The DC Voter
League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia
Vol. 82, No. 1, January 2006

“Building Smart — Implications for Affordable Housing, Workforce Housing and Land Use in the National Capital Area”

Saturday, January 14, 2006, 10:00-11:30 a.m.

IONA Senior Services Center, 4125 Albemarle St., NW
(Cross street Albemarle St. & Wisconsin Ave., NW. One-half block from the Tenleytown Red Line. Very limited on-street parking or garage parking space.)

Speaker:

Cheryl Cort, Executive Director, Washington Regional Network for Livable Communities

For more information call 301-530-5452. A contribution of $2.00 at the door will help reimburse IONA House for use of the room. — Melpi Jeffries, President, LWV NCA

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ALL-MEMBER MEETING

National Program Planning 2006-2008

Thursday, January 26, 2006, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. (Light lunch provided)

New LWVDC office, 1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, 6th Floor conference room
Reference materials in this issue — Kathryn Ray, Vice President, National Program

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Mark Your Calendar

Saturday, March 25, 2006, the NCA League and the Martin Luther King Library present a panel on Homeland Security and Related Issues in Room 423. Check your February and March Voter for details, but put the event on your calendar now, because you won't want to miss it. — Frances Gemmill, NCA Liaison

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NEW MEMBERS

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JEHU HUNTER

We mourn the passing on December 7, 2005, of Jehu Hunter, a Buffalo Soldier and retired NIH chemist who served in 1993 as LWVDC First Vice President. He wrote an unpublished history of the 92nd Infantry of the 5th Army, the unit in which he rose to the rank of Captain in service in Italy in WWII.  His mother, Alice Hunter, was president (1963-65) of the LWVDC. 

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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

New Year/New Digs. Please plan to check us out at the all-member national planning meeting on Thursday, January 26. See above as well as the existing National Positions in Brief in this issue. Join a committee at the all-member meeting. Special appreciation for dealing with our transition and surplus property goes to Sheila Willet. 

Testimony submitted to the DC council: repeating our opposition to public monies to fund the ballpark; supporting allocation for affordable housing of thirty percent of public land which are designated for housing development. — Grace Malakoff

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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Great Decisions: Leaguers participating in the LWVDC Great Decisions discussion group will meet at 2 pm at Sheila Keeny's 3600 Albemarle St., NW, on Wednesday, January 18, to plan and receive the Foreign Policy Association briefing books and plan our program. Never too late to join, call 966-1692 if interested. 

United Nations: At least five DC League members were among the 200 plus individuals attending the annual Human Rights Day luncheon December 9. Sponsored by the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area, it was held in the Cannon House Office Building thanks to DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton. An opening message from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan noted the "disturbing trend of countries claiming exceptions to the prohibition on torture based on their own national security perceptions." In closing, former LWVDC President Luci Murphy sang "Imagine" by John Lennon, a most welcom surprise to us. — Sheila Keeny, UNA Liaison. 

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CHILDREN AT RISK

DC Action for Children gives the current administration of the District very good marks for bolstering the budgets of city agencies serving children. The Mayor and the Council have made substantial investments, most notably with a $16.5 million increase in early care and education, a $1.4 million increase to expand school-based mental health services, and an additional $3 million for after-school program. 

However, given the numbers of children living in poverty is 50% in Anacostia; much more than 65% of DC children live in homes without a father; and close to 90% of fourth graders read below grade level. 

Meanwhile, Congress is proposing cuts across all agencies, many of which depend on some federal funding; major reduction in Medicaid, food stamps (specifically elimination of stamps for illegal immigrants), foster care funding for foster care, and subsidies for welfare families. 

Children in this city enjoy a nationally acclaimed improvement in health coverage, births outside wedlock and premature births. But too many remain untreated for mental health problems, attend inadequate schools, live in substandard housing, are unprepared for future employment. The number of homeless families is growing, while luxury condos spring up in all corners of the city. 

But schools, housing, mental health treatment, training for employment, and care for the homless remain. — Joan Domike and Joan Wilson

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“POSITIONS IN BRIEF”

THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF THE UNITED STATES
See "IMPACT ON ISSUES 2004-2006A" for full text for each of the positions below. See Publications on the LWV web site: www.lwv.org. 

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. 

Selection of the President. Promote the election of the President and Vice-President by direct popular vote and work to abolish the Electoral Collect. Support uniform national voting qualifications and procedures for presidential elections. Support efforts to provide voters with sufficient information about candidates. 

CITIZEN RIGHTS

Citizen's Right to Know/Citizen Participation. Protect the citizen's rights to know and facilitate citizen participation in government decision making.

Individual Liberties. Oppose major treats 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 processes 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 a strong, effective United Nations to promote international peace and security and to address the social, economic and humanitarian needs of all people.

Trade. Support U.S. trade policies that reduce trade barriers and expand international trade and that advance the achievement of humanitarian, environmental, and social goals. 

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. 

National 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 the 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. 

Waste Management. Promote policies to reduce the generation and promote the reuse and recycling of solid and hazardous wastes. 

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.

Equal Rights. Support ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and efforts to bring laws into compliance with the goals of the ERA.

Education, Employment, Housing. Support equal access to education, employment and housing.

FISCAL POLICY

Tax Policy. Support adequate and flexible funding of federal government programs through an 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 child care 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.

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MEMBERSHIP FORM TO JOIN OR RENEW

Questions concerning League membership can be directed to the League office at 222-0710. See the LWVDC MEMBERSHIP FORM.

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CALENDAR — JANUARY 2006