FORUMS/TOWN HALL MEETINGS

Transcription

1 Volume 63, Number 2 October 2012 Nancy Rosenthal President nancyrosenthal9@gmail.com Harris Dinkoff Vice President dinkoff@aol.com Patricia Sympson Vice President Psympson@optonline.net Secretary & Treasurer Horty Schmierer hyhorty@aol.com LWVSN Home Page LWVNYS Home Page LWVUS Home Page Alisa Henderson Eager Leaguer Editor Alisa743@aol.com Publications Jane Brezenoff TheBrezenoffs@optonline.net The Eager Leaguer is published 10 times per year. Items for the November issue are due Friday, October 25. FORUMS/TOWN HALL MEETINGS Candidate Forum Wednesday, October 17th at 7PM Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library 1125 Broadway Hewlett, New York US House of Representatives: Carolyn McCarthy/Francis X. Becker Jr./Frank Scatuoro NYS Senate: Dean Skelos/Thomas Feffer NYS Assembly: Brian Curran/Jeffrey Friedman/Harvey Weisenberg/David Sussman Elmont Candidate Forum Tuesday, October 23rd, 7:30 p.m. Elmont Memorial Library 700 Hempstead Turnpike Elmont, NY Phone: (516) Guests are welcome to join us in this very important endeavor to provide an introduction, an information platform and an intelligent discourse for all our candidates and for our audience. LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS The League of Women s Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

2 President s Message October 2012 This last Saturday clearly told the story of what our League is all about. The day started with several of us staffing a League table at the Valley Stream Community Fest. Joanne Borden and Gloria Boris, two new members, helped register 50 new voters. Joanne s energy with those passing by and asking Are you registered to vote? was unstoppable and what great assistance Gloria was at filling out the voter registration forms! There were many others who helped notably Horty Schmierer and my and the League s thanks goes out to all. This indeed is the heart of the work of the League. The potluck was again a great evening! Thanks to everyone for the food dishes and treats and to all who helped, especially Peter Rosenthal, my husband, whom I must mention because he never asks or takes credit but he really makes the evening work right down to the vote signs he puts in the driveway so everyone can easily locate the party! We had over 30 in attendance and someone, after several hours passed, said to me, Looks like no one wants to leave! I think the story of what Southwest Nassau is doing came in my greeting to everyone to thank them for coming and then giving the announcements of upcoming events and a brief description of what we are doing. There were so many things to mention about all of our great work and then several others also had their own comments and additions. There were also comments by several about all the attention we are getting in the press about redistricting and the articles they have read. Our League is hard at work and we are all to be commended for our efforts! October is a busy month, capped by the election on November 6 th. We have candidate forums in POST ELECTION DISCUSSION AND DINNER Wednesday, November 14, 2012 at 6:00 PM Ethical Humanist Society of LI 38 Old Country Road Garden City, NY Join us to hear Ellis Henican, Newsday columnist and on-air commentator on Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, examine and analyze the results of the election. Ask questions, share your comments. You ll find the reservation information on Page 10 of this newsletter. LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTER HOSTS ONLINE VOTER GUIDE The League is hosting VOTE411.org, an online voter guide. VOTE411.org provides general, state-, and county-specific information for the 2012 election. Users can enter an address to build a customized voter guide for a specific location, compare candidate positions side-by-side, and print out a customized sample ballot prior to election day. Candidates were invited to submit their qualifications and answer questions. Responses from national, state, and Nassau County candidates will be available from September 28 through election day, November 6, Candidates who did not submit their material are listed with Candidate has not responded. VOTE411.org can be accessed at 2

3 FOR YOUR INFORMATION NYS Senate: Dean Skelos - Thomas Feffer NYS Assembly: Brian Curran Jeffrey Friedma Harvey Weisenberg David Sussman Let me introduce the participants in our Candidates Forum October 17th 7:00 9:30 p.m. at the Hewlett Woodmere Library, Broadway, Hewlett The US House of Representatives: Carolyn McCarthy Francis X. Becker, Jr Frank Scatuoro We will be pleased to have them join us in this very important endeavor to provide an introduction, an information platform and an intelligent discourse for all our candidates and for our audience. I have had the privilege to orchestrate this event for a number of years. I enjoy what I do. I begin early so as to make it possible for everyone to join us. My comments which follow come from frustration, disappointment and a deep anxiety. This forum is for our incumbents and challengers. Why is it so difficult to get information on their behalf? The County Political Party organizations were often unresponsive to phone calls and s. Local political groups do the best they can, but does the Political leadership really make its best effort to help these organization and their candidates? Indeed, I had to call the office of an incumbent to ascertain his opponent. Then I called a friend to get more information. At that point she forwarded my request and the campaign manager responded. Why? Is not the Party candidate important enough to have that information easily accessible and accurate to all organizations who are interested in promoting democracy? Most people who read this are committed to the voting process and will vote. How do we affect our progeny, our young people, the successors to the work we have done and the country which we have prepared for them? Change will come and we should welcome it but who will make this change? How will it be accomplished? Will all Americans be involved in the process or will it be achieved by a few who have a vested interest in that change? I don t have answers, but I hope you will attend our forum so as to hear the plans for our future as put forth by the people who hope to effectuate success for our country and our state. These are my words and do not reflect the League of Women of Southwest Nassau nor any of the candidates. It is Patricia Sympson voicing her frustration and concern. Patricia C. Sympson, PhD. 3

