Over the last quarter the Party has been restructuring all essential working groups into functioning committees of the party. We are proud to present two of our key principles who have been pivotal to this transition.

Press Secretary of the Harris County Democratic Party, Jenard S. Jenkins:

Jenard S. Jenkins was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Grand Prairie, Texas. After graduation from South Grand Prairie High School, he attended Ranger College in Ranger, Texas, where he was an Honors graduate, before moving to Houston to complete his education at Texas Southern University. After a 12-year career in law, Jenard moved into the Oil, Gas & Energy industry, joining Devon Energy Corporation in 2007. Before rising to HCDP Press Secretary, Jenard served 3 years as Chairman of Communications. He has longworked in Democratic politics and his last position prior to joining HCDP was as a Campaign Staffer for then-Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in Jefferson County, Colorado.

jenard@hcdp.org

Chairman of the Harris County Democratic Party Communications Committee, Egberto Willies:

Egberto Willies is a political activist, author, business owner, software developer, web designer, and mechanical engineer in Kingwood, TX. He is an ardent Liberal that believes tolerance is essential.  His favorite phrase is “political involvement should be a requirement for citizenship” and believes that we must get away from the current policies that reward those who simply move money/capital and produce nothing tangible for our society. If a change in policy does not occur, America will be no different than many oligarchic societies where a few are able to accumulate wealth while the rest are left out because it is mathematically impossible to catch up. Egberto is currently Presidentof the Kingwood Area Democrats and a CNN iReporter.

egberto@hcdp.org

The Harris County Democratic Party joins Mayor Annise Parker, the City of Houston and the Houston Astros in welcoming home our Iraq War veterans and thanking them for their service.

HCDP recognizes the courage and sacrifice of the many from our area. We salute the Commander-In-Chief, President Barack Obama for bringing the war to a safe and responsible end.

HCDP wants our veterans to know that their service will never be taken for granted or go unrecognized.

Next Monday, the day before Tax Day, the Senate will vote on the “Buffett Rule” — here’s how to make the case for it and discredit the other side.

Middle-class families shouldn’t pay higher taxes than millionaires.

Middle-class Americans pay their taxes, so it isn’t right when millionaires and billionaires don’t pay their fair share. The “Buffett Rule” simply says that in America, middle-class families shouldn’t pay higher taxes than millionaires and billionaires.

It means that Wall Street CEOs and Big Oil executives will have to pay their fair share — and firefighters and teachers won’t continue to pay higher taxes than millionaires. Washington Republicans want a different America than the rest of us — one where working families sacrifice more so the 1% can pay less.

It’s unbelievable that Republicans would dare oppose the Buffett Rule, but that’s what happens when politicians put donors over voters. The truth is that we can invest in America’s future and pay down the debt if millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share. Let’s start with the Buffett Rule.

ATTACKS AND RESPONSES

MYTH: “Half of Americans don’t pay taxes — low-income people aren’t paying their fair share.”
RESPONSE:

• Actually, all Americans pay taxes. Even those who don’t make enough money to pay taxes on their income still pay taxes like payroll, property or sales tax, or taxes on everyday things like gas for their cars.
• Struggling families would be happy to be paying more taxes if it meant they made as much money as millionaires do.
• The richest few are doing better than ever while so many working families are struggling — let’s restore the tax rates we had when millionaires paid their fair share and our economy flourished.

ATTACK: “Obama is waging class warfare.”
RESPONSE:

• As Warren Buffett tells it, the only class warfare in America is being waged by his class — and they’re winning.
• Middle-class families shouldn’t have to pay higher taxes than any millionaire. That’s not class warfare. That’s a basic American value.
• The Buffett Rule is simple. President Reagan got it. President Obama gets it. Americans get it. It’s time for Republicans in Congress to get it, too.

