HAPPY
NEW YEAR AND SEASON'S GREETINGS! MAY ALL OF YOUR JOYS BE REALIZED...
As we
reflect on what we plan to do this year and the. impact of 2001 on our
lives, let us review our LWV involvement.
Are you
taking the LWV for granted? Would you promise to become involved by
attending a meeting? Please reflect and ask how to become involved, get
off the sidelines, and take time from your busy schedule to help us.
This
month the Units will focus on Program Planning to select one National
position for review and update three issues. Please plan to attend a
Unit for this important meeting. Your input is needed.
As we rnove into 2002, issues related
to ELECTION administration reform will be in the forefront and hold our attention We testified before the D.C. City Council on December
17th, 2001 on the Voter Information and Education Act of 2001, requiring
the Board of Elections and Ethics to provide each registered voter a
voters guide or pamphlet prior to election; the Early Voting Amendment
Act of 2001,
which would allow registered voters to apply for permanent absentee
voter's status relating to absentee ballots; and the Election Recount
and Judicial Review Act of 2001 to require
a recount when the margin of victory is less than one percent of the
total votes cast.
In a
recent hearing in Congress on the Ney-Hoyer Election bill (HR3295), a
communication on a local league's letterhead expressing an opposing
viewpoint to that of LWVUS was cited during a floor debate on the bill.
LWVUS President Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, in a letter to State and
Local League Presidents, stated emphatically the "importance of
speaking with one voice," and the importance of our most basic
action policies and procedures, as stated in our By-Laws: "Leagues
may act on national program only in conformity with positions taken by
LWVUS." For an update on national Election Reform legislation,
see article below.
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BROWN
BAG DIALOGUE SERIES
11:30
a.m. Monday, January 28, 2002
1730 M
STREET, NW SUITE 1000
TOPIC:
"Council for Court Excellence"
Peter
Willner, Executive Director
(See below
for more information)
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Here's
my letter to Santa: "Dear Santa, Please send a Leaguer to help in
the League Office; or, if you can't find any Leaguers with free time,
please send us a new bus (we could use more than one, but we understand
they are expensive) to help move us around the region; but if that's
asking too much, could you spare a few stars for our hardworking
Leaguers who are making a difference around our city. Sincerely
yours,"
E. Patricia Hallman, President
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December
Unit Meetings - Many Choices: Reports from the Units about their
December meetings tell of socializing, plus a variety of other
activities.
-
Southwest
-- an animated discussion of Southwest development plans, led by
Margaret Feldman.
-
Northwest
Day, Northwest Evening, Upper 16th - watching a video featuring UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan, with Walter Cronkite, Carolyn
Jefferson-Jenkins, and others across the nation.
-
Chevy
Chase/Ingleside -- took a busload of members and friends on a housing
tour of Columbia Heights/Shaw Neighborhood.
The next meeting of the Unit Council will be
Monday, January 14, from noon - 1:30 p.m. at the
LWVDC office.
Sheila Keeny (966-1692), Unit Director
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Topic:
2002-2004 National Program
(See
pg. 3 article and Public Policy Positions Insert.)
Tuesday,
January 22
9:45
a.m. Southwest Unit, Hostess: Audrey Hatry (554-4450),
530 N St., SW #S605
12:45 p.m. Northwest Day Unit,
Iona House, 4129 Albemarle St., NW, (Metro: Tenleytown),
Hostess: June Bashkin (337-0949)
Wednesday,
January 23
9:45 a.m.
Upper Sixteenth Street Unit,
Hostess: Sheila Willet (588-1734),
2034 17th St., NW, Basement (Street parking is difficult to find; 1 block from various bus
routes. Call Sheila for bus directions.)
Thursday,
January 24
9:45
a.m. Chevy Chase/Ingleside,
The Lounge, Ingleside Community,
3050 Military Road, NW,
Hostess: Joan Wilson (237-6264)
7:30 p.m. The Evening Unit,
Hostess: Naomi Glass (686-0124),
5533 33rd St., NW
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UNIT
MEMBERS TOURED COLUMBIA HEIGHTS-SHAW
NEIGHBORHOODS
..a
"Go-see" tour of affordable housing
With a strong
interest in affordable housing aroused by the October LWVDC Housing Committee
presentation, the Chevy Chase-Ingleside Unit opted to take a bus tour of the Columbia Heights-Shaw
neighborhoods as their December agenda. Around 25 League members and friends participated.
A young and very knowledgeable community organizer from the Manna Shaw Development
Group, David Heyman, led the tour. In the brief space of two hours, he illustrated housing problems and solutions in his work
area by identifying specific examples of transitory
housing sponsored by church groups. He pointed out sections of row
houses that sold for little a few years ago, but now bring hundreds of thousands of dollars when renovated.
To dramatize the threat of gentrification to low income families, he
pointed out the potential rippling effect of the new
Convention Center that abuts several buildings serving low income tenants on sites
which will become prime targets for hotel development by the time the Center opens in 2003.
He cited the need for new and middle-to-high income residents to broaden the tax base for the city,
while at the same time assuring an adequate supply of low-income housing. Because safe, affordable
rental housing is the major crisis today in Washington's real estate market, producing the
crunching disorders of homelessness and double up or tripled up families, there is a manifest need for
government action. Mr. Heyman lamented the
absence of any comprehensive planning to manage both these needs in some sort of balanced
endeavor.
Mr. Heyman urged all to respond to the action alerts of the LWVDC Housing Committee, because
the D.C. Council is scheduled to vote on significant legislation on January 8, 2002.
Joan Wilson,
Chair, Chevy Chase-Ingleside Unit
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SAVE
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2002 FOR A WINE AND CHEESE PARTY!
Time: 6-8 P.M.
Cost: $12 per person. Place: 4000 Massachusetts Ave., NW, # 1510
RSVP: Geri Albers 202-362-2605
Bring friends and
family to taste various wines and cheeses and make money for the
League!
