|
|
Wednesday, May 11
Action Alert: Save Our Waters from Sewage
by
Linda Thieman
on Wed 11 May 2005 04:36 PM CDT
 Action Alert: Save Our Waters from Sewage
League of Conservation Voters
Two phrases you never want to see in the same sentence: drinking water and "sewage blending." What's worse, that's the Bush Administration's new plan for your water supply! Read on, if you dare.
Hard to believe, but true: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is about to relax restrictions on dumping sewage into our waterways. But with your help - and the help of everyone you know - we can stop them.
"Sewage
blending" is a threat to our health and our communities. The EPA has
proposed a new Clean Water Act policy, which would allow more
"blending," or discharging, of inadequately treated sewage into our
waterways.
This
one is so outrageous, we've got to get EVERYONE to take action. We're a
new special interest group: People who drink water!
The new
policy would allow sewage with no biological treatment into our lakes,
rivers, streams and coastal waters. This kind of treatment is intended
to kill pathogens and remove toxic chemicals. But exposure to the
bacteria and viruses in such polluted waterways can be
life-threatening.
We must prevent millions of Americans from getting sick because of exposure to these polluted waters. Contact your members of Congress today to let them know you oppose the idea of sewage 'blending."
Thanks for taking action,
Deb Callahan
President
League of Conservation Voters
P.S. The House is expected to vote on this next week. Your action right now can help protect us all. Go to www.lcv.org to access links to action.
Deadlock in Des Moines
by
Chad Thompson
on Wed 11 May 2005 12:52 PM CDT
 Deadlock in Des Moines
If you've been paying attention to the news lately, the Iowa House is in a complete deadlock. What's surprising here is that the House Republicans are fighting the education budget:
The
biggest fireworks came during debate over the education budget. House
Democrats called on Republicans to accept the Senate spending plan or
at least spend more for the state's three universities, which could see
midyear tuition increases.
"It's
time for the speaker to put some of the bravado aside," said House
Minority Leader Pat Murphy, a Democrat from Dubuque, after emerging
from one of the numerous party caucuses.
It seems odd that the House Republicans are going out on a limb to fight against the education budget.
Iowa has
been known for having good schools - living in an environment where
infrastructures are crumbling and our universities have been slashing
programs, such as the loss of Iowa State's College of Education, is not
meeting the priorities of this state or its citizens.
Every single expert in the nation is now pointing at the inadequacy of
America's high schools to prepare this nation to face an ever rising
need to be scientifically, technically, and numerically literate.
Iowa already has several disadvantages without slowly destroying our
education system. I, for one, don't want Iowa to turn into the
Alabama or Mississippi of the 21st Century.
Iowa and the Death of Democracy
by
Linda Thieman
on Wed 11 May 2005 07:13 AM CDT
 Iowa and the Death of Democracy
Culver Asks Iowa Legislature to Pass Elections Bill
(DES MOINES, IA) Secretary of State Chet Culver [Monday] released
data submitted by county officials showing that nearly half of Iowa’s
counties will purchase touch-screen voting machines as part of
statewide efforts to upgrade voting machines and make election system
improvements as required by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
The data shows that 47 counties are likely to purchase [the extremely unreliable, highly-riggable] touch-screen
voting machines, known as Direct Recording Devices (DREs). That
widespread use, Culver said, reinforces the position he and Governor
Vilsack have taken as they’ve urged legislators to pass an elections
bill that includes a requirement for a voter verified paper trail with
touch-screen voting machines.
“The timing is critical,” Culver said. “Legislators have put
together an elections bill that has many outstanding provisions, but
legislators have not yet voted on the bill. I urge them to do
so. County supervisors and election officials are dealing with
election reforms right now and are ready to purchase new voting
machines, which means proposed changes in state law will do the most
good if they can take effect this year.”
Earlier in the session the Iowa Senate voted 48-0 in favor of a voter
verified paper trail. Some lawmakers raised concerns about the
technology, which has improved to take effect as Iowa and other states
prepare for new voting systems that must be in place by 2006.
Culver said he has been assured by voting equipment manufacturers that
the technology is available to meet a paper trail requirement.
For added reassurance, Senator Jeff Danielson of Cedar Falls proposed
an amendment to the bill that would put the onus on equipment vendors
and the Secretary of State’s office to complete certification for
touch-screen voting machines with paper trail features by no later than
August 15, 2005.
“If the requirement doesn’t become law now, it may be another decade or
more before counties purchase new voting equipment. Furthermore,
HAVA provides our counties with a one-time use of federal dollars to
support a large share of the equipment costs,” Culver said.
Supporters of the elections bill include the League of Women Voters of
Iowa, AARP, Democracy for Iowa, I-Vote, and other citizen groups. In addition to the
paper trail issue, the elections bill includes other provisions that
Culver said will give local officials more flexibility and a greater
ability to reduce local election costs.
Myth Breakers: A non-partisan national grassroots
resource for fair and accurate elections!
We believe in the power of
facts.
Download free:
Myth
Breakers: Facts about Electronic Elections
2nd edition | |
Information is power. Learn the facts.
Myth Breakers...
- Corrects HAVA misconceptions
- Describes HAVA-compliant
alternatives to DREs
- Gives general pricing information
- Speaks about
myth vs. misinformation
The second edition includes...
-
Malfunctions from the 2004 General Election
- More about testing and
certification
- Details about software complexities
|
| Myth Breakers is a tool for
citizen activists. Myth
Breakers will enable you to speak with confidence about the issues. Then
... Spread
the Truth! Deliver "Myth Breakers: Facts about Electronic Elections" to
your local election officials and legislators. Give them the information they
need to make wise decisions.
Participants have confirmed that the first edition ("Myth Breakers for
Election Officials") has been delivered to 838
local election officials (including, in 2004, all 99 Iowa counties,
which makes it all the more heartbreaking that so many Iowa county
auditors have chosen to ignore the disturbing facts). |
|
|
