LEAGUE OF WOMEN S OF THURSTON COUNTY Volume 10 Issue 3 CALENDAR February 25, 2016 LWVTC General mtg. Traditions Café 6 pm Social Speakers at 6:30 Tax Fairness March 24, 2016 LWVTC General mtg. Olympia Community Center PLEASE NOTE VENUE CHANGE 7 pm 9 pm Homelessness April 28, 2016 LWVTC General mtg. Traditions Café 6 pm Social Speakers at 6:30 Living Wage May 19, 2016 LWVTC Annual Meeting Details TBD PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE Inside this issue: President s Article 2 Board of Directors 2 Sustainable Thurston 3 Homelessness forum 3 Money in Politics Consensus 4 Member Spotlight 5 Editor: Dawn Brooks Gibbs dawn8152@msn.com DON T MISS IT! LWVTC General Meeting February 25, 2016 Tradition s Café 6-8 pm TAX FAIRNESS JOIN US! FEBRUARY 2016 The issue of economic disparity has become a significant topic in our national conversation and is certainly playing a role in our election cycle. On February 25 th, at Traditions, our League will welcome Wolfgang Opitz, Assistant State Treasurer, to discuss the issue of tax fairness, which is a critical component of this discussion. Washington State is well known for having one of the most regressive tax structures in the nation. Without an income tax we depend on sales tax, property tax, business and occupation tax, and now, even some tolls. Our sales tax is one of the highest in the nation. In fact, some analysts rate our state at #50 for tax fairness. One study showed that the poorest 20% pay close to 17% of their income in state and local taxes whereas the 1% paid 2.8% of their income. On a percentage basis, those with less income pay a much higher percentage in various state taxes than those with higher incomes. In addition, the state must determine how to properly fund education without creating an even larger dependency on revenue that perpetuates the tax disparity that currently exists. Many of us realize that reducing the dependency on sales tax and moving to an income tax would be the fairest structure for all, but that option has never succeeded in the legislature or as an initiative. So join to us in February to review and discuss tax fairness in the State of Washington and the possibilities to resolve this on-going issue. Allyson Brooks
PAGE 2 President s Article Can you believe it s already election time? What! you say--- thought that was in August at the earliest, or November!! NO! We have a really important election going on right now, with ballots due on February 9!! This election is a big one for Thurston county schools.all of the school districts are holding elections on the same day, with the same slogan--- Yes for Schools. Some districts are running levies, some bond issues, some both. Please VOTE!! You don t even have to use a stamp---locations of ballot drop boxes are on the pink ballot insert. So.let s have 100% election turn-out for Thurston League members... We ve had a very active January and will have an equally busy February. Our Money in Politics OFFICERS consensus meeting was very informative see Karen Tvedt s article for details. As I write, we re anticipating a really informative January General Meeting about Disaster Preparedness and then the showing of Naomi Klein s documentary on January 31 st This Changes Everything. Our February meeting is on Tax Fairness ; Allyson Brooks has the scoop on that meeting (see page 3) Besides our General Meetings we ve begun to line up our elections/voter service work under the guidance of Barb Theiss. And many of us attended the excellent mid-january Climate Conference at the Evergreen State College a major theme was the importance of local action to reduce the impacts of climate change. I ve been attending monthly meetings of the Thurston Thrives Clean Energy Team, representing League. The Team website is at http:// www.co.thurston.wa.us/health/ thrives/cleanenergysharedwork.html In addition, we re keeping track of Racial Equity matters that are being spearheaded by the Black Alliance of Thurston. We d love to hear from you about your League passions. Our Board is always looking for people to participate on our myriad projects. Please contact me or other Board members---i m at p.dickason@comcast.net or 360 753-7647. Other Board members are listed below and in the Membership Directory. In League, 2016 LWVTC BOARD OF DIRECTORS President: Pat Dickason p.dickason@comcast.net ELECTED DIRECTORS Barb Theiss jetheiss@aol.com Pat Dickason LWVTC President APPOINTED DIRECTORS Ruth Harms ruthah24@gmail.com Vice President: Allyson Brook allysonbrooks@gmail.com Secretary: Karen Tvedt tvedtkl@msn.com Treasurer: Kathleen Downey kathdowney@yahoo.com R. Peggy Smith rpps4u@comcast.net Dawn Brooks Gibbs dawn8152@msn.com Valerie Hammett Valerie.hammett@gmail.com Karen Verrill gokar1@comcast.net Peggy Bruton gimleteye@comcast.net vacant seat
PAGE 3 LWV-TC AND SUSTAINABLE THURSTON One of the Priority Goals in the Sustainable Thurston Plan is: Ensure that residents have the resources to meet their daily needs. The Target associated with this Goal is that by 2035, less than 10 percent of total households in Thurston County will be cost burdened. What this tells us is that, regardless of how comfortable most of us are, there are people living in Thurston County who do not have enough money to meet basic needs. Sometimes you see them among the homeless on our streets. Most often, they are invisible, but they are there. The next three LWVTC general meetings with touch on different aspects of challenges faced by persons in our community with insufficient income. We may also hear about possible actions that could improve their circumstances. Tax Fairness Thursday, February 25, 2016 Homelessness Thursday, March 25, 2016 Living Wage Thursday, April 26, 2016 Look for articles in this and forthcoming s that give you details about these programs. Also, be sure to attend! Be part of discussions about what LWVTC can do to move us towards Sustainable Thurston. R Peggy Smith Homelessness Forum March 24th Please Plan on Joining us! The League of Women s Voters of Thurston County is holding a focused forum exploring Homelessness on March 24 th from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the Olympia Community Center. The forum will provide an overview of the current situation including the 2016 Homeless Point-In-time Count and gaps in current services along with what is planned and solutions being explored to end homelessness in Thurston County. Darlene Hein NOTICE: The LWVTC Annual Meeting date has been changed to May 19, 2016 Details TBD SAVE THE DATE April 28, 2016 Living Wage Details TBD
