l to r: First row: Trudy Armstrong*, Nasrin Barbee*, Rosemarie Bergdahl, Alison Farrin*, Second row: Sue Herndon, Kendra Jeffcoat* Inan Linton, Jean Loo-Russo, Third Row: Jeanne MacLaren, Susan Marsh, Laura Mello,  Karen Mortimer*, Fourth Row: Kim Muslusky, Laurie Oakland**, Heather Ray, Mary Stanton, Fifth Row: Judith Tronsrue, Tracey Van Putten, Kim Varey, Carolyn Woempler    *past president  **was president twice

 

In our 29 year history, women have taken many leadership positions and 8 women have served as president.  Currently a third of our 60 club members members are women.  These women are current or former  business and professional leaders in the fields of hospital administration, a college professor in education, architecture, travel office owner, mortgage banking, financial planning, pension plan design and administration, retirement home administration, certified public accounting and various executive positions in nonprofit organizations.

Rotary then issued a policy statement that any United States Rotary club could admit qualified women into membership. Sylvia Whitlock was elected president of the reinstated Rotary Club in 1987-88 to become the first woman to be a president of a Rotary club.  The Rotary Club of Marin Sunrise, California (formerly Larkspur Landing), was chartered on 28 May 1987. It becomes the first club after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to have women as charter members. At the first meeting of the Council on Legislation after the US Supreme Court decision (in 1989), the bylaws were officially changed to remove  the "male only" language in the standard Rotary bylaws for Rotary clubs around the world.

At the August 9, 2016 RB Sunrise Rotary Club breakfast meeting, Larry Sundram, currently the State Regional Director of the Convention of States organization, spoke about a Convention of States. He explained how this convention  can restrict the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, effectively returning the citizens’ rightful power from the current ruling elite.  Larry is a past President of the Vista Rotary Club and District Governor for the Rotary District 5340 covering San Diego and Imperial Counties.

 

Larry started out by stating this presentation did not have a political agenda. It was to be a political conversation American citizens should have about the unlimited and abusive power of the federal government over state governments.  He went on to describe a Washington that is broken in that unelected bureaucrats have stripped states of their rightful decision-making authority. 

 

As a result, the debt is out of control, regulations crush free enterprise, and our freedoms have been stolen.  We have reached a crossroads in that one path leads to escalating power of an irresponsible central government, resulting in the financial ruin of generations.  The other path leads to the restoration of liberty and an American renaissance.

 

Calling a Convention of States can curb the abuses of Washington.  The founders of our country knew the federal government might one day become drunk with the abuses of power.  They included the most important check to this unlimited power in the U.S. Constitution – Article V,  This article upon application by 34 states, the congres shall call a Convention of States.  This convention would be to propose constitutional amendments that could impose fiscal restraints of the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress.  Amendments can also create better checks on the judiciary and restore the Constitution-as-written rather than the Constitution-as-interpreted by activist judges.  Each state sends one commissioner to the convention and this commissioner must only act according to instructions passed by the legislature of their state.  They are not free to act on their own initiative.  The convention is empowered to act only on those select issues for which the convention was called.

 

Larry spoke about the four major abuses perpetrated by the federal government, including 1) The spending and debt crises, 2) the regulatory crises, 3) Congressional attacks on state sovereignty, and 4) Federal takeover of the decision making process.  There are regulations for almost every aspect of life.  There is a federal takeover of the regulation rule-making process that people should take over!  Each state is a sovereign entity under the constitution and those enumerated powers not specifically granted to the federal government by the constitution are supposed to be decided by each individual state.

 

This is not a partisan issue as Washington will never voluntarily relinquish meaningful power, no matter who is elected.  Congressmen take money from companies and people who have an interest in the status quo and are not representing the people.  States and citizens must be proactive about taking this power back.