Blog Archives - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

Responding to the Many Faces of Hate Symposium - One Human Family

3/25/2019

"Responding to the Many Faces of Hate" Symposium - Saturday, April 13th from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm

Eastern Iowa Community College
101 W 3rd St
Davenport, IA 52810 (map)

PACG Civil Rights Forum

"Responding to the Many Faces of Hate" Symposium
The Civil Rights Forum is promoting this One Human Family QCA event. Please download the flyer below and share this event widely.

From the OHFQC website:
One Human Family has teamed up with some of the best voices in our area to present an action-oriented day of workshops on solutions in the areas of 1) race-based hate, 2) faith-based hate,
3) LGBTQ hate, and 4) immigration hate. Attendees choose 3 of the 4 sessions.

Keynote speaker is Sen. Zach Wahls.

Please be sure to register at this link. Tickets are $15 at the door, $10 in advance. Students $5.

many_faces_of_hate_-_ohfqc.pdf
File Size:	68 kb
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Sign Up for Discussion and Tour of the Putnam - Race: Are We So Different?

3/25/2019

Sign up for the “Race: Are We So Different?” Tour and Discussion - Tuesday, April 23rd at 4:00 pm

Putnam Museum, 1717 W 12th St, Davenport, IA (map)

Civil Rights Forum

The Civil Rights Forum is arranging a tour followed by a guided discussion of Race: Are We So Different? at the Putnam Museum. Click for more information about the event and a link to registration. Only 15 people can attend the discussion, and you MUST register to attend.

Attendees must pay their own admission to the Putnam, but PACG will pay the fee for the guided discussion.

If there is enough interest, we will arrange a second tour/guided discussion in early May. Email Alta if you can't go on April 23rd but want to attend a second tour/guided discussion.

Alta Price

Call Your Reps - Voter Suppression Bill in Iowa - What You Can Do Now

3/24/2019

Contact Your Iowa State Legislators Regarding Voter Suppression Bill

Iowa Senator Roby Smith has introduced Senate File 575 that impacts Iowans' ability to vote. Read more about it at:

Senate File 575

PACG members kept the focus of the March Scott County Legislative Forum on the voter suppression bill. Read this excellent article in the Quad-City Times for coverage of the reactions of the audience and legislators when questioned about the bill. The article also provides in-depth information about the threat to voting rights included in this legislation.

Call your Iowa State legislators to express your views on NOT restricting the voting rights of Iowans.

Senate Switchboard: 515-281-3371
House Switchboard: 515-281-3221

To find your representative's email information click here.

Green Drinks Quad Cities in the Quad-City Times

3/22/2019

Environmental Forum's Green Drinks-Quad Cities in Local Press

Enviro-minded people invited to new group
from the Quad-City Times - March 20, 2019
Alma Gaul agaul@qctimes.com

Quad-Citians interested in the environment and conservation are invited to meet like-minded people Thursday, March 28, at the Fresh Deli restaurant at the Freight House, 421 W. River Drive, Davenport.

The gathering from 5-7 p.m. will be the first meeting of a group called Green Drinks Quad-Cities, a local affiliate of an international organization that was formed in London in 1989 and now has groups in 500 cities.

The purpose of Green Drinks is for people to get together, talk, exchange ideas about environmental issues, maybe even have fun and make new friends, said organizer Lori O'Dell McCollum, of Rock Island, representing Progressive Action for the Common Good, a Quad-City group that promotes community betterment and progressive values.

The Green Drinks group will meet the last Thursday of every month and is open to anyone.

While there are lots of environmental/conservation groups in the Quad-Cities, "most people don't know each other," McCollum said. "It will be a loosely formed networking group; it doesn't have a specific agenda," she said of Green Drinks. "We'll just wait and see what people want to do. A few groups are structured and have speakers. Every group seems to do something different."

To spread the word, McCollum is contacting a wide swath of entities in the public, private, nonprofit and educational sectors. This includes Sierra Club, Partners of Scott County Watersheds, Audubon Society, Earth Keepers, Niabi Zoo, Food Rescue, university Extension services, state departments of natural resources, The Nature Conservancy, Living Lands & Waters, Nahant Marsh, area colleges and others.

In Iowa, there are Green Drinks groups in Des Moines, Iowa City, Ames and elsewhere; in Illinois, groups have organized in the Chicago area as well as Peoria.

For more information, go to greendrinks.org, or email to McCollum at lori_mccollum@sbcglobal.net or Susan Leuthauser at swleuthauser@gmail.com.

Read the Article Online here

Breakfast Before Legislative Forum - March, 2019

3/18/2019

Breakfast and Legislative Forum -
Saturday, March 23rd at 9:00 am

Fresh Deli - 421 W. River Drive, Davenport, IA (map)

Out and About

Join PACG Out and About for breakfast before the Legislative Forum on Saturday, 3/23. We will meet at 9:00 a.m. at Fresh Deli in Davenport to socialize and to discuss strategies for effective questioning during the forum.