Fundraiser
sponsored by NW Evening Unit
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We enter
a brand new year to begin preparation of the next biennial program cycle
of LWVUS. Brainstorming is the first stage, which we commence at the
Unit meetings in January.
In the
past two cycles, LWVDC has had very concrete agendas of its own, namely
getting the issue of full voting representation in Congress as a formal
part of Making Democracy Work and then pushing for updating two
positions (trade and the UN). In contrast, at this stage no burning
issues of interest to D.C. Leaguers have been brought to the attention
of the LWVDC Board of Directors. Our unit meetings will focus on the
LWVUS request that we choose one National position for review and update
as well as select three issues that our League sees as issues of
community concern at the state and local level. The issues themselves
could be state and local as well as national issues. Start thinking now
about what commands your interest. For example, do you think our
position on the Electoral College should be revisited? The future of
National Program depends on you.
LWVUS positions fall
into the major categories of Representative
Government, International Relations, Natural Resources. and Social Policy. The details
are published in "Impact on Issues 2000-2002, A Guide To Public Policy Positions." The Office has a
reference copy, as do LWVDC Board Members. The document also is available on the LWVUS website at
www.lwv.org. Barbara Yeomans, (363-8940),
3rd VP
(National Program)
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We
attended the D.C. Voice meeting held on Dec. 6 at the Whitelaw Hotel
that was convened with the goal of organizing community groups to work
for change in education. A discussion of the State of Pennsylvania's
influence on the public schools revealed a wide range of spending per
pupil: approximately $3000 in Philadelphia compared to $12,000 per pupil
in a nearby suburban public school. Questions for further study include
the access of school buildings for the physically impaired, the role of
mainstreaming for special education students, transportation and other
provisions for homeless children. The next Education Committee meeting
is Wed. Jan. 16 at the LWVDC Office. Constance Tate
(882-0387) & Gladys Weaver (554-3055), Co-chairs
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DC
Vote and its Executive Director Amy Slemmer were joined at the first
annual CHAMPION
OF DEMOCRACY fundraiser on Dec. 12 by Senator Mary Landrieu (LA),
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Councilmember Adrian Fenty, E. Patricia
Hallman, President of LWVDC and several other LWV Board members who have
been working for full voting rights for some decades. Senator Landrieu
current Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for the District
of Columbia, spoke of her appreciation for the opportunity to work for
the District of Columbia. She comes to us with a strong interest and
background in large cities, many of which share some, but not all of
the problems we have here in D.C.
The
ceremony honored Major-General Warren Freeman of the District of
Columbia National Guard, along with several members of his staff;
Clifford Alexander, Jr., Roger Wilkins and posthumously Art Schultz, III
for their commitment to gain full voting representation in Congress for
District citizens. This was the first Champion of Democracy Award
reception. DC Vote plans to hold a similar ceremony each year. Kathy Schmidt, DC VOTE
Liaison (237-5550)
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Great
Decisions Discussions Series begins. The
IR Committee invites League members and their friends to discuss world
issues by joining our Great Decisions group, a program begun by the
Foreign Policy Association in 1954. A flyer describing the program and
how to participate is enclosed. The first meeting is Friday, Jan 25.
UN
Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons: Also
enclosed in this month's DC VOTER is a paper by Lora Lumpe,
Senior Associate at the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo,
based on her presentation before the IR Committee this past September.
It may give you some ideas that you may wish to bring up at our Unit
Meetings on National Program Planning to be held this month. Sheila Keeny (966-1692)
Co-Chair
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We think it is fair
to say that the D.C. League has
gotten the attention of Council members and has
affected the "Omnibus" Housing Bill, making it more
responsive to low-income District residents.
December was a busy month for the committee. By
the time you get the VOTER we will have
testified at
two hearings (confirmation of Stanley Jackson,
Director, Department of Housing and Community Development, and
hearing of the Economic Development
Committee, Chair, Councilmember
Harold Brazil, on Bill 14-263, Creating Affordable & Diverse Housing,
known
as the Inclusionary Housing
Bill.) See testimony below. We also participated in a
press conference and listened to the Council debate the
"Omnibus" Housing Bill and consider
amendments. And, of course, we continue to visit
Council members. On December 21, committee
members and representatives of other community
groups met with the Washington Post editorial
reporters Claudia Townsend and Colbert King. We
are hoping for an editorial to appear in the near future
before the council's final vote on the housing bill. The final vote
on the bill is now scheduled for Tuesday,
January 8. We hope as many Leaguers as possible will
be at the Council
chambers during that
session, which starts at 10:00. Call
the Secretary of the Council at 724-8080 to be
sure the agenda has not changed, and to check the meeting place.
Elizabeth Martin (537-3043) &
Julia Cuniberti (387-0122), Co-chairs
EXCERPT OF
TESTIMONY ON INCLUSIONARY HOUSING
(Presented
at a Public Hearing Before The Committee on Economic Development, Harold
Brazil, Chairperson, On December 12,
2001, Agenda
Item: "Creating Affordable and Diverse Housing," Bill 14-263.)
The full text
of the testimony and attachments are available in the DC League office.
"Good
morning Councilmember Brazil and members of the Economic Development
Committee. My name is Elinor Hart. I am presenting testimony on behalf
of the League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia.
We know
the District urgently needs ways to pay for affordable housing with
private dollars. We expect that because of D.C.'s limited capacity to
raise revenue, our need is probably greater than any other jurisdiction
in the country. We want to commend both the Mayor and Councilmember
Graham for proposing that the city use the concept of inclusionary
development to create affordable housing with private funds. However we feel that neither of
their proposals applies this
very valuable concept as effectively as it needs to be applied.
