A Distinguished New Board for 80-20‏

A distinguished new Board will lead 80-20 in 2009. Six of the 18 Board members are new, adding new and diversity. Three of the 6 are from outside the Chinese Am community. They all have splendid career achievements. See their achievements for yourself.

Beverly Hong-Fincher is a language professor who grew up in Vietnam;

Chenming Calvin Hu is a Distinguished Chair professor of electrical engineering at UC, Berkeley & a member of the US Academy of Engineering;

Alice S. Huang is on the Board of The Rockefeller Foundation, a member of the Committee of 100 and of the Academia Sinica;

Yuko Nakanishi is the Principal of Nakanishi Research & Consulting, NY

Roy Saigo has just retired from the Presidency of St. Cloud Univ. of MN;

Lena Tam is Vice Mayor of the City of Alameda, CA; and

Charles C. Zhang is the Managing Partner of Zhang Financial, Michigan. He is the only advisor in the nation who was selected as a top advisor by both Worth Magazine and Barron's each year from 2004 -2007.

S. B. Woo was appointed by the outgoing Board to be the Acting Executive Director, without pay, effective immediately. His term lasts until such time as the new 2009 Board will elect a President and V. P. in a special election or appoint a new Executive Director.

Details of the election result are shown below:

1) Secretary: Yuko Nakanishi (New York) 55.56% of the total vote; 

2) Treasurer: Jing-Li Yu (Chicago) 52.78 %; 

3) Nominations Chair: Laura Hsu (Texas) 52.98 %;

Other elected Board Directors are:

4) Fel Anthony Amistad (N. California) 69.44 %;
5) Beverly Hong-Fincher (D.C.) 81.55 %;
6) Chenming Calvin Hu (N. California) 77.98 %;
7) Alice S. Huang (S. California) 85.32 %;
8) Linden Nishinaga (S. California) 79.56 %; 

9) Roy Saigo (Minnesota) 80.75 %;
10) Kim Song (Missouri) 83.53 %; 

11) Lena Tam (N. California) 77.98 %; 

12) Joel Wong (N. California) 74.40 %; 

13) S. B. Woo (Delaware) 95.63 %; 

14) David Yang (D.C.) 86.11 %;
15) Charles C. Zhang (Michigan) 81.55 %;

The above is joined on the Board by
16) Kathleen To who is the Immediate Past President, and
17) Frank Lee (California)

18) Edward Lin (Florida)

All of us look forward to serving you. We hope that you deem 80-20 to be deserving of your help as well.

Respectfully yours,

Kathleen To
President, 80-20 PAC, Inc.

Will You Join 80-20's Journey for Equal Opportunity?

Will you consider joining 80-20? If you join now, you will be a member for 2008 AND for all of 2009.

Go to: http://www.80-20initiative.net .

Thanks to your support, we are a HUGE step closer to achieving equal opportunity and equal justice. But the journey has just begun.

Let's take a brief look at the milestones of our journey so far:

1/30/2008: Senator Barack Obama signs his iron clad commitment to help win equal opportunity and equal justice for Asian Americans. See:
http://www.80-20initiative.net/news/preselect2008_obama.asp

8/2/2008: 80-20 endorses Senator Obama for President, and begins working on delivering bloc votes of Asian Americans for Senator Obama, especially in battleground states.

11/4/2008: Senator Obama wins his historic victory. Senator Obama wins in almost every battleground state 80-20 focused in, including: Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Colorado. The only state he didn't win that 80-20 focused on wasMissouri.

Recall how razor-thin his margin of victory in some of these states were. Obama won NC by 0.4%, and Indiana by 0.9%. Our bloc votes there made the difference!

With President-elect Obama's victory, we are a giant step closer to achieving equal opportunity and equal justice. His first step in fulfilling his commitment: appointing three Asian Americans to his Transition Team, two of them in leadership positions, to help address our community's concerns.

However, the journey has just begun! Don't let this golden opportunity slip!

To ensure that Asian Americans win equal opportunity and justice, we need YOUR support. Please join us in our journey for equal opportunity. Become a member. It could be the best $15, $35, $50 or $1000 that you have ever spent. Go to http://www.80-20initiative.net .

