One thing you MUST do this week...

The economy is in the tank, gas prices are still high, housing prices are still low, my retirement fund has about five cents left in it. The lines at Wal-Mart are long and the lines at Whole Foods are non-existent.

So what is a good American to do? Is this a time to just sit on your duff, drinking beer and complaining? A time to hang your head and figure it doesn't matter, nothing you do changes anything? Or is it time to make a difference, in some tiny way, change the course of events?

If you do nothing else patriotic, nothing else brave or interesting this week, you MUST REGISTER TO VOTE! I don't care if you're Republican or Democrat, Libertarian or Green. You have an opportunity to love your country, support your troops and be a proud American. Millions of people around the world wish they had our luxury of telling our government how we really feel.

In California, you must register by October 20th to vote and you have to sign the voter registration card in person! Request your voter registration today at the Sac County Elections Office website. You need to fill it out and return it to the Elections Office. Don't wait or you won't be able to vote November 4th.

If you don't register you will miss your opportunity to speak out on these issues:

• Sacramento Mayoral Race
• Community College Funding (Measure M)
• Utility User Taxes (Measure O)
  
• Numerous School Board seats
• State Assembly Races
• Congressional Race
  
• State Propositions including: High Speed Rail, Children's Hospital Bonds, law enforcement funding, renewable energy requirements and funding, minor abortion waiting period and parental notification, veterans bonds and redistricting
• President of the United States

So you're already registered? Ask 5 friends today if they are also registered. Don't talk politics, don't debate. Just ask if they're registered. If not, help them sign up.

Head for the hill-- Apple Hill!

It's still hot here in the valley but the farmers at Apple Hill are getting ready to harvest! Time to pick a weekend, load up the kids and make the short hour drive up to Camino to see all that Apple Hill has to offer. The season officially opens at different times for different farms so check the website for specific information. We've included the highlights here.

Saturday, Sept 13th - Teddy Bear Picnic Carnival at Rainbow Orchards

Saturday, Sept 20th- Kids' Day at Kids Inc, Taste of Fall Harvest at Mother Lode Orchards,

Sunday, Sept 21st- Johnny Appleseed's Birthday- various locations

Saturday, Sept 27th- Opening Weekend at Grandpa's Cellar

Early October at Apple Hill is very festive with lots of Halloween/harvest activities, pick your own pumpkins and more. We'll highlight those towards the end of September.

Are You a Community Organizer?

I don't know about you but I have no trouble being labeled a community organizer. Tip O'Neill once said that "All politics is local" and I know so many people who embody that idea. From my neighbors who spend countless hours tutoring in the local housing project to friends who have knocked on hundreds of doors in our upcoming mayoral race, those who care start at home first. They have no higher aspirations, they are not running for office. They just know that you have to make a difference at home.

Community organizing provides a way for disenfranchised people to speak out and make change. It opens doors that have been shut repeatedly. As the technology changes, community organizing changes to reflect the values of those it represents. Many bloggers are now community organizers who disseminate information to those who otherwise would not receive it. My buddy Joe Sacramento is a prime example of a 21st century organizer. Without his research, thoughtful commentary and insight, so many Sacramentans would still believe that Heather Fargo is the savior of our town.

I'm not embarrassed to be thrown in the category of community organizer. I'd rather be one with my community than mayor any day...

Palin in Comparison: Are all women interchangeable?

Sure this is a local blog, but all politics are local right? I've certainly shared my support for the Obama campaign here in the past. And should this person end up our VP, even here in sunny California, life is bound to change.

Here's my two cents in a nutshell: Sarah Palin is a smart, capable, intelligent and aggressive candidate who is perfectly capable of becoming the VP... someday. She's not ready now. She was not properly vetted by the McCain camp and it's coming back to bite them in the rears.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm a former opposition researcher. I spent an entire year digging through old newspaper archives, college yearbooks, tax records and even sitting on stakeout once to prove that someone didn't ever take residency where they said they lived. I've even been hired by someone to find out what secrets were easily available from his own past. This is what you do when you're running for office, even at a very local level.

So did the McCain camp think that they'd be able to keep secret Palin's 17 year old daughter's pregnancy? How about the ethics charges against Palin herself? Or her husband's drunk driving arrest? What about her very, very conservative policies that make even McCain look more moderate?

I'm insulted. The McCain camp obviously thinks that all female democrats are mad enough about Hillary not being on the ticket to throw all our values, all our positions and ideals out the window simply because she has two X chromosomes. Someone gave him bad advice to think that democrats would leap to a woman who is:

• Staunchly anti-choice, including cases of rape or incest
• Favors teaching creationism in science class
• Denies any evidence that global warming is man-made or that man has contributed
  
• Is suing the federal government to remove the polar bear from the endangered species list to build an oil pipeline
• Supports drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge
• Favors abstinence only education in schools
  
• Inexperienced in all matters of foreign policy- being "near Russia" doesn't count
  
• Opposes stem-cell research
• Opposes same-sex marriage
• Opposes government involved health care or government funding for health care
  
• Heavily tied into big oil
  

(Information from On The Issues)

Democrats are not sexist... we won't vote for a woman just because she's a woman. We are not interchangeable. You have to earn your spot in our hearts and our pocketbooks. Nice try McCain.

If that's not enough, read more from bloggers around the country at Momocrats.com.