Our testimony will include
a brief discussion of the four criteria we think
are essential to an effective inclusionary development policy and an assessment
of how both approaches
measure up to those criteria. The League wants an
inclusionary development policy that
produces the maximum number of affordable
units possible each year. We feel that the approaches
proposed by both the Mayor and Councilmember Graham would produce
too few units. We think the
impact would be similar to that of San Francisco's current
inclusionary development policy which requires that 10% of
the units in housing projects that seek
Planning Commission approval as conditional uses or planned
unit developments be affordable. . . . We are
submitting with our testimony a review of the city's
inclusionary affordable housing policy prepared by the
San Francisco Planning Department.
The League wants an inclusionary development policy that fosters
economic and cultural diversity
throughout the city. Councilmember Graham's legislation permits a developer to build
affordable housing at another city location or to make a contribution to the
Housing Production Trust Fund. The League is concerned
that these options will the meeting place. significantly reduce the economic integration that
results from inclusionary development.
The League wants an inclusionary development policy that is an integral part of the city's
comprehensive affordable housing strategy. Inclusionary
development, the Trust Fund, the Homestead Program, and HPAP as well as the other
housing programs DHCD administers will all have greater and easier to measure impact if they are
closely tied to goals of numbers of units per year and defined income levels.
. . . The
League recognizes that an
effective inclusionary development policy
will put reasonable pressures on the
profitability of private development. The
goal of the policy must be to capture a
portion of but not eliminate the profits of
private developers.
Because
of the importance of finding private
dollars to fund affordable housing, the
League urges the Committee to carefully
consider the concept of linkage a
mechanism that requires commercial
developers to either pay a per square foot
fee to a housing fund or build a number of
affordable units determined by a formula based on the square
footage of the commercial development.
The
League appreciates this and the other opportunities we have had to
testify on the critical issues of housing. In conclusion, we want to
recognize the daunting challenges facing the Committee. They include
pressing DHCD and the Office of Planning to come up with a draft
comprehensive affordable housing strategy for the city, legislation that
will make it possible to capture private dollars for housing, and making
sure DHCD has the capacity to manage the housing programs enacted into
law. We wish you the very best and look forward to working with you on
meeting these challenges."
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On Monday, January 28, 2002 at 11:30 am in the LWVUS
Board Room, 1730 M Street_ NW Suite 1000, the 2002 Series will begin
with the topic: "Council
for Court Excellence." The speaker is Peter Willner, Executive
Director. The Council for Court Excellence is a nonprofit, nonpartisan
civic organization that has been working since 1982 to improve the
administration of Justice
in the courts and related agencies in the Washington metropolitan area,
and to increase public understanding of our justice system. Among its
other achievements, the Council was the moving force behind adoption of
the one-day/one-trial jury service.
Several
D.C. Leaguers participated in a Court Community Observers Project last
fall and winter, as reported by Nathalie Black in the September issue of
the DC VOTER. Come to this
dialogue and learn more about how our courts work. Anna Marsh
(554-7719), Brown Bag Dialogue Coordinator
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VOTER SERVICES: DCPS
Youth Service Learning Project
Turnout
in DC's 2002 election is expected to be low. If what has happened in
previous elections is repeated next fall, less than 40% of DC citizens
registered to vote will go to the polls, and the participation of voters
under the age of 25 will be even more disappointing. One reason so few
people under 25 vote is that less than 40% are even registered.
The
Voter Services Committee has developed the following project to utilize
the 2002 elections that offer high school students the opportunity to
help improve voter participation in the city in several ways. One way is
to register their fellow students who become eighteen by November 5 to
vote. Another is to help the city's Board of Elections connect school
parents to the upcoming elections by teaching them about the new voting
machines. The project tentative timeline is:
January 25
-
Voter
Registration & voting machine workshop for high school service
learning volunteers. These students will demonstrate the voting
machines and register voters on the subsequent dates listed.
February 1-12
February 13
April 24
Leaguers
interested are encouraged to contact Elinor Hart to help with this
project. Elinor Hart
(387-2966), Co-chair.
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LWVUS has been working diligently with members of the
civil rights, disability and civic organization communities to bring the
best election reform legislation possible to the floor of the House of
Representatives. H.R. 3295 (Ney-Hoyer bill) was passed by the House.
Having expressed disappointment that the Ney-Hoyer bill passed without
amendment of some major flaws, the LWVUS on Dec. 13 praised the bill
outlined by Sens. Dodd (D CT) and McDonnell (R KY). "The
Dodd-McConnell bill gives more protection to voters in two vital and
significant ways ...First, it has minimum federal standards for voting
machines and their associated systems ...Second, it ensures that voters
who need them will receive provisional ballots. This means that if a
voter's name is not found on the registration list in the polls, that
voter can still cast a provisional ballot." ..."The League
urges the Senate to take up this bill quickly and pass it so that
election administrators can get to work improving our elections system
...."
Mr.
Philip Zelikow of the National Commission on Federal Election Reform
wrote to LWVUS and questioned some of the League's positions. A letter
replying to Mr. Zelikow's critique of LWVUS stance can be found along
with other Election Reform materials on the League website at: http://www.lwv.org/join/ear.html.
We encourage all League members to
access the web site to become more familiar with Federal Election
Reform.
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The
Healthcare Committee met November 27 in the DC League Office with five
members present The main topic of discussion was Nursing Education and
Practices, with a briefing presented by Karen V. Scipio-Skinner, MSN,
RNC from the D.C. Nurses Association (DCNA). Ms. Skinner reviewed the
many different levels of education that may now be reflected by the term
"RN", from practitioners, midwives, anesthetists, and
psychiatric nurses to Advanced Practice nurses. The DCNA is pleased that
the District of Columbia produced legislation in 1994 providing that
advanced practice nurses can write prescriptions and practice
independently. We need more options for care.
Ms.
Skinner noted that the District's reimbursement rate for Medicaid is one
of the lowest in the nation; some physicians won't accept Medicaid. The
large amount of complicated paperwork required by the District for
Medicaid patients is a real burden for providers.
