Wine and Cheese Bash

The Comfort Inn and Suites at the entrance to the Shell Point property was the scene of a Club fall fundraiser on Saturday, October 20, with over 100 members and guests attending. The wine flowed freely and the cheese and other tasty comestibles donated by Club board members and local area merchants kept everyone drinking and eating and talking, especially talking. During the evening two lucky people won tickets to the show of their choice at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in the lottery drawing which was a party highlight. Those tickets were donated by impresario Will Prather, who is well known for his support of Democratic events. Special kudos go to Muriel Rains who arranged the discounted wine pricing and even exacted some free cases from the same wine merchant. The entire Ways and Means Committee and cheerleader President Joan Walton, caught in a moment of revelry in the enclosed picture, deserve thanks from all Club members for a fun evening and a profit for our Democratic activities of $1011.

Activist Nogaj's Immigration Presentation

Richard Nogaj, Immokalee activist who is associated with both Harvest for Humanity and Habitat for Humanity. spoke to the Club on Saturday, October 27, on the issue of immigration and how the Bush administration as well as some Democrats in Congress are distorting the true picture of immigration. He remarked that the immigrant situation in the early part of the 20th century is exactly like it is today. Early settlers from Europe were often called WOPs, referring not only to those of Italian descent but to others as well. A WOP is a person "without official papers"; their equivalent today is often labelled as an illegal alien, when in reality they are undocumented immigrants and there is nothing illegal about their entry into the United States. In both situations these individuals are merely seeking a better life for themselves and their families.

In the earlier century capitalist businesses welcomed the European immigrants as a source of labor for their burgeoning factories and expanding infrastructure. Now the same businesses do not need this labor source since they are finding a labor pool in Asia which enables them to produce their goods or grow their food even cheaper than they can in the U.S. So these businesses have alligned themselves with the anti-immigration forces in the Bush administration to perpetuate many myths about immigration. First, they claim that immigrants don't pay taxes. The fact is that immigrants pay taxes, whether income, property, sales, or other. Second the claim is made that they come here to take welfare. The ratio between immigrant use of public benefits and the amount of taxes they pay is consistently favorable to the U.S. Thirdly, they claim that immigrants cross the border illegally. Untrue. Around 75% have legal permanent (immigrant) visas; of the 25% that are undocumented, 40% overstayed temporary (non-migrant) visas. Lastly, they claim that the war on terrorism can be won through immigration restrictions. No restrictive immigration measures could have prevented the terrorist attacks. Most of the 9/11 hijackers were here on legal visas. The key is good use of good intelligence; only that could have prevented those attacks and only that will prevent future attacks as well, not restricting immigration or building fortified walls along borders.

Mr. Nogaj concluded his talk with a Q&A session from a very appreciative audience.

OCTOBER CLUB MEETING

Richard Nogaj, Immokalee activist involved in both Harvest for Humanity and Habitat for Humanity, will be the featured speaker at the October meeting of our club. Nogaj's interests in alleviating poverty and providing home ownership for the Florida farming community are reflected in these involvements.

His talk entitled "My Views on Immigration" takes a hard look at this topic which did not gain Congressional approval recently but continues to be an issue in Florida's agricultural community.

The meeting is scheduled for Saturday, October 27, at 9:45 a.m. in the Social Center on the Island at Shell Point Retirement Community in Fort Myers. To reach Shell Point drive west on Summerlin Avenue toward Sanibel Island. After passing through the intersection of Summerlin Road and McGregor Boulevard stay in the right lane and exit Summerlin Road at the next traffic light (Shell Point Boulevard). Proceed past the Comfort Inn and Suites and the Woodlands at Shell Point to the end of Shell Point Boulevard and the guard station entrance to Shell Point Island. Tell the guard you are attending a meeting at the Social Center and he will instruct you where to park.