Upcoming Events

The Young Democrats Abroad Pub Night in April

 

It seems like a lot of members are taking a hiatus from drinking during Lent, so our next pub night will be the first Thursday after Easter, so there'll be no excuse not to come and join us!

Beaver Brewing Co. is also dog-friendly, so you can bring your little friends as well.

*Disclaimer: Contrary to some belief, Democrats Abroad cannot treat us to our monthly pub nights, so please be sure to pay your complete tab at the end of the night! Thanks in advance ;-)

If you prefer to RSVP via Facebook, you can!

March for Science

JOIN DAA AS WE PARTICIPATE WITH OTHERS AROUND THE GLOBE IN THE MARCH FOR SCIENCE!

We’ll be easy to spot with an American flag, our DAA signs, and we’ll be getting creative as well!

Science is grounded in facts and substantiated arguments. Science and technology are the biggest contributors to the prosperity of society via education and health care. Much remains to be done to reduce existing global inequalities. Considering the enormity of the challenges our world will face in the near future, we need solutions that can only be realized and implemented by a science-based society.

The current political climate, not only in the United States but also abroad, gives us cause for concern. The falsification and denigration of facts for ideological purposes threaten not only science, but also the basis of democracy.

We call upon you to protect, strengthen, and celebrate the democratic foundations of science. We are not alone in this mission: 400 near-simultaneous demonstrations the world over prove that science and society are both willing to work towards an open-minded future.

SOLIDARITY SUNDAYS VIENNA #3: CITIZENS ABROAD AND TAXATION

FATCA Schmatka? Do we as citizens abroad care about residence-based taxation?

• How to change overseas tax misery by getting Congress to vote in our and the nation's interest!
• Action! … Dear Honorable …We’re going to write the kind of letter to our elected representatives that gets us a reaction. Our Democrats Abroad colleagues are going door-knocking on Capitol Hill and will put your letters right into the hands of your elected representatives.
• PS Keep your eyes on the Dems Abroad website for FATCA deadline infos!

You can RSVP via Facebook if you prefer!

Issues and Actions

Looking Forward, Stepping Up

By Jennifer Rakow-Stepper, Chair

It goes without saying that the 2016 US presidential election was a shock to pretty much everyone. While most of us still have the “what if” soundtrack replaying in our heads, a number of things have become clear since Trump’s inauguration on 21 January 2017. First and foremost, we, as citizens, not only stand up for our beliefs, we also get involved, we get organized, and we get active. So, regardless of the threat to our democracy that many of us perceive, we’ve proven that our voices can be heard.

This is why I’m excited and looking forward to my coming term as Chair of Democrats Abroad Austria.

Read more …

Solidarity Sundays Vienna: Persist Persistently

By DAA Grassroots

Persist Persistently! Here’s how.

Mark your calendars: last Sunday of the month, 4 pm in Amerlinghaus, Stiftgasse 8, 1070 Vienna.

Every meeting has a topic and a real, live action. Get up on the issues, have some fun, do some good.

We’re an open group, you can come with no strings attached, or you can attach strings and help out :-) Fire off an email: solsun@...

Check us out + share: https://www.facebook.com/solsunvienna/

We have an event planned for the last Sunday of every month this whole year!! 

View the Solidarity Sundays Schedule for May - November 2017

The Democrats Abroad FBAR/FATCA Task Force Report – March 2017

Democrats Abroad works hard for all Americans Abroad on a number of issues and on FATCA/FBAR in particular. As you may have become aware of over the past few years, Americans with accounts in foreign financial institutions with a total balance across all accounts at any point during the year of US $10,000 or more need to file a FBAR (Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts Report) Form 114. This year, for the first time, the form is due for submission on 15 April, as opposed to 30 June as it has been in the past.

As Carmelan Polce, the Singapore-based Chair of the Democratic Party Committee Abroad (DPCA) wrote to the DPCA Leadership on 24 March 2017: “I appreciate it has been six months since you had an update from the FBAR/FATCA Task Force, but we’ve all had rather larger, more pressing fears and concerns to contemplate since last fall … and there hasn’t actually been much to say until now.” But now there IS—and the contents of this report are important for YOU as tax-paying Americans abroad. “You may be asked about FATCA and the Trump Government, so we hope these notes will help you to form answers.”

