Organizing For the November Election
It is easy to ignore phone calls from unknown numbers because most are unimportant anyway. However, soon you will be receiving an important call or text from a number belonging to one of our new field fellows: Conor Proulx, Sienna Hepworth, and Kyler Cummins. When they ask you to volunteer some of your time to text bank or phone bank in the coming weeks, please say YES. Even if you don’t connect with them, please act.
Your first opportunity is this Friday, September 10th. It will be a Virtual Meeting and Phonebank for Kootenai County at 6:30PM. The team will be with you to explain the strategy and to answer your questions. In addition, our District 3 candidate Teresa Borrenpohl will participate. Click here to sign up: https://www.mobilize.us/idahodems/event/412868/
Join the Idaho Voter Registration Week
From September 20-26, Idaho Democrats will work to register likely voters across the state in targeted communities. The goal is to help increase our vote share in the municipal elections this November and beyond. An online training class is scheduled for 4 PM Pacific Time on September 8.
To register for the training, use the link listed here: https://www.mobilize.us/idahodems/event/411120/.
To participate in the training use the Zoom link listed here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88545680456?pwd=K2g1K05XR1RDTmtWVHIzVERHUnRRdz09.
Attend the Central Committee Meeting
The next Central Committee meeting is this Monday, September 13th. Please come. We can find things for you to do, and it would be good to see you. If you would like to participate and do not have the link, please contact me. Also, don’t forget to attend the Optional Forms of Government Commission meeting on September 29th. More about this topic later.
More COVID Cases May Restrict Care!
Recently, Idaho officials implemented a “crisis standard of care” for Idaho hospitals and nursing homes. In other words, if necessary, your health care may be rationed. Officials claim that patients are unlikely to be turned away from hospitals, but they may be denied “certain resources.” Does this mean oxygen?
The protocol authorizes caregivers to prioritize available resources for children up to 17 years old, then pregnant women, adults in age groups from younger to older, and finally individuals “whose work directly supports the provision of acute care to others.” If you do not fall into one of these categories, you will be subject to a “random allocation” of resources, aka a lottery. This reduced standard of care in Idaho has been widely reported by national news organizations including NPR and the Washington Post.
Here are links to the story in the Washington Post and the Idaho Statesman:
Idaho moves to start rationing medical care amid surge in covid hospitalizations – The Washington Post
ID hospitals prepare for crisis care in 4th COVID-19 surge | Idaho Statesman
Public Instruction Likely to Increase Student Hospitalizations
In related news, our public schools have reopened without regard for the recommended CDC precautions. As a result, Kootenai Health predicts that by mid-October around two hundred students will be hospitalized. Moreover, a third of these cases will require intensive care.
The hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) provides constant 1:1 nursing to monitor mechanical ventilation and/or administer intravenous life-saving medications. However, because Kootenai Health lacks a dedicated pediatric ICU, these added cases must be handled by existing resources. Last week, out of the 400 ICU beds available, only 4 were unoccupied. Therefore, if school students add to the already increasing case load, it is likely that some patients will be transferred elsewhere, like Spokane, Boise, or Seattle.
So, if you want to be part of the solution instead of the problem, the best thing to do is to get vaccinated and wear a mask when indoors among other people. Please encourage others to do the same.
Defend Women’s Freedom
The GOP preaches constantly about their god given freedoms to carry guns or spread COVID-19. Yet when it comes to allowing women to determine their own reproductive choices, freedom of choice is denied. If you believe that women have the right to choose, save the date, October 2 in your calendar and plan to participate in a National Women’s March (womensmarch.com). I will provide more details about our local plans in a later post.
Now is the Time to Come to the Aid of Your County
I hope you plan to attend the Kootenai County Optional Forms of Government Study Commission Meeting on September 29. The meeting is devoted to gathering public comments. We believe that county government is best when it serves all residents equally regardless of party affiliation. Therefore, county officials must guard against all efforts to politicize their functions. The fact is that citizens cannot be fully informed if government officials are not accountable and acting in good faith as politically neutral administrators. If you can’t make the meeting, you can email comments to: Kcofg@kcgov.us.
The public meeting is scheduled at 5:30pm at the County Administration Building. You can also watch the meeting online or view past meetings at Kootenai County Idaho – YouTube. Let’s show them Democrats care about this place. You can bet our friends from the GOP will be there.
And Finally
Thanks go to Justin Stormo-Gibson and Phil Ward for writing fine letters to the CDA Press editor. I would also like to thank Paula Marano, Cheri Zao, Jan Studer, and Shawn Keenan for welcoming our new Field Organizing team. Plus, Dale Broadsword, Teresa Borrenpohl, Savannagh Kasey, and Kathy McCaughn for attending the AFO-CIO Labor Day Picnic in Post Falls.
Have a great week everyone and thanks for being a Democrat
