Loche

There is a resolution that the Patrick Henry Democratic Club of America adopted in support of the students. From checking into the club, I've learned that it is fully affiliated with the Democratic Party and California Democratic Counsel, but it is also popular with Greens and independents. It's even popular with the Ron Paul Republicans. A number of its members are elected officials and candidates for office. It is strongly pro youth rights and has taken positions in support of lowering both the voting age and the drinking age.

Resolutions

Resolution to Save Education in California

Whereas, the top students in California and elsewhere are eligible to attend the University of California, unlike private universities that allow students with much lower grade point averages to buy their way in or use their family name to gain admission, and



Whereas, the University of California system is receiving more money from the state and federal government, donations and other sources than ever before, including when the tuition was close to free and there were enough teachers to make class sizes small, and because the purpose of educational funds should be education and the use of funds going to the colleges should be to pay the teaching staff and then cut the tuition rates first and later for all other purposes, and



Whereas, the University of California reportedly has squandered most of its money on purposes other than education, such as gambling on toxic assets and real estate, paying off wall street bankers and executives with lucrative administrative positions and other purposes and instead of stopping this misuse of funds, the University of California Board of Regents has voted to make the cost of a University of California education unaffordable for the vast majority of California’s top students, such that few but the wealthiest students will be able to attend.



Therefore, be it resolved, that the Patrick Henry Democratic Club of America calls for the elimination of undergraduate tuition at the University of California, for the re-hiring of all teachers laid off for financial reasons, for the elimination of the majority of administrative positions, and for the full reimbursement of the educational and pension funds by administrators and/or regents or their agents who have used university funds to gamble on toxic investments and real estate.



Therefore, be it further resolved, that the Patrick Henry Democratic Club of America calls for a criminal investigation to be launched by the office of Attorney General Jerry Brown into the apparent misuse of University of California funds for purposes other than education.

Passed November 23, 2009

rider730

Of course the UC system has no tuition now. It has varies fees, but nothing named tuition because in California the charter specifies that it will be tuition free for all residents, and so it is.

lockn

Has the Patrick Henry Democratic Club of America ever heard of financial aid?

Loche

Ask a Berkeley student about financial aid. Most will laugh and say they wished they had some real financial aid.

BuddyMcAwesome

Whereas the State of California has squandered its tax money on useless social programs, the Patrick Henry Democratic Club of America calls for the University of California to plant magical money trees in order to pay for the free tuition of every student.

BuddyMcAwesome

Also, if you look further down on their site, these people voted unanimously on a resolution to reopen the 9.11 investigation, impeach Bush, cancel NAFTA, boycott any group which supports republicans, and take Hamas off the list of terrorist groups, as well as numerous other ridiculous and radical resolutions.

They are a joke.

ak_dogg

^ What's wrong with any of that?

BuddyMcAwesome

I hope you're being sarcastic.

Loche

Buddy McAwesome, believe it or not, there are some liberal Democrats in Northern California. We're talking UC Berkeley, not UC Fallbrook. Liberal Democrats are not a joke, especially not in Barbara Lee's district. Nobody else has a chance of being elected in Berkeley.

I realize that some of Bush's strongest supporters may be posting here, but even Ron Paul agrees with most of the PHDC positions you posted and Ron Paul is a conservative. Ron Paul has attended meetings of groups looking into re-opening the 9/11 investigation. Paul wants to cancel NAFTA, say "bye-bye" to Israel's special interest groups, end the war and withdraw from the WTO. The PHDC seems to pull in an educated crowd that looks past what the media tells them to think. I've read that their resolution about the groups supporting the Republicans was some kind of reaction to Planned Parenthood backing anti-choice Republicans over pro-choice Democrats.

The resolution regarding Hamas was pushed through by the Jewish members of the Club.

The PHDC keeps giving Ron Paul and Cynthia McKinney a lot of awards. Kucinich and Feingold seem to be their favorites.

The PHDC looks like a pretty good group and it's pretty well respected in Democratic circles.

Anyway, the only issue, here is that a club with a long history of getting resolutions through the Democratic Party and introduced in legislative bodies is pushing for elimination of tuition. It will be interesting to see what becomes of ts resolution.

Liquidus

What do you mean "getting resolutions through the Democratic Party?" What has the PHDC actually done that is of significance?

And I don't think any of Bush's strongest supporters are posting here...

PHDC can push for elimination of tuition all they want. It's not going to pass in the legislature unless the state wants to pay for those lost funds.

Loche

They got the California Democratic Party to call for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney when they were in office, for withdrawal from the WTO and Cancellation of Nafta, for a moratorium on the death penalty, for the lowering of the voting age, for an Iraqi/Afghani Children's War Memorial, for instant run-off voting, for Respect for the Government of Venezuela, and a grunch of other positions. A number of their positions have been adopted by the national Democratic Party. You could ask Barbara Lee about them as she helped them put together the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party. They have a large youth group that is very active.

They regularly have events with prominent leaders, such as Representative Dennis Kucinich, Representative Maxine Waters, , Former Green Presidential Candidate and Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, California State Controller John Chiang, various Caliifornia state senators and assemblymen and assemblywomen, and various mayors. They definitely are a force for change.

BuddyMcAwesome

You realize that most of the people you named are nutjobs right? Cynthia McKinney punched a security guard in the face, and Dennis Kucinich sees UFOs. Ron Paul is a racist don Quixote, he wrote in his magazine "Order was only restored in L.A. when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks three days after rioting began" about the LA riots.

funfun

Hi Loche. If the students have got Patrick Henry on our side, then half our job is done. The pro-Bush nutjobs don't like progressive clubs or anyone with an education. That other poster wants to drag you into a political fight. Don't even answer those false attacks on McKinney, Paul and Kucinich.

It's really good that Patrick Henry is involved. They are really effective at getting at getting information out. Let's hope they get the subcommittee Kucinich chairs to look into the tuition increase.

Democracy Now did a show with the President of the University of California- America Federation of Teachers and he pretty much said the same stuff that is in the Patrick Henry resolution. Democracy Now has an audience in the tens of millions, nationally.

The increase is outrageous and this is a time for students to stick together. This is not a time for politicking.

indiscreetmath

i love it when people are trying to determine policy and then say they're above politics.

funfun

So does this mean you want Cal students to pay higher tuition, indiscreetmath? I guess you aren't a Cal student, because Cal students were pretty united at the protests last week.