League of Women Voters of the Ripon Area

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1 FromthePresident sdesk League of Women Voters of the Ripon Area Bulletin L:6 P.O. Box 5 Ripon, Wisconsin Editor: Pam Nelson-Icenogle January 2012 Like us on Facebook: Voters-Ripon-WI-Area/ Onwardtoanewyear,RiponAreaLeaguersand Friends! Wefinished2011incelebratoryfashion withanengagingspeaker,goodfood,andgreat companyforourdecember10gala. Aspromisedthere,I veattachedacopy ofourfundraisinglettersothatyoucanhelp withourfundraisingefforts. Istheresomeoneyou dliketoencourage togivetoourleague?letoneofusboard membersknow.yourpersonalconnectionis worthagreatdeal. Weareproudthatyoufindvalueenough inthelwvtojoinus.takeamomenttoconsider thepeopleorbusinesseswith whomyou dliketosharethis pride.onemorefromeachof youwouldbethecat spajamas, thecherryontopofthesundae, thestaratthetopofthetree ThankstoGaryWetzel (picturedhereincostume)for organizingourdecember2livingwindowfor Ripon sdickensofachristmas.itwasgreatfun forallofusparticipants! OnJanuary16,weplantoregister studentvotersatriponcollege.weknowmany ofyouconsiderthisthehighlightoftheleague year.cityofriponclerkannschommerhas scheduledourtrainingforwednesday,january 4,at4p.m.Ifyou dliketobeswornintoregister CityofRiponvoters,contactGary,Todd,Evelyn, orme. AlsoinJanuary,JeanJohnsonandBetty BerenshaveorganizedtwopublicWaterStudy events.featuredspeakeronthursday,january 12,isUW StevensPointgroundwatereducation specialistkevinmasarik.thefollowingtuesday, January17,youcanhearTravisDrake,Cityof Riponengineer,andBeckyWagner,agronomist forfonddulaccountylandandwater ConservationDepartment. Wehopeyouenterthese enrichinglwveventsonyourjanuary calendars. Wealsohopethatournewtaxdeductiblestatuswillservetoremind youtoshowyoucareaboutour contributiontothecommunity.makea donation.or,perhapsasagift,youcoulddosoin someoneelse sname. Nowlet sringinthisnewyear!mayitbe thebestoneyet! YoursinLeague,Pam The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization of men and women committed to making democracy work by encouraging informed and active participation in all levels of government. LWV seeks to influence public policy through education and advocacy. LWV does not support or oppose candidates for public office, nor take a stand for or against any political party. New members are welcome!

2 CalendarUpdates January 2012 S M T W T F S p.m., Ripon City Hall: Special deputy training p.m., Rm. 167, Ripon High School: Water Study event p.m., Ripon 17 College student Noon, Nash Rm., voter registration Ripon Library: Water Study event p.m., Ripon Library: Board meeting Mark Feb. 9 for the Lively Issues! LWV-Ripon 2