MYTH: “We can’t raise taxes on millionaires because they’re our job creators.”
RESPONSE:

• We should be putting money in the pockets of the real job creators: the middle class whose spending keeps our businesses thriving and hiring.
• Washington Republicans plan to give more tax giveaways to millionaires and big corporations just means more money for millionaires and big corporations already sitting on trillions in cash.
• We already tried “trickle down” economics and already know what we’ve got to show for it: massive deficits and a shrinking middle class.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Many millionaires and billionaires — approximately 55,000 — are paying lower taxes than millions of middle-class Americans. In fact, in 2009, 1,500 millionaires managed to pay no federal income taxes on their millions.
• At the same time, the average tax rate paid by the richest of the richest few — the wealthiest 0.1% — is at nearly the lowest rate in over 50 years — even though their average income has skyrocketed over the last generation.
• The “Buffett Rule” proposal that will be voted on in the Senate would require that taxpayers with annual income above $1 million pay a tax rate of at least 30 percent.
• Three-fourths of Americans, including nearly 70% of Republicans, and President Obama support the “Buffett Rule” — the simple idea that millionaires shouldn’t pay lower taxes than working American families.
• Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Mike Bloomberg, and hundreds of “patriotic millionaires” say the wealthiest Americans like them should do what’s right and pay higher taxes.

“Trickle down” tax giveaways for the richest few don’t create jobs — job growth was actually the fastest in years with relatively high tax rates for the richest Americans.

Join the Harris County Democratic Party at noon (12pm) Tomorrow, April 12th, 2012 at HCDP headquarters to meet with Diane Mosier from the River Oaks Area Democratic (ROAD) Women and Angie Wiens, Government Relations Manager from Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas Action Fund. They will discuss what they and other individuals are doing to protect women’s rights in our state and nation. The “Unite Against The War On Women Rally”will be occurring in every Capitol of the 50 states in our nation, including Austin, Texas on April 28th. ROADWomen is organizing bus rides to the capital and they are empowering women in their fight to repeal the Texas Sonogram Law, the termination of federal funds for the Women’s Health Program and the discriminatory legislative practices against the integrity of the female gender. You can join others in Harris County in making a difference during this momentous occasion in our state’s history by attending, contributing, or providing assistance to the promotion of the rally.

For local information and to reserve your ride, email wowhouston@gmail.com, contact Diane Mosier (President of ROADwomen) at dianemosier73@gmail.com, Andie Gardner at andieg.wow@gmail.com or leave a phone message at 713-868-4805.

GOP politicians are pouncing on the March employment numbers to attack the President — hoping no one notices that it’s their own policies to lay off Americans that are keeping the unemployment rate far worse than it should be.

They fought to fire more than half a million of our firefighters, teachers, and nurses, tried to lay off millions more, and now they’re pushing a budget plan that could kill 4 million more jobs. More Americans are still pounding the pavement looking for work because Republican politicians cut their jobs instead of cutting tax giveaways for the richest 1%.

We have a long way to go before our economy’s fully recovered. Americans shouldn’t have to keep fighting the GOP to get there.

ATTACKS AND RESPONSES

ATTACK: “The jobs report shows families and small businesses are struggling because of Obama’s failed policies.”
RESPONSE:

• We have a long way to go before our economy’s fully recovered. Americans shouldn’t have to keep fighting the GOP to get there.
• Look no further than the latest Republican budget — it’d throw more Americans out of work, take money out of the pockets of struggling families, and take away Obamacare from our small businesses.
• We’d have even lower unemployment if Republicans hadn’t kept pushing to lay off more than half a million of our firefighters, teachers, and nurses and blocking Obama’s proposal to put Americans back to work fixing our roads and bridges.

ATTACK: “The jobs report shows Washington needs to part of the solution instead of the problem.”
RESPONSE:

• The problem is that we need leaders who are committed to creating good jobs more than they want the President to fail.
• How are we better off giving up on the investments that make America competitive in the world, letting the roads and bridges that our businesses rely on crumble, and gutting our kids’ education? That’s the Republican plan to put America on the “Path to Poverty.”
• America is the greatest country on earth, but we need our leaders to work with us to keep it that way. Instead Republican politicians are refusing to do their jobs and put Americans back to work.