Many
career options are open to accredited nurses. Some of the options are:
home health nursing, pharmaceutical companies, consultant to law firms,
and nursing agencies. All of these options have drawn nurses away from
hospitals, where shortages make the work even harder. More patients are
really sick; patients who used to be in intensive care are now added to
the responsibilities of a regular floor nurse. Today's nurses won't put
up with double shifts or mandatory overtime. There are many management
problems.
The next Healthcare meeting
will be on Tuesday, January 22nd, 2002 at 10:30 am., in the D.C.
League Office, 733 15th St. NW, Suite 432. Evening meetings have not been productive, so we
will try late morning, 10:30 to 12:30. We will hear the latest on the Greater Southeast Health Alliance and the
proposed CareFirst Blue Cross/Blue Shield conversion. Natalie Howard (882-8762),
Chair
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International
Relations / UN: The
LWVUS United Nations Task Force foresees a short. compressed study; some
of the lead issues: peacekeeping, globalization, and humanitarian
concerns.
Transportation
Study: The committee is identifying state and local authorities in MD.
VA art DC At its December
meeting the committee will go over all local Leagues' reports and
discuss what direction to take. A Transportation
General Meeting will meet Saturday, March 2"d at COG Headquarters.
The guest speaker will
be John
Mason, Mayor of Fairfax City, President of COG's Transportation Planning
Board, and delegate to the Metropolitan
Planning Organization.
DC
Finances: Elinor Hart reported that the two main finance issues facing D
C are bucket autonomy arid revenue. On November 15 the House D.C.
Subcommittee, under its chair Rep. Connie Morella, marked up HR 2995,
the Fiscal Integrity Act of 2001, giving D.C. control over locally
raised revenue.
Future
Meetings: Beginning
in January, the NCA Board will meet on first Fridays at 10 a.m., at
LWVUS headquarters. Any League member may attend. The initial meeting of
a new Voters Service Roundtable was set for Friday, January 18, also 10
a.m. at LWVUS office.
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The
Board devoted significant attention to several items that are covered
elsewhere in this Voter, including action on housing legislation and
voter education bills; regional transportation studies, and other
activities. These Highlights cover only items that are NOT reported
elsewhere in this VOTER.
Mailing
options for VOTER: Following widespread delays in delivery of our
December Voter, which was mailed the day after Thanksgiving and as of
December 5 had not been received by many members, Barbara Luchs met with
Mr. Pressley of Friendship Post Office (our contact for mailing the
Voter) to explore our mailing options. We could send up to an ounce
First Class for around $170 (most of our Voters weigh more than an
ounce). The cost of the bulk mail we use each month is normally around
$61, to mail to approximately 400 members plus a hundred other contacts
(State and Regional Leagues, the D.C. Council). For earlier delivery,
Mr. Pressley suggested earlier mailing, and he said mail is always slow
the day before or after a holiday. After discussion, the Board agreed
that we should continue the system we now have rather than changing it,
and the January Voter will be mailed on December 28. Opportunity for
less expensive access to Internet and e-mail: Sheila Willet reported
that LWVUS has given the OK for LWVDC to go ahead on a project offering
our members an opportunity to purchase an Internet receiver which is
less expensive and less complex than a personal computer. AOL will give
our members a special price for the device. At present, some 130 of our
403 members are online, and the Board would like to encourage more
members to use e-mail. The Board approved the proposal. See
your February Voter for more information. Frances Gemmill
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New
Members: Jennifer
Cihon, Patricia Kinch and Annie Long.
Contributions: We gratefully
thank the following members for additional contributions received to
sustain the DC League's programs: Geraldine
Albers, Anne Anderson, Dorothy P. Armstrong, Suzanne Campagna, Susan A.
Carpenter, Guy E. Coriden, Marian S. Cowan, Julia Cuniberti, Ruth P.
Dixon, Joan R. Domike, Betty Good Edelson, Jean E. Fleming, Robert M.
Forcey, Charlotte Frank, Alice E. Fusillo, Frances Gemmill, Naomi Glass,
Ginni Gorman, Dr. Susannah Gourevitch, Cecilie K. Jones, Sheila S.
Keeny, Barbara H. Kemp, Lois I. Laster, Anna B.J. Marsh, Elaine Melmed,
Jeanette S. Miller, Ruth W. Miller, Hilda J. Mintzes, Betty W. Nyangoni,
Ellen S. Overton, Iola Pigott, Anne Porowski, Mary L.B. Rankin, Doris
Rich, Leona J. Rumsey, Grace Savage, Elaine D. Simons, Stanley Sloss,
Lillian and Ralph Smuckler, Carol Stocking, Gilda E. Varrati, Mary
Weiler, Patricia A. Wheeler, Geraldine J. Whitley.
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THANKS
TO OUR MEMBERS: FUNDRAISING
REPORT
Our
members, as usual, have been very generous as our fund raising drive
attests. The Board joins me in thanking you. We are just a few hundred
dollars short of our goal of $2,500 for the General Fund--an especially
generous outpouring since these monies are not tax-deductible. We have
collected a little more than half of our goal of $4,000 for the
Education Fund. In the past several years, we have been doing a better
job in our fund raising efforts and, therefore, raised our goal. We are
also anticipating a rise in new members as we set the budget. For those
members who have yet to make a contribution, please pull out your
checkbook. Dues only cover about one-third of the League's expenses.
Non-member contributions
are coming in slowly this year; however, it is too early to tell if we have
lost our base due to September 11th. We have a small long-time core of contributors, and we should
know in a few weeks if our League is following a national trend. Liz Martin (537-3043),
Direct Mail Fund Raising Coordinator
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REPORT
OF DEC. 2, GENERAL MTG. ON REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION
Arlington
Leaguer Beth Cogswell, Co-chair of the National Capital Area (NCA)
Transportation Committee, led a lively general meeting for DC Leaguers
on December 2. The meeting was based on material developed by the
Committee. Similar meetings have been held in the other NCA local
leagues.
