Announcements
Elections - There is still time for those of you who would like to help secure GKCDFA's future. Actually there are two ways to help: Easiest way, pay annual dues: $20.00 individual, $30.00 Family and $15.00 for Students and Seniors (62 & over). Bring money or a check to the next meeting.
Or, if you would like our group to reflect your ideals, your goals and your ambitions, please join us by running for an office as a chair person or a volunteer. Self nominations sheets are attached to this email and will be accepted by email until the 1st day of March.
Training - For anyone who plans to be engaged in any political campaign this coming year, as a candidate or campaign worker, attending the DFA Campaign Training Academy is a definite must. April 17th and 18th, Johnson County Community College, sign up here: http://www.
The Meeting:
The featured speaker at our Feb. meeting was Toby Grotz an electrical engineer who has been immersed in various aspects of 'energy' from exploration seismology, to energy production in coal, gas and nuclear power plants.
The thrust of Toby's talk was to force us to recognize that the availability of renewable energy is quickly diminishing. If we don't start switching to a renewable energy system quickly, using the exhaustible energy that is rapidly disappearing, we won't have enough energy remaining to make that switch.
The consensus is that we have already hit peak oil production, coal is expected to peak out about 2030. Uranium production is way down and what supplies are available today will be gone in 35 years, used up by the existing (not new) plants. Even in face of this pending depletion of energy we cannot replace; we continue to rely too heavily upon non-renewable sources. 85% of our energy today comes from non-renewable fossil fuel.
Estimates are that it will cost $22 Trillion (or more) for the world to make a switch to renewable energy by year 2100. The cost for the U.S. would be $16.9 Trillion. If we truly make the strides projected for major energy use reduction this price tag could be only $7 Trillion. Granted $7 Trillion is a big pile of money but let's put it in prospective: Wall Street Bailout = $8.5 Trillion. Our Defense budget since 1946 = $22.7 trillion. That is the money we have spent to protect all of those resources we hope to import into the U.S. Our problem is not finding the money, our problem is finding the leadership that will resolve to get it done.
School Board Elections
Rose Marie Bell and Kyleen Carroll visited us to introduce themselves. They are both running for at-large seats on the KCMSD school board. Each of these ladies offered us their credentials, their thought and ideas on how they could help assist the school board in its goal of improving the effectiveness of the system. The elections are scheduled for April 6th, please plan on going to the polls to make your voice heard.
Next Time
The March meeting - Instead of having our normal lecture style or panel discussion type meeting, our program, next month, will be offered in a softer more entertaining and artistic way. The rich history of the Kansas City labor movement will be explored from various vantage points and will be presented to us through music and readings.
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