4 PATRIOCRACY: President s Message WHAT DOES October IT MEAN? 2012 On Thursday, September 20th The League of Women Voters of Southwest Nassau had a meeting open to the public, showing the documentary film, Patriocracy, which addressed the political dysfunction that polarization has brought to American politics. Among those in the film were people involved in the political arena: former Senator Alan Simpson, Bob Schieffer of CBS News, Senator Mark Warner, Senator Kent Conrad, Representative Bob Ingles, and numerous others from Congress and the media. The focus of the film was, in part, the tendency of locked-in ideology that has become a modus operundi of not the separation of power but the separation of those who are elected to represent all the people. The deep concern was the part that big dollars, anonymous donations, play in the decision making of elected officials. The speakers made the point that when donations are made there is an expectation (if not a promise) that there will be a return on the investment. The proverbial I help you and here s what I need you to do for me. Some of the former Senators and Representatives stressed that it would be naïve to think otherwise. It was expressed that the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United, that designated that a corporation has the same right as an individual person, has opened the door to a flood of money from unnamed Political Action Committees. Money without a face, or a name, has evolved into secret and often distorted ads. We no longer know who is donating the dollars nor do we have any idea of whether it is big oil, banks, large industrial corporations, agricultural lobbies, labor unions and, or other special interest groups. What do they expect in return for their donations towards the elections? It is the proverbial one hand washes the other and be sure there is a lot of hand washing going on. Another major point was made in regard to the voting public. As people are taking less time to become truly informed about issues, they become easily swayed by half truths and emotions. Scenes were shown of crowds in confrontation with each other screaming about what they believe to be true. Arguing about perceived truths and perceived facts about a particular bill being debated and misquoting the bill and the U.S. Constitution. The film made a point of showing the difference in presenting the same story from the far Left and the far Right commentators, who they depicted not as news commentators but actors rewriting and rereading earlier reported news to fit their own ideology. It was pointed out that they are not the Edward R. Murrows, Eric Sevareids or Walter Cronkites who carefully researched everything they broadcasted.. The overall point that was being driven home was that all of this is allowed to happen because the electorate, the public, is allowing it to happen. Moderate politicians have lost their party s support, and their elections, because there are very strong activists who take advantage of the fact that the general electorate has allowed itself to be informed by sound bites, headlines, and the flood of big money paid for media ads. They fill the gap with their own electorate that they get to the polls while others stay home. It s the battle between the activists and the apathetic. Count on it, the activist will win by default every time. The film made a point of indicating that what is sorely missing is the willingness of both sides to move off their fixed positions of I m right and you re wrong It s my way or no way. They missed the class on Politics #101, which says that governing is based on compromise. It takes many ideas to create a progressive government. A democratic Republic cannot function on blind ideology of any kind. John F. Kennedy wrote a book entitled Profiles in Courage about people in office who had the courage to make tough decisions that were for the betterment of the country rather than protecting themselves. Not too many today would have found a place in his book. It takes courage to be more concerned about doing the right thing for the country than it is about reelection. What is needed is for the more people to show courage. (Continued on page 5) 4