ATTACK: “The jobs report shows Obamanomics is leaving women behind.”
RESPONSE:

• Actually, it’s the Republican effort to lay off Americans that leave women behind because the workers who keep our country running are more likely to be women.
• Republican politicians have some nerve talking about supporting women when they’re pushing a budget that will undermine their economic security at every stage of their life, throw them and their families off their health insurance, and let their parents go bankrupt by ending Medicare.
• Whether you’re a man or a woman, we all need an economy that works for everyone and gives everyone a fair shot. That’s what Obama’s working to achieve.                             

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Despite Republican efforts to sabotage the recovery, our economy has created private sector jobs for 25 months in a row, bringing the total to 4 million private sector jobs added in the last two years.
• The GOP budget that House Republicans just passed could wipe out all those jobs gains, costing our economy over 4 million jobs in the next two years alone.
• Last year alone, Washington Republicans tried to kill over 7 million jobs.
• At the state and local level, the Republican leadership at 12 states are responsible for most of the massive public sector layoffs that are dragging down our national economic recovery.
• If Republican politicians hadn’t pushed so hard to lay off our teachers, cops, and firefighters and block efforts to put Americans back to work fixing our roads and bridges, the unemployment rate could be down to 6% — 2 points lower than it is now.
• In fact, if public sector employment had grown since the official start of the recovery by the average amount it grew in the three previous recoveries, we’d have nearly 2 more million jobs today.

Half of Americans believe that Republicans are intentionally stalling efforts to jumpstart the economy to ensure President Obama isn’t re-elected. Even Republican politicians admit the Republican party is more interested in just defeating Barack Obama than they are in rebuilding America.

President Obama was not shy in a very humble manner in specifying all the progress women have made under his administration. He also made it quite clear by implying absent his administration’s initiatives, women progress in achieving equality would remain stalled.

He highlighted the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, his appointment of 2 women supreme court justices, his appointment of the best secretary of state, the women specific aspect of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), & the women specific aspect of the student grants. He made it clear that Republican policies, the repeal of Obamacare, the destruction of Planned Parenthood, and other policies would set women back.

SD4 Senatorial District Convention

Saturday, April 21, 2012 9:00 AM registration

Lone Star College – Kingwood branch

Student Conference Center, park in lot A

20000 Kingwood Drive Kingwood 77339

Contact WilliamWilliams,

william.robert.williams@gmail.com , 281-796-1017 for more information.

SD6 Senatorial District Convention

Saturday, April 21, 2012 – 9:00 AM registration

Convention begins at 10:00 AM

HCC Southeast Campus, Learning Hub Hall
6815 Rustic, Houston, Texas

Contact Lillian Villarreal, lvillar@swbell.net , 713-828-7683,

Jesse Goins, goins_jess@hotmail.com , 281-382-8953 for more information.

SD7  Senatorial District Convention

Saturday, April 21, 2012 8:00 AM check-in, Call to order 9:00 AM

Spring Branch ISD Don Coleman Community Coliseum

1050 Dairy Ashford, Houston, TX 77079

Contact Steve Gross, gross@pdq.net , 713-465-7907 for more information.

SD11 Senatorial District Convention

Saturday April 21, 2012 8:30 AM Registration Convention Begins at 9:30 AM

IBEW Hall 4345 Allen Genoa Pasadena 77504

Contact Sherrie Matula, slmatula@hotmail.com , 713-502-7320 for more information.

SD13 Senatorial District Convention

Saturday, April 21, 2012 7:00 AM registration, 9:00 AM Call to Order

Texas Southern University Health and Physical Education Arena

4500 Ennis Street Houston, TX 77004 (corner of Ennis & Wheeler)

Covered Garage Parking at Corner of Ennis & Blodgett

http://g.co/maps/kfhg5

Contact Nat West, natwestsr@yahoo.com, 713-523-1476

John Behrman, jrbehrman@texian.net, 713-527-7903

Mary Seymore, ma26seymore@sbcglobal.net , 713-728-1353 for more information.

