Programs
2010 Education Program—The culmination of a year in the planning came off without a hitch—We delivered 14,000 constitutions to all of the Middle Schools—The Junior High Schools and the High Schools within Jackson County—You can all be very proud of the work done. We all worked towards this goal. Anyone who attended our BBQ’s—Purchased tickets for the Raffles—Worked to actually deliver the books—Did the planning & supported JCRW is to be congratulated. Pat yourself on the back Members & Associate Members & Friends. Very Well Done!
As many of you may not know—JCRW worked with Ashland High School to put on a by-partisan program in conjunction with the delivery of 1,070 constitutions to the school on Friday September 17th Constitution Day. Both Representative Dennis Richardson (Republican –District #4) and Representative Peter Buckley—(Democrat District #5) participated in a program with Ashland Social Studies Teacher and Associate Member of JCRW Paul Huard. Over 300 students attended this special assembly. It was wonderful to see two of our Elected Officials with opposing views, speak so eloquently and accurately of the Constitution to a group of students who listened attentively and with much interest.
As many of you may not know—JCRW worked with Ashland High School to put on a by-partisan program in conjunction with the delivery of 1,070 constitutions to the school on Friday September 17th Constitution Day. Both Representative Dennis Richardson (Republican –District #4) and Representative Peter Buckley—(Democrat District #5) participated in a program with Ashland Social Studies Teacher and Associate Member of JCRW Paul Huard. Over 300 students attended this special assembly. It was wonderful to see two of our Elected Officials with opposing views, speak so eloquently and accurately of the Constitution to a group of students who listened attentively and with much interest.
Education Chair Sheila Foy and 1st Vice President Ruth Brodman gave a copy of the Constitution to each student as they entered the auditorium. The Superintendant of Ashland Schools—Juli DiChiro spoke to the student body and urged them to register to vote when they turn 18 and spoke of the importance of Voting...She thanked Jackson County Republican Women for the Delivery of all of the constitutions and for helping to put on this program. Principal Michelle Zundle also thanked JCRW and the Representatives and Paul Huard for the program. Paul fielded 5 different questions on the Constitution to both Buckley and Richardson. The questions posed to the students are listed below. Each Representative had an opportunity to answer. Paul then opened a discussion to the entire assembly. We were all delighted by the quality of the questions asked by the student body. At the end of the program the entire assembly stood and clapped. About 15 students went up to the platform to ask specific questions of the Representatives.
Thank You to our Education Chair & Committee for their time and their service...Great Job.Sheila Foy—Chair—Committee—Ida Pruitt– Pat Tracy—LaDonna Gill
Many thanks to the following Members, Associate Members and Friends of JCRW for Delivering Constitutions to the schools. Paul Huard; Danna Gustafson; Sue Maxwell; Pat Tracey; Mary Stokes; CiCi Roshon & Ruth Jenks; Ida Prewitt; Jerry Barnes & Herman Blum; Jack and Judy Adkins; LaDonna Guill; Beverly Layer; Phil and Arlene Sadler; Liz Karpen; Joel Marks; Elizabeth Bilden; Charlotte Fairbanks; and Sheila Foy & Ruth Brodman
Questions—Posed to Rep. Buckley & Richardson on Sept. 17th—
1) What do you consider the most precious right described in the Bill of Rights?
2) What are some ways that the Constitution describes the proper role of government?
3) What do you admire most about the Framers and their efforts to create a Constitution?
4) What do you think is the most important change to the Constitution by the amendment process?
5) What should these students learn from today’s presentation?
1) What do you consider the most precious right described in the Bill of Rights?
2) What are some ways that the Constitution describes the proper role of government?
3) What do you admire most about the Framers and their efforts to create a Constitution?
4) What do you think is the most important change to the Constitution by the amendment process?
5) What should these students learn from today’s presentation?
THE YEARLY EVENT THAT FUNDS OUR EDUCATION PROGRAMS
2ND ANNUAL REAGAN BBQ
You could not have asked for better weather—nor a more beautiful setting—The Decorations were spectacular—Norman of Yummy’s from Klamath out did himself—”The Food was Excellent”—We were serenaded by JCRW’s own Nightingale Nancy Hawkins—The auction was successful. We jailed Greg Walden—Sal Esquivel and Skundrick & Rachor and all of the jams—jellies—home grown tomatoes & baked Goods SOLD OUT!! More than 150 people attended and we Made Money—Over $6,000 for our Education Fund. To each and every member who participated—whether they were on a committee or bought goodies at the Country Store or worked in registration & ticket sales, did set up and clean up and to those who bid on the items and made our auction the best ever…….THANK YOU…….THANK YOU
EDUCATION PROGRAM 2011
During Constitution Week - September 17th - Friday September 23rd - All 8th Graders in both the Public and Private Sector Schools of Jackson County received a copy of the Constitution. This continuing program began in 2010 with fundraising that began in 2009. In 2011 JCRW raised $9,000.00 at the 3rd annual BBQ at the Eagle Point Golf Course. Because our Elected Officials were in a special session during constitution week, the program was put off until January 24th of 2012. There will be a second program on Constitution Day - Monday September 17th 2012. Details to follow...
