Minutes of Meeting

February 25,2006

 
            Alice Bergeron called the meeting to order. In attendance were 25 members and 3 guests. The first order of business was approval of a $50.00 donation to the Primary Kick-off and Rally to be held at Drexler’s tonight. A vote was taken and the motion was approved.

 
            The next subject to be discussed was the establishment of a Special Appeal Fund to enable the Harris County Democratic Party to hire a full-time Political Director for grass roots organizing and other campaign-related actvities. The HCDP is within $9,OOO of the amount needed to hire a person to fill this Political Director position. Contributions are urged from clubs or individuals. There were many questions posed by our members, and it was agreed by the group that we needed more information before we could make any decision regarding funds to be allocated by our club. The subject will be discussed at a future meeting.

 
            Alice announced that there will be a BBQ held at Jay Aiyer's house on Sunday, March 5 from 4-8 P.M. as a thank-you to the clubs that helped with his campaign. Everyone is invited to attend.

 
            Rod Haper reported that the balance in our treasury was $1,696.03.  

 
Our speaker, Mr. David Lopez, President/CEO of Harris County Hospital District was introduced. He started by asking the question, "Is health care a right or a privilege?" As he continued with his presentation, it became clear that this was a difficult question to answer. He shared with us some of the challenges faced by the Hospital District in the effort to serve the thousands of uninsured and under-insured citizens of Harris County. He also discussed the many moral and ethical issues faced in dealing with undocumented individuals and their families, as well as the evacuees from Louisiana. In summing up, he stated that many of the health problems are a direct result of drug abuse, alcohol abuse, smoking and obesity.

Respectfully submitted,

Sylvie Adams