View the full report here.

READ MORE...

On Sunday, March 26, in the context of our new “Solidarity Sundays”, Katie Solon, Democrats Abroad International Chair, gave an update on global outreach strategies and initiatives. Citing the growing ranks of active Dems Abroad—up by 10,000 members since the November 2016 election—she said that the new buzzword is the “Global Action Team” or “GAT”. The four action priorities are:

1. Sharing resources
2. Networking
3. Bubble-up ideas on “global post-it” notes
4. “Globalizing” 2-3 national events this year (e.g. the highly successful “Women’s March on Washington” in January that was replicated not only in US but around the world.

A GAT Leadership Team is being developed and there are also several Global Caucuses:

• The Women’s Global Caucus
• The LGTB Global Caucus
• The Young Dems Global Caucus, are currently recruiting country chairs and new members.

 New global caucuses are welcomed, Katie said, and the “hurdles” to create one are very low and easily surmountable. More details and Best Practices on WIKI and the Democrats Abroad website.

DAA Review

March 2017 DAA Annual General Meeting Re-cap

By Vice-Chair, Keith Jacomine

On March 18th members of DA-Austria met for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) to review the previous year’s business activities and elect a new Executive Committee.

The evening started with a business review by outgoing Chair, Keith Jacomine, and Vice-Chair, Ashley Arreola. The Chair's presentation focused on the sizeable growth in membership over the past year, the increased level of volunteerism amongst members, DAA’s financial and leadership support to the Democratic Party Committee Abroad—plus our members’ emboldened political activism. The Vice-Chair‘s presentation focused on member engagement and the numerous events, ranging from social to political orientation, that were staged over the year 2016 to keep members active and aware.

Read more...

POLITICAL SUDOKU- A “Mary Ann and Keith’s Quiz Special” by Democrats Abroad Austria on Scribd

 Post-AGM Dinner and Get-Together

By Ellen Lewis, Secretary

Political meetings are best digested with tasty food and a good glass—or more—of wine. Following the AGM, members enjoyed a bit of wine and tapas onsite before heading en masse to dinner at the nearby “Brickmakers Pub and Kitchen” where we had the chance to socialize with DA-A friends and get to know new people. Engaging conversations ranged from political to personal, and it was particularly refreshing to have such a mix of young and not-so-young!

There was a spontaneous invitation to continue the merrymaking at Yvonne Richard’s apartment and those of us who did had a great time. Bonding over DAA politics, especially in the present climate, fosters both activism and camaraderie! 

Results from the AGM and Online Questionnaire

By Jennifer Rakow-Stepper, Chair

I’ve long had an open question in my mind about whether our efforts at DAA are actually reaching their intended targets. Therefore, I took the opportunity of the AGM to put together a questionnaire (which was also available via an online survey) to ask members their opinions about what we were doing and how we were doing it.

Altogether, 110 members responded within a few days and the results have made us rethink some of our approaches. A total of 85% of responding members receive their news from the emailed DAA newsletter. Thus, thanks to member-at-large, Adrea Mach, look forward to a newsletter that is both bigger and more substantive.  

Read more...

DAA Questionnaire by Democrats Abroad Austria on Scribd

 Growing the Grassroots: Solidarity Sundays #2 on “DREAMers”

On Sunday, March 26, a good dozen members—including a surprise appearance by DA International Chair Katie Solon—and interested visitors gathered together for the second Solidarity Sunday at Vienna’s Amerlinghaus (Stiftgasse 8, 1070), which will now be this action’s permanent monthly meeting site. SolSun founding organizers Juan David Cerda, Antje Lewis and Tanya Lolonis steered this energizing event.

Read more...

Members’ Corner

Here are a few events and items that may be of interest to DAA members.

Popular Political Podcasts—Informative, Fun, and all for Free!

By Tanya Lolonis, Member and Grassroots Activist

Today’s fusion of media and politics, as well as media as a platform for politicians and movements, makes podcasts a terrific medium for exploring—and resisting—the Trump era. Some of the best discussions on U.S. politics are streaming through your speakers and headphones right now! Three standouts (all free on iTunes):

Read more...