This weekend Joseph Kitchen our Executive Vice President and I ventured to New Orleans for the 2010 YDA Winter Convention. We are happy to get away from the snow piles that are currently all over Prince George’s County.

While here in New Orleans we attended the lunch with Lilly Ledbetter who is the woman the Lilly Ledbetter Act is named after. Ms. Ledbetter was an inspiring speaker about the importance of pay equality in the work place for all people. Pay equality is important not just while a person is working but later when they are receiving retirement income. A person’s retirement income is based on the income that one receives while they are working. Ms. Ledbetter is now living off of the retirement based on her salary that was much lower than her male counterparts. Her husband passed away in 2008, thus losing 50% of the household income and yet her bills have increased almost 50%. We need to address these issues and continue to fight for pay equality. Ms. Ledbetter was very gracious to us and after the lecture I had the pleasure to speak with her. I hope that we in Prince George’s County will continue to support our congressional leadership in fighting for pay equality.

Also while in New Orleans, our own Executive Vice President did a wonderful job at the Labor Caucus meeting in presenting the wonderful benefits that every receive thanks to the labor movement such as the 5 day work week, health care benefits, maternity leave and safety measures in the work place. We need to continue to remember the benefits that we receive whether we are a member of a union or not because of the labor movement. We also need to continue to fight for the Employee Free Choice Act and Health Care Reform which are supported by the labor movement and will benefit all residents across the country.

We are representing Gorgeous Prince George’s here in New Orleans. We cannot wait to bring back what we learned here to our county to help organize young people to become involved in politics and government.

Sincerely,
Nicole A. Williams
President of the
Prince George’s County Young Democrats

The Executive Board of the Prince George’s County Young Democrats voted unanimously on February 6, 2010 to endorse SB239, a bill to increase Maryland’s High School Dropout Age. Below is the statement supporting the legislation.

Joseph Lynn Kitchen Jr.

Executive Vice President

Prince George’s County Young Democrats

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Every year the state of Maryland loses about $193 million as a direct result of our high drop out rate. In fact according to a study by the Maryland Public Policy Institute “Each year’s class of drop outs is costing state taxpayers about $42 million per year, each and every year in increased governmental expenditures and reduced taxes. We really need to begin to get this under control.” Tackling the high school dropout rate in Maryland is a cause whose time has come and why the Prince George’s County Young Democrats are proud to announce our support for Senate Bill 239, the Age of Compulsory Attendance Bill submitted by Senator Catherine Pugh.

In November the Prince George’s County Board of Education announced they would support legislation in the 2009 General Assembly to ask for an increase in the allowable drop out age. Under current state law students are allowed to drop out of school at the age of 16 years old. However as recently reported after the announcement by both the Montgomery County and Prince George’s County school boards, this law actually costs the county more than it saves in the long run.

WHY WE SHOULD SUPPORT THE INCREASE

Maryland is one of only two states in the Mid-Atlantic region that allows high school students to drop out below the age of seventeen. Here in the capitol region? Both DC and Virginia require students to attend school until their eighteenth birthday. In fact according to a recent article written in the Washington Post “studies show that one reason students drop out is because they are permitted to.”

Maryland leaders have to face the following facts on why we need to increase the drop out age:

· Drop outs make $ 1 million less over their lifetime than college graduates.

· Drop outs are more than two times more likely than high school graduates to fall into poverty in one year.

· A report by the California Research Project showed every year the wave of dropouts that state has costs taxpayers $46.4 billion over their entire lifetimes.

· High school drop outs are more likely to need public assistance all while paying no taxes in return.

The Prince George’s County Young Democrats support SB 239 not as the golden key to solve our dropout problem, but as an additional knife in the drawer. We also support the other provisions that maintain a teacher’s ability to maintain order in their classroom from disruptive students. We agree that no student’s education should be at the discretion of one of their peers, however under Senator Pugh’s legislation schools will be called on to develop alternative programs for those who the traditional classroom just doesn’t fit. In school suspension, night classes, and more are programs that have both helped maintain order in the classroom and boost graduation rates in systems all over the country.

American students are living in a time when they are not only competing with their peers across the state or even just around the country but all over the world. The Prince George’s County Young Democrats believe that we need to be proactive in ensuring our children are well educated to partake in our global society and sustain a self sufficient life as productive members of society.

