June Events: DNC Luncheon DNC Women July Events: DNC Barbeque/Auction October Events Local City Primaries Asheville City Council Meetings Buncombe County Commission Meetings Your Elected Officials Buncombe County NC General Assembly NC Executives US Congressional Delegation NC Judiciary Heath Schuler Other Links National DNC DNC Issue Platforms: Agriculture and Aquaculture: Farming is important to all North Carolinians, and we respect the contributions made by farmers and agribusiness to our economy and our way of life. A sound farm economy supports rural economic development, provides thousands of jobs on and off the farm, and provides food for all of us. We support efforts that will aid our farmers in adjusting to economic changes in a manner that allows them increasing efficiency, productivity, and profitability. Growing, harvesting, selling, processing and transporting agricultural goods and products have been a way of life for North Carolinians for generations. We pledge our support for increased agricultural research and education, and expanded government efforts to develop regional, statewide, and international markets for our farm products. We also support environmentally safe and economically viable means of animal waste disposal, and cooperation to prevent the conversion of prime farmland to non-farming uses. We believe the values of the small family farm are what make North Carolina great. North Carolinians have also relied on our state's abundant waters as a means of livelihood for generations. Realizing the economic and cultural impact which this industry has, we will strive to preserve and promote the jobs which aquaculture and maritime businesses provide to the citizens of our state. More Issue Platforms...	Heath Schuler For View Rep. Schuler (C-SPAN) Congressman Shuler is committed to protecting America’s working families. He advocated for raising the minimum wage and ending the unfair trade agreements that have shipped thousands of American jobs overseas. He is currently working to ensure that America’s trade agreements do not result in lost jobs and protect the environment and the rights of all workers. Congressman Shuler is also a loyal member of the fiscally responsible Blue Dog Caucus, which works to end wasteful spending and to balance the budget. Upon entering the 110th Congress he helped lead the charge to restore common-sense PAYGO measures to the budget and install accountability and transparency over “earmarks.” An avid hunter who raises and trains Labrador Retrievers for field trialing, Congressman Shuler is deeply devoted to land conservation, the protection of our National Parks and Forests, and curbing global warming. For the past two years he has led the fight against proposals from the Administration to sell off thousands of acres of National Forest land. Congressman Shuler is also a vocal supporter of investing in sustainable energy to reduce America’s dependence on petroleum. More... In The National News U.S. Adults Trust Democratic Presidential Candidate Obama More Than Presumptive GOP Nominee McCain On Health Care Fifty-five percent of U.S. adults trust Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) more than presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) to address the issue of health care, compared with 31% who trust McCain more than Obama to address the issue, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, the Post reports. For the poll, conducted between May 8 and 11, TNS interviewed by telephone a random sample of 1,122 adults nationwide. The poll had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points (Washington Post graphic, 5/13). The poll found that fewer than 10% of adults cited health care as their most important issue in the election, compared with 36% who cited the economy and 21% who cited the war in Iraq. In addition, the poll asked adults about their opinions on the direction of the nation and other issues, as well as which candidates they considered most able to address various concerns. The poll also examined who would win a general election between Obama and McCain or an election between Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and McCain (Cohen/Balz, Washington Post, 5/13). Opinion Pieces Click here for summaries of editorials and an opinion pieces on health care in the presidential election. Local: June Update From Robin Cape It's been a busy couple of months on council and I have been immersed in a number of different projects that have kept me busy. As you have probably heard by now City Council has taken some very important steps in addressing our organizational energy usage with the adoption of two important resolutions. These resolutions were initially passed in Dec of 06 and then sent to the Sustainable Advisory Committee on Energy and the Environment, a newly formed citizens committee tasked with fleshing out the questions, concerns and issues of Council on these important topics. More on Local Issues Asheville City Council News A local campaign to spur Asheville City Council to formally adopt a living-wage policy for city employees gained some ground at Council’s May 22 meeting, but specific proposals to mandate an annual wage increase or to favor conforming private contractors caused concern. The Asheville/Buncombe Living Wage Campaign first came before Council in March with a request that the city commit to paying its employees a living wage based on the Campaign’s calculations. Taking into account housing costs, the group set the bar at $9.50 per hour for workers with health benefits and $10.86 an hour for workers without. More... News From The Buncome County Commission The May 15 meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners led off with a bit of news. To those present, Chairman Nathan Ramsey read the text of an e-mail from Ken Maxwell, community relations manager for Progress Energy, which was addressed to County Manager Wanda Greene. The power company has been involved in a years-long negotiation for an oil-fed power plant planned to be sited on county land in Woodfin. Last month, the Woodfin Board of Adjustment refused to approve the plan. That left persistent questions about the lease agreement between Progress and Buncombe County, and the disposition of the Woodfin property. More...
Official eNewsletter of the Buncombe County Democratic Committee.