UNITE FOR JOBS RALLY, SEPT. 10TH

Join the MYD Health Committee, 1199 SEIU, the TMA Workers Union, and several other progressive unions on in Harlem on September 10th for a rally of solidarity for jobs!

This march has one purpose: to use our strength in numbers to demand an economy that works for all Americans, not just the top 1%.

United for Jobs Event Flier

The rally will start at 4:00 p.m. at the former North General Hospital on 122 Street and Madison Avenue, and will march to 134 Street on Lennox Avenue, right in front of Harlem Hospital.

It would be great to see you there! We need as many young people there as possible to help demonstrate that our economy is not just hurting blue collar workers, but also recent college graduates!

Please feel free to contact me at any time for more information: Health@gomyd.com

Meet the AG Candidates for Tonight’s Staw Poll!

Tonight is the Manhattan Young Democrats Straw Poll for Attorney General.

We will be gathering at Luca Lounge in the East Village from 7-11 pm for some drinks, debates, and decisions.  Join us!

www.lucaloungenyc.com/lounge/
222 Avenue B between 13th/14th
From 7-9pm reduced prices: $5 mixed drinks, beer & house wines.

Meanwhile, here is some key info on the candidates to get you thinking.

RICHARD BRODSKY

• Current and Previous Positions Held:
  • New York State Assemblyman (Westchester)

• LGBT Rights:
  • Pro-Marriage Equality
  • Supports Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act

• Environmental Protection and Rural Development:
  • Supports ‘cancer mapping’ (state produced maps of environmental facilities and cancer hotbeds)
  • Supports the Department of Environmental Protection regulation over the Indian Point power plant
  • Supports bond acts to support clean air and water programs

SEAN COFFEY

• Current and Previous Positions Held:
  • Naval JAG Officer, Federal Prosecutor

• LGBT Rights:
  • Pro-Marriage Equality
  • Supports Employment Non-Discrimination Act
  • Supports Repeal of Defense of Marriage Act
  • Supports Fair housing rights for LGBT

• Environmental Protection and Rural Development:
  • Opposes drilling in the Marcellus Shale until it can be guaranteed that it would be pollution-free
  • Will work to create more clean energy jobs and sustainable development sector

ERIC DINALLO

• Current and Previous Positions Held:
  • Manhattan ADA
  • Assistant New York  AG
  • New York State Commissioner of Insurance

• LGBT Rights:
  • Pro-Marriage Equality
  • Supports Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act
  • Supports Dignity for All Students Act (DASA)
  • As AG, will w add a LGBT Advocate position in Civil Rights Bureau
  • As AG, will Challenge Federal Ban of gay men’s blood
  • Helped extend insurance benefits to same-sex couples while co-chairing the New York’s Universal Health Insurance Task Force

• Environmental Protection and Rural Development:
  • Will assign an Assistant AG to each county
  • Expand basic legal services to local municipalities

KATHLEEN RICE

• Current and Previous Positions Held:
  • Kings County ADA
  • Nassau County DA

• LGBT Rights:
  • Pro-Marriage Equality
  • Supports Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act
  • Supports Employment Non-Discrimination Act
  • Supports Dignity for All Students Act
  • Supports Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
  • As Nassau DA, Rice recruited LGBT prosecutors and appointed New York State’s first hate crimes-oriented prosecutor

• Environmental Protection and Rural Development:
  • Will ensure that landlords will provide for non-toxic living spaces for tenants
  • Will ensure that the same environmental protection laws will be enforced against corporate polluters regardless of the socioeconomic status of the area
  • Will create a “311” system for legal assistance in rural ares
  • Will create a Rural Affairs Advisory Council and appoint representatives (both elected and not-elected) from all regions of the state

ERIC SCHNEIDERMAN

• Current and Previous Positions Held:
  • New York State Senator (Manhattan)

• LGBT Rights:
  • Pro-Marriage Equality
  • Supports Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act
  • Supports Dignity for All Students Act
  • Supports repeal of Defense of Marriage Act
  • Supports Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
  • Supports Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act

• Environmental Protection and Rural Development:
  • Plans to expand the AG’s Environmental Protection Bureau with “innovative legal challenges and building regional environmental alliances”

MYD Policy Points – Complete!

I’m proud to announce that the 2010 Policy Points are complete! You may remember them from our last General Meeting – we did some editing and created this, with all the highlights.

MYD Legislative Platform 2010

These policy points were created by our Issue Committees, for more details you can check them out here:

Community and Social Equity (CASE)

Economics

Education

Environment

Foreign Affairs

Transportation

If you’re interested in endorsing the MYD Legislative Platform, or if you have any questions you can email Alex at political [at] gomyd [.] com for more information.

Thank you to everyone who made this possible!

SAVE THE DATE: 2nd Annual Young Gets It Done Party on Sep 27

Pedro’s Fake Home

Email Emmy at vp [at] goMYD [dot] com if you want to help us defeat Pedro Espada Jr! We still have some t-shirts left…

Goals for Life & America Scores

Last Sunday the women of MYD attended America Scores‘ “Goals for Life” soccer challenge, and guess what? We came in second! Proof positive that The Manhattan Young Democrats don’t inherently suck at sports. Though it’s most likely that we did so well because we had such a fantastic time! Special thanks to Elizabeth, Heather, Kat and Emmy who really did all the physical stuff and to Robbie of America Scores for giving us the opportunity to play on center court at Madison Square Garden for a while.