If you cannot make breakfast, be sure and show up to the Legislative Forum at Davenport Central High School - 1120 N. Main Street in Davenport (map). Social at 10:00, forum starts at 10:30.

Check our newest Facebook group - PACG Out & About! It's a way that we can appreciate and create culture TOGETHER. See our Blog Post here for more information.

Allison Ambrose

Contact Your Iowa Legislators About Sensible Gun Control - What You Can Do Now - March 18, 2019

3/18/2019

Demand Sensible Gun Control in Iowa - Contact Your Representatives!

The bills HJR 13 is being discussed on the House Floor this week. These bills, if passed and signed into law, would eliminate background checks on gun purchases in the state. They will also allow guns to be carried on college campuses, state fairgrounds and school buses.

The House is also discussing HF636 which allows concealed weapons in weapon-free zones, courthouses, and public/private workplaces.

Please contact your Iowa State legislators and demand that these actions be termed "dead for the year." We want sensible gun control for Iowa.

Iowa Voting Rights! - What You Can Do Now - March 18, 2019

3/18/2019

Contact Your Iowa State Legislator to Stop Voter Suppression

Iowa Senator Roby Smith has introduced Senate File 575 that impacts Iowan's ability to vote. Read more about it at:

Senate File 575

Call your Iowa State Senator to express your views on NOT restricting the voting rights of Iowans

Senate Switchboard: 515-281-3371

Allison Ambrose

Protect Iowa's Net Metering - What You Can Do Now , March 16, 2019

3/15/2019

Contact Your Iowa Legislators to Protect Solar Power!
Environmental Forum

Senate File 538 presently in the Iowa House proposes to do away with net metering in the state. This would be an additional blow to conservation efforts of renewable energy. And of course, it's been suggested by MidAmerican Energy.

Please take the time to contact your legislators and demand that this bill be defeated when it comes up for a vote. This is a shameful backwards step for our environment. Here is an example of what you can write or tell your legislator:

Dear Legislator:

I am writing today to ask you to oppose SF 538, which would effectively end net metering in Iowa.

Solar sales and installations will likely decline as prospective customers do the new math on the expected payback period for a new installation on home or business. This will cost valuable jobs in the solar industry.

Net metering brings value to the grid. It produces energy which goes back into the grid, serving the needs of our neighbors during the daytime or peak demand hours. It adds clean energy, taking pressure off the grid and producing electricity when it is needed most, and when it's most expensive for the energy utilities to produce.

Mid-American energy had over $600,000,000 in net profits last year, which suggests this is really not about getting extra dollars from solar customers. Their true motivation is to squash the solar industry in the state, and continue their big-utility monopoly while also touting their "dedication" to green energy.

Please consider how this will effect solar customers who have invested in clean energy production. In addition, it will negatively impact as jobs in the state, and allow the monopolization by the energy companies to continue. At the very least, this bill should be tabled until the Iowa Utilities Board releases its findings from MidAmerican Energy and Alliant Energy's pilot projects on net metering, which will not be completed for over a year.

This is a giant step backward for Iowa. Please vote against this bill.

Sincerely,

For more information, read this article from Energy News Network.

Health Care Reform Upcoming Meetings - March 11, 2049

3/11/2019

Health Care Reform Forum - Additional Meetings through June

Health Care Reform

At our March 5th meeting we laid out some ambitious plans for the coming year.

We also decided to meet twice a month on Tuesdays, at least through June. The first Tuesday meeting will be for regular business. And the third Tuesday meeting will focus on event planning.

So put the following on your calendars now!

March 19th - Event Planning
April 2nd - Monthly Meeting
April 16th - Event Planning
May 7th - Monthly Meeting
May 21st - Event Planning
June 4th - Monthly Meeting
June 18th - Event Planing

Debra Sperry

Toast the Resistance - After Action Report

3/4/2019

Toast the Resistance - After Action Report

On February 23rd, close to 50 people attended our 2nd Annual Toast the Resistance party. We celebrated the RESISTANCE at The Key restaurant in downtown Davenport. Many of the attendees were new to PACG and had come to learn more about our organization and about how they could get involved in making a difference.

Allison Ambrose delivered a "Toast" to the Resistance and membership awards were given for "Most Active New Resister” - Deb Sperry; "Worker Bee Resister” - Susan Meenan; "Behind the Scenes Resister” - Jeannie Price; and, the "Successful Forum Event" award went to the Environmental Forum for the Renewal Energy Conference they presented in November.

The energy in the room was at a high level while everyone discussed with each other the “goods” and the “bads” of the past year. Forum facilitators informed the crowd of the various things being done to advance progressive causes and the PACG Book Club publicized their activities. Those in attendance were encouraged to sign up for a forum and/or the book club.

At the conclusion of the event, the various sign-up sheets were full of names. Everyone had a great time! Cheers!