The 14 million Asian American will enjoy EQUAL citizenship a lot earlier, IF 80-20 can double its dues paying members. Why? It is the implied doubling of 80-20's grass roots strength!
Aiming to double its membership, 80-20 did a survey. It revealed 4 main reasons why people have not joined 80-20. Please pass this e-newsletter to your friends. We want to double YOUR political clout.
(I) Number one reason for not joining 80-20
Fearful that joining a political org. may hurt one's career
Quite to the contrary, getting involved only empowers individuals. Allow me to share my career paths and time lines as examples.
Physics Professor (Univ. of Delaware) 1966 to 2001;
Testified before the US Senate Foreign Relations Comm. (regarding the dispute of the Tiao-YuTai Island (Senkaku) I was an Asst. Prof. & a P.R. then. '71;
Founding President of the Faculty Union & its Chief Spokesman & Chief Negotiator (U. of D) '71 - '73;
Trustee (U. of D.) '76 - '82;
Lieutenant Governor or Delaware '85 - '89.
My elders & friends advised me to avoid such involvement. However, empirical results showed that each involvement empowered me. Admitted, being a Lt. Governor is not a big deal, and luck was an element. However, if I didn't take the first step to be empowered, there would not likely be the 2nd step. "There is nothing to fear, except fear itself." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt
(II) Some people prefer a "free ride"
If one's economic situation is poor, please keep the money for your family's needs. However, for those who want a free ride, shame on you. Use the following humiliating joke as a mirror for yourself:
"Barber & Asian Americans"
There is this barber in the US. One day a Caucasian florist goes to him for a haircut. After the cut, he goes to pay the barber. The barber replies: "No charge today. I am doing community service." The florist is happy and left. The next morning the barber finds a "Thank you" card and a dozen roses waiting at his shop door. An African American cop goes for a haircut and got the same "community service treatment." The cop is happy and left. The next morning the barber finds a "Thank you" card and a dozen donuts waiting at his shop door. An Asian Software Engineer goes for a haircut and he also got the "community service treatment." The next morning when the barber goes to open his shop, guess what he finds there. A dozen Asians waiting for a free Haircut.
(III) Apathy -- politics doesn't affect me
Like it or not, politics is already involved in every aspects of our lives. How do you think the glass ceiling was removed from all others except for the Asian Ams? Our political apathy. How do you think we are goin b19 g to get ride of the glass ceiling? By supporting organizations like the 80-20!
(VI) 80-20 is not party neutral
True! 80-20 favors the Republican Party to induce its support. There are two concrete examples. A) Only 24% of Asian Ams. are registered as Republicans, although 80-20 gave Republicans 33% of the delegates to 80-20's Convention to endorse a presidential nominee. B) We gave Sen. McCain & Pres. Bush more time to answer 80-20's questionnaire.
That 80-20 has never endorsed a Republican presidential nominee was the fault of the Republican nominees -- didn't care enough about us to answer 80-20's questionnaires. If they didn't care to help us gain equal opportunity, 80-20 was proud to have rallied our community for a bloc vote to punish each of them. Just watch, the GOP will soon improve it attitude towards us.
(IV) Don't know enough about 80-20's goals & accomplishment
Goals: Equal opportunity & justice for Asian Americans.
Accomplishment: See the two pictures below. Picture 1 tells our present situation. See the shorten bars for Asian Ams in Chart 1 when compared with all other Americans. That is how much we are being discriminated presently. Picture 2 tells you what 80-20 has accomplished for YOU. It displays the equivocal commitments by President Obama to the Asian Am. community through 80-20 Educational Foundation to give you equal opportunity and justice. When the promises are fulfilled, our bars in chart 1 will be lengthened to reach the national averages. Is that not an impressive accomplishment?
Again, to join or not to join? I hope it is to JOIN! To double our clout, go http://www.80-20initiative.net. Or send your check to 80-20 PAC, PO Box 22509, Philadelphia, PA 19110.
Respectfully yours,
S. B. Woo
Acting Exec. Director, 80-20 PAC, Inc. (a volunteer)
Acknowledgment: 12 more NEW members responded to our call to help get the $3.5K matching fund, although we hoped only for 8. SO PROUD OF YOU! They are: Aravindan Rolands, Meg H. Chang, Raymond W. Chiu, Gene Wu, Zuemin Chi, Elayne Chou, Bangzhi Liu, Simone Shen, Ayako Yasuda, Feng Zhang, Monica Y. & hsien K. Chang, Philip Yang, Andy P. Ng, Wen-Chouh Lin.