Volume 63, Number 4 December 2012 UPCOMING EVENTS. Holiday Party Saturday, December 15th at 6pm The Rosenthal's JOIN THE LEAGUE

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1 Volume 63, Number 4 December 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 UPCOMING EVENTS Nassau County United Redistricting Coalition Thursday, December 13th at 7pm 250 Fulton Street, Suite 607, Village of Hempstead Holiday Party Saturday, December 15th at 6pm The Rosenthal's Democracy for Sale And What We Can Do About It Wednesday, December 12th, 6:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m. Save the Date: 2013 LWVNYS Convention The state League has contracted with the Albany Hilton to host the 2013 State Convention on June 1-2, Be sure to mark your calendars. We ll keep you updated on additional arrangements. LWVSWN 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 January issue are due Sunday, December 23. JOIN THE LEAGUE Become an active volunteer and join the Southwest Nassau or state League and be part of the solution! Your community needs leaders like you to participate in order to be a strong, safe and vibrant place to live. Become a member and make an impact in your community. Contact Flora Schwartz (lesfggs@aol.com) to get started. 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 DECEMBER 2012 October and Hurricane Sandy changed Long Island, the five boroughs of New York City, New Jersey, and so many other areas. Today, December 10th, the Long Island Railroad is resuming regular service for the first time since Hurricane Sandy. I know of people still without power, let alone people still not able to live in their homes due to flooding damages, gas and oil leaks, whatever. Almost all organizations in the area cancelled meetings scheduled in November. December has found us all regrouping. Most importantly to Nassau Leagues is redistricting. The County charter says the maps are to be drawn by the Temporary Districting Commission and presented at the first meeting of the legislature in 2013 which is January 5, We are very concerned about when/where/if public hearings are to be help in response to the map(s) the commission draws. To further our efforts on this crucial representation issue, the League has joined up with three other organizations and named ourselves, Nassau County United Redistricting Coalition ("Coalition"), an independent non-partisan coalition co-founded by LatinoJustice, Common Cause New York, La Fuente, and, the League of Women Voters of Nassau County; we have also developed and launched the website nassauunitedredistricting.org. The coalition has sent a letter to Mangano, the chair of the commission, and the democratic and republican directors on the commission, requesting a meeting and to date has received no response. On December 13th, the coalition will have a meeting to discuss this issue and what we as a county can and need to do. (See Page 5). Our Campaign Finance Refrom meeting was moved from November 26th to Wednesday January 30, Carol Mellor, the author of the presentation created by the NY State League office will be our speaker. On Wednesday, December 12th, there will be a meeting on this topic in NYC with Barbara Bartolletti, the League's lobbyist. (see attached flyer). Peter and I are again hosting our Holiday Party on Saturday December 15th. We hope you join us for what will indeed be a great evening of lively conversation and good food! All of us on your Board extend our best wishes to you and yours a Happy Holiday season and Happy New Year! Nancy Rosenthal 2

3 AN HISTORIC EVENT FOR LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS On behalf of the League of Women Voters of New York State, Sally Robinson, President of the New York State league, rang the opening bell for NASDAQ on Election Day She was able to broadcast over Times Square the League's message about the importance of citizens exercising their right to vote, including these words: "I am more aware than ever of how treasured the right to choose our leaders is. In addition to the tragic loss of life in our area from Hurricane Sandy, many spent the week before the election dealing with the loss of homes, property and electricity. Yet the League had many calls asking how they can still vote. It is remarkable how people who have lost so much are so concerned that they be able to exercise their right to vote." You can watch the video by clicking here - STATE PLANNING MEETING PRIMER POSITIONS IN BRIEF ELECTION LAW Support of measures to protect, extend and encourage the use of the franchise; open the political system by enacting a public campaign financing law for statewide offices; establish legal, ethical campaign guidelines; monitor campaign practices; simplify rules for ballot access. Restore integrity to the election process specifically support for uniformity in election laws and procedures in their implementation and enforcement; promote measures that ensure the integrity of all ballots; support adequate funding for these procedures, including training of all involved election personnel.* Opposition to term limits for members of the NYS Legislature. Opposition to term limits for NYS statewide elected officials. GOVERNMENT Support of standards to ensure equitable representation in the State legislature and the congress. Support of improved measures to provide representation for legislative districts in case of a vacancy. Support of responsive and responsible legislative processes which increase the role of the individual member and the committee system. Support of effective lobbying and ethics regulation. 3

