Newsletter – May 16, 2025

KCfD Members,

Our weekly newsletter is quickly becoming a great resource for those who want to stay educated and aware of little ways they can stay involved and make a difference on the local, state, and federal levels.

If you enjoy what we are publishing, I encourage you to spread the word to friends through social media or word-of-mouth to go to our website at kycitizens.org and sign up for our weekly emails.

As we head into this week’s publication, the proposed Republican budget bill that is on the verge of being signed into law is at the top of my mind. The bill seems to have been written by individuals who lack any compassion, not only for the most vulnerable in our society, but even those who simply work paycheck-to-paycheck.

The bill would implement the largest cuts to Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) in history. While cutting services for our most vulnerable, it raises spending on military and national defense, which already eats up over half our discretionary budget.

At the same time, this bill gives tax cuts that disproportionately go to the top 0.1%, which will increase our debt by trillions. How can a party pride itself on being deficit hawks if they will not touch the most expensive category in our discretionary budget and are willing to increase our deficit by astronomical proportions through tax cuts?

According to the Center for American Progress, this would be the single largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in one law in American history!

I highly encourage you to read the following article from the same organization to see just how deep these cuts go.

Reading about the lack of empathy and compassion in this bill, and having other current events on my mind, inspired me to write the following article on my blog this week. I hope you have the time to check it out:

What Must Change For Our Nation And Our Species To Survive

As always, feel free to contact us with any comments or suggestions. Enjoy this week’s publication!

Hello KCfD!

Well, the past week seems to have flown by yet again. I can’t believe it’s already time for the second edition of our newsletter! Thankfully, the Educate Committee has my back in making sure we are delivering on our promise to our members to provide a wealth of helpful resources to further flesh out your knowledge on Constitutional principles. As we say here at KCfD, an informed citizenry is an empowered citizenry!

First off, I am excited to announce the full details for our inaugural confabulation (yes, I looked that word up). Please come out and join us for a lively, fun, and informal discussion. No need to commit to the whole time slot, just drop in for as long as you can when you can, we will be there having a few beers and apps, and pontificating.

Spill the Tea with KCfD!

Date: Saturday, June 7th
Time: 2-4 PM – or until they kick us out if things are going well
Venue: The Blind Squirrel – on the patio if the weather cooperates
Topic: What is government for anyways?

Next, I want to shout out Mike Toibin and Genie Fortunato for bringing their energy to support our designated attendees at Fiscal Court meetings. And Mike for leveraging his old-school charm to line up potential future guest speakers for our monthly General Meeting.

Finally, I want to introduce a few new recurring sections of the Educate newsletter:

• Did You Know?: We plan to share interesting tidbits of info we come across as we research our content. Thank you to Eric Ruppel for this week’s fun fact.
• Clickbait: Every week we will provide a few helpful links to online resources we believe provide accurate and helpful information. Thank you to Nikki Hill for this week’s links.
• Keeping it Constitutional: This will be an excerpt from that week’s editorial style article with a link to the full article on our website, kycitizens.org. Another thank you to Eric for stepping up to write this week’s excellent article on the Preamble to the Constitution.

Did You Know?

Did you know that Alexander Hamilton actually argued against the Bill of Rights in his essay Federalist No. 84? He was afraid that listing specific rights might imply that people did not enjoy rights that were not mentioned. He even argued that a Bill of Rights could be misinterpreted or abused by the government to claim powers that were not granted to it, since bills of rights existed under monarchies to explicitly limit citizens’ rights, whereas a government by the people does not have any power that the people have not given it. Does the Bill of Rights enhance or limit our individual freedoms? Imagine how different our country might be today if the Bill of Rights had never existed! Better? Worse? Different, for sure.

Clickbait

http://constitutioncenter.org/ – The National Constitution Center’s website is an amazing site offering a nonpartisan approach to constitutional education, engaging you with historical foundations, judicial interpretations, and civil dialogue without political bias.

ProtectDemocracy.org – A nonpartisan organization dedicated to defending free and fair elections, upholding the rule of law, and ensuring fact-based political discourse. With a cross-ideological approach, they bring together experts in law, policy, technology, and advocacy to strengthen democratic institutions and protect fundamental freedoms.

educatingforamericandemocracy.org – is dedicated to revitalizing civics and history education in the U.S. With backing from institutions like the National Endowment for the Humanities and the U.S. Department of Education, they bring together scholars, educators, and policymakers to ensure that students are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary for informed citizenship. A great resource for your school-age children and those of us looking for an approachable refresher.

Keeping it Constitutional

As long as any of us have been alive, there have been debates about the purpose of government. What is it for? Who is it for? What should it accomplish? Why do we need it? All of these questions are, of course, answered to one degree or another in the Constitution and in the long legacy of laws, judicial record, and executive actions that have been pursued (and argued over) since then. Taken together, the story of America is the interpretation of these founding documents through the lens of each era, as problems arose and patriots did their best to uphold their ideals and the oaths of their office to protect and defend the Constitution.

