GVConsulting

On September 30, 2010, GVConsulting will hold several fundraising web-based seminars for nonprofits, small businesses, community-driven projects, and political efforts. Each session will be catered to the appropriate category and designed to include specific elements as requested by participants that sign up by September 28. Single theme seminars may be considered for large groups who wish to attend. Email gregory@gregoryvickrey.com for more information and to sign up your self or your group.

GVConsulting makes its second endorsement of the 2010 election cycle, and we are pleased to announce our support for Dan La Botz, candidate for Unites States Senate from Ohio. Dan is the candidate of the Socialist Party, running against the Republican, Democratic, and Constitutional Party candidates, as well as a conservative independent. A former college history teacher, Mr. La Botz now teaches Spanish in an elementary school. Dan is a longtime labor and immigrant rights activist. He was a founding member of Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU) in the 1970s, has been a longtime writer for Labor Notes, and is the author of the original Troublemakers Handbook used by many union activists. Mr. La Botz is committed to fighting the corporations and their agenda, and building the labor and social movements. Dan is taking on the challenge of fighting two well-funded corporate candidates for the open seat left by the retiring Republican George Voinovich.

Statement from Dan La Botz:

The United States is at a critical moment in its history, faced with three crises which threaten the wellbeing of our people.

First, we have an economic crisis which has become the first Great Depression of the 21st century, and the government is failing to act to provide jobs. Second, we face an environmental catastrophe of enormous proportions–global warming or climate change–and the government is moving too slowly and ineffectively to address this problem. Third, the United States finds itself involved in illegal, immoral and unwinnable wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and refuses to withdraw all troops and end the wars. Leaving 50,000 troops in Iraq is a continuing occupation, not withdrawal.

The Republicans and Democrats don’t have the desire, ideas or the will to address these issues. We need new political ideas and a new political movement which will take action to address these problems. I see my campaign as contributing to building that political alternative.

My campaign provides a vehicle for putting before the American people an alternative vision of a just society, a democratic socialist vision.

Statement from Gregory Vickrey:

I am excited to stand in support of Dan La Botz and his candidacy for United States Senate from Ohio. The seat left behind by the outgoing Republican is being chased by two well-worn corporate candidates from the major parties, and the people of Ohio deserve real representation by a real candidate that will directly serve their needs. Mr. La Botz is that candidate. Dan’s intelligence, suite of solutions, and modes of thought need to be heard across the state of Ohio, and together we can fight to get him into the debates and on to Washington DC. The residents of Ohio deserve more voices, more choices, and a pro-active Senator.

Learn more about Dan’s campaign at his website.

Dan is also a signer to the Coalition Against War Spending. Look for more candidates to support there.

GVConsulting will be announcing more endorsements in the coming days. Please support Dan and each of the candidates with your time and money this election cycle.

GVConsulting is honored to make our first endorsement of the 2010 election cycle. Today we announce the endorsement of Doctor Rick Staggenborg, candidate for United States Senate from Oregon. Doctor Staggenborg is running with the Oregon Progressive Party and is challenging incumbent Democrat Ron Wyden, along with Republican and Libertarian candidates. Rick is a native of Portland, Oregon, and now lives in Coos Bay. He works as a psychiatrist and primary care provider for uninsured and under-insured individuals in Roseburg. Doctor Staggenborg is a retired veteran, a tireless supporter of Single Payer health care, shares a close affiliation with Physicians for a National Health Plan (PNHP), is working hard to end corporate personhood, and is dedicated to challenging the status quo in Washington DC. Please read the released statements below, and do all that you can to support Rick Staggenborg in his run against Ron Wyden. His ethics, integrity, and acumen deserve our time, money, and resources and can change the face of politics in Oregon and around the country.

Statement from Doctor Rick Staggenborg:

I am running for the US Senate because America can no longer afford the corporate welfare state that it has become. I want to introduce a Constitutional amendment to abolish corporate personhood, making it impossible for corporations to buy our Senate. We can then identify the corporate tools in the Senate by whether or not they support the amendment or their corporate sponsors.

If we eliminate the ability of corporations to legally bribe our members of Congress, we can end the wars and establish an affordable, sustainable system of universal health care in America for about what we already pay in taxes toward health care. Without having to pay for insurance run by private companies at an overhead of up to 30% until the health care “reform” bill, everyone can have access to quality health care from cradle to grave based on an improved Medicare-For-All.