5 PATRIOCRACY: WHAT DOES IT MEAN? (cont.) It is an axiom that one learns more by listening than by talking. It was pointed out in the film that there is very little of the listening going on, but there sure is a lot of talking. If they don t want to listen and learn from each other, it s time we speak up and have them listen and learn some lessons from a message that the public can send. The film placed the onus on all of us to stop complaining about something we can do something about and so far we have done very little. It was pointed out that we hear enough talk from the dysfunctional political arena. What is needed is more action from the public electorate arena. Harris Dinkoff NASSAU COUNTY REDISTRICTING The Nassau County League, along with several other good government groups, is advocating for fair redistricting in our county, in accordance with the principles of the Federal Voting Rights Act. League members have delivered statements at county legislative redistricting hearings and have been in attendance at every meeting of the Nassau County Temporary Districting Advisory commission (NCTDAC). Earlier this summer, the NCTDAC deadlocked along party lines on what criteria to use when drawing the maps. In Newsday, Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause NY was quoted as saying: They voted without hearing from the public first, explaining that public comments are gratuitous. Our county League s mission is to ensure that the public is heard. To this aim, LWVNC President Nancy Rosenthal testified at the next meeting of the redistricting commission, presenting a list of criteria that combined the best of those presented by both sides at the previous meeting, that League believes should be followed. Meetings of the redistricting commission are currently Long Beach on October 15th. For information on future meetings, contact Nancy at , NancyRosenthal9@gmail.com. THE GREAT LAKES ECOSYSTEM POSITION CONCURRENCE LWVNYS is asking each League in the state whether they support the Great Lakes Ecosystem Position Concurrence. Below is a description of what NYS President Sally Robinson has written on this subject. Please let myself or other Board members know your thoughts or attend our November Board meeting on November 7th at 7 p.m. at Nancy Rosenthal s residence when we will discuss and take a vote on this concurrence issue. 5

6 THE GREAT LAKES ECOSYSTEM POSITION CONCURRENCE (Continued from page 5) Background The Great Lakes Ecosystem Position is a synthesis of previous Michigan League Great Lakes Natural Resources Positions dating back to adoption in 1974 and again in 1981; its title was amended in 1985, and in 1988 the Michigan League combined the Great Lakes Diversions and Consumptive Uses Position and Great Lakes System Position into a single document. In 2005, Michigan representatives held a conference on Mackinac Island to update this ecosystem document. It is this Ecosystem Position that other states that share Great Lakes shorelines are being asked by the Lake Michigan LWV Inter-League organization to adopt by concurrence. The Lake Michigan League of Women Voters was organized in 1966 by League members in the four states surrounding Lake Michigan who wanted to focus on the serious problems facing Lake Michigan As you know, traditional League procedures require that adoption of a position must be preceded by advance study of the issues involved. The concurrence procedure allows for an alternative method for leagues to adopt a proposal already adopted by another state league, one that has undergone the required background study and research. Rationale The eight states that share Great Lakes shorelines border the largest body of freshwater in the world. Forty million people in the U.S. and Canada depend on this source for their drinking water, as well as their recreational and commercial potential. Significant environmental challenges, such as toxic sediments, invasive species, nutrient loading, and shoreline development, to mention a few, threaten the health and livelihood of those dependent on the lakes. Climate change is another factor that exacerbates stress factors on the lakes. If (and when) all the states in the Great Lakes Basin were to adopt this Ecosystem Position, there will be a larger number of informed league members who in their turn can act as a more focused and unified voice in promoting the cause of Great Lakes restoration and conservation efforts. Authored by Paula Blum and Barbara Epstein 6

7 President s AN EVENING Message WITH LARRY October LEVY 2012 It was a dark and rainy night this past October 2nd when Larry Levy came and shed some light on the realities of the 2012 presidential election. Larry is the Executive Dean of the National Center of Suburban Studies at Hofstra University. His insight is born of 35 years as a reporter. editorial writer, columnist and PBS talk show host. He brought all that to bear as he examined the political picture and expectations in the upcoming election. In reviewing the two conventions, he contrasted the difficulty the Republicans had, due in part to the Isaac Hurricane in Tampa Florida, which created the need to shift time and scheduling. This resulted in having to cut speakers times and to cancel some other speakers. This does not make for a smooth functioning operation and it created a problem getting their message out. In contrast, the Democrats in Charlotte, North Carolina had none of these problems and their convention went ahead like a well oiled machine, with Bill Clinton providing a great deal of the momentum. This allowed President Obama to focus on the swing voters. But, and it is a big but, the conventions have just a momentary boost in the road to the White House. As is often the case, elections often come down to whom the people like, rather than a lot of the details on issues. The media keeps asking for details of programs (that are printed in hundreds of pages in loose leaf binders), but the people really are not looking for details as much as they are looking for assurance for the future. Probably during the debates the strongest impression to be made is which candidate can stand up best under pressure and which candidate appears most presidential along with which candidate can put forward a direct and honest picture of where they will take the country. He spoke about the polls that are taken by various groups and said that polls give an overview of the public perspectives on issues, but they are the perspective of the moment and are variable to the issue of that day. Polls or no polls, there are given present day truisms that show that in today s politics there are some states that will be a blue state and some that will be red. There are also purple states and that is where a lot of the focus is being made with ads and personal appearances. The real difference makers are going to be the suburbanites. He felt that religious minorities will have very little, or any influence on the election. The new shaping of this country s populations, with its growing minorities and the disenfranchised, has created an electorate that is concerned about what they are going to get for the buck and their vote. As an aside, he made reference that with the Long Island s present population, if Long Island were a state, it would probably be a Purple State. That s an interesting commentary of where suburbia is today. He concluded that even though we live in a Blue State, the need to vote is important. The number of votes that a candidate wins by has an important affect on the governance that follows. Harris Dinkoff 7