3 LWV-Ripon 3 RiponCollegestudentvoterregistration Wellleaguers,Iguesswemaydosomethingthatactuallyhastodowithvoting.I'manticipating thatwewillhaveatableatriponcollegeregistrationonmonday,january16,2012.isayanticipating, because,asofdecember21,wehaven'tactuallygottenofficialpermissionforthis,butididgeta favorablereactionwheniaskedaboutitattheregistrar'soffice. Itwouldbeduringtheday,soforanyofyouthatwouldliketodothis,I'msuretherewillberoom foryou. Idon'tcallitworking,becauseI'vedonethismyselfinthepast,andI'vealwaysfoundittobevery interesting. Justcontactmeoroneoftheboardmemberstogetinonthis.Wewon'tbedoinganyregistering atriponhighschool.myunderstandingisthattheschooldistrictisgoingtohavetheirownin house persondoingthis.thereissomerulingfromsomewhereforbidsschooldistrictsfromhavinganoutside groupdoit. GaryWetzel Editor snote:toregistervotersinthecityofripon,youmustbetrainedandsworninbycityof RiponClerkAnnSchommer.WehaveagrouptrainingtimescheduledwithAnnforWednesday,January4,at 4p.m.Ifyoucannotmakeitatthattimeandstillwanttojoinustoregisterstudentvoters,youhavetomake yourownarrangementstobesworninbyann. WaterStudyeventsinJanuary WeWisconsiniteshavebeenhearingalotoftalkaboutthestateminingbillandtheinternational pipeline.itallhasaneffectonwaterinourstate,butitmaystillseemfarawaytomanyofus.afterall, thisisn tourareawatershed,isit? WhetherornottheseactionsdirectlyimpactourwaterintheRipon/GreenLakeareaweleaguers knowthatit simperativetostayontopofthegovernmentalsideofwaterissues.whatregulationsand agenciesdoprotectourwaterhere? OurlocalWaterStudycommittee,nowrunbyJeanJohnsonwithactiveassistancefromBetty Berens,ispresentingtwopublicevents.FeaturedspeakeratRiponHighSchoolRoom167onThursday, January12,at7p.m.isUW StevensPointgroundwatereducationspecialistKevinMasarik.Thefollowing Tuesday,January17,atnoonintheNashRoomofRiponPublicLibraryyoucanhearTravisDrake,Cityof Riponengineer,andBeckyWagner,agronomistforFondduLacCountyLandandWaterConservation Department.Onceagain,youmaybringyourlunchtothenoontimesession. Getinformationaboutpointandnonpointpollution,ourcurrentwetlandsregulations,andthe statusofwisconsin scleanwaterregulationnr151andwhetheritaffectsuslocally.and,ofcourse,bring yourownquestions. Finally,withregardtothepipeline,DianeBeressuggeststhatagoodwaytointroduceyoutothe newlyredesignedlwv USwebsiteistoencourageyoutolookatthepagethatannouncesournational actiononthisissue: says no anti environmental riders budgetbills LivingWindowslivelyDecember2 Forthisyear sdickensofachristmas,garywetzeldrewhisinspirationfromthe finalsceneofthefilm It sawonderfullife. HehungabellonourLivingWindowwitha signthatread: Everytimeabellringsanangelgetsitswings. Twoofourleaguers,RichandCindyDiemer intheirrolesasgeorgeandmary Bailey illustratedtheirjoywitheverychime,tothedelightofpassers by.(someofthe window svisitorschuckled, Ihopethey remarried! Butwhateverdoubttheymight havehad theyweren tdeterredfromringingthebellagain!) KarlandDianeBeresandPamandRileyIcenoglealsotookturnsplayingthe Baileys.GaryperformedasHenryF.Potterforthedurationoftheevening. Wereceivedgreatfeedbackforthewindow,asconfirmedbyleaguerJolene Rueden,whoorganizedtheeventforRiponAreaChamberofCommerce.

