Chittenden County Democrats Celebrate Mardi Gras!

There was no lack of enthusiasm as Democrats from all over Chittenden County, supporters of Hillary Clinton and supporters of Barak Obama alike, joined together in the Mardi Gras Parade in Burlington, VT, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon February 23rd, 2008. View the photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/chittdems/MardiGras08.

Gov. Madeleine Kunin to Speak

The Chittenden County Democratic Committee will host an evening with Gov. Madeleine Kunin on March 28th in South Burlington. Gov. Kunin will read from her new book "Pearls Politics & Power: How Women Can Win and Lead" and talk about the women who inspired her to write the book and about her own experiences as a successful leader in Vermont and at the national level. Gov. Kunin also served as Undersecretary of Education and as the U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland during the Clinton administration.

Joining Gov. Kunin will be Rep. Jason P. Lorber of Burlington, who will act as Master of Ceremonies, and Comedian Josie Leavitt of Charlotte. Appetizers and desserts will be provided by Catering By Dale, and door prizes will be given away to guests. The Flying Pig Bookstore of Shelburne will supply copies of Gov. Kunin's book for sale, and Gov. Kunin will be available to autograph them.

This event will take place from 7 to 9 PM at The Pines Senior Living Community, 7 Aspen Drive, South Burlington, on Friday, March 28th. Tickets cost $35 and will benefit the Chittenden County Democratic Committee. Tickets may be purchased by contacting Marcella Chiarello (985-8479) or Wendy Patterson (482-5888). Tickets will also be available at the door, but reservations are strongly encouraged and will be appreciated.

NRG Founder Addresses Energy Crisis

At a meeting of the Chittenden County Democrats on Tuesday, January 21st, David Blittersdorf, who founded NRG Systems in Hinesburg, spoke about the global energy crisis and the decining ability to sustain our dependence on fossil fuels. His Powerpoint presentation traced the use of fossil fuels and its correlation in the rise of the earth's population. Several points were made:

• The use of fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) created better living conditions and higher production rates of food and goods, which in turn supported an exponential increase in the world's population.
• In 1750 the world population was around 800 million. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution circa 1850, the global population grew from about 1.2 billion people to more than 6 billion.
• By 2050, at the current exponential rate of growth, the global population would reach 9.5 billion people, which is about the limit of sustainability.
• The discovery of fossil fuels, which are nature's storage of solar energy captured over a hundred million years, peaked around 1980, i.e., there are fewer and fewer sources available and production capacity is now declining.
• As fuel prices increase, it is becoming more economically feasible to use less efficient extraction techniques to mine existing "exhausted" sources. However, it is taking more energy to accomplish the extraction.
• Nuclear energy, while purported to be "clean", i.e. zero carbon emissions, requires a huge amount of energy expenditure to extract, process, and transport the uranium fuel. Furthermore, there is the problem of what to do with the resulting nuclear waste.
• We have to concentrate on making renewable energy sources a larger part of the energy pie.
• Wind energy has a much higher energy efficiency than either coal or nuclear (about 40% compared to 35%).
• Wind energy is reliable. There is at least some energy generation 70% - 90% of the time at good wind sites, and wind turbines are mechanically available 98% of the time.
• The cost of wind energy is between 5 and 9 cents per kilowatt-hour, comparable to hydro or nuclear power.
• The Energy Return on Investment (EROI) is very good, between 30 and 80 times over the life of a wind powerplant.

Blittersdorf also said that wind turbine production has a 2-year backlog. Wind turbine manufacturing is an industry well suited to creating jobs in the U.S. because of the high quality requirements for gears and the high cost of shipping if they were to be manufactured overseas. He concluded that we need to re-orient our energy economy toward renewable and clean energy sources such as hydro and wind power. On an individual level, good insulation and solar hot water panels are probably the most cost-effective energy investments for homeowners, and are subsidized by federal and state tax credits.

At the beginning of the meeting Chairman Mike Yantachka also reviewed the proposed budget for the Chittenden County Democratic Committee and announced a Jefferson-Jackson fundraising event that will be held on March 28th. Gov. Madeleine Kunin will headline the event and talk about her new book, which will hit bookstores in March.

Chittenden County Democrats Show Comes to LCATV

Lake Champlain Access Television (LCATV), broadcasting to Colchester, Milton and Georgia (Franklin Co.), is now broadcasting CCTV's "Chittenden County Democrats" show, hosted by Senator Jim Condos and Chittenden County Democratic Chair Mike Yantachka. This month's program features an engaging interview with Vermont's Attorney General Bill Sorrell (recorded 1/7) and will air this week in at the following times:
Monday, 1/14: 5pm; 11pm
Thursday, 1/17: 4am
Saturday, 1/19: 12am, 11am

Congratulations to Grassroots Allstars Chris & Marcella Chiarello!

Chris and Marcella Chiarello of Shelburne have just been named Grassroots Allstars by the Vermont Democratic Party. Marcella, the Chittenden County Democratic Committee's State Committeewoman, and her husband Chris have been involved in many forward-thinking groups in both Shelburne and Chittenden County. Their initiatives have included organizing events for energy awareness, health care, and voter identification. They are active members of the Shelburne Democratic Committee and Chittenden South Democracy For America (CSDFA) and can be found often at the DFA headquarters in South Burlington.

"Chris and Marcella are models of Vermont progressive activism," says former Chittenden County Democrats Vice Chair Will Wiquist, who nominated the Chiarellos. "They are involved and take effective leadership rolls where needed. They both talk the talk and walk the walk. I for one greatly appreciate their effort and time."

You can read more about Chris and Marcella's work and some of their tips for successful organizing at the VDP website: http://vtdemocrats.org/index.php?id=1873.

Congratulations, Chris and Marcella!

What is a Caucus?

Channel 17 Town Meeting Television, serving Burlington, South Burlington, Winooski and Essex Junction, has produced a show called "What Is a Caucus". Footage of the Democratic, Republican and Progressive parties' reorganization caucuses which were held in October, including keynote speakers and comments from the party Chairs, will be broadcast at various times during the months of November and December. The broadcast schedule is
Wed, Nov 28, 2007 at 11:30:00 PM
Thu, Nov 29, 2007 at 4:30:00 AM
Thu, Nov 29, 2007 at 10:30:00 AM
Thu, Nov 29, 2007 at 4:30:00 PM
Thu, Nov 29, 2007 at 6:30:00 PM
Tue, Dec 11, 2007 at 0:26:00 AM
Tue, Dec 11, 2007 at 5:26:00 AM
Tue, Dec 11, 2007 at 11:26:00 AM
Tue, Dec 11, 2007 at 6:15:00 PM

Channel 17 also hosts the monthly Chittenden County Democrats show on the first Monday of each month at 5:25 PM. This show is also rebroadcast several times during subsequent weeks. Plans are in the works to also have the show rebroadcast on LCATV Channel 16, serving northern Chittenden County including Colchester, Milton and Westford, as well as on VCAM Channel 15, serving southern Chittenden County including Shelburne, Hinesburg and parts of Charlotte. Rebroadcast times will be posted at this website as they are received.

Bill Mares to Speak in Charlotte

The Charlotte, Shelburne and Hinesburg Democratic Committees are hosting an Evening with Bill Mares this coming Thursday on the topic American Foreign Policy: How Do We Look AT, and TO, the Rest of the World?

Local author, marathon runner, former legislator and CVU teacher, Bill Mares, will share some of his thoughts and lead discussion about ways to understand American foreign policy. So mark your calendars. This should be a thought-provoking, informative, and fun evening, and a good opportunity to catch up with neighbors and meet new friends.