Reply #27: Book clubs in this area are. [View All]

The Kalamazoo Public Library has had a town reading program that picks a new book every year for the whole area to read and then discuss. The second year was Nickle and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich, and it was amazing to see how that played out in town. The first year was Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Personally, I've wondered if that was part of the reason we were able to convince so many people to vote for Kerry and win the county.

http://www.kpl.gov

I've also run into women involved in book clubs through their churches that are reading progressive stuff (or at least novels that make one think). Oprah is doing some interesting stuff this summer--we'll see if the connections are made or not.

I'm so glad that you didn't think I was attacking your credentials in any way. I was worried about that. Whew! One less thing to worry about . . .

I totally agree about the systems being the problem. Individuals can make a huge difference, but then a mob mentality slips in and makes the miracles that need to occur in education especially very hard to bring about. One starts hearing, "We've never done it that way," or, "You don't know the story behind that, so don't mess with it." Admins start picking on "problem" teachers (usually the bad ones and also the ones who question everything, as good teachers should), and everyone starts bunkering down in their rooms. My mom, a high school art teacher of 35 years, was once written up for not having a school-issued calendar on her desk. I kid you not. That kind of crap happens everyday in the schools, and it wears everyone down.

That's a good point about class and classism being at the root of the Party's problem in many areas. I completely agree. I grew up in a farming area, and too many farmers are Republican. We can and should reach out to them. We can reach many who have decided not to vote by fighting for what's really important: national health care system, better schools, better auditing and oversight of public funds, safer and stronger communities (both from attacks from within and without), and more opportunities to move up the class system.

Those are all huge issues and mostly intertwined. I couldn't teach children who were too sick to learn and couldn't get better (parents couldn't afford it). The schools would have better budgets if there were better oversight on expenditures and less involvement of corporations. If we were able to help the poor get richer rather than poorer, our country would get stronger. It's all one, and it's what the Democratic Party does best.

I'm going to see what I can do to get more involved with the Party this year, especially before my shop opens up. I know it might cost me customers, but I figure that there are plenty of Republicans doing the same thing. Why can they get away with it?