4 LWV-Ripon 4 GoodcompanyattheGala Asitturnsout,wewereunabletohold ourspecialbusinessmeeting butnotbecause wedidnothaveaquorum.that,inandofitself waspleasantnews.(thankstoallofyouwho wereabletoattend!) OurlocalexpertinLWVparliamentarian rules,dianeberes,helpedusdeterminethatthe bylawsdonotallowforchangestotheselawsat anytimebuttheannualmeeting. Inlieuofthespecialmeetingwepasseda clipboardwhereattendeescouldchoosetheir preferreddateforour2012annualmeeting.a lunchandmeetingonsaturday,may19,easily wonthemostpreferredvote.atsecondplace, June2receivedhalfthescoreofMay19.May5 wasaclosethird.thecalendarcommitteewill discusstheseresultsandmakea recommendationtotheboardinjanuary. Sincethe eveningmarkedthe61 st anniversaryofthe fiercekoreanwar battleatthechosin Reservoir,ToddBerens spokeforafewminutes aboutitsbackground, hisexperiences,and otherriponconnections. AssistantProfessorofPoliticsand GovernmentHenrikSchatzingerfollowedas featuredspeakerwith SocializingCostsand Risks,PrivatizingBenefits. Sinceyoureditortendedtotaskssuchas takingphotographswhilehespoke,sheasksyour forgivenessforlackofpertinentdetailandto surmisehiskeymessage.nevertheless,hereare somepointsshewasabletoglean: Citingrealclearpolitics.com,heshowed thatwhiletheapprovalratingforthepresident isnotcomparativelylow(41%approval),u.s. citizensaredisappointedbycongress(12% approval)andworkers discouragementis increasingalongwithrisingunemployment rates.theaveragefamilyspends$15,073on healthcare.thenumberofamericansonfood stampshasrisenfromoneoutofeighttooneout ofsevenandisstillrising. Schatzingerintroducedthetermrentseeking,whichcanmeanlobbyinggovernment tothebenefitofnarrowinterestsandatthe expenseoftaxpayersatlarge. Polarizationofcitizensbecomesatoolin somegroups effortstosocializecostandrisk whileprivatizingbenefits.gerrymandering forcesdeeperchasmsbetweenparties,shifting powerandcompellingresentment. Theriseinincomeinequality,another importantpolarizingaspect,feedsthedriveto privatizebenefits. Schatzingerdidnotwanttoleaveus frustrated,soheofferedsolutions: 1. Naturalvotingdistrict boundariessetbynonpartisan administrators. 2. Acknowledgeandbeginto remedyincomeinequality.he saysthattheincomegapinthe U.S.iscomparabletothatof developingnationsand approachingthesortof inequalityfoundinswaziland orzimbabwe. 3. Campaignfinancereform. Asalways,ahardydiscussionfollowed! (TheseareallLWVissues.We veheardthem fromothernonpartisangroups,aswell.does anyonerememberanearlierbulletinthat featuredsuggestionsbymikemccabeofthe WisconsinDemocracyCampaign?Perhapsit s timeforourlittlelwvtokickintoahigher advocacygear.yourthoughts?) WeshouldthankCindyDiemerfor makinggalaarrangementswithsodexoand RiponCollege nosmalltasksettingupcatering andvenue!thankstosandyscamehornandjean Johnsonfortakingreservationsandtallying guestsandmembers.(wewouldhavehada quorum,dearladies!)weappreciatethatmary AverymadetheinitialcontactwithHenrik(and, JoleneRuedenforsharingherfiancéwithusona Saturdayevening!)TheBerensesonceagain broughttheirlwvsignsanddisplayedthem prominently.cindyandi(youreditor)brought guests,andwehopeeachwilljoinourranks soon!

5 LWV Wisconsintakesactiononstateandnationalhealthcare OurstateleaguerecentlysentthefollowinglettertotheU.S.DepartmentofHealthandHuman ServicesinresponsetopressurethefederalagencyisreceivingfromtheWisconsinDepartmentofHealth Services: December19,2011 SecretaryKathleenSebelius U.