The Preamble of the Constitution was drafted in 1787 during the Constitutional Convention. This single paragraph sets the stage for the rights that would be defined later on in the same document and in its amendments. Just as importantly, it outlines the basic premise of government in the United States. Here is the Preamble, the first 52 words of the United States Constitution:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

In barely more words than we have States in our nation, the founders managed to cast one of the most effective visions in history… (Read Eric’s full post here)

Thank you for bearing with me and making it this far. If you want to get more involved in what we are doing or have helpful feedback on what you would like to see, please reach out and let us know!

Fighting Fascism- One Action at a Time, One Thing a Day

Each week seems to bring some new assault on American democracy. From revealing that the administration is looking at suspending habeas corpus to Trump’s acceptance of a luxury aircraft from Saudi Arabia, we are witnessing actions that are blatantly corrupt and anti-democratic. At the local level, we continue to see officials willingly being part of ICE actions, which are draconian. Too many are silent and refusing to push back against this lawlessness and indecency. Americans must stand up to this authoritarian and corrupt administration. From the local to the national level, it’s incumbent on each of us to advocate for justice, decency, and equality.

Last week, we outlined why phone calls are one of the most effective ways constituents can influence their elected officials and provided background information along with resources to help you take action. This week, we expand that personal contact strategy to include letters, emails, postcards, and faxes. Like phone calls, staffers have to process and report on voter feedback from these sources. Flooding the Zone means utilizing all communication methods to inundate officials with your concerns.

Flooding the Zone!

What: Letter, Email, Postcards, and Faxes

Written communication from voters is important. Form letters, emails, or faxes aren’t as impactful as personalized communication from voters. While many online tools and apps use the form approach, know that your short personalized message will be considered more closely.

Why: Sustained and Widespread Pressure Works

Since Trump took office, numerous outrageous acts by the administration have been rolled back because of the volume of pushback from citizens (e.g., proposed cuts to World Trade Center Health Program). Currently, there’s reporting that Republican senators are being inundated about cuts to Medicaid and are hesitating and trying to find ways to dodge this big bullet coming to their constituents. When citizens don’t engage on issues, legislators at all levels operate as they wish and with impunity at times. Now, more than ever, we must be clear about what we value and want protected.

How: Cut to the Chase

Just like last week’s breakdown on calling officials, visualize what the staffer on the other end is going to do with your communication. They will determine whether or not you are a constituent, what topic you are writing about, and what your stance is. Make it easy for them by being succinct and clear. Be specific in your ask of the official.

There are various tools that can assist you in getting emails and faxes to your elected officials. ResistBot and FaxZero are two that are easy to use. Also, using the Indivisible and RepresentUs websites to generate your emails is recommended. We have prepared a guide for you on each of these tools to help you Flood the Zone!

Challenge: Think of It as Medicine!

Democracy is sick right now and needs assistance from those who value it and want it to exist for our children and grandchildren. Think of these phone calls, emails, letters, postcards, and faxes as your daily or weekly dose of medicine for democracy. Choose an issue and try ResistBot, buy some postcards and drop a few in the mail this week, send a fax, or write a letter to an official. Make a commitment to do this daily or weekly.

Hello all!

Continuing to focus on the drive we highlighted last week, please consider donating to the drive below at the next meeting to lift up our neighbors! If you are unable to attend the meeting and donate, but would like to contribute money, you may Venmo Erica Kelley (@cfmommee, last 4 1318), and she will purchase needed items for donations (please note: Food Drive in the info section).

Food Drive:

At the meeting on 5/22, we would like to donate items to the new food pantry (Mission House) that has opened up in Crestwood. Please bring one or more of the following items to the next meeting!

Personal Care Items:

• Soap
• Shampoo/Conditioner
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrushes
• Deodorant
• Toilet Paper
• Paper Towels

Food:

• Macaroni & Cheese
• Peanut Butter
• Jelly
• Spaghetti and Sauce
• Pop-Tarts
• Fruit
• Canned Chicken or Tuna

Events!

If you have not saved the date already, please do so for our for KY Citizens for Democracy night out on 6/20/25 at 3rd Turn Oldham Gardens! This is a family and pet-friendly establishment owned by similarly like-minded folks! Please come spend a Friday night and meet other folks in our area!

We also plan to host a trivia event this summer, details forthcoming!

Ways to Participate Now:

Bring items for the drive to the May 22 meeting and ATTEND!

Save the date (6/20) to build community this summer!

We will be bringing red cards to the next meeting that clearly explain rights if approached by ICE. We will have them at the meeting, and we encourage folks to take them and distribute them in the community.

We would love more volunteers who want to help our community, or even ideas on how you think we could help, even if you can’t commit to being on the committee! If you are interested, please let us know!

May 15, 22, 29: Indivisible Weekly Chat 3:00-4:00 pm

May 16-22: National Boycott of Walmart

May 22: KY Citizens for Democracy General Meeting 6:30-8:00 pm at St. James Episcopal Church

June 1: Louisville Indivisible Meeting at The Arterburn (formerly St. Matthews Community Center) 2-3:00 pm. Guest speaker, former congressman John Yarmouth, talk and Q/A.

June 14: No Kings National Protest Day

Check our calendar on the KCfD website for more information about these events.