The sports component was followed by an inspired talk on how to achieve a positive work-life balance. We want to thank America Scores for all the hard work they do to enhance the lives of children across the country through their combined platform of soccer and poetry!

About America SCORES:

Our soccer, creative writing, and service-learning curriculum teaches our poet-athletes to look for balance in their lives from an early age. In our program, they learn how to stay healthy, express themselves emotionally, and how to make change in their communities.

Check out a really great success story HERE. Learn how you can volunteer HERE.

Straw Poll on Sep 1st: Attorney General Candidates!

A Straw Poll is an informal vote to gauge opinion within a group–and holding a straw poll to gauge opinion for young voters is becoming an annual tradition among Young Dems!

This year, we’re polling for Attorney General primary candidates. We’ll be gathering at locations in Manhattan (there are locations in Queens too) at 7PM on Wednesday, Sept 1st at Luca Lounge! Deets here:

www.lucaloungenyc.com/lounge/
222 Avenue B between 13th/14th
From 7-9pm reduced prices: $5 mixed drinks, beer & house wines.
RSVP on Facebook HERE!

Votes will be tallied across the Manhattan and Queens locations to give you the minute-by-minute results of the City-wide poll for AG. See you there!

MYD 2010 Policy Platform – Up For Review!

Our Issues Oriented Committees have been working hard on their policy platforms and we’ve been able to narrow and focus our goals to a few key policy points. A quick tear-sheet of the platform is available for download (2010 Platform Tearsheet – 8.17.10), full descriptions are available on the website HERE (where you can also check out the 2009 Policy Platforms). At tomorrow’s General Meeting the IOC chairs will go over their platform and we will have the opportunity to discuss them. If you’re interested in helping frame the issues that are important you as a Young Democrat we encourage you to join the committees so we can start planning activities and advocating on these ideas.

For the 2010 Election Cycle we will be sending these Policy Points to candidates and elected officials so they can get a better idea of the issues that are important to us, and we can find new and creative ways to work together! After tomorrow’s meeting the official platform will be on the IOC Pages and official copies can be requested from our Political Director, Alex at political[at]gomyd[.]com. Looking forward to tomorrow’s discussion!

Community and Social Equity (CASE)
Marriage Equality
Campaign Finance
Ethics
Rules Reform
Redistricting

Economics
Balancing the State Budget
Diversifying the New York City Economy
Banking for the Unbanked
Expansion of Rail to Upstate
Job Creation Tax Credits
Community Benefits Agreements
Fund Allocation Reform

Education
Public Education
Spending and Investments
Charter Schools

Environment
Ban on “Hydro-fracking” in Upstate New York Watershed Areas
Greater Tax Incentives for Green Roofs Construction

Foreign Affairs
Bilingual Education for English Speaking Students
Green Energy initiatives

Transportation
Pedestrian Safety
Buses
Congestion Pricing
Security

Kickball: Pics!

On Saturday, MYDers and the Young Republicans of New York met up for a great bipartisan tradition: the annual kickball game at Central Park. It was a BLAST!

Team GOP ended up taking the game — after all, we’ve gotta give them something to win in this city of deep blue, right? — but afterwards, we all headed over to spend the rest of our Saturday afternoon at a local Irish pub. Discussions were had about policy, politics, and there was plenty of room for common ground… If only the grown-ups in DC and Albany could say the same!

Thank you to everyone who came out, and enjoy more pics here.

MYD Unveils White Roof Project

On Wednesday, August 11th, the Environmental Committee of the Manhattan Young Democrats held New York City’s environmental event of the year when it unveiled its brand new website www.whiteroofproject.com at 10 Degrees Wine Bar in the East Village. A cast of environmental proponents served as speakers, and more than 50 supporters were on hand to celebrate the event.

The new website encourages building owners in New York to paint their roofs with highly reflective white paint as a way to reduce energy costs and keep the city cooler in the summer. It does this by allowing building owners who would like to have their roofs painted for free identify themselves on the site, and then connects them to painting volunteers and financial donors. The site also uses a “google map-like” computer program to track the progress of MYD in its longterm effort to white coat the roof of every city building.

“I think we can all agree that New York City has been hot this summer,” declared MYD Environmental Committee Chairman Stephen Spear. “In fact its been hotter here than in the communities that surround the city because of the millions of square feet of sun-light attracting black tar surface, much of which is on roof tops.”

The event was cosponsored by the New York City chapter of the Sierra Club, which has its own cool roofs initiative, and supported by NYC Cool Roofs Program Outreach Coordinator Cammi Climaco, who spoke at the event.

White Roof Project founder and website creator Juan Carlos displayed modesty as he unveiled the new site explaining that the ambitious project was ” a little idea I came up with on Earth Day this year.” The project already has its first client. The Bowery Mission Center, a homeless shelter and medical clinic in Lower Manhattan is scheduled to have five of its roofs coated by MYD in September. The organization raked in an impressive $2200 in public contributions toward that project on the night of the event and Bowery Mission Operations Director Matt Krivich was on hand to express his thanks.

Anyone interested in joining the fun as a painting volunteer for the White Roof Project should contact MYD Community Service Director Kim Moscaritolo at service@gomyd.com.

Nice Job Green Team!

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