On Monday, January 18, 2010, we celebrate the life of the Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. This day is a Federal Holiday and many of us have the day off from school and work. However, let us not use this day to sleep in and party the night before. Dr. King believed that we should use our lives to fight injustice and to work toward a better humanity.

On Monday, I encourage all Prince Georgians to give back to our community if they can. You can volunteer at a food pantry or help beautify an elementary school. If you are looking for a volunteer project, visit http://www.mlkday.gov/ to find a volunteer project near you.

Also, if can please, go to www.redcross.org to donate money to the Red Cross to help those devastated by the earthquake in Haiti. You can also send a $10 Donation by texting ‘Haiti’ to 90999.

Dr. King would often quote Mark 9:35, the scripture in which Jesus of Nazareth tells James and John “…whosoever will be great among you shall be your servant; and whosoever among you will be the first shall be the servant of all. Let us all be great and be a servant.

Nicole A. Williams
President of the Prince George’s County Young Democrats

On behalf of myself and the members of the Prince George’s County Young Democrats, I want to wish everyone a happy holiday. As we take this time to reflect on this past year and ponder what the future may hold, I hope that we will continue to help those who are less fortunate and assist those in need. It has been a pleasure serving as President of the Prince George’s County Young Democrats this past year. I hope that in the New Year before us that we will continue to advocate for the causes that are important to the younger residents of Prince George’s County. Happy Holidays.

Sincerely,
Nicole A. Williams

The Prince George’s County Young Democrats wishes everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. As we sit down with our family and friends let us remember to give back to our community. Please give your time and/or money to the number of non-profit organizations in Prince George’s County who serve those less fortunate.

With warmest wishes for a happy holiday season from my family to yours,

Nicole Williams
President of the Prince George’s County Young Democrats

Last weekend the United States Senate opened debate on reforming the American health care system. Interestingly enough not one republican senator who has said they all favor reform, just not the reform President Obama is supporting, voted to open official discussion. They have no bill and now they have no intention on discussing the one that has come before their body.

Over the next few days and weeks the United States Senate will be working to pass health care reform. Now is not the time to take our attention away from the upper chamber. During Saturday’s cloture debate, Senator Stabenow highlighted one reason young people should be concerned with this issue: young man who paid the ultimate price for our broken system, Joe, from Okemos, Michigan. Joe was a recent graduate of dental school, between jobs after completing his residency. “He felt ill. He called his mother. She urged him to go to the doctor. But because Joe didn’t have insurance, he was worried about going to the doctor, and so he didn’t. And he continued to feel worse. His family finally got him to go agree to go to the hospital, but by then, it was too late. Joe died at age 27 of an aneurism. 27 years old. Because in America, he didn’t have insurance, and was afraid he couldn’t afford it if he went to a doctor.”

Everyday that we don’t fix our broken system 1,400 people lose their health care coverage. This is unacceptable in a civilized society like ours.

Joseph Kitchen

Executive Vice President

The Prince George’s County Young Democrats applaud Representatives Donna Edwards, Steny Hoyer, and Chris Van Hollen for their votes in favor of health care reform on Saturday night. The vote in the House of Representatives brought America closer to real change we all need and voted for in 2008.

Now as this bill moves to the United States Senate, we must turn our attention toward the upper chamber of Congress and ensure it includes a robust public option, brings down the cost of insurance, all the while keeping the promise our party made of not adding to the national debt. President Obama has stated, “The United States Senate must follow suit and pass its version of the legislation.” We urge Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin to not only vote for the bill but persuade their colleges to do the same.

Dr. Hite, Superintendent of the Prince George’s County Public Schools, will meet with PGCYD and students this week for a “Student & Community Speak Out”. This comes only days after he has delivered his first State of the Schools Address. His speech which hit many of the same lines that have became customary for these speeches also included a defining promise from the new leader of the system, to “dramatically improve student achievement”. He talked about his belief that no child is born smart but that it is something that people become, and it was his desire to “make every child in Prince George’s County smarter”. So since we have heard his speech what else could Dr. Hite have to say that is worth listening to? The answer is a whole lot.

Dr. Hite’s visit to Flowers High School to meet with the Prince George’s County Young Democrats, students, their parents, and community members will give him the ability to further explain his vision for the school system. The forum will allow students to speak directly to power and voice their thoughts on the district and areas that they see as doing well but also areas that need to improve. As the school system slowly improves into the image that parents and students alike want for the county, Dr. Hite must come to this meeting to give answers about what challenges may stand in the way this academic year and how he plans to fight against them. His meeting with PGCYD which is a political organization could allow him the ability to ask for the champions that he might need to protect school funding and push for the reforms he thinks are needed. How will he do? We can only wait and see, but we hope you will join us.

PGCYD Presents: A Student and Community Speak Out

w/ Dr. Hite- Superintendent of Schools

Thursday, October 15, 2009

6:00PM

C.H. Flowers High School

RSVP on Facebook

Joseph Lynn Kitchen Jr.

Executive Vice President- PGCYD

Last month, President Barack Obama held a rally at the University of Maryland to emphasize the necessity for Health Care Reform. It was not by chance that he chose a college campus to deliver this critical message. The President wanted to speak directly to young adults about the importance of healthcare reform and why young people stand to lose more than any other group if reform fails. Young adults aged 19-29 are the nation’s largest group of uninsured, making up nearly one-third of the uninsured population in the United States.

Thirty percent of young adults do not have health insurance, compared to 17 percent of older adults (those aged 30-64). Here in Prince George’s County, there are 151,000 uninsured and 100,000 underinsured residents—this includes about 45,300 residents between the ages of 19-29.

This startling reality exists despite the fact that many young people are employed. Twenty-eight percent of young adults who are employed are uninsured, while only 16 percent of working older adults are uninsured. This is, in part, due to the fact that nearly half of employed young adults only work part-time and are not offered coverage, and young adults are more likely to work in small businesses, which are less likely to offer coverage. Indeed, for firms employing less than 10 workers, the erosion in coverage over time has been striking—57 percent of firms offered coverage in 2000 vs. 49 percent in 2008. Among young adults working in small businesses with less than 10 employees, the uninsurance rate reaches 50 percent.

Young women face another unique challenge—disparities in insurance premiums. In 33 states, insurance companies are permitted to charge higher premiums based on age, gender, and health status without any restrictions whatsoever. Younger women are often charged higher premiums than men during their reproductive years. A 22-year-old woman can be charged one and a half times the premium of a 22-year-old man. Such a premium hike can mean the difference between coverage that is affordable and coverage that is prohibitively expensive.

In one recent survey, two-thirds of young adults who had a gap in coverage said they had forgone needed health care because of cost, including failing to fill a prescription, not seeing a doctor when sick, or skipping a recommended test or treatment. Two-thirds of uninsured young adults also have no usual source of care, compared with 17 percent of young adults who do have insurance. One in six young adults have a common chronic condition such as high blood pressure, asthma, or cancer; one-quarter of young adults are obese; and one in six young adults end up in the ER because of an injury – the highest rate of injury-related ER visits among any age group.

More than one-third of all young adults (with or without health insurance) reported problems with paying medical bills, including having trouble making payments, being contacted by a collection agency, or significantly changing their way of life in order to make payments. One in four young adults reported medical debt. This problem is significantly worse for those without insurance. Nearly half of uninsured young adults (49 percent) reported problems with medical bills, and nearly 40 percent carried medical debt.

Health insurance reform will help repair a broken healthcare system that leaves too many young adults without affordable coverage and saddled with medical debt. Historic healthcare legislation could be on the floor of both houses of Congress as early as mid-October. As Young Democrats, we urge our Congressional Representatives to pass this much-needed reform, without further delay. I encourage all Prince Georgians to read the proposed healthcare reform legislation on the Senate Finance Committee’s website, http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/legislation.htm.

Visit www.pgcyd.org to learn more about young Americans and healthcare reform.

Sincerely,
Nicole A. Williams
President of the Prince George’s County Young Democrats
Email: President@pgcyd.org
Website: http://www.pgcyd.org

For those that missed it we had a great time at the PGCYD Watch Party tonight. I want to thank State Senator David Harrington for coming out tonight. We had a great group of about 40 folks who came to Hanks Tavern and Eats located at 6507 America Blvd in Hyattsville. If you haven’t been to Hanks please check them out. They are one of our local business that has been part of “Economic Recovery Tour.”