"Round-The-Clock Gilda Reed Fundraiser Finale!"
(This is the last diary in a 24-hour fundraiser for Gilda Reed, Democratic Candidate for Katrina-Burdened LA-01.)
My name is Gilda Reed and I am a loyal patriot and strong Democrat who fervently believes that our government belongs to us. We can take back what is rightfully ours!
This is not a government of, by and for a few large corporations and those who make over $250,000 a year. It is a government of, by and for WE the people. It is a government that enables its people to take care of themselves without unneeded giveaways. It is a government that reprioritizes to put people first again and manages its funds more equitably. It is a government that reverses the class warfare policies of some in Washington who give tax breaks to the upper 1% and raw deals to the remaining 99% of us.
It is a government that knows how to stretch a dollar and refuses to spend what it does not have and charge the bill to our grandchildren. It is a government that provides affordable, accessible health care to all. It is a government where senior citizens no longer have to decide daily whether to eat or to take their medicine because they cannot afford to do both. It is a government which stops testing its children ad nauseum and educates them instead. It is a government which provides a way for any interested American to gain a college education. It is a government that supports working families, ends the export of jobs overseas and the import of inferior products here. It is a government that protects the civil rights of all of its law-abiding citizens.
http://www.actblue.com/...
It is a government that strengthens national security, clamps down on illegal immigration and secures the borders in order to take care of its own first. It is a compassionate government that does not paint all 12 million illegals already here with a stroke of the same brush. It is a smart government that upholds the Constitution on which it is based and stays out of our bedrooms, e-mails, telephone conversations and bank accounts. It is a strong government which protects our national security without pre-emptive aggressive actions that alienate the whole world. It is a government that does not condone torture.
I envision such a smart government and I plan to do my part to get us there. I do not take NO for an answer and CAN’T is a forbidden 4-letter word.
The support Kossacks have shown in the past 24-hours is overwhelming. I tried so hard to keep up with the earnest comments as they flew in fast and furiously. If I missed responding to anyone, please know that it was unintentional.
http://www.actblue.com/...
Special thanks go to the 12 diarists who gave so much of themselves to post excellent diaries and who continued to give their time with comments on the posts of fellow Kossacks. Kath25 came up with this outstanding idea and Gabriella worked many woman hours organizing, scheduling and making it happen in a fabulous forum that was not repetitive or boring. Kudos to all of you---
buhdydharma
chigh
Nightprowlkitty
Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse
blueintheface
YatPundit
Chicagoa
kath25
DailyKingFish
possum
nolalily
gabriella
http://www.actblue.com/...
And not to be overlooked, thank you to all of my fellow Kossacks who participated with recommendations, comments and donations. Some of you have given multiple times, and I am so very grateful. A special thank you to my son Robby and campaign manager who only slept 45 minutes to stay tuned in.
One of these days, I envision campaign finance reform so that the playing field is evened for all candidates. This system of the almighty dollar determining who legislates for us is not in our best interests. Most of our members in both houses of Congress are multi-millionaires. They are content with status quo because it is working just fine to keep them in their jobs and to keep the peons out. Certainly, they do not want to contend with progressives like me who also want to freeze Congressional salaries until veterans receive all benefits owed them and the federal minimum wage is liveable. In additon, members of the U.S. House and Senate are not royalty and should pay their own hospitalization and retirement like everyone else. Single-payer health care is the far-reaching goal I am aiming for but may have to be content with taking sequential steps.
My district is pegged conservative and not by accident. The gerrymandering that was done in 1991 sealed District 1 as a Republican stronghold despite the fact that there are 39% registered Democrats compared to 37% registered Republicans. This race is the closest a Democrat has come in 30 years to retake this seat. In the recent presidential primary, Democrats voted in higher numbers than Republicans did across Louisiana. We had 200,000 more Democrats show up to vote than Republicans. There is a resurgent interest. People are more motivated. The ones I am able to reach are impressed by my people first message, my smart-government-not-big-government stand, my fiscal conservatism and my vow, once elected for this office, to never seek any other.
http://www.actblue.com/...
The fact that I am a Democrat who will be able to work seamlessly in a Democratic majority House and Senate with a new Democratic White House is another selling feature. A Democrat can impact our hurricane recovery far better than a Republican.
As soon as the whole story is out for all to see concerning the shadiness of my chief opponent Scalise, I hope to turn more heads my way as well as $$$$. No way can District 1 be subjected to this guy.
I dream of having a Kossack Advisory Panel as part of my research team of concerned citizens. Daily Kos does not let anything fly under its radar and would be an excellent added way for me in Congress to be kept abreast of pressing issues.
See http://www.dailykos.com/...
For those readers who think that since you cannot donate much, you really won’t donate at all, please re-think your position. The contributions that mean the very most to me are the tiny ones given out of total trust that I will do everything humanly possible to improve their lives. I want to make Louisiana’s District 1 a better place to live, to work and to dream for my family and for theirs. No one is going to dictate to me how I should speak or legislate including the Democratic Party. Re-election is not a primary motivator for me. Doing what is right for those I am representing is. I do not owe anything to anybody other than the people of my district and Americans in general. What happened to us after a major catastrophe should not have to be endured by any other community.