If you are already a member, THANK YOU. Do you like the feeling of YOUR achievement? Please renew or upgrade. We especially appreciate your continued sacrifice in these tough economic times.

Please go to: http://www.80-20initiative.net.

Please accept our invitation to walk with us. Do it for yourself. Do it for your children. Do it for your country. Do it so that all our efforts, all your efforts, up till now, don't go to waste.

Go to: http://www.80-20initiative.net.

If you can afford it, please also consider supporting 80-20's 1000 X 1000 initiative, where we aim to have 1,000 life members. With a fund equal to the dues of 1,000 life members, we can do more work at the grass-roots because we'll have increased staff support and financial stability. Will you consider becoming a Life Member?

Respectfully yours,

Kathleen To, President and
Jing-Li Yu, Treasurer, 80-20PAC, Inc.

Inaugural Tickets & Input to Transition Team

Inaugural Events

Here are some tips on how to get tickets in official inaugural events and to look out for fraud. We want to thank you for your support to 80-20 throughout the 2008 election.

(1) All official inaugural events (swearing-in/parade/balls) in which the president shall make an appearance will be held on Jan. 20 (Tuesday) in Washington D.C.

a) Swearing-in and Parade Tickets: Tickets are free for the swearing-in. Part of the National Mall will be open to the public to attend without tickets and large screen televisions will be on the Mall. Request such tickets from the Senator's/Representative's office. Do it early.

b) Inaugural Ball tickets: Although the details of the inaugural balls are to be decided by the Presidential Inaugural Comm. which has not yet been appointed, we are fairly certain that it'll be by invitation only. Photo I.D. is required to enter the balls, and tickets are NOT transferable. The cost is about $150.

(2) Look out for fraud. There are many other "Presidential Inaugural Balls or Galas," which are NOT official. They could be organized by a state, a university, or by individuals. Some are very upright in letting you know that they are not official. Others are not.

Want input to the Transition Team (TT)?

Want to nominate other &/or yourself for an appointment? Want to tell the incoming administration your vision of America? If you do, visit
http://www.80-20initiative.net and click on

"Send your view to the Transition Team."

You'll get direct input to President-elect Obama's Transition Team. Don't forget to let the TT know that Asian Americans yearn for equal opportunity in workplaces and justice.

Agreeing with a Supporter's Critique

Lin Fei of Cincinnati, Ohio, a great supporter, said that my last e-newsletter stating "When that law is enforced, . . . , we become equal citizens. ..." was too optimistic. He preferred: "When that law is enforced, . . . , we are one (big) step closer to becoming equal citizens, . . . " I heartily agree and thank him. :-)

Respectfully yours,

S. B. Woo
Member, Executive Comm., 80-20 PAC, Inc.

3 Asian Ams in Obama's transition team

After reading the Press Release below, if you think 80-20 has served YOU well, please consider joining as a member. Go http://www.80-20initiative.net/membership/payment.asp Please consider taking the 3 year discount option. Thank you. :-)

Warmest regards,

S. B. Woo
Member, Exec. Comm., 80-20 PAC, Inc.
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For Immediate Release (Nov. 6th, 2008)
Contact Person: S. B. Woo. President, 80-20 Educational Foundation
(302) 366-0259

Subject: Asian Ams are top leaders in Obama's transition team

80-20 announced that its two goals for the 2008 presidential election have both been achieved.

Its first goal is to help elect a President who shares Asian Americans' rightful concerns in equal opportunity and justice. That was achieved with the election of Sen. Obama who replied to 80-20's questionnaire with all yeses.

The second goal is to have the historic first Asian American appointed to the Presidential Transition Team (TT). The aim is to have qualified Asian Americans serving in cabinet and sub-cabinet positions who are sensitive to the rightful concerns of our community. 80-20 has worked on that goal quietly for months.

Two Asian Americans were appointed to the 16-member transition team. Indeed, they are both in top leadership positions in the TT. In addition, there is another Asian Am. in the 12-member advisory board to the TT.

Pete Rouse, whose mother is a Japanese American, will be one of the 3 co-chairs of the TT. Chris Lu, a Chinese American, will be the Executive Director of the TT. Sonal Shah, an Indian American is a member of the advisory board.