Frieze of American History
surrounding the Apotheosis as a belt is a frieze that has many depictions of the History of America from the begining with the landing of DeSoto in the Americas to the 1903 First Flight by the Wright Brothers One Example to the left is the Reading of the constitution by Thomas Jefferson - John Adams & Benjamin Franklin
Click here to see some of the treasurers in our Capital Building Washington D.C.
surrounding the Apotheosis as a belt is a frieze that has many depictions of the History of America from the begining with the landing of DeSoto in the Americas to the 1903 First Flight by the Wright Brothers One Example to the left is the Reading of the constitution by Thomas Jefferson - John Adams & Benjamin Franklin
Click here to see some of the treasurers in our Capital Building Washington D.C.
EDUCATION PROGRAM 2012
JCRW Education Program—Constitution
January 24th 2012
EAGLE POINT HIGH SCHOOL - SENATORS ALAN BATES & DOUG WHITSETT
Editor’s Note:
The following article was written by Senator Doug Whitsett after he appeared with Senator Alan Bates at a Student Forum at the Eagle Point High School on Tuesday January 24th.
Superintendant Cynda Rickert introduced the Senators and History Teacher Pam Long fielded questions to the Senators from the students. Eagle Point Principal Allen Barber attended along with 40 students from the History Government Senior Class. Thanks to Sheila Foy, Constitution Chair Ida Pruitt and Pat Tracy for all their work in putting this forum together. And a special Thank you to History Teacher Pam Long and Principal Allen Barber for allowing Republican Women the privilege of bringing this program to Eagle Point High School.
DOUG WHITSETT’S NEWSLETTER ARTICLE—”The Jackson County Republican women have an ongoing project to place a copy of the United States Constitution in the hands of all Jackson County public and private school students. This year they invited Senator Alan Bates and me to participate in more than two hours of conversation concerning the Constitution with senior students and faculty at the Eagle Point High School.
I told the students that what I admired most about the Framers and their efforts to create a Constitution was their foresight. The Framers thoughtfully developed a document that has endured for nearly 225 years. It is still just as relevant today as it was when ratified by the states in 1788.
The Constitution is a wonderful example of how much the selection and use of words matter. The Framers carefully developed language that delineated the core principles of exactly the government that they wished to establish. The entire document, including the first ten amendments, can easily be printed on twelve pages. Yet it is so complete, and so concise, that the people have found it necessary to functionally change the document only fifteen times. The first ten of the twenty seven amendments were included in the original document. The eighteenth amendment establishing prohibition and the twenty first amendment abolishing prohibition cancel one another.
We discussed at length how the Constitution describes the proper role of government. It provides that public laws and federal policies will be enacted only by elected representatives. Those representatives must have been selected by the voting citizens of the states and districts they are to represent. It limits the authority of the federal government to only those powers that the people being governed have consented to give to the federal government. It is designed to insure those limitations by a system of checks and balances in the delegation of government authority between the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of government.
We debated at length what we consider to be the most precious right described in the Bill of Rights. I believe that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms is critical. Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom to assemble and seek redress of grievances, protections against unreasonable search and seizures, the right to a trial by a jury of our peers, the right to own and use private property as well as many other reserved rights are also vital.
From my perspective, the Fifth Amendment right to own and use private property is essential because it provides the financial means for the citizens to maintain and defend all the other rights reserved to the people. Our reserved rights cannot be maintained against an oppressive central government without the financial means to access the courts and to carry out a strong defense of those constitutional rights.
The students asked what I think are the most important change to the Constitution by the amendment process. There have certainly been several critically important amendments.
The thirteenth amendment abolished slavery, the Fourteenth Amendment provided all citizens equal protection under the law and the fifteenth amendment provided that no citizen of the United States can have the right to vote denied on account of race, color or condition of previous servitude. Incredibly, it required another half century to ratify the nineteenth amendment that gave women the right to vote in 1920. That change essentially doubled the number of people allowed to participate in government. It rightfully elevated women to an equal status with men in establishing and carrying out policies that govern all men and women.
We discussed how the seventeenth amendment functionally changed our government from a representative republic to a democracy. Previous to that 1913 change, U. S. Senators were elected by the legislatures of the states they were to represent. The purpose was to have legislators that were elected by the people select the most qualified person to represent the state in the congressional upper chamber. The amendment bypassed this constitutional provision of a republic by creating the election of U.S. Senators by popular vote.
We discussed how the seventeenth amendment functionally changed our government from a representative republic to a democracy. Previous to that 1913 change, U. S. Senators were elected by the legislatures of the states they were to represent. The purpose was to have legislators that were elected by the people select the most qualified person to represent the state in the congressional upper chamber. The amendment bypassed this constitutional provision of a republic by creating the election of U.S. Senators by popular vote.
What I hoped to help the students clearly understand was that the Framers’ primary purpose was to create a government that the people to be governed could control. To that end, their first concern was to limit the authority of government and the rule that it was to have over our lives. While the Constitution they wrote does confer certain powers to the federal government, it specifically reserves to the people and to the states ALL powers not specifically conveyed to the federal government.
Congress and the Courts have unquestionably used the “commerce” and “necessary and proper” clauses found in Article I to circumvent those constitutional limits. Broad interpretation of those two clauses has resulted in the expansion of federal government authority and powers far beyond what I believe the Framers had in mind.
Our government of the people and by the people was designed by the Framers to serve the people. Their greatest fear was to establish a government that ruled the people and that the people had cause to fear. From my perspective, their fears were well founded.
Please remember, if we do not stand up for rural Oregon no one will. Best Regards, Doug Whitsett
