GO FOR IT JOE!

Dear Vice President Biden,

This is to urge you to enter the Democratic nomination to run for the 2016 Presidential election.

Here is why.  Right now, our country is in great turmoil and your extensive experience in elective office is needed.

You have served the people of your state. this country and around the world in a principled, decent manner in keeping with this Nation's best interest and tradition.

You understand the connection of each state's laws to the other and how they apply or fail to serve people, our land, the air we breathe and the water we drink as well as the potential of the still to be understood bounty of the seas.

You respect federal law and equitable justice and taxes for all.

You are able to learn from mistakes you make and move forward without blaming others.

Your personal history includes the ability to put aside a real sense of pain and sadness  to help others.

You do not "dumb down or over simplify" complex issues we face as a nation and you encourage others to do the same.

Your years of living provide you with the ability to recognize feelings of insecurity and anxiety in others while negotiating and ameliorating human and world issues.

You respond honestly and directly to questions from the public and press.

You are not reluctant to speak of governmental incompetency and fraud and then go on to do something about it.

Through personal family history you recognize the benefits that advocacy and unions have been to increasing better working conditions, safer product use and educational opportunity for more rather than fewer people.

Your good humor, flexibility and common sense enable you to move about gracefully even in ever-changing  times.

Mr. Vice President, should you move forward to take on a run for the nomination,  I  do not offer you campaign expertise, nor money, nor influence of any real importance  but I do believe there are many who would support what I am saying in this letter.

I believe they and I would offer you our most precious treasure  should you decide to run, our votes.

Go for it Mr. Vice President!

Sincerely.

Beverly D. Rehfeld      

THIS TIME: LAW AND COMMON SENSE WIN!

On August 3, a federal judge in Idaho struck down the State's so called ag-gag law for violating the First Amendment.

The Law in question is also found in seven other states and was purported to be about protection of private property.  The Law was advanced by farm owners and the agriculture lobby to protect against the release of undercover videos taken by animal welfare advocacy groups.

Under the Law anyone, journalist or farm employee could face jail and be fined should the expose result in losses to farmers by exposing misconduct to the public eye. Sponsors of the ag-gag Law
claimed that videos exposed the industry to public opinion,

In striking down the Law the judge said that food production for the public market is not a private
matter.

When I read about this decision I thought of the many times in our country's history when exposes  led to changes in the manufacturing, production and distribution of products which indeed affect
the health and safety of people.

So often when we discuss quality of life issues like water pollution, or gun control or community health, arguments against advancing common sense changes are denied with less than accurate legal
interpretation of The Constitution.

The Idaho decision is a welcome one as it clarifies that difference between the state's right and public interest in seeing what goes on behind closed doors cannot be negated by state legislators.

This time Law and common sense won!

REFLECTING ON THE ADA

On July 26th when we celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act,  I thought not only of the people who have benefited from this Law and of how much as  Society we have gained, but I also thought of people who brought the ADA to fruition.

I thought too of the long struggle to have the voices of those with little or no political power heard.

I still remember the names and faces of those I had the privilege  of working with, many of whom I still hear from.  Some have died, but all helped me learn and grow.

These are some of the people who I remember and without whom the ADA would not have been possible:

From parents and families who in the face of many obstacles still believed that there was a place for people with disabilities to learn and be productive in our society;

To those who wanted to use their own voices to be heard and successfully formed their own organization, "Speaking for Ourselves;"

To the Federal Judge wise enough to close down one of the country's most notorious institutions where both staff and patients had lost their humanity;

To the student intern who helped developed a small brochure called, "What do you say to a person with mental retardation? Try, Hello!"

To the many care workers and  University trained professionals who patiently and encouragingly offered therapy in music, art and  vocational skills;

To the attentive record keepers who found flaws in systems that sometimes lost track of family members that had been inadvertently  incarcerated and then took the time and made the effort to rectify the error;

To the diversity of people of all color, of all educational and economic means who worked long and hard to bring about society's change in attitude;

To business people who understood the value of hiring employees who were productive and reliable;

To a small group of actors who took a chance to tell the story in a different way through mime;

To far-sighted state and federal legislators, small community elected officials and to national and international figures who listened and then brought the power of their authority to help all of us better understand our obligation to each other;

All of them and others came to mind as the Americans with Disabilities Act celebrated its 25th Anniversary on July 26, 2015.