Responding
to the question of how transportation decisions should be made, DC
Leaguers felt that there must be input from Congress and federal
agencies, but that more and better effort to involve the District, as a
whole, as well as directly impacted individual neighborhoods should be
made. Leaguers also recommended that the Committee look at entities like
the New York Port Authority to see how they balance the concerns of
separate states. They also felt that COG needs more authority.
When
considering who understands best and is best equipped to decide the
local impact of decisions, Leaguers believed the neighborhoods, experts,
the mayor, and the city council must all be involved for a balanced
decision. There was a strong concern that the interests of neighborhoods
were not being heard sufficiently. In fact, the need to develop more and
better communication channels with the public was stressed; mechanisms
mentioned to accomplish this included greater use of ANCs and other
community groups, improved advertisements on busses, and broader
coverage by cablevision.
How do
we accomplish regional decision-making? Regional authority with taxing
power was recommended as a topic for future investigation. Consideration
of how NCA positions might be improved led Leaguers to suggest coverage
of the following issues: providing guidance to enhance use of public
transportation such as maps, schedules, route and transfer information
at bus and metro stops; incentives to encourage public participation in
community meetings and on citizen commissions; and public transportation
for elderly/senior citizens.
Although
local League meetings like this one are clearly useful and yield
interesting insights and comments, the Committee feels that a crucial
element missing is citizens from different
jurisdictions speaking with and learning from each other; and the
NCA League is uniquely qualified to provide such an opportunity.
Consequently, an NCA meeting is scheduled for Saturday morning, March 2,
2002. The keynote speaker will be Fairfax City Mayor John Mason.
For part of that program, members of different Leagues will
form small groups to discuss the issues among themselves. See
February 2002 DC Voter for more information.
We want
to thank Beth for her generosity in sharing her deep knowledge in this
area and providing us with an enlightening presentation. Naomi Glass (686-0124), 2nd VP (Local
Programs)
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SUNDAY |
MONDAY |
TUESDAY |
WEDNESDAY |
THURSDAY |
FRIDAY |
SATURDAY |
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 10am, NCA Board Mtg. |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 10 am, DC Council Mtg.
Final Vote on Housing Legislation |
9 10 am, LWVDC Board
MTG. |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 12 noon, Unit Council
Mtg. |
15 Deadline for Feb. DC
Voter |
16 10 am, Education
Committee Mtg. |
17 |
18 10 am, Voter Services
NCA Roundtable |
19 |
20 |
21 |
22 9:45 am, Southwest
Unit:
10:30 am, HealthCare Committee Mtg.
12:45 pm, Northwest Day Unit |
23 9:45 am, Upper
Sixteenth Street Unit |
24 9:45 am, Chevy
Chase/Ingleside
7:30 pm, The Evening Unit |
25 10 am, Great
Decisions Discussion #1
Feb. Voter mailed |
26 |
27 |
28 11:30 am, Brown Bag
Dialogue |
|
|
|
|
|
For location of activities listed, see articles
above or call 202-347-3020.
PLAN AHEAD-SAVE
THESE DATES: Fri. Feb 8 Wine & Cheese Party; Tue. Feb 12 Gen. Mtg.
on Trade (The Upper
1C Unit will
prepare Brown Bag Lunches for $5 each as a fund raising activity to
support LWVDC. See Feb. Voter for details or call 347-3020 to order.);
Fri. Feb 8 & 22 Great Decision Discussions #2 Sat. Mar 2 NCA
Gen. Mtg. Regional Transportation Study: Thu. Mar 14 Gen. Mtg. on United
Nations; Thu. Apr 25 Annual Dinner Mtg.
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UN Conference on The Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons
by Lora
Lumpe
Senior Associate,
International Peace Research Institute, Oslo
based
on her remarks before the
LWVDC
International Relations Committee, September 14, 2001
The
United Nations held its first-ever global conference on gun violence and
the gun traffic that sustains this violence during 9-20 July in New
York. Formally known as the "UN Conference on the Illicit Trade in
Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects," this meeting
concerned the spread and misuse of hand-held weapons like grenades,
pistols, shoulder launched anti-aircraft missiles and automatic rifles
that fire hundreds of rounds in a burst.
Where
did this conference come from? Prior to about 1995, these low-tech arms
were not considered a national security or humanitarian issue worthy of
much international attention. In his speech before the UN General
Assembly that year, however, President Clinton raised the illicit
traffic in guns, emphasizing the ease with which drug traffickers.,
criminals and terrorists can get such weapons. And earlier that same
year, UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali raised the need for
"microdisarmament" - or small arms control - due to the threat
these weapons posed to people around the world and to UN peacekeepers.
The
ending of the Cold War had resulted in a glut of guns. Many militaries -
in the East and West downsized, leading to massive surpluses of small
arms. The US gave away several hundred thousand grenade launchers and
assault weapons and millions of rounds of ammunition to countries around
the world, subject only to conditions that normally obtain for US weapon
sales or gifts under the US Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program.
Others did the same. At the same time, in the former Soviet republics
and in some East European states, export control systems broke down and
arsenals were looted and sold on the black market.
In
addition, conflicts that had been contained somewhat by the East-West
conflict blew wide open and new forces and conflicts emerged, resulting
in unimaginable humanitarian catastrophes. Almost all of these new wars
are fought out with low-tech weapons.
Although
no one knows with certainty, it is estimated that on average a half
million people around the world have died from guns annually in recent
years. Of these, about 300,000 are in conflict or
"postconflict" situations, and the other 200,000 are in places
like America or Brazil where the gun death rates of 30,00045,000 per
year approximate war levels.
By way
of comparison, the global landmines epidemic is estimated to kill or
maim 27,000 people a year. The successful anti-landmines campaign had
emboldened several government's and many affected groups in civil
society around the world to think that something could be done about the
much larger small arms problem.