SD15 Senatorial District Convention

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Sign in 8:00 AM, Call to order 9:00 AM

Booker T. Washington HS for Engineering Professionals

119 East 39^th at Yale, Houston 77018

(4 blocks south of Crosstimbers or 1 mile north of 610)

Contact Zeph Capo, zcapo@att.net, 713-670-4348

Anneliese Vogel, anneliesevogel@gmail.com , 713-825-7472 for more information.

SD17 Senatorial District Convention

Saturday, April 21, 2012 –Registration 8:00 AM, Call to order 9:30 AM

Spring Branch Middle School 1000 Piney Point Houston 77024

Contact Bert Anson, bertanson@yahoo.com, 713-667-5250,

Carol Wheeler, sd17hcdp@gmail.com , 281-989-5444 for more information.

SD18 Senatorial District Convention

Saturday, April 21, 2012 8:00 AM check-in, Call to order 9:00 AM

Spring Branch ISD Don Coleman Community Coliseum

1050 Dairy Ashford, Houston, TX 77079

Contact Steve Gross, gross@pdq.net , 713-465-7907 for more information.

Coordinated Campaign Director

The Harris County Democratic Party of Houston, Texas, is seeking an experienced campaign professional with field and management experience to become the Coordinated Campaign Director.  HCDP represents the 3rd largest county in the United States, and will hire the candidate with commensurate ability and experience.

The Coordinated Campaign Director will report to the HCDP Party Chair and work with their staff and advisors to help elect Democrats up and down the ballot in Harris County.

The ideal candidate will think politically and strategically.  They should have a high level of integrity and be inclusive, transparent, and engaging with constituent groups while providing credibility within the party. Additionally, those individuals who possess initiative, sound judgment, and adaptability will be viewed favorably.

In order to be considered, candidates must be willing to work long hours, including some nights and weekends, as necessary.  A history working with political campaigns is required.  Also, budget management and field experience are highly desired.

Compensation will be based on relevant experience and salary history.  Candidates will be considered on a rolling basis.  In order to apply, please submit a resume, three references and a salary history to info@hcdp.org with Coordinated Campaign Director in the subject line.

Join the Harris County Democratic Party at noon (12pm) on Tuesday, March 13th, 2012 at HCDP headquarters to meet Judge Josefina Rendon. Her Honor will share a presentation called “Roles, Structure, and Responsibilities of the Judiciary in Harris County.”

Josefina M. Rendon became the Judge of the 165th District Court on January 1, 2009. An attorney since 1977, Judge Rendon was one of Harris County’s first Hispanic women attorneys and the first woman Civil Service Commissioner for the City of Houston (1981-1983). She served as the Judge of Municipal Court No. 5 (1983-1995) and as an Associate Municipal Judge (1995-2008).  In 1993 she also became a mediator and mediated over 1,200 legal disputes predominantly in the Family, Employment and Personal Injury Law areas.

She is a published author of over 100 articles and book reviews as well as a frequent speaker in the areas of dispute resolution, negotiation, cultural diversity and law.  She was editor of The Texas Mediator and an editorial board member of both the Texas Bar Journal and The Houston Lawyer. Rendon is past president of the Texas Association of Mediators. For almost 4 years, she mediated and taught negotiation for the U.S. Air Force, Army, and Navy until shortly before she became the Judge of the 165th.

Judge Rendon serves on the board of the Texas Center for The Judiciary as well as the board of the Dispute Resolution Center of Harris County.  She previously served as council member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution sections of both the State Bar of Texas and the Houston Bar Association. Born a U.S. citizen in San Juan, Puerto Rico, she has made Houston, Texas her home for over 42 years.

DOJ Letter To Texas On Voter ID Law