Meeting Notes from 3/31/2010

Meeting Notes from 3/31/2010
Paradise Bakery, 12St & Glendale Ave, 7:00-9:00pm

First there were a few newcomers so we went over all the introductions.

Next we discussed how some members are under the impression that public opinion is that we are a "leftist" or "liberal" group. We talked about how to get more conservatives involved. We wondered if we could change the public opinion, and get people to understand that we mean to be non partisan and inclusive. Several people suggested meeting with the Tea Party. Jason thought we shouldn't try to meet with them soon, but, maybe in a few months.

Then we talked about our issue for the week: lobbying and campaign contributions. Barbara brought a Newsweek article entitled, "Why we need more lobbyists". We were all interested by some of the ideas in the article. Oran typed up his ideas for campaign finance and lobby reform. He also brought some data regarding campaign contributions and the education industry. We tried to make some sense of it, but, weren't sure what it all meant. Cliff brought IRS related materials regarding campaign contributions. He noted that churches can contribute up to a point. There was also some back-and-forth discussion about term limits.

I mentioned a design contest for making government data and processes more accessible and easier to understand for the general public. The link for the contest is here: http://sunlightlabs.com/contests/designforamerica/

Next we discussed various ways to outreach to the public. Both to get more members and also to provide educational materials. We discussed creating a website for the Arizona Coffee Party. Jason purchased a domain. I mentioned that we might want to post meeting notes and other information on a blog.

We decided for next Tuesday's meeting at Paradise Bakery, we would talk about Education (the good, the bad, and any solutions we particularly like). Jason won't be able to attend, so, Oran and I will be hosting it.

We also talked informally about our food system and the recent media relating to food. (Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution tv show, the documentary Food, Inc., etc)