Exactly
what could be done has never been clear. Unlike landmines, this broader
category of weapons is not susceptible to a ban or a one-size-fits-all
policy fix of any type. In fact, beyond a new and still quite weak
agreement that a focus on this category of weapons was merited, the
world's states had not agreed upon the purpose of the UN conference. The
words "in all
its aspects"
were added to title of the summit to cover up a fundamental disagreement
about the scope and purpose of the meeting. Was it to focus on narrowly
defined illegal arms transfers, or was it going to note that the legal
trade in guns and grenades is inextricably linked to the illegal trade?
This is so because most of the weapons that end up in illegal
circulation were originally produced and exported legally (i.e., with
state authorization). Different governments had different interests and
interpretations of the phrase "in all its aspects."
For most
civil society groups - humanitarian, human rights, women's
organizations, development groups, etc. - who have been campaigning to
get this issue on the international agenda, the goal was to raise the
costs of gun running. Put another way, campaigners wanted states to
agree to make it more difficult
for people (whether private actors or states) to put guns in the hands
of murderers and abusers. It had become clear by March, however,
following a series of preparatory conferences, that no binding treaty
was possible. States simply did not have the will for such far-reaching
measures. Instead, the July Conference aimed to develop consensus around
a politically binding Program of Action - a political document outlining
national, regional and international measures that might curb the
illicit trade. Unlike a treaty, each state would be free to implement
the Program of Action as
it deemed appropriate.
Was the
Conference a failure or a success? If your main way of judging is by the
piece of paper that came out - the Program of Action - then one might
view the conference as a rather dismal failure. The document was
negotiated by people who came to the issue with a background in
nuclear disarmament rather than humanitarian issues. As a result, the
Program of Action is steeped in national security and sovereignty
doctrine, rather than imbued with any sense of humanitarian urgency. The
preamble to the document basically says "stay out of our business;
we have a right to defend ourselves and to get guns to do so."
There is little reference to the impact of these weapons on people or to
the obligation of states to protect people in times of war. There is no
sense of urgency or of willingness to hold the parties responsible or to
take strong measures to curb the half million annual preventable deaths
from guns. There is no reference in the Program to any kind of binding
measures, to human rights, or to the connection between the legal arms
trade and the illegal trafficking in arms.
The good
news is that there will be a review conference in five years to assess
implementation. What is to be implemented is an obvious question.
However, if viewed as an educational and mobilizing opportunity - a link
in a chain that is just building - then the outcome of the conference
does not look quite so gloomy. Particularly helpful in this regard,
paradoxically, was the strident negative position of the United States
at this conference. On the opening day of this two-week summit,
Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John
Bolton forthrightly laid down the US position. Since the document was
being negotiated under rules of consensus, any one state could block
action. Bolton made clear that the document could in no way refer to the
need for domestic gun control (despite our domestic gun
control laws); it could not refer to the need
to limit the transfer of weapons to any non-state actors
(insurgents or guerrillas) in other states, nor could it contain any
legally binding measures. Media around the world reported on America's
obstructionist positions, which were considered far out of the
mainstream by the media, but which really masked widespread
unwillingness on the part of many states to move aggressively to contain
or control gun transfers. As a result, small arms control has now been
added to the list of international issues where the US is seen as
unilateralist, and this outcome creates a sort of multiplier effect -
serving to raise the issue of small arms control over and over again;
and in the process helping mainstream the idea.
Where do
we go from here? Campaigners need to develop one or two specific
priorities for policy action that would have the greatest impact on
curbing the availability of weapons being used to kill civilians around
the world. This campaign could be a focus on a particular weapon (e.g.,
assault rifles) or it could be a call for export moratoria to conflict
zones or any number of other priorities. The trick is to find the aspect
of this issue that captures the imagination of people and powerful NGOs
around the world, who then might persuade progressive governments to
step outside the consensus-based UN process to lead and see who will
follow - as was the case with Canada and the landmines ban.
Q
& A Background Note: Military trade has not been considered
commercial trade since Works War 1. The main law at work is the Arms
Export Control Act of 1976, which places all issues of weapons export
under the executive branch of the national government. A "brokering
law" was added to the basic law in 1996, in recognition of the need
to control the activities of private individuals. As a result, the U.S.
has the world's most progressive law on controlling brokering
activities, although implementation is still not adequate.
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REPORT
ON NOVEMBER 19, 2001 BROWN BAG DIALOGUE ON
REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION ISSUES
The Council of
Governments {COG), and the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) of COG's
Transportation Planning Board (TPB) joined LWVDC in hosting this meeting.
Speakers were D.C. Council
member Phil Mendelsohn, who is TPB vice-chair, as web as CAC
representatives Bob Chase,
Chair, from Montgomery County; Lee Schoenecker, D.C.; and Karen Jo
Pope-Onwukwe, Prince Georges County. We thank John Swanson for his
invaluable assistance in organizing the meeting. Nearly thirty attended,
including LWV/NCA President Bra
Sherrill, and several
members of the COG/TPB staff. On display during the discussions
were-several-showing Metro routes and bus routes throughout the region.
The
authority for public involvement in transportation planning arises from
federal highway legislation. The CAC considers problems and technical
issues that the TPB must address, but neither the CAC nor the TPB
commits funds for projects. Those decisions are made at the state level,
and the political dynamics
vary. D.C. is a state for this purpose, and the political process is
relatively straightforward. We are
totally urban; there is no Mayor/Council split such as occurs along
inner and outer suburb; and Congress does not usually become involved,
notwithstanding its oversight capabilities. The COG constituency from
Virginia faces significant problems. Richmond had retained funding
decisions, so that Northern Virginia jurisdictions must seek approvals
down-state and in competition with the rest of the state. Maryland
jurisdictions have more autonomy, but still some tensions with
Annapolis.