I am running against a nominal Democrat who crossed Party lines to vote with a Republican Senate for the bill that is bankrupting Medicare, The Medicare Modernization Act that gave us some Medicare drug coverage, but at at he cost of giving the Pharmaceutical industry the absolute right to dictate prices to the American taxpayer. His only excuse was “It’s the best we could do.”

We can do better. Refuse to vote for any Republican or Democrat who is not prepared to support this amendment, if there is a better Third Party candidate for Congress in your state or district. If there is not, please support any campaign whose candidate has taken the Pledge to Amend.

Statement from Gregory Vickrey:

I am proud to stand with Rick and his candidacy for United States Senate from Oregon. For too long we have accepted the rule and role of the two party system, and Rick is the perfect candidate for helping us overcome and overwhelm the status quo. Doctor Staggenborg brings an integrity to the fold that will challenge the corrupt system for what it has become: a tool for manipulation and control by corporations. Rick should be in the debates with Senator Wyden and other candidates, as Oregon deserves more voices, more choices, and better representation.

Learn more about Rick’s campaign at his website.

Rick is also a signer to the Coalition Against War Spending. Look for more candidates to support there.

GVConsulting will be announcing more endorsements in the coming days. Please support Rick and each of the candidates with your time and money this election cycle.

Here is a link where you may donate towards our legal effort against Nestle in Colorado. (click “More” below)

Shots From the East Side

It has been an incredibly dynamic week; one might not naturally conclude that from the lack of action on this website, but it is true.

On the techie side of things, our web guru set things up so that detailed posts will share the teaser on our main page, and readers can click through to enter the rabbit hole that is our world at GVC. This is a good thing, as engaging citizens can now take a quick peak  by scrolling the main page, and I (GV) can be held accountable for posting consistently. Cheers for that!

We’ve also added additional communication tools to your right: grab our Twitter feed and we will do our best to share a variety of content, from policy-making to physics to angst to music. Further, become a fan and friend at Facebook, where debate is not only honored, but encouraged.

On to issues:

We’ve been neck deep in our fight against Nestle, and it hasn’t been pretty. Nestle continues to drive the people of Chaffee County, Colorado, nuts – the corporate giant has completed construction of its pumping facility on the Arkansas River, and is ready to roll 25 8,000 trucks a day to Denver in order bottle and profit from a pillaged resource. They are angering others, as well. Communities like Aurora, Colorado, are selling off their waters to Nestle in order to augment water loss near Buena Vista; as the Nestle virus spreads, no watersheds are safe.

Buena Vista, Colorado

What can you do about this? Spread the word. Boycott Nestle products. Donate towards our legal expenses (via PayPal using gregory@gregoryvickrey.com). Sign up to make phone calls via the same email. Sign this petition. Stay involved.

This is a battle worth fighting.

There is no denying it (insert anticipated guffaw here): GVConsulting is fully engaged in the fight against catastrophic Climate Change. We are working with the talented and astute Cory Morningstar of Canadians for Action on Climate Change; the brilliant and knowledgeable Karyn Strickler of Climate Challenge TV (the nation’s first and only television program dedicated to Climate Change, soon to be available world-wide via the internet); and a collaborative force known as Climate SOS.  The amount of work we will be producing in the coming months will astound you, and provide a real foundation for driving pro-active change for the sake of the entire planet.

Karyn, Cory, and I took to the airwaves recently for nearly an hour and a half of discussion on the issue at Shared Sacrifice with Matt Stannard. The program is well worth a listen: we talked policy, the environmental movement’s corruption and collusion, the need for a significant grassroots movement around real solutions, and potential solutions (they do exist).  An unrelated but all-important editorial by Ernesto Aguilar starts the show.

Stay tuned.

We will cover more of our issues-based work in the coming days.

Life and times:

Our friend and colleague in Alaska, Representative Les Gara, issued a tribute to those who passed away in a tragic plane accident near Dillingham (close to my first stomping grounds in Alaska), including Senator Ted Stevens and Dana Tindall. I share Les’ respects.

The Sound of Music:

Our favorite business client and close friend DJ mLe chimed in this week to let us know her much anticipated video of cut “Do the Deal” is set to rock the house on August 19, 2010. Tap your inner breakbeats and get your dubstep on by visiting these links.

Finally:

This is our first open thread, and we are happy to receive your comments. Please share your thoughts as you see fit, and know that we intend to keep all our future threads open for comment and discussion.

Thanks for your support and continued engagement.

Go!