4 STATE PLANNING MEETING PRIMER (CONT.) Support of procedural reforms in the constitutional convention process to promote openness and nonpartisanship. HEALTH CARE Support a single payor concept as an acceptable approach to implementing League positions on equitable access and cost containment. Support of measures to assure a basic level of quality physical and mental health care for all state residents including regulatory incentives to encourage development of cost effective alternative methods of delivery; funding for health promotion and disease prevention programs; provisions for effective citizen participation in health policy decisions. Support of measures that enable individuals to assume responsibility for their own health and to participate in decisions including termination of extraordinary life-extending procedures. Support for uniform eligibility and coverage of basic health care costs through public financing. JUDICIAL Support of a unified state court system with improved provisions for judicial selection. Support of statewide guidelines for law enforcement at all levels to prevent racial and economic profiling. Support of measures to improve pretrial procedures in the criminal courts. Support of measures to promote a fair and efficient jury system. Support of alternatives to incarceration. Opposition to the death penalty, with life without parole as the primary alternative. NATURAL RESOURCES Support for measures to achieve watershed protection including limiting pesticide use and applying Best Management Practices. Support for a state-established, intergovernmental system for land resource management. Support for a proactive role for New York State in regional land use planning, containing urban sprawl and protecting sensitive areas. Support of reconditioning of the New York State Erie/Barge Canal System and its development for recreational uses. SOCIAL POLICY Support measures to meet the needs for low-income housing through use of state funds and incentives to localities STATE FINANCES Support reforms for greater equity in education financing for both pupils and taxpayers. Support raising funds to provide New York s children with a sound basic education through increases in the New York State personal income tax, implemented in a progressive fashion. Oppose in principle the use of public funds to support non-public schools, kindergarten-twelfh grade. Support a uniform equitable assessment and property tax system. Support for the replacement of the existing local residential property tax relief programs in which relief goes to all with programs based on need, with annual cost of living adjustment. 4

5 STATE PLANNING MEETING PRIMER (CONT.) Support of measures to provide for openness and accountability in the operation of the New York State public authority system. Support of a timely and responsive state budget. Support the funding of public higher education and the existing formula for financing the community system, 1/3 tuition, 1/3 state aid, and 1/3 county support WOMENS ISSUES/SOCIAL POLICY Support of measures which hold marriage to be an economic partnership with a presumption of equality between the spouses. Opposition to measures that contain a presumption of joint custody of the children Support for equity in employment laws and practices and equal pay for jobs of comparable worth. Support of measures to reduce the incidence and effects of domestic violence. Support for measures to meet the needs for affordable and accessible housing through use of state funds and incentives to localities. *These state positions are based on LWVUS principles and public policy positions. State actions on other items not covered under a state position can also be taken under LWVUS positions. Reproductive choices (Government position) and welfare reform (Meeting Basic Human Needs position) are two examples. YOUTH PROGRAMS: JUDIE GORENSTEIN All but 2 of our local Leagues have responded to our requests for information about local youth programs. We are excited about many of the new programs Leagues are organizing. Watch on the Youth Page of the state League website for more information on the many programs. Maybe your local League would like to replicate one of the programs - give a call for help! Students Inside Albany Conference (April 14-17, 2013) SIA remains the youth program in which the majority of the local Leagues participate. Information with suggestions for recruitment of students for 2013 SIA (April 14-17) was ed to all local leagues in late September. We have set a maximum limit this year of 60 students (6 more than attended this year). A League cannot send more than two students; the first student is free (except for cost of transportation) and the 2nd student will cost $600. In addition however, each of the ILOs will be able to send a student if that youth comes from an area in which there is no local League. Each local League must tell the state League office ( katrina@lwvny.org or call ) if they are sending a student or two students (not names, just numbers for now) by Dec. 15 to reserve a spot. The forms to be completed by the student selected will be ed next week and must be submitted to the state office by February 15,

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8 DEMOCRACY FOR SALE AND WHAT WE DO ABOUT IT FIVE CAMPAIGN REFORM EXPERTS TO BE FEATURED AT A SYMPOSIUM BACKING NY GOVERNOR CUOMO S PUSH FOR FAIR ELECTIONS With the recent elections behind us and the outrageous unlimited sums spent, a five-member panel of experts on campaign finance reform will be featured at an upcoming Symposium, Democracy For Sale: A Case For Fair Elections in New York State. The panelists include Barbara Bartoletti, New York State League of Women Voters Legislative Director, Michael Malbin, Executive Director of the Washington based Campaign Finance Institute, Lawrence Norden, Brennan Center Democracy Program Deputy Director, Miles Rapoport, President of Demos, and Sean Eldridge, Founder of Protect Our Democracy. Vered Mallon, New York City League Board Member and Chair of the Campaign Finance Reform Committee, will moderate the program. The League of Women Voters New York City has partnered with The Brennan Center For Justice at New York University Law School which is underwriting the program, and with Demos, a non-partisan, nonprofit, public policy and research advocacy organization in sponsoring the event scheduled for Wednesday, December 12, 2012 from 6:30PM to 8:30PM at The Community Church of New York, Assembly Hall, located at 40 East 35th Street between Park and Madison Avenues. Capitalizing on Governor Andrew Cuomo s recently announced support for public financing in New York State, and braced by post-election public sentiment overwhelmingly in favor of electoral reform at both the federal and state levels, the three major public policy groups have mobilized their resources in sponsoring the Symposium. The event is targeted to rally public support behind the Governor s fair elections initiative, patterned after the highly successful New York City model of public financing with its system of matching funds According to a recently commissioned research study by the Brennan Center, voters from both major political parties overwhelmingly viewed the nation s electoral system to be broken and in need of change. In addition, a new poll commissioned by the Corporate Reform Coalition of which Demos is a part found that eight out of ten American voters agree that corporate political spending drowns out the voices of average Americans and has made politics more negative at both the federal and state levels. The current Pay to Play political culture is out of control, said Ms. Mallon, We need to restrict the outrageous sums of unlimited and unaccountable monies that we saw pour into both Presidential campaigns, she noted. New York State can be a model for reform nationwide by legislating public financing, contribution limits, improved disclosure and robust enforcement. 8

9 ANALYSIS OF THE 2012 ELECTION An enthusiastic audience was rewarded at our November 12th meeting with a fascinating breakdown of the Presidential election results delivered by Dr. Chris Malone, Associate Professor and Chairman of the Political Science Department at Pace University, and author of Occupy Wall Street...from New York to the World which will be available at Amazon in January The first slide shown compared the Electoral Votes for Obama of 2008 with those of 2012; 336 to 332 with the loss of only one battleground state, North Carolina, and that by a very small number, validating the polling of the Obama camp and proving the Romney polling estimates disastrous. 53% of the total votes were cast by women. Slides showed the breakdown of votes by age, marital status, education, race and income. Over 60% of the younger population voted for Obama as did the lower echelons of the educated and the higher ones...and the unmarried sector. By issues the breakdown showed the greatest discrepancy on the Health Issues. 81% of the electorate found Obama the more caring candidate and the majority favored tax increases and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants...so a mandate seems clear. Most voters (69%) made their decisions before September by the close of the conventions, and only 9% the last week...3% of them the last day. 30% of the total vote is represented by large cities, 47% by suburban areas and 21% rural ones. The debates had little or no effect on decisions. Most interesting were Cartogram maps done by the University of Michigan showing the entire country, states and counties by the actual blue and red votes within them, indicating that the country is really purple. Another fascinating breakdown was that of Congress and President by party since In that time, there were only 2 or 3 years when the majority of Congress was of the same party as the President,...we were and are a divided country. Questions from the audience addressed the future of the Republican Party, action on Global Warming, the Tea Party, Michael Bloomberg, and early voting. The Republican Party, according to Dr. Malone, will have to attract a more diverse base and reconsider social issues. The Tea Party is fading fast. Grover Norquist's power is greatly diminished. Global Warming will not be seriously addressed for a couple of years. Bloomberg's future is hazy and early voting is the way of the future, with help on this promised to the League by our wonderful speaker who promised to return in by Betty Golub League of Women Voters of Somers Issue XXV, Number 6 9