Hurricane Irma Reminds Us of Our Priorities

We hope all of you got through the storm safely. We know that many of our neighbors have suffered severe flooding and thousands more are without power. It struck us this week that a storm like this highlights some of the core reasons we are Democrats.

• We believe in community: We've seen neighbors helping neighbors, strangers taking people into their homes, and an abundance of generosity.
• We believe that a well funded and fast acting government is critical in times of disaster: When a storm comes we want the police, national guard and state agencies to have the funding and staff to respond and save lives without worrying when their coffers will run dry.
• We believe that we are better when help is provided quickly and equitably: When Republican Mark Sanford votes against disaster funding it hurts middle and lower income South Carolinians. For those who work for a living and have a mortgage on their house disaster aid from the Federal government is critical to rebuilding. We believe all storm victims should have help rebuilding - not just the millionaires like Mark Sanford.
• We believe that climate change is here and is a real threat: As storms get more intense and more frequent we cannot ignore climate change. All decisions from land development to car emissions should take into account our impact on climate change. 

Thank you to everyone who has stepped up to help their neighbors during this time. We'll continue to keep those who were affected by the storm in our thoughts and prayers while helping them to rebuild quickly.

-Brady Quirk-Garvan, Chair