Candidate for
Member, Democratic Party County Central Committee; County of San Diego; Assembly District 76

Thought you might like to read what I was thinking in 2002:

THE DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGE By Eleanor A. Mang - March 21, 2002

We must help other patriotic democrats turn out the vote for our Democratic Candidates. We must remind all citizens that the actions of the current administration do not match their words. A decision "not to vote" or to "vote Green" is a vote for the Bush administration. We can't let that happen again!

CHILDCARE: We must make sure that affordable quality childcare is available for all working parents. Childcare employees deserve to earn enough $ to be able to survive too! Looks like the only way to make this happen is to elect Democrats, turn the economy around, dig out of the deficit, and make progress again.

CIVIL RIGHTS: We must fight hard to preserve our liberties and assure equal rights under the law for everyone. Our civil liberties have taken a real beating at the hands of U.S. Attorney General Ashcroft and the current Bush administration. Have you been looking over your shoulder lately? Many are! Who is really safe when "big brother's eyes" are looking everywhere and the rules are being changed at a whim?

ECONOMY: We must turn the downward economic spiral around by returning to sound economic practices. Dishonest accounting practices by big business; the administration's 2001 tax cuts for the wealthy, their knee jerk reaction to 9/11, and their rush to war have taken a terrible toll on investor confidence. Now, Bush even wants more tax cuts that will again prove meaningless to the great majority of our citizens. Rather than our 2000 election year surpluses, we now see a future of giant deficits. To top it off, we can't help but wonder whether our 401k plans will ever rebound. Surely this is another alert to keep our social security program away from the stock market.

EDUCATION: We must provide the support needed to enable our schools to function well and our teachers to teach. Blaming school administrators and teachers for school problems provides handy scapegoats but does not make sense. Rather than asking the actual professional educators (teachers & administrators) what they need, we play politics with our children's future. Politicians talk about education being a priority, make standard testing demands, and promise no child will be left behind. But, what is reality? Money doesn't come through to implement mandates. Professional educators grow increasingly discouraged when facilities fall into disrepair, teaching becomes test preparation, and class sizes increase. Also, demographic and societal changes (drugs, language, poverty, stability...) exacerbate the problem while most parents are led to believe that all children should be college bound.

EMPLOYMENT: We must provide jobs with fair & living wages for all who need/want work. If we ask, "Are you better off today than you were in the year 2000?," the answer is clear. Job losses have swept the country since the current administration took power. Well, at least they extended unemployment insurance one more time. We can't help but wonder how many people will pay the penalty and draw from what is left of their 401(k) to survive. What is wrong with public works projects? They worked in the Great Depression.

ENVIRONMENT: We must ensure clean air, soil & water because our planet is not limitless in its scarce resources. As more flora and fauna disappear, nature teeters ever closer to that invisible point at which our world as we know it could be doomed. How much nuclear and other waste can we really store safely? In a contaminated world without coal, forests or oil; would future generations even be able to survive as hunters and/or gatherers?

HEALTH: We must ensure good health care and prescription coverage for all our citizens. Does it make sense that only those with wealth or fame should be provided good health care? Do they have a greater right than those who work as public servants, in the private sector, or are poor? While none of us has a right to live forever, surely we should be able to expect good professional medical care throughout life.

HOUSING: We must provide decent & affordable housing for everyone. The percentage of citizens who can afford a home of their own is dwindling. The same could be said of those who can afford to rent a home or apartment. Increasing numbers of people are finding it necessary to co-reside to stretch their shrinking $. Even worse is our Nation's growing number of the destitute, hungry and homeless.

INTERNATIONAL: We must seek peace for humanity & all cultures. Since the current administration began work in early 2001, it has been appalling to watch Bush strut before world opinion. "My way or the highway." Wonder whether any of them heard the following words at their mother's knees: "You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar." or "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It is almost as though our nation set out in 2001 to alienate the world.

JUSTICE: We must have a justice system to apply equal justice to all without prejudice. It is vital that all judges appointed to the bench have a dedication to our constitution and the law. We saw the effect on our county in late 2000 when the supreme court interfered with state rights. We have seen the massive changes in our civil rights after 9/11. If we loose our civil rights, the terrorists have won. Democrats must fight hard to keep the unfair or biased off the bench.

MILITARY: We must continue to train, supply, support and pay quality forces who are the best in the world so they are thoroughly prepared to protect us. However, we must also help them understand that peace is our ultimate goal. Our leaders owe it to our military personnel and their wonderful families who sacrifice so much for all of us to avoid war without reason. An unworthy victory is not worth the cost of even one of their lives.

SAFETY: We must strengthen public safety and state security without jeopardizing freedom and the other needs of our people. Our safety and security as a nation are not just our fight against terrorism. Emergencies, whether accidental or deliberate, will always be with us. Let us remember the importance of thorough planning, staffing, training and funding for all contingencies.

STATE & LOCAL ISSUES: We must have an administration that recognizes its responsibility to operate in a fiscally responsible manner. States and local governments have suffered by the inability of the Bush Administration to develop an adequate plan for turning our nation's economy around. Our nation's lost balance of power has enabled the administration to provide the wealthy with massive tax cuts, while choosing war over meeting the needs of our people here at home. It is easy for the administration to say "Leave no child behind," or "Increase Security," when they have no intention of helping pay the bill. California and San Diego join other states and cities across the nation in their struggle to meet the growing needs of our citizens during this period of increased unemployment and dropping taxes. We have no choice but to raise taxes or reduce expenditures, because we don't have the authority to print our own money.

TAXES: We must have a fair tax structure that does not place a burden on lower and middle income families. We have become a greedy nation, indeed, when those who are most successful would rather have "their" money refunded and drive up the deficit than to help educate the young, clean the environment, or care for the sick and/or elderly.

TRANSPORTATION: We must use new technology to develop environmentally friendly automobiles & mass transit systems. Oil is not the only reason. Our growing population and love affair with the automobile have created growing congestion and confusion on the road. Our transportation infrastructure is at risk.