Chris Lu worked with S. B. Woo, former Lieutenant Governor of Delaware and President of the 80-20 Educational Foundation, to firm up the reply to 80-20's questionnaire from presidential candidate Obama. On Oct. 28, in a debate with McCain campaign volunteers in Annandale VA, Chris was quoted as saying that Obama supports 80-20's goal of increasing the number of Asian American federal judges and executives to a level consistent with America's core value of equal opportunity.

Woo said, "I have known Chris since he was a teenager attending the East Coast Chinese Family Camp. We lost touch until last year. I am very proud of him. The pride is not related to his high achievement. It is rather based on his ability to combine the best of the American and Chinese cultures, and his passion to be a good public servant while keeping in touch with his own community." (The End)

History Was Made! What Should We Do Now?

By Amy Wong Mok
Vice President of the Board

My heart was pounding when the votes of the first "Battle Ground States" Virginia came in for President Elect Barack Obama. With the winning of Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Indiana...... I could no longer contain myself. I was jumping up and down, together with two African American friends of mine who were witnessing this historical moment. This was a moment for all Americans who have tirelessly struggled for equal opportunity and justice for all. I could feel tears roll down my cheek with joy, with hope and with great pride in being an American.

America has started a new chapter in history by electing the first African American President. President Elect Barack Obama has also made the following promises to the 80-20 Initiative with his signature (please encourage your friends to visit the 80-20 website for details):

1. Break the glass ceiling for Asian Americans.
2. Nominate more Asian American judges.

Now that we have a golden opportunity to secure opportunities fairly for all Asian Americans, we must follow up by making sure that this new chapter of American history will include the participation of Asian Americans as full and equal partners. We have witnessed the power of grass-root organizations. Together we can raise a strong voice that will not be ignored. I have faith in President Elect Obama, but we must be forever watchful to remind him that faith is a two-way street, and that he and us have waited too long to see promises of justice for all
to become reality.

We have taken a successful step in this campaign season. We must sustain our effort by building a solid and long-lasting foundation for our future campaigns. 80-20 needs a strong financial foundation. You can help us and help yourself and your loved ones by joining or renewing your membership today. Better still, upgrade your level of membership or offer a membership to a family member or a friend. Please consider becoming a life member to support our project, "$1K x 1000" to raise $1M for capital fund and seed money that we need for setting up an office and a professional staff in the DC area. It is essential to make our presence felt in our nation's center of political power. This is our best investment to ensure a brighter future for our children and for ourselves.

Please visit our website http://www.80-20initiative.net/ and ACT NOW.

Last Election Note: Why Obama?‏

Why Obama/Biden?

80-20 has endorsed Obama/Biden basically for only one reason -- their commitments to help us rise from second class citizens to equal citizens, while McCain refused.

All other reasons, while sincere, are just arguing from different angles to enlarge the Asian Am. bloc vote for Obama/Biden. Those arguments don't really bear on 80-20's central decision -- reward Obama for sharing our concerns and punish McCain who didn't.

"To Punish" may seem a harsh concept to those who don't know how the real world of politics operates, and for those who have not surmised from history why Asian Ams have been so badly ignored until 80-20 came into existence.

Just watch. Soon, even the Republican Party will share the rightful concerns of Asian Ams., because it will soon have had enough of YOUR punishment.

Watch the election returns in the battleground states, where 80-20 has focused its great effort. Obama will not have won some of them without OUR strong bloc vote in those states. Wouldn't McCain regret then? Will not the Republican Party re-evaluate? That is how the politics of carrots & sticks works!

Assert yourself ! America expects us to fight for our own interests !

Have you seen how eager both major parties are to share the Jewish American concerns, even when their concerns are not their civil rights but Israel? Think about it. Try to explain why so.

IF YOU NEED REMINDING of our rightful concerns, see the two documents below our signatures.

Respectfully yours,

Kathleeen To, President, 80-20 PAC, Inc.,
and S. B. Woo, Founding President, 80-20 PAC, Inc.

The irrefutable statistics shown on 80-20's full page ad in Washington Post have been verified by EEOC & entered into the Congressional Record by US Sen. Tom Carper on Sept. 21, 2006.

ONLY the Obama Commitment is shown here. Sen. Biden's signed commitment can be found on our website http://www.80-20initiative.net/.