Regional
transportation problems have reached crisis proportions because of
funding constraints. At the same time,
federally mandated air quality requirements are tightening, and the
area is trying to get in compliance with requirements relating to ozone
emissions. D.C. Metro ranks second in the nation in moving people through
mass transit (New York City is first).
Highways
are overburdened, and Metro-Rail has been running at full capacity.
Commuting patterns are changing. The region's population and jobs have shifted
from the District to the outer jurisdictions. Where to put roads is
increasingly problematic. Many roads planned in the 1960's have not been
built, including major routes that were to be below ground through D.C.
Twelve percent of the regional population and 25% of regional jobs are
in the District of Columbia.
More busses are available to and from D.C. into outer
suburbs of Virginia and Land;
yet,. people still
drive. Education to change the mindset of those who drive so that they
will utilize busses could ease commuter congestion.
Just about every
conceivable study has been done, but some opinion holds that better
regional planning for transportation is needed relative to land use and funding
mechanisms. Metro-Rail was built with a special appropriation. Currently, transportation projects
are not considered if not in the Constrained Long Range Plan (CLRP), which title reflects the fact that
plans have to
identify related funding to pay for the projects.
No state in the
region is paying for 100% of maintenance requirements. Plans for
Metro-Rail over the next 20 years are
being identified, but no jurisdiction has agreed to provide funds
maintenance in the CLRP. By one
estimate, about $1.75 million more a year is needed for rehabilitation,
serious Metro
growth, and improved road capacity. Issues related to emergency
preparedness add to the competition for funds.
Major air-quality
considerations add to these needs for funding: There are several
catagories of requirements, such as carbon monoxide and ozone, the latter arising
from nitrogen oxide and
volatile organic compounds. The region is in compliance except for ozone, for
which it is in "serious" non-attainment (which impacts on availability of federal funding).
In addition to the
mobile transportation sector, several sources contribute to the level of
ozone: point sources like power plants; so-called area sources, like lawn mowers and
dry- cleaners; :and non-road sources, such as institutional vehicles and shuttle buses on airport
grounds. The total ozone burden to be eliminated is
8 tons. Efforts being considered to reduce ozone
in the transportation
sector include parking at Metro-Rail, encouraging bus ridership, with buses run
on
compressed liquid
natural gas, and HOV lanes. The region expects to be in compliance with current
requirements by 2005, but EPA is on the verge of setting stricter standards aimed at reducing "code-orange"
days. Moreover, even as the mobile and power-plant sectors are reducing emissions,
other sources are increasing emissions, notably, the growth of SUV's, non-road sources,
and production operations for increasing consumption of goods.
Some believe that
regional funding is necessary; the region cannot wait for the federal
government to address all needs. The League was encouraged to lend its voice to
educating the public to the facts of the crisis and the importance to considering solutions in a regional
context. Unlike other regions, ours does not seem to get the heavy weights in business to provide leadership
in educating the
public.
In the Q&A
session, discussion ranged across the lack of coordination among
different bus companies and problems of transiting the region as well as
transferring between transportation systems;
the high cost of buses; coordinating the availability of transportation with
hours of operation for
public facilities (e.g. night library hours); extending hours but
balancing such need with cost and nighttime available for maintenance.
Barbara Yeomans, 3rd Vice President, National Programs
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REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT
Promote
an open governmental system that is representative, accountable and
responsive.
Voting
Rights
Citizen's
Right to Vote. Protect the right of all citizens to vote: encourage all
citizens to vote.
DC Self-Government and Full Voting Representation.
Secure for the citizens of the District of Columbia the rights of
self-government and full voting representation in both houses of
Congress.
Election
Process
Apportionment.
Support apportionment of congressional districts and elected legislative
bodies at all levels of government based substantially on population.
Campaign Finance. Improve methods of financing political campaigns in
order to ensure the public's right to know, combat corruption and undue
influence, enable candidates to compete more equitably for public office
and promote citizen participation in the political process.
Election of
the President. Promote the election of the President and Vice-President
by direct popular vote and work to abolish the electoral college:
support uniform national voting qualifications and procedures for
presidential elections.
Citizen
Rights
Citizen's
Right to Know/Citizen Participation. Protect the citizen's right to know
and facilitate citizen participation in government decision making.
Individual Liberties. Oppose major threats to basic constitutional
rights.
Public Policy on Reproductive Choices. Protect the
constitutional right of privacy of the individual to make reproductive
choices.
Congress
and the Presidency
Congress.
Support responsive legislative precesses characterized by
accountability, representativeness, decision-making capability and
effective performance.
The Presidency. Promote a dynamic balance of power between the executive
and legislative branches within the framework set by the Constitution.
INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS
Promote
peace in an interdependent world by working cooperatively with other
nations and strengthening international organizations.
United
Nations
Support
measures to strengthen the United Nations, in recognition of the need
for cooperation among nations in an interdependent world.
Trade
Support
systematic reduction of tariff and non-tariff trade barriers and support
broad long-range presidential authority to negotiate trade agreements.
U.S.
Relations with Developing Countries
Promote
U.S. policies that meet long-term social and economic needs of
developing countries.
Arms
Control
Reduce
the risk of war through support of arms control measures.
Military
Policy and Defense Spending
Work
to limit reliance on military force. Examine defense spending in the
context of total national needs.
NATURAL
RESOURCES
Promote
an environment beneficial to life through the protection and wise
management of natural resources in the public interest.
Natural
Resources
Promote the
management of natural resources as interrelated parts of life-supporting
ecosystems.
Resource
Management
Promote
resource conservation, stewardship and long-range planning, with the
responsibility for managing natural resources shared by all levels of
government.
Environmental
Protection and Pollution Control
Preserve
the physical, chemical and biological integrity of the ecosystem, with
maximum protection of public health and environment.
Air quality.
Promote measures to reduce pollution from mobile and stationary sources.