8 VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVES This month Leagues throughout the country have been busy registering thousands of citizens at countless educational and community centers, street corners, bus stops, everywhere one could set up a table or stand with a clipboard. It was a big push to register as many people as possible in advance of voter registration deadlines. Thanks to everyone who participated, National Voter Registration Day (NVRD), September 25 th, was a huge success. The Leagues were in action on multiple fronts with help from the media in the days leading up to and on NVRD. The 249 participating Leagues garnered a great deal of publicity. Our LWV of Southwest Nassau participated, thanks to the networking of our public relations advocate, Joanne Antun, in the Valley Stream Community Fest on Saturday, September 29 th. We had 4 tables with countless League material including Voter Registration forms and Absentee Voter Applications. Three of the seats were reserved for people to fill in their voter registration forms. It's amazing how many people are still not registered to vote and don't want to. I heard, I don't know who to vote for, It doesn't make any difference. Some people just shook their heads. Of course, many registered voters do not vote. In New York State, the percentage of eligible registered voters who vote is only 64%. Our special thanks go to Horty Schmierer who chaired this event and was there all day from 10:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon. Thanks also to Peter and Nancy Rosenthal who somehow carried the 4 tables and 4 chairs plus all the materials to our location on Rockaway Avenue and then had to pick them up and return them to whoever had loaned them. To all our helpers who confronted the passers-by asking if they were registered to vote and handing out League material Nancy and Peter Rosenthal, new members Gloria Boris and Joanne Borden, Marjorie Latz, Sallie Prisyon and Fran Greifenberger we couldn't have done it without you. Marjorie Latz Horty Schmierer working at the voter drive Gloria Boris registering a new voter. 8

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10 VOTER PROTECTION ACTION Groups are racing against time to get Florida voters registered. Elisabeth MacNamara, President of the LWV said, 30 local chapters are registering voters in Florida, trying to make up for lost time...they are targeting under-served communities. They're working at bus stops, community colleges, baseball games, naturalization ceremonies and other events. Leagues continue to be involved in court cases around the country, some of which are still playing out in the courts and will have a direct impact on who can vote and how they can vote in November. With weeks to go before Election Day, there are still decisions coming from the courts. In New Hampshire, outof-state students can now register to vote without fear because a recent new law has been overturned. In Wisconsin, the State Supreme Court declined for now to take up lower court orders blocking Wisconsin's voter ID law, the latest sign the law likely will not be in place for the November 6 presidential election. According to a recent study, an estimated 700,000 young minority voters could be barred from voting in November because of photo ID laws passed across the country in recent years. In Florida, in a partial victory for voter rights' groups, Florida residents mistakenly removed from the voter rolls this year because the state classified them as non-citizens will be returned to the rolls and allowed to vote in November. Earlier this month, League President Elisabeth MacNamara testified at the US. Senate Judiciary. POST-ELECTION DINNER Wednesday, November 14, 2012 We will enjoy a light meal and a lively Analytic Commentary on the Election Results by Ellis Henican, Newsday Columnist, Author, NY Times Bestsellers at the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island located at 38 Old Country Road, Garden City, NY It will be $20.00 per person. The doors open at 6:00 pm with a buffet supper at 6:30 p.m. For further information call the Nassau County League office at Please complete your online reservation and payment at Or mail your check no later than Nov. 7th to LWV of Nassau County, PO Box 539, Point Lookout, NY Please reserve place(s) for the Post-Election $20.00 on Wednesday, Nov 14, 2012 My check in the amount of $ payable to The LWV of Nassau County is enclosed. NAME: ADDRESS: PHONE: LOCAL LEAGUE I regret I cannot attend the dinner, but enclosed is my contribution of $ to LWV of Nassau County 10