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices 200IndependenceAvenue,S.W. Washington,D.C Re:WI.Dept.ofHealthServicesWaiverofFederalMaintenanceofEffort(MEO)Requirements DearSecretarySebelius: TheLeagueofWomenVotersofWisconsinEducationNetworkurgesyoutodenytherequestfromthe WisconsinDepartmentofHealthServices(DHS)forawaiveroffederalmaintenanceofeffort(MOE) requirements.theeffectsofthechangesproposedbydhsareclearlyatoddswithcongressionalintentto significantlyreducethenumberofuninsuredamericansbybuildingonthemedicaidandchipcoveragethat statesalreadyhaveinplace. TheLeagueofWomenVotersofWisconsinEducationNetworkisanonprofit,nonpartisanmembership organizationthatworkstoeducateandmotivatecitizenstoparticipateintheirgovernment.ourmembersare womenandmenwhoworktoimproveoursystemsofgovernmentandimpactpublicpoliciesthrough educationandadvocacy.theleagueatalllevels national,regional,stateandlocal conductsin depthpolicy studiestoclarifytheimpactsoflegislationandadvocateforthepositionsofitsmembership.theleagueof WomenVotersofWisconsinEducationNetworkoperatesonthestatelevelwithleadershipandgrassroots supportfromtheleagueofwomenvotersoftheunitedstatesandthe16localleaguesinourstate.weso appreciatedyouraddresstothelwvnationalconventionin2010. TheLeaguebelievesthatabasiclevelofqualityhealthcareatanaffordablecostshouldbeavailabletoall residents.approvalofthedhswaiverrequestwouldbeverydamagingforwisconsinandadangerous nationalprecedent.awaiverwouldreducebadgercarecoveragebymorethan64,000peopleandwould conflictwiththemoerequirementsoffederallaw.awaiverwouldincreasebureaucraticredtapeandthe numberofuninsuredchildreninwisconsin,reversingdecadesofprogressmadeonbothfrontsunder RepublicanandDemocraticgovernors. Awaiverwouldalsoincreaselow incomefamilies out of pockethealthcarecosts,pricingneededcareoutof reachforsome.thewaivercouldbeparticularlyharmfulforchildrenwithspecialhealthcareneedsandother peoplewithdisablingconditionswhorelyonbadgercare.inaddition,awavierwouldimplyyouragency s approvalofaprocessthatdeniedmeaningfulpublicinputbecauseessentialdetailsoftheproposalwerenot madeavailableinadvanceofanypublichearingopportunities. LWV-Ripon 5

6 LWV Wisconsinpressreleaseinresponsetoanationalleader srecentcomments OurstateleaguedistributedthefollowingmediareleaseearlyinDecember: FORIMMEDIATERELEASEContact:AndreaKaminski,ExecutiveDirector December5, LeagueRejectsMythofVoterFraud RespondstocommentsbyReincePriebus MADISON:TheLeagueofWomenVotersofWisconsinwasdismayedtolearnthatinaninterviewonnational televisionlastfriday,republicannationalcommitteechairreincepriebuscontinuedtospreadthemyththat thewisconsinelectionsystemhasbeen absolutelyriddledwithvoterfraud. (12/3/11interviewwithMartin BashironMSNBC) ItisabsurdforMr.Priebustomakesuchanassertion,forwhichthereisnotashredofcredibleevidence.His commentsareaninsulttowisconsin s1,850municipalclerkswhoadministerourcleanelectionsandtothe thousandsofelectionofficialswhostaffthepollssocitizenscanvoteonelectionday, saidmelanieg.ramey, PresidentoftheLeagueofWomenVotersofWisconsin. Wisconsinhaslongheldareputationnationallyforhonest,openandfairelections.Wehavehadhighvoter participationandveryfewproblems.inthe2008election,therewereonly26casesofillegalvotingidentified outofapproximately3millionballotscastinourstate,orabout0.0009%.mostofthoseillegalvoteswere felonswhowerestillonprobation.significantly,therehavebeennoconvictionsinourstate norevenany charges ofvoterimpersonation,whichistheonlytypeofillegalvotingthatwisconsin snewphotoidlaw couldpossiblyaddress. It sterriblethatanyonewouldwanttopromoteamyththatwisconsin selectionshavenotbeenlegitimate. It sevenworsethatthisfictionhasbeenusedtojustifypassageofarestrictivephotoidlawthatwillmake votingdifficultorimpossibleformanyeligiblecitizensinourstate, Rameysaid. TheLeagueofWomenVotersofWisconsinEducationNetworkischallengingthevoterIDlawbasedonthe stateconstitution.formoreinformation,seehttp:// TheLeagueofWomenVotersofWisconsinEducationNetworkisanonprofit,nonpartisanmembership organizationthatpromotesinformedandactiveparticipationingovernment.thereare16localleaguesin Wisconsin.TheLWVWIEducationNetworkisaproudmemberofCommunitySharesofWisconsin.Findthe LeagueonFacebook ##### IMPORTANT! Your contribution to the LWV-Ripon Area is tax deductible! Send any donations to Gary, our treasurer. Thank you all! We thrive on your participation! LWV-Ripon 6