Energy. Support environmentally sound policies that reduce energy growth
rates, emphasize energy conservation and encourage the use of renewable
resources.
Land Use. Promote policies that manage land as a finite
resource and that incorporate principles of stewardship.
Water
Resources. Support measures to reduce pollution in order to protect
surface water, groundwater and drinking water.
Nuclear Issues. Promote
the maximum protection of public health and safety and the environment.
Public
Participation
Promote public
understanding and participation in decision making as essential elements
of responsible and responsive management of our natural resources.
Agricultural
Policy
Promote
adequate supplies of food and fiber at reasonable prices to consumers
and-support economically viable farms, environmentally sound farm
practices and increased reliance on the free market.
SOCIAL POLICY
Secure equal
rights and equal opportunity for all. Promote social and economic
justice and the health and safety of all Americans.
Equality of
Opportunity
Equal Rights.
Support adequate and flexible funding of federal government programs
through and equitable tax system that is progressive overall and that
relies primarily on a broad-based income tax.
Federal Deficit. Promote
responsible deficit policies.
Funding of Entitlements. Support a federal
role in providing mandatory, universal, old age, survivors, disability
and health insurance.
Health Care
Promote a
health care system for the United States that provides access to a basic
level of quality care for all U.S. residents and controls health care
costs.
Meeting
Basic Human Needs
Support
programs and policies to prevent or reduce poverty and to promote
self-sufficiency for individuals and families.
Income Assistance. Support
income assistance programs, based on need, that provide decent, adequate
standards for food, clothing and shelter.
Support Services. Provide for essential support services.
Housing Supply. Support policies to provide a
decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family.
Child Care
Support
programs and policies to expand the supply of affordable, quality
childcare for all who need it.
Early
Intervention for Children At Risk
Support
policies and programs that promote the well being, development and safety
of all children.
Violence
Prevention
Support
violence prevention programs in communities.
Gun Control
Protect the
health and safety of citizens through limiting the accessibility and
regulating the ownership of handguns and semi-automatic weapons. Support
regulation of firearms for consumer safety.
Urban Policy
Promote the
economic health of cities and improve the quality of urban life.
Whatever the issue, the League believes that efficient and economical
government requires competent personnel, the clear assignment of
responsibilities, adequate financing, coordination among levels of
government, effective enforcement and well defined channels for citizen
input and review.
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Great Decisions
Discussion Series
Begins January
25, 2002
As
in previous years, DC Leaguers are invited to participate in the Great
Decisions discussion program sponsored by the Foreign Policy
Association. For those unfamiliar with the series, the Foreign Policy
Association launched Great Decisions nearly fifty years ago to
"engage citizens in a dialogue about the crucial foreign policy
issues of our time. In a democracy, such issues are every citizen's
concern." Following a concentrated period of preparation and
discussion of eight specific issues each year, participating groups
fill out opinion ballots that the Association melds into composite
views.
Discussion
Meetings
8 Meetings held on
alternate Fridays during January, February and March.
January 25, February
8, 22, March 8, 22, April 12, 26, May 10, 2002
(See the reverse of this flyer for a description of the eight topics to
be covered this year.)
1st Meeting
January 25. 2002
Our
first meeting - on the roots of terrorism - will be held from 10
a.m. until noon on January 25 at the apartment of Joan Wilson, Chair
of the Chevy Chase/Ingleside Unit, at Ingleside Apartments, 3050
Military Road, Apt. #438 (237-6264.) Exact dates, times and
locations of subsequent meetings will be decided at this meeting.
Ancient Chinese
Curse: "May you live in interesting times." Curse delivered,
thank you. America was expecting a relatively peaceful future, with
the end of the Cold War and rising prosperity. Now we are looking at a
world of suspicion, violence, epidemics, danger and deadlock, much of
it directed at or blamed on America. Why us? Hope Marindin, Great Decisions Facilitator
Order your discussion book today! Contact
Great Decisions Facilitator Hope Marindin (hmarindin@rcn.com
or
202/966-6367) to order the Great Decisions 2002 Briefing Book ($15),
which will be used as the basis for our discussion. In addition, we
plan to show a video as introduction to each topic and to register our
views for further analysis by the Association.
This
activity is not limited to IR Committee members or even to
LWV members. Join us and bring a friend!
FOREIGN POLICY ASSOCIATION
News Alert GREAT
DECISIONS 2002
Available January 2002
Introductory
essay on terrorism, by
Richard H. Ullman
- Why Do They Hate
Us! The Roots of Terrorism, by Bruce Stokes
- Korean Security
Issues, by Leon
Sigal
- Middle
East Peace Process, by
Augustus Richard Norton
- Columbia
and Drug Trafficking, by
David C. Morrison
- South Asia:
Focus on India, by
Dennis Kux
- AIDS
In Africa, by
Salih Booker and William Minter
- Russia Reexamined, by Allen Lynch
- Energy and the Environment, by Bill Sweet
Actual
titles and order of topics are subject to change.
GREAT DECISIONS first published in 1954 is the
centerpiece of the longest-running informal foreign affairs discussion
program in the United States. Each year, thousands of Americans take
part in Great Decisions discussion groups to increase their awareness
and understanding of, and to express their opinions on, eight of the
most timely, thought-provoking U.S. foreign policy concerns.
Each
topic in the 112-page GREAT DECISIONS 2002 briefing book places the
thematic/geographic issue in historical context and provides
background, current policies and alternative policy options.
Photographs, maps, charts and editorial cartoons illustrate the text.
Discussion questions, annotated reading suggestions and additional
resources, including websites, are provided. An opinion ballot
accompanies each topic so that readers can express their views, Ballot
results are tabulated by a professional pollster and presented in a
National Opinion Ballot Report to the President, Secretary of State,
other policymakers and the media.
GREAT
DECISIONS 2002 ISBN no. 0-87124-200-1
Product ID no. 31511,
Price: $15.00 (including
S&H)
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