PAGE 4 MONEY IN POLITICS LWVTC CONSENSUS MEETING On January 20 th, eight LWVTC members participated in a consensus process as part of the LWVUS Money in Politics (MIP) Review and Update. Instructed by the LWVUS to respond to the questions based on our beliefs, rather than recent court decisions and late-breaking news, participants shared their opinions about: the goals and purposes of campaign finance regulation; whether certain activities are types of political corruption; whether spending by specific individuals and organizations should be limited; whether the League should support specific methods for regulating campaign finance; and methods for administering and enforcing the regulations. The consensus results were approved by the LWVTC Board during its January 21 st meeting. With responses due from local leagues February 1 st, the national MIP study committee will analyze data from the consensus process, draft an updated position based on member agreement, and submit the results to the LWV Education Fund (EF) Board by the end of March. The LWVEF Board will review the consensus results for approval of an updated position in April 2016. As adopted during the June 2014 LWVUS Convention, this process responds to the need for review and update of the League position on campaign finance in light of forty years of changes since the Watergate reforms, in order to enhance member understanding of the new schemes and structures used to influence elections and erode protections against corruption in our political process, and to review possible responses to counter them in the current environment. Briefly, the League s current position was established in 1974, and focuses on the financing of election campaigns as it relates to the democratic process, e.g., undue influence and equity among candidates. However, starting in 1976, Supreme Court decisions treat the use of money in politics as free speech, protected by the First Amendment. Among these rulings is the 2010 Citizens United decision that allows unlimited independent spending in elections by corporations and unions. It also narrows the definition of corruption to quid quo pro expenditures directly to candidates. As discussed in the study guide and reference materials, so long as expenditures meet loose Federal Election Commission rules about coordination with candidates, Super Pacs are now allowed to spend huge amounts of money as independent expenditures. Further, by moving money among Super Pacs and Social Welfare Organizations (501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code), the identity of contributors can be concealed. It is telling that a May 2015 poll conducted for the New York Times and CBS News found that 84% of the respondents believe money has too much influence in politics (80% of registered Republicans, 90% of registered Democrats and 84% of independents). Karen Tvedt
PAGE 5 ROB KIRKWOOD My involvement with the League of Women Voters continues my life circumstances that can be, in part, attributed to my mother. She wasn t a league member, but she was very involved in a wide range of volunteer activities and never afraid to say what was on her mind. We had foreign exchange students, we visited other religious organizations and my brother and I both participated in the family kitchen. She set an example that we are all equal, there are several ways to live this life and involvement in community is very important. As is often the case I married a woman that has several characteristics similar to my mother s. Community involvement, caring for others, and not afraid to speak her mind lead Valerie Hammett to become involved with the League and so by association there am I. I have observed that women often provide a balance for life s priorities; I appreciate the opportunities the LWV provides me to share in the balance. When I m not setting up chairs or carrying stuff in for League meetings, I work for Washington State Parks as an engineer (yes, parks have the same utilities, roads, structures, including a large collection of historic structures that small cites have). My volunteer activities include Thurston County Historic Commission, PCO for the Henderson precinct and pushing the community to preserve the Old Olympia Brewhouse. Valerie and I both enjoy having our grandkids in town. Thanks, Rob Kirkwood
LEAGUE OF WOMEN S OF THURSTON COUNTY MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Please refer to www.lwvthurston.org for more information about League activities and membership, or mail in the membership form below. Enclosed is a check in the amount of $ $60 for my membership $ for an Educational Fund Donation NAME ADDRESS CITY/STATE/ZIP HOME PHONE WORK PHONE E-MAIL LWVTC Newsletter: DATE: The LWVTC newsletter,, will be distributed by e-mail. Check this box to specifically request a paper copy by regular mail LWV Mission The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan, nonprofit political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government. The League influences public policy through education and advocacy. Anyone of voting age may become a League member. LEAGUE OF WOMEN S THURSTON COUNTY PO Box 2203 Olympia, WA 98507 Phone (360) 352-8220