October 2008

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Can you believe it is October already? This year has flown and the roller coaster is just getting started.

The big push for election time is well under way with voter registrations complete (many thanks to Donna Tate, Pat Kratz, Marnie Leverett, Bonnie Burn and all the other volunteers!). This is the month of forums and the Voters Guide. The two scheduled forums will be held in the in the County Government Center, 845 N. Motel Blvd. They will be recorded and broadcast on the City cable channel, Channel 20, so even more voters may benefit from hearing the candidates answer questions. The Voters Guide will be published by The Las Cruces Bulletin and will appear as an insert in the October 10 issue. I encourage each of you to participate at the forums and to invite your friends, neighbors, and colleagues to attend as well.

On the organizational front, Bonnie Burn, Membership Director, and Donna Tate, Voters Service Director, assembled "portfolios" (job descriptions) for each of the board positions. The current board approved the portfolios. With these portfolios each board member and future board members should have a clear understanding of the responsibilities entailed with each job. With this in mind I hope each of you will consider which position you might want to fill next year and in the coming years.

Now, let’s throw our hands in the air and scream as we plunge headlong into November!

CALENDAR

October 4 (Saturday) − 8 a.m.-Noon, Voter Registration, Farmer’s Market.

October 6 (Monday) − 5:00 p.m., Board Meeting, Branigan Library Board Room.

October 7 (Tuesday) − 9:30 a.m. Election Process/Voter Turnout Committee at the home of Marnie Leverett, chair. All are welcome. More information is available at 522-0347.

October 9 (Thursday) – Reservation Deadline for Lunch with a Leader. RSVP to Vicki Simons, 522-4813.

October 10 (Friday) – Voters Guide Distribution in The Las Cruces Bulletin. Be sure to pick up your copy.

October 14 (Tuesday) − 6:30-8 p.m., Candidates’ Forum, County Commission Chambers, 845 N. Motel Blvd. The forum will be broadcast on Channel 20 on Friday, October 17 at 6:30 p.m.

October 16 (Thursday) - 11:30 a.m., Lunch With a Leader, Good Samaritan Village’s Social Center, Creative Arts Room, 3011 Buena Vida Circle. Topic: International Relations Institute: A Vision for NMSU, the Community and Beyond, Speaker: Ambassador Delano Lewis, Senior Fellow, International Relations Institute, NMSU .

October 22 (Wednesday) − 6:30-8 p.m., Candidates’ Forum, County Commission Chambers, 845 N. Motel Blvd. The forum will be broadcast on Channel 20 on Friday, October 24 at 6:30 p.m.

Notable Event − October 24 (Friday) United Nations Day. October is United Nations Month.

LUNCH WITH A LEADER - OCTOBER 16, 2008

We’ve had Lunch with a Leader on Monday, on Thursday, no lunch, and now we are scheduled for Thursday, October 16—are you still with us? Our objective was not to confuse but to try out a new format. Scheduling conflicts intervened and prevented us from making a final decision between Mondays and Thursdays.

October is United Nations month. In commemoration, we have invited Delano Lewis, Senior Fellow at New Mexico State University, to introduce the Institute for International Relations.

Ambassador Lewis served as U.S. ambassador to South Africa, president of National Public Radio, president and chief executive of the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co., attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, and on the legislative staffs of Senator Edward Brooke of Massachusetts and delegate Walter E. Fauntroy of the District of Columbia. He worked with the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission and served with the Peace Corps in Nigeria and Uganda. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas and a Juris Doctorate from Washburn University School of Law, Topeka, Kansas.

The International Relations Institute was established on November 7, 2007, and has a role of bringing together scholars, diplomats and experts in international relations to stimulate dialogue and understanding of international issues. An advisory board of international experts guides the Institute.

Please join us for Lunch with a Leader, October 16, 2008 (Thursday), 11:30 a.m., Good Samaritan Village, Creative Arts Room.

BOARD HIGHLIGHTS – September 8, 2008

Bonnie Burn, Substituting for Nancy Phillips

• Voters Services activities during September and Octobers were the main topic of discussion: voter registration, Voters Guide distribution, and candidates’ forums (see calendar).
• Portfolio (or job) descriptions were approved for president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, voter services director, membership director, public relations director, and newsletter editor. In addition to the description written for the director, the voter services portfolio is comprised of an additional four chair positions: voter registration, candidates’ forums, Voters Guide editor and assistant editor, and Who’s Who editor. Descriptions will be put into final form and placed on the League’s web site for easy access.
• Fair Representation Study Group Unit Meetings: The Study Group is holding consensus meetings among the NM local Leagues. The Board approved a request to present a consensus meeting to our local League on Monday, November 10. Briefing materials will be distributed through November issue of The Voter to be distributed in late October.
• Polly Evans thanks all who were present at the Lunch with a League Leader (August 14) that recognized her for her work with the League.

New Member

Lisa C. Schultz

Third Judicial District Court

201 W. Picacho Ave., Suite A

Las Cruces, 88005

Tel: 528-8345

LEAGUE AROUND TOWN

While in Albuquerque on August 16th, Vicki Simons and Jane Blume discussed health care with Carol Boss, host of Women’s Focus on KUNM, Albuquerque. Both women, knowledgeable about and long time supporters of the Health Security Act, were pleased to have this opportunity to discuss health care bills introduced into the Special Legislative Session. Additionally, Vicki Simons, representing the Greater Las Cruces League, talked about election activities in Las Cruces, civic engagement, and the usefulness of Who’s Who. State League members tuned to KUNM acknowledged the usefulness of this presentation. Good job!

League has been on "the air" again. Marnie Leverett, Donna Tate, and Cathy Mathews spoke on KGRT-FM on September 16 about election issues. They were interviewed during the 8-9 a.m. slot. Preceding them from 7-8 a.m. on KKVS-FM, Johnnie Aldrich addressed a Spanish speaking audience.

Talking Trash

Marjorie Burr, Chair, Solid Waste Recycling.

By now, we have all been bombarded with a thousand ways to "go green." Here are some that involve reusing, renewing, and recycling.

• The greenest paper is no paper at all—digitize.
• Recycle magazines and newspapers.
• Bring your own bags to the grocery store.
• Consume less.
• Don’t litter—ever!
• Use glass cups and coffee mugs instead of plastic or paper cups.
• Shred paper for packing or for compost.
• Print on both sides of the paper.
• Use old clothes and sheets as cleaning cloths instead of paper towels.
• Find new uses for old things.
• Manage your bank and credit card accounts online.
• Get off junk-mail lists by registering at (dmaconsumers.org/offmailinglist).
• Stop receiving catalogs you don’t need at catalogchoice.org.
• Support recycling by buying products made from recycled materials.
• Avoid excess packaging by buying in bulk.
• Seek out reclaimed wood furniture.
• Drop off plastic bags at participating grocery stores to be recycled.
• Reuse zip-lock bags.
• Spend time, not money.

ELECTION PROCEDURES/VOTER TURNOUT

COMMITTEE PLANS FOR AUTUMN

Marnie Leverett, Chair

The Election Procedures/Voter Turnout study committee met early in September and decided not to attempt another voter satisfaction survey event during the November 4^th general election. It was generally agreed that their activities during the primary election in June were sufficient to get a good sampling from voters on their voting experiences and that any additional canvassing would not change the overall picture.

Instead, the committee will spend its time and energy helping voters to get to the correct voting place on Election Day. As they have done before, the committee members will set up a speaker phone and take calls all election day from people who do not know their correct place for voting.

Anyone wishing to help with this project can call Marnie Leverett, 522-0347, for further information.

Metropolitan Court Committee Progress Report

Marjorie Burr, Chair

If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. The Metropolitan Court Committee has run into a small hurdle. The Board of County Commissioners on August 26, postponed action on our request, sponsored by Commissioner Bill McCamley, for a resolution supporting a Metropolitan Court for Doña Ana County. The principal objection appeared to be that the Commissioners want assurances that a Metropolitan Court will not cost the county any money. These assurances are impossible to give at this juncture, since the establishment of the court as well as its funding is the prerogative of the State Legislature.

Using the only other metro court model in New Mexico, the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, we are able to say that this institution is funded entirely through the state. However, because this cannot be a certainty until the legislation is written for the Doña Ana County Metropolitan Court, we are unable to guarantee this. The Commission also wants to include in its resolution the exact locations for satellite courts.

If the County Commission were to withhold its support, the League can still move forward toward legislative action. We have already garnered the support of the City Council of Las Cruces and the New Mexico Municipal League. The plan of the LWV Metropolitan Court Committee is to continue our efforts to inform the community about the advantages of the metro court and to make sure the issue is addressed in the campaigns for state legislators and county commissioners.

LOOK BACK – Picking Up the Pieces: The Outlook for Civil Liberties

Presentation by Peter Simonson, Ph.D., Executive Director,

American Civil Liberties Union, New Mexico

Reported by Bob Burn, League Member

Dr. Simonson paraphrased the French writer, Alexis De Tocqueville, to express his view of the state of civil rights in the United States: "When the United States becomes less good, it will be less great." Dr. Simonson feels that a pattern of activities in recent years has diminished the greatness of the United States. In the name of combating terrorists, we have become less free and less humane.

The legacy for the next President will be weakened checks and balances between the executive branch and the legislative and judicial branches of the federal government and a consolidation of power in the executive branch. Implementation of a so-called Unitary Executive Doctrine allows the President to interpret law as he deems it to apply to his office. The judicial branch need not be included in legal interpretations. According to this doctrine, it is unconstitutional for Congress to pass laws that intrude on the Commander in Chief.

One of the means of implementing the Unitary Executive Doctrine is Presidential Signing Statements. These state how the President interprets laws passed by Congress and how he intends to execute them. If a law prohibiting torture, for example, is enacted by Congress, the President has the right to define torture: he may or may not define waterboarding as torture. While Presidential Signing Statements are not new, from 1817 until 1980 (Presidents Monroe to Carter), only 75 Presidential Signing Statements were made. From 1980 to 2000 (Reagan to Clinton), 322 were implemented. In the first Bush term, 435 Presidential Signing Statements have been put into effect.

The American Civil Liberties Union faces what the organization sees as several challenges to basic civil liberties in the United States.

Warrantless Wire Tapping: According the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) law, federal judges must approve warrants to conduct wire taps on overseas communications. The President authorized the National Security Agency (NSA) to conduct wire taps without warrants. The ACLU challenged this procedure as a violation of First Amendment rights. The case was thrown out in federal court because all wire tap information is classified and, while the plaintiffs knew they were under surveillance, they could not gain access to the classified information needed to prove their cases.

Military Commissions Act: The enemy combatant tribunals at Guantanamo Bay are authorized to use hearsay evidence, evidence obtained by torture, and classified evidence not available to the defendants. There is no habeas corpus for either enemy combatants or individuals awaiting such determination. The ACLU believes that many of the individuals in Guantanamo were simply turned in for money based on ethnic differences and personal grudges and are not enemy combatants.

Federal Court Appointments: All federal district, appellate, and Supreme Court judges are appointed for life. Typically, a President will have 300 appointments during his term in office. A large majority of current judges were recommended by and are members of a conservative organization named the Federalist Society. The University of Houston conducted a review of 70,000 federal cases over the past few years. The ACLU feels that only 27 percent of these cases were decided in favor of the civil liberties of the individuals involved.

The next President will inherit a more strongly empowered executive branch. It will be his choice to dial back or to continue to use and enhance that power. If he chooses to use the power to move the United States in the direction of his vision for the country, he will have few constraints. The ACLU believes that federal courts are generally hostile to the concept of civil liberties and, as a result, has chosen to use more sympathetic state courts where possible to carry out its mission. Further, the ACLU believes that the best hope for maintaining civil liberties lies, not in the hands of politicians, but in individuals and groups that support them.

PRESIDENTIAL VOTERS GUIDE

Presidential Voters Guide: With the help of several area Leagues, LWVUS will produce an online Voters Guide. John McCain, Ralph Nader, and Barack Obama are invited to provide answers to the LWVUS questionnaire. Each has been advised that his material may appear in print, in Voters Guides of interested state and local Leagues, and on the VOTE411.org and state and local League Web sites that choose to incorporate this information. Although optional, all Leagues are encouraged to take advantage of this useful voters’ services opportunity. The guide will be available in September. Log onto www.VOTE411.org.

LWVUS CONVENTION VIDEOS

LWVUS Convention Videos: Videos of speeches given at Convention are now available. Log onto www.lwv.org, select Member Tab (no password needed), select Council and Convention. Video and Podcast listings are located on the right side of the menu.

DOES REDISTRICTING HINDER FAIR REPRESENTATION?

Dee Watkins, Study Member, LWVNM

A Quick Review: Fair representation means voters have choices in choosing who will represent them and that these representatives will be held accountable. An important factor in holding elected officials accountable is the competition they face from other candidates for their office. Competitive races are commonly defined as those decided by 10-20% margins or less. A small margin of victory indicates the possibility for electing new representatives.

The trend toward declining competition is illustrated in the 2004 Congressional House election when incumbents’ re-election rates were 95%; only seven incumbents were defeated in the 2004 election. Recent Congressional elections show 90% of the incumbents have won by margins of more than 10%, and half of that 90% have won by margins of 30% or more.

New Mexico data show that in the House races of 2006, 60% of the seats were uncontested. However, about 60% of the contested races were competitive. In contrast, the 2004 Senate election shows a pattern much like Congress: 17 seats were contested; 25 were uncontested. Only seven of the races were competitive by margins of 20% or less. So if competition is important in holding representatives accountable, what impacts competition and perhaps causes it to decline?

Studies show mixed results about what factors impact a decline in competition.

Conventional wisdom and the popular media report that declining competition in Congressional elections is due mainly to redistricting through partisan or bipartisan gerrymandering. However, redistricting as the primary cause of a decrease in competition is debated by the academic literature. Studies* have shown redistricting to have three effects: reduction of competition, neutral effect and increased competition. Generally, however, this literature has not reached a consensus about the consequences of redistricting for Congressional competition.

Two other contributing factors are being debated as important causes of the decrease in competition. These factors are: partisan polarization and incumbency. The term partisan polarization is used to describe the situation when parties become more homogeneous within the party and more divergent from each other. They tend to clash more often and negotiate and compromise less often. Suggested causes are: social forces such as residential patterns, geographical collection of one party due to education, income, religion, immigration, and ideological realignment of voters. "A deep cultural divide between red states and blue states" is quoted in the media as both truth and myth (Mannan, 2004*). An opposing view is "that national political forces are moderated" (Abramowitz, Alenander & Gunning, 2006*).

Incumbency advantage results not so much from direct benefits of office but because incumbents face low-quality challengers who are poorly financed. Others are often reluctant to challenge because the odds of success are small. The rapid escalation of campaign costs in recent years also contributed to the difficulty of competing with entrenched incumbents.

How to create a responsive electoral process is a challenge. This article has tried to introduce a broader view of the complexity of competitiveness so that discussion and decision making in this study will produce the best possible results. A look at what other states have done to promote competitiveness will be another article.

__________

*A complete list of references is available from the Fair Representation Committee

LEAGUE OBSERVER REPORTS

 The League’s Observer Corps enables greater coverage and information gathering, can provide early warning of upcoming issues of concern, can increase League’s visibility, and can assist with networking with other groups. We appreciate the reports that are submitted by Observers. Following the League practice of publishing nonpartisan, objective reports, the information submitted may be edited for content and brevity.

Recycling Focus Group

Cliff Pelton, Observer

Mr. Patrick Peck, director of the South Central Solid Waste Authority, called the meeting to order shortly after 10 a.m. on August 26^th, with about 10 persons attending.

He mentioned that all meetings of the group are open to the public and suggested that the group would benefit by having many organizations represented. He outlined the agenda: select a name for the group, work on a logo for the group, work on a mission statement, make work plans and work on news releases.

Mr. Peck apologized for not having completed his work on developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which he believes is necessary to achieve full participation from the many and various groups which are interested in working to improve the overall regional diversion of recyclables from the waste stream—note that the statewide goal is to reach 33% by 2012.

The name for the group selected is South Central Recycling Partnership which leads to a logo with Scrappy (get it? SCRP), and the dog will be portrayed as part of the green arrows going around in the usual recycling logo.

Mr. Gifford Stack from State of New Mexico Environment Department was the only representative who had worked on the mission statement and further work on that was deferred until the next meeting.

There was quite a bit of miscellaneous discussion, both positive and negative, about the progress the various attendees were seeing in their organizations and concerning the MOU idea. The hoped-for expansion into the schools has not happened, though Bonnie Tafoya has been successful in scheduling and/or rescheduling presentations. Mr. Peck hopes to have met with the Las Cruces Public School Superintendent and have a report by the next SCRP meeting which is