Democracy Matters sound like a group more people should know about.

Charlie Cavell, an 18 year old Wayne State Student from Detroit (originally from Ann Arbor), first told me about the group a few months ago at Franklin Wright Settlements on Detroit's Eastside at a Detroit Charter Commission meeting in the dead of winter. I recruited him to join YDA. He is now working with Jina Sawani on the Ann Arbor Young Dems. He started to pitch Democracy Matters.

Not very often do you see an 18 year old at local governmental meetings. My late mentor Marty Slobin headed the Northwest Detroit Teen Dems in 1960 at the age of 16 or so. I find it very interesting when folks that young are engaged in the political process at high levels. At 18, I was more interested in playing basketball.

In early 2003, it was Senator Kennedy who was the most vocal opponent of invading Iraq. He was one of the lone, courageous voices.

When equal opportunity was attacked, Kennedy was there to stand up for equality and fairness.

When Senator Obama was facing negative smears in his tough primary, this man threw his powerful support behind Obama and added to the magic.

Kennedy made an impact for decades - but his passion and commitment to social justice and his dream of health care reform - is well known to young activists who joined the political process during Dean's run in 03-04 and Obama's run in 07-08.

At the most critical times, Kennedy stood up.

We as young democrats must keep his fight alive at the chapter level and on campuses. We must stand up. Right now. We must move our Congress to act. We need meaningful health care reform.

I am running for Young Dems of America Vice-President.

In my final days before heading to Chicago for the Young Democrats of America convention, I think about the power young voters have and the potential we have to make change.

In my recent visit to Pennsylvania, I met with the Delaware County Young Dems and the Philadelphia Young Dems. These two chapters along with others in PA and others across the country are laying the groundwork for something big.

Something more than what we did last year when we elected President Obama.

On a recent call with Massachusetts Young Dem leaders and in private conversations with Mike Corbett of New York of the YDA Labor Caucus, I keep bringing up PA. My friends in PA - Joe Johnson of Delaware county (a recent college grad) and the Young Dems organizing in the city of Philadelphia are getting young people engaged in a key battleground state. YDs like Rocco Giammaria and Will Anderson have been carrying a message of hope for workers and those without a voice in politics for years in Western PA. I appreciate the leaders in PA and they keep standing out in my mind. The geographically diverse and talented team their state leadership put together has left a lasting imprint.

Below is a press release my mother's campaign put out earlier today. My mother was a powerful political force in Detroit and in Wayne County from 1970 to 1982. She is running again this year for an unpaid position, Detroit Charter Commission. As we are preparing to put together a political piece, I went through her old picture box. There were articles about her as a trailblazer for women and a fighter for the poor. When my mother defeated an incumbent county commissioner in 1970, few women in the United States held public office. She is a remarkable woman. In 1968, at the age of 30 she was elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. She was one of two women in her entering class at Wayne State Law in the late 60s.

I believe performers, like all workers, should be paid for their work. While it may appear many artists are rich, most struggle to pay their bills. When “Soul Man” plays on the radio Sam Moore gets nothing. When hip hop by American artists play on European radio, our artists get nothing. (we lose much needed tax revenues too). We give away our music for free to other countries and refuse royalties.

When we listen to jazz, blues, rock, pop, or rap recordings on the radio – it would be good to know these performers are being compensated. I want corporate radio to do well but so should the workers who help them succeed.

Some who oppose the Performance Rights Act - believe that artists have never been paid for airplay and should never be paid for airplay. Is that fair?

A lot going on with the Kentucky Young Democrats . . .

I’m running for Young Democrats of America Vice-President and I am Chair of the YDA Labor Caucus. This past week-end, I rode down to Kentucky from Michigan to attend the 2009 Kentucky Young Democrats Convention. My Teamster buddy and trusted mentor Daniel M. Geb and Bazil Thomas, Chair of the 14th District Dems Asian American Caucus rode down with me.