C'ville City Dems: Forum for City Council Candidates

The two Democratic candidates running for City Council this spring will be at a forum tomorrow, Saturday Feb. 18, at 9:30 at the JABA building on Hillsdale.

Upcoming Democratic Events in C'Ville

Don't forget...Second Fridays
Tomorrow - Friday, Feb. 10
6 - 8 p.m. at Rapture

City Councilor Kendra Hamilton will comment on:
School Board Elections: Building an Effective Board for
the Needs of the City Schools

And next week, join the University of Virginia "UDEMS" for

VIRGINIA U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE HARRIS MILLER
"Washington's Broke: How Do We Fix It?"
Wednesday February 15th 2006
Clark Hall, Room 108 @ 6:oo pm
A reception will follow in the Clark Hall Mural Room hors d'oeuvres and conversation. The event is free and open to the community

Early registration for the annual VAYD Convention

The VAYD Annual Convention is where the organization votes on resolutions, constitutional amendments, and leadership for the upcoming year. This year VAYD is trying to spice up the convention with training sessions and guest speakers, so things should be pretty interesting.

Early registration for the annual VAYD Convention ends Wednesday February 15th. Register now and save as much as $20 per attendee and $20 per room. A club having 10 members at convention could save as much as $260.

You can register online at richmond2006.net. The website also has information on hotel reservations, dining, and things to see in Richmond.

If you have any questions please contact Tavarris or call 804-248-2229.

Accounting Fraud All Around

Iraqi authorities have issued a warrant for a member of parliament and his son who have allegedly embezzled millions of dollars.

From ABC News:

Meshaan al-Jiburi and his son, Yazin, allegedly pocketed money earmarked for creating a paramilitary force to protect oil pipelines in the north against insurgent attacks, according to Judge Radhi al-Radhi, chairman of the High Commission of Integrity.[...]Al-Radhi told The Associated Press the two allegedly collected government funds after providing lists of fictional recruits and submitting bills for their expenses. He declined to give an exact figure.

"Each time pipelines in the area were attacked, they asked to recruit more guards as well as salary increases for the recruits," al-Radhi said. "It had become apparent that attacks were increasing rather than decreasing."

Gee, I wonder where they could have learned accounting practices like that?

From The Associated Press:

Eager to reduce spending, the Bush administration falsely claimed savings of more than $1.3 billion in the Department of Veterans Affairs to justify cuts to health care services, congressional investigators say.

The report by the Government Accountability Office is the latest to document funding woes at the VA, which currently offers health care to 7 million out of 24 million eligible veterans. It found that the agency used misleading accounting methods and lacked documentation to prove its claimed savings.

Interesting Podcast: Democracy in the Mid East

You can listen to a speach by University of Virginia Politics professor David Waldner on the state of democracy in the Middle East. Professor Waldner paints a pessimistic portrait of the current state of Middle Eastern democracy that cuts through much of the media hype. Recorded on the day of the '06 Palestinian election, the speech is a few days old but definitely still worth a listen.

This MP3 is available from the UVa Podcast site.

5th CD Blog is Back

Having finally recovered from the holidays and the death and resurrection of my computer, the VaYD 5th CD blog is finally back with a major facelift.

Here is a quick list of upcoming Democratic events in the 5th District:

• In Charlottesville: On Friday, Feb 10, 6-8 pm -- Second Friday Democratic Social upstairs at Rapture Restaurant on the downtown Mall.
• In Richmond: On Saturday, Feb 11, 2:00-4:00 pm -- 5th Congressional District Democratic Committee Meeting, at the Raleigh / Drake Rooms, Crowne Plaza Hotel, 555 East Canal Street
• In Albenarke County: On Monday, February 13, 5:30-7:30 pm -- Albemarle County Democratic Party Steering Committee meeting at the Albemarle County Building, Room 235 (Totier Room).
• In Franklin: On Friday, Feb 17, 7:00 PM -- Film: Chisholm '72 Free admission! The Gereau Center (Across from the YMCA), 150 Technology Drive
• In Charlottesville: on Saturday, Feb 18, 9:30am -- Monthly Democratic Breakfast: Forum for City Council Candidates at JABA, 674 Hillsdale Drive
• In Danville: On Saturday, Feb 25, 9:30AM -- Danville Democratic Committee Breakfast. Meet Al Weed and Bern Ewert - candidates for Congress, Ryan's Family Steakhouse 107 Executive Court

C'ville Dem Committee Reorganization Meeting

Charlottesville Democratic Committee Reorganization Meeting

Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006
Buford Middle School Cafeteria

9:00 a.m. -- Registration
9:30 a.m. -- Meeting begins promptly

Agenda

• Precinct caucuses to select Delegates and Alternates
• Selection of Precinct Chairs/Co-Chairs
• Coffee break
• Election of Party Officers

For more information contact Party Co-Chairs:

• Russ Linden: 978-7775, russlinden@earthlink.net
• Sherry Kraft: 295-4453, sk6g@virginia.edu

or call the Democratic Party Office: 296-1865