensions burden. Shifting that burden will not make it any smaller or easier to bear.

Shifting pensions obligations would hit Montgomery County particularly hard, but all local jurisdictions will suffer. MoCo has a restrictive revenues formula, making it very difficult to increase revenues. If the counties and Baltimore have to pay for pensions, they will lose many of the best teachers, and have to slash public services, layoff workers, and close facilities including schools, libraries, and county offices.

We’ve seen this problem coming for some time. WTOP.com reported in January 2009: “[Montgomery County Executive Ike] Leggett plans to make sure that Montgomery County does not get stuck with the state’s bill for teacher pensions. The pensions [transfer] would add another $100 million to the county’s current fiscal shortfall of approximately $500 million.” Quoting Leggett’s analysis of the problem, “I don’t think that was some kind of conspiracy,” says Leggett, “It’s just simply a reflection of some of the errors and negligence that occurred at the state level.”

Fast forward to September 2010, and WTOP.com reported the same concerns. “[Ike] Leggett projects a more than $200 million shortfall for fiscal year 2012, or more depending on income tax returns and whether the state shifts more costs to the county. [Former] County Council President Nancy Floreen says it’s too early to say where cuts should come. ‘The other things on the table this year are what’s going to come out of Annapolis,’ Floreen says. One of the big questions is whether state lawmakers will require counties to pay for teacher pensions. Currently, the state pays teacher pensions.” See: http://www.wtop.com/?hlpage=255&nid=706&sid=1565430 (2009 article) and http://www.wtopnews.com/?sid=2063361&nid=25 (2010 article).

Maryland needs real solutions and real leadership, not passing the buck.

STOP agrees Maryland lawmakers must take decisive action to address this shortfall, but we propose real solutions to the underlying problems, not treating the pension obligations like a hot potato. Last year, then-Delegate, current State Senator Roger Manno filed HB 10 to protect education and public services by fully funding pensions on the state level. He called for combined reporting, progressive taxation, and other state-level revenues to shore up the pensions trust funds.

Combined reporting would close a loophole some corporations use to avoid paying all or part of their taxes on income earned in Maryland. Other states have enacted combined reporting, and found that it’s a fair and effective method to accurately determine how much corporations should pay to states. The formula is precise and detailed, leading some to claim it’s “too complicated.” The complexity is required to accurately assess tax burdens. See: http://mcprogressive.wordpress.com/2010/01/09/wth-is-combined-reporting-and-why-do-we-need-it/

An article prepared by the New Rules Project explains combined reporting: “Many retail chains earn profits at stores nationwide, but have developed an accounting scheme to evade paying their full share of state corporate income taxes. Tax experts believe the practice is costing states billions of dollars in lost revenue. It has also given chains an advantage over locally owned businesses, which must pay state income tax on all of their earnings. Twenty-one states are not vulnerable to these tax-evasion schemes, because they have enacted a policy known as combined reporting.”

The article lists corporations using loopholes to avoid taxes in Maryland and other states including The Gap, Home Depot, Ikea, Kmart, Kohl’s, Limited Brands (which owns Bath & Body Works, Victoria’s Secret, The Limited, Payless Shoes, and other chains), Staples, and Wal-Mart as companies that escape taxes, but which would be forced to pay their fair share under combined reporting.

Also from the New Rules Project: “As of November 2010, twenty-three states have adopted combined reporting. These states are: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.” By contrast Maryland is one of the states that “have not adopted combined reporting and are vulnerable to chains escaping their state tax obligations by shifting income to subsidiaries.” See: http://www.newrules.org/retail/rules/level-playing-field-taxation/combined-reporting

Maryland can and should close this loophole, and STOP believes Maryland should use those and other revenues to address the pensions short fall–as outlined in HB 10. STOP remains open to any and all proposals that actually address the situation while protecting public schools and local services.

We need your help. Support public schools and local services. Please contribute to STOP. (PayPal is a safe, easy way to pay online without revealing your credit card number. Contributions to STOP are not tax deductible.)

Thanks to you, the Montgomery County Progressive Alliance is making progress in Montgomery County and Maryland. As we move into 2011, the work goes on. With your help, the dream shall never die. But we need you to keep MCPA going and growing. MCPCA is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization. We can only keep working with generous member donations. We will not be able to pay for social networking tools such as Meetup.com, rent venues for special events, print flyers and other materials without your support.

We’ve been organizing events, supporting candidates, and informing you about progressive efforts in our area since 2003. We have big plans to work with our friends and allies in the county and state on healthcare, the environment, equality, and more! MCPA is playing a role organizing, supporting, and/or promoting ALL of the events below. NO OTHER ORGANIZATION is involved and promoting progress on such a wide range of issues and efforts!

Help keep us working for you! Please support the MCPA with a generous donation now. We hope you will give $25, but we appreciate any help you afford in these tough economic times. You can donate safely and easily online here or bring your donation to our meetings and events. Note: donations to MCPA are not tax deductible.

—————–

Recent Progressive Events:

Patients United for the Human Right to Healthcare held an organizational meeting in Bethesda October 23. Joel Segal, Senior Legislative Assistant to Congress; Phyllis Zolotorow, Healthcare Advocate and uninsured patient; Judy Mahaffy, Healthcare Advocate and underinsured patient; and Beverly Hummel, Healthcare Activist discussed plans to help expand and improve healthcare in Maryland and the USA. MCPA helped organize and publicize this event.

The Middle East Peace Campaign launched the Symposium Series, “Pathways to Peace: Creating an Israeli/Palestinian Peace Agreement” at George Washington University on November 4th. Harriet Fulbright – President of the J. William and Harriet Fulbright Center, Walter Fauntroy – US Congressman (D-DC, 1971-1990) and Founder of the Congressional Black Caucus, Joel Segal – Congressional Staffer, Founder of the Free China Movement & co-founder of the Progressive Democrats of America, plus other expert panelists presented, answered questions and engaged the 200+ member audience in discussions about transforming a long standing conflict into a long standing peace. Cosponsored by George Washington Interfaith Action (GWIA). MCPA helped organize and publicize this event.

The Montgomery County Chapter of the National Organization of Women held an exciting panel discussion & workshop “Girls at Risk” November 8th  at the Wheaton Library. Over 70 people attended and participated in the discussion and planning for upcoming events and projects. MCPA helped organize and publicize this event.

The Montgomery County Progressive Alliance hosted Libby Kimzey Maryland Organizer for Common Cause who discussed the Fair Elections Now Act with us in Wheaton at the Saigonese Restaurant November 9th. We also discussed instant run-off voting, the recent elections, and plans for 2011.

MCPA helped mobilize activists and voters for early voting and Election Day, and supported progressive candidates throughout the campaign. We also hosted candidates at our meetings, and helped organize and publicize candidate forums and debates.

It’s so important that we know you support our efforts. Please donate safely and easily online here or bring your donation to our meetings and events.

—————–

Stay in touch: Join our MCPA Google Group / Join the MCPA Facebook group /  Join our Progressive Victory Meetup group

————-

The Montgomery County Progressive Alliance is a results-oriented coalition working on local, state, national and international issues. MCPA includes more than 1,000 local activists, mainly in and around Montgomery County, Maryland. MCPA  began in 2003 when Democracy for America Meetup members reached out to other Meetup groups and other groups. In 2004, 100s of Montgomery County for Kerry members and local Progressive Democrats of America members joined the MCPA. MCPA adopted a mission statement, organized special events, and has held meetings nearly each month. We get together with like-minded activists working for progress. We meet at least once each month to discuss and plan events and actions.

Thanks for reading down this far, and hope to see you at the meeting and future events.

—————–

Please help support the MCPA with a generous donation now. You can donate safely and easily online here or bring your donation to our meetings and events. Note: donations to MCPA are not tax deductible.

• The election’s winner? Big money Baltimore Sun
  *The election’s winner? Big money   Letter to the Editor published in the Baltimore Sun

• We support the State of Maryland honoring its commitment to education
  We support the State of Maryland honoring its commitment to education by continuing to fund teachers’ pensions. We are working to stop transfer of pensions ….

• Upcoming hearings for the House of Delegates in Rockville
  Monday, December 6, 2010* *House Hearing for local bills – 7:00 p.m. – 3rd Floor Hearing Room, Stella Werner Council Office Bldg., 100 Maryland Ave….

  
  

• Free Speech for People–We’re making a difference!
  Dear friend – Great news: we’re seeing a tremendous response to our campaign, just in the past few days since our last message. In fact, it’s been one of our….

  
  

• Baltimore Activist Alert Nov. 17 / Dec. 2, 2010
  “I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours….”

  
  

• You are necessary!
  “For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.” — Ted Kennedy

Combined MeetUp/Meeting for MCPA, DFMC, PDA. Join us at the Saigonese Restaurant 11232 Grandview Ave Wheaton, MD 20902 7:30 PM Tuesday, August 3rd to plan future events and actions and meet candidates for office!

Saigonese Restaurant,
11232 Grandview Ave
Silver Spring (Wheaton), MD 20902
Public Transportation: Short walk from Wheaton Metro (red line)
Google Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=11232+Grandview+Ave+Silver+Spring+MD+20902

Report on progress in our county and state on Healthcare, the Environment, Education, Labor, Transportation, Energy and other issues. We’re building up our coalition and lobby efforts on the state and national level, planning special events, forming a steering committee, and working on meetings with legislators, and other organizations.

Please join the Montgomery County Progressive Alliance Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/mcprogressivealliance

If you’re on Facebook, please join the MCPA group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=3401340272&ref=ts

Four Meetup groups–Progressive Victory in 2010, Democratic Party / MCPA, Montgomery County Progressive Alliance and this one–get together with like-minded activists working for Progressive Victories in 2010 and beyond. We meet at least once each month to discuss and plan events and actions. Of these groups, Progressive Victory has the most members, and we hope you will join that Meetup to save time, money, and effort organizing our meetings and actions. See: http://www.meetup.com/progressive-victory/ We’ll eventually close the other Meetup groups.

1. MCPA: The Montgomery County Progressive Alliance is a result-oriented coalition working on local, state, national and international issues. MCPA includes more than 1,000 local activists, mainly in and around Montgomery County Maryland. The organization began in 2003 when Democracy for America Meetup members reached out to other Meetup groups and other groups. In 2004, 100s of Montgomery County for Kerry members and local Progressive Democrats of America members joined the MCPA. MCPA adopted a mission statement, organized special events, and has held meetings nearly each month since 2003.

2. DFA/DFMC: Democracy for America emerged from Gov. Howard Dean’s presidential campaign in 2004, and has organized grass-roots activists to support socially progressive, fiscally responsible candidates. DFMC is Democracy for Montgomery County, a local DFA-inspired organization which is not directly or legally affiliated with DFA. DFMC has organized events and meetings; and endorsed and organized volunteers for several candidates. DFMC is currently seeking additional steering committee members. Please contact me, mikehersh@mikehersh.com if you’re interested. You can sign up for DFA here: http://democracyforamerica.com/session/new

3. PDA: Progressive Democrats of America began just after the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. Bringing together people from the 2004 Kucinich and Dean Campaigns with other progressives, PDA adopted an “inside/outside strategy” uniting activists working inside the Democratic Party with those working in peace and justice movements. PDA’s core issues include clean, accurate and transparent elections; environmental protection; single-payer healthcare; economic and social justice; and peace. You can sign up for PDA here: http://www.pdamerica.org

Other organizations working in our area:

PWG: The Progressive Working Group is a coalition promoting progress and reform, economic fairness and equality, protecting the environment, and more. PWG is not part of the MCPA, but the MCPA is part of the PWG which currently includes: Audubon Naturalist Society, CASA of Maryland, Democracy for Montgomery County, Equality Maryland, Health Care Now, Montgomery County Progressive Alliance, Montgomery Health Care Action, PeaceAction Montgomery, Peace and Justice of Prince George’s County, Progressive Cheverly, Progressive Democrats of America (Maryland), Progressive Neighbors, Save Our Votes, and Upcounty Action. PWG will focus on 2 or 3 issues during the 2010 session. Progressive organizations are welcome to join PWG. Please contact Wally Malakoff malakoff@starpower.net for more information.

Thanks for reading down this far, and hope to see you at the meeting and future events,

Mike Hersh, Meetup Organizer
Chairperson, MCPA and DFMC
Maryland State Coordinator, PDA
Steering Committee, PWG