News & Notes, April 2021
Vote in the primary elections, May 18!
Learn about the candidates
Study the Constitutional amendments
Support us by writing a letter to the editor
Attend the Gettysburg Rising GASD school board candidate forum on May 13 at the Sterner Building at the Rec Park
Project Gettysburg Leon’s online auction to support our sister city in Nicaragua comes to a climax on May 1. This auction is the primary source of funding for important projects sponsored by PGL in the Leon area, including after school programs, art projects, and water projects. The web address to bid (any time until the auction close) is https://www.gettysburg-leon.org/annual-auction/
The live event will take place at 5:30 pm on May 1. The zoom ID for the live event can be found on the auction web page reached by the link above.
Primary elections. The primary election will be held on May 18. Local offices, including school board, will be elected this year so the candidates we will vote for in November will be nominated in May. Turnout in primaries is typically low so if you vote you have an outsized influence.
Of particular importance are the proposed constitutional amendments. We have seen in states like Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Kentucky, where when the voters elect a Democratic governor, the Republican legislature votes to strip powers from the governor. Our Republican legislature is trying to do that now, proposing a constitutional amendment that would significantly constrain the governor’s emergency powers. If the proposed law had been in place last year, Governor Wolf’s initiatives would have been cancelled and in all likelihood the pandemic would have been far worse. For more details, read Jeanne Duffy’s excellent op ed on this subject.
We urge people to read about these proposed amendments, speak out about them on their social media accounts, and write letters to the editor explaining why a no vote is important. If you need ideas about what to say, email leonsreed@gmail.com
DFA News. DFA’s steering committee adopted a resolution to start a “Saving Democracy” initiative. We all thought the threat to democracy represented by the Trump administration might begin to dissipate if Trump was defeated in 2020. But we are finding that, if anything, the threat is growing. The majority of Republicans continue to believe “the Big Lie” and have accelerated their efforts to undermine our system of free elections. In state after state, Republican legislators have introduced legislation to disenfranchise urban voters and voters of color, to give the state legislature authority to override election results and pick the winner, to criminalize protests, and to give permission for drivers to run down protestors. We will be pursuing a number of actions to identify these problems and work to prevent them.
Letters to the editor. Letters to the editor (LTEs) are one of the easiest and most effective ways to influence opinion. They are short (400 words max) and perhaps the best-read section of the newspaper. On some issues, a single LTE can affect public opinion, while on others, the tonnage of letters on either side of the issue matters a lot. Everyone (not just Times subscribers) can write one LTE a month. We are trying to organize a group of people who will agree to write LTEs regularly. We will keep track of dates and remind you when you can write another and help identify issues you might want to talk about. If you are hesitant, we will help walk you through it and give you ideas and hints about how to write the letter. If you are interested in this project, e mail leonsreed@gmail.com
Reports. DFA released three important reports since our last issue.
A Reform Agenda for 2021. An overview of the political issues facing the incoming Biden administration. Overview of national, state, and political issues.
Can Democracy Be Saved? A collection of essays on some of the threats to democracy and the necessary steps to protect it, including the filibuster, the electoral college, election law changes, a national civics education initiative, democracy at the local level, and many other topics.
Poverty in Adams County. A year-long study of the dimensions of poverty in Adams County, the impact of the pandemic.
We will forward a PDF copy to anyone who requests a copy. Hard copies are available for a $10 donation to help with printing and distribution costs.
Government Accountability Task Force. Government Accountability has identified its priorities for the year, which include analyzing and documenting the effects of the electoral college, state constitutional amendments, and election law changes.
Jeanne Duffy’s op ed, Critical Ballot Questions in May Primary, addressed the proposed constitutional amendments. https://www.gettysburgdfa.org/blog/2021/4/9/critical-ballot-questions-in-may-primary
Tom DeLoe wrote on steps needed to reform and rebuild our democracy. https://www.gettysburgdfa.org/blog/2021/3/26/reforming-and-rebuilding-our-democracy
Our friend Mark Berg wrote on some of the dangers our democracy faces in “Even a little fascism is dangerous. https://www.gettysburgdfa.org/blog/2021/3/26/even-a-little-fascism-is-dangerous
Education. In two recent op eds, members of the task force reflected on their years of experience in education. Elaine Jones wrote a reflection on her 16 years on the Upper Adams school board. https://www.gettysburgdfa.org/blog/2021/3/26/is-school-board-for-you
Carolyn Nunamaker reflected on her years as a teacher in another op-ed, “Memories from a Lifetime in Public Education. https://www.gettysburgdfa.org/blog/2021/4/26/memories-from-a-lifetime-in-public-education
They are planning an op-ed addressing efforts the schools are making to minimize the growth of the achievement gap with at risk students (such as ESL or Special Education) during the lengthy period of online education.
Health. Dwight Michael wrote an important analysis of “President Biden’s healthcare financing plans.” https://www.gettysburgdfa.org/blog/2021/3/26/president-bidens-healthcare-financing-plans.
Other organizations
An abbreviated report on other organizations this issue because of the urgency of getting out the word on the primary elections, the Rising candidate forum, and the PGL auction. We will resume our reports on other groups.
Gettysburg Community Collective is a new organization concerned with racial justice. They are sponsoring a “Juneteenth” celebration in the rec park. It also worked with schools on curriculum materials for Black History Month and is supporting the community policing initiative.
Gettysburg Rising. Gettysburg Rising is sponsoring a candidates forum for the GASD school board on Thursday, May 13. It also held a mayoral candidates forum earlier this year. Rising is also supporting a Community Policing initiative which has met several times with Chief Glenny.