What Making A Difference Looks Like...

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Senator Eric Oemig <senator@oemig.com>
Date: Tue, Oct 12, 2010 at 4:21 PM
Subject: What Making A Difference Looks Like...
To: Chad Lupkes <chadlupkes@gmail.com>

Dear Chad,

I spent Saturday walking Duvall in the rain to meet with neighbors.

A lot of folks asked why I am running again. Why endure the attacks. the long hours. time away from family. and campaigning in the rain?

The answer is simple. Because we made a difference. Some good bills died. But when we won, when we made a difference, that's the reward.

Four years ago I ran to fundamentally change "the system". We can keep fighting one-by-one on issue-by-issue, but to get really big and lasting change, we must rewrite the rules of the game. Unlimited corporate campaign finance and media consolidation have stacked the deck. Big corporations practically write their own regulations. That is why I work so hard on campaign finance reform.

Ironically, (but not surprisingly) now I am under a well-funded and coordinated attack by big corporations. I need your help.

I put together a short list of some important things we have done together. On top everything I do in Olympia, here are some things that would absolutely, positively not have happened if you hadn't gotten me there in the first place.

In my first year, we changed the constitution to allow simple majorities to fund our schools. There was not a single vote to spare. Education advocates spent 2 decades trying to get the Senate to pass that bill. Because of your help, I was there to cast the 33^rd vote to make that happen. And because of it, we've put hundreds of millions of new dollars into public schools.

 

In my second year I created www.fiscal.wa.gov. Staff joked that I left Microsoft to come to Olympia to design software. But I believe we need many budget hawks scouring the budget to make us better. This web site puts budget and performance data on the web so it is easy to use.

 

In my third year, I helped pass the most comprehensive education reform in over 30 years. I worked under threats, but I brought people together and forged just enough votes to pass it. We redefined school funding, set up new accountability, and created a blue print for ambitious improvements over the next 8 years.

 

And this year, in the worst recession in over 80 years, I protected funding for public schools. I created local financing tools that put over 150 million dollars back into local school districts to protect classes and class sizes.

Here are a couple more:

Changed the constitution to create a "rainy day fund"
Limited campaign contributions for local races and allowed community financing.
Increased school funding and created the "Education data & research center".
Helped small businesses and local businesses compete and create local jobs.     
Helped poor kids get access to healthcare and fed them at school.
Limited toxic chemicals used in toys and baby bottles.

And that's the short list.

To keep fighting for all the things we care about, I need your help. Please send an email to your neighbors and friends. Tell them in your own words why you support me. Or forward this email.

So why are out-of-state companies spending so much money to attack me? Because I fight every day to protect our local businesses, our families, and our local communities.

I am trying to close some terrible loopholes that create pathological incentives.

One loophole gives corporations a volume discount for generating huge amounts of hazardous waste. Besides being utterly stupid, that loophole hurts small businesses. I want to close it.

 

Another loophole gives out-of-state banks a hundred million dollar tax give-away. That lost revenue does not create a single local job. I want to close it.

 

Another loophole lets insurance companies deny coverage for autistic kids. The burden on parents is ripping families apart and taxing our safety net. I want to close it.

 

Another utterly stupid loophole gives a foreign-owned company a tax break for burning dirty coal. If they used a cleaner fuel, they would pay tax. I want to close it.

It is no wonder banks, oil and insurance companies are funding attacks. Corporations want me out of Olympia.

You can help. Forward this note to your friends and neighbors, contribute online, or ask for a yard sign.

I'm ready to keep up the fight, but I can't do it without you.

Thank you,

Eric


UPCOMING EVENTS

Tonight at 7:00 PM
PTSA Candidate Forum
Wilder Elementary School
22130 NE 133rd St
Woodinville, WA 98077

Monday at 6:00 PM
Fundraiser with Enviro Leaders
Montlake Ale House
2307 24th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98112

Volunteer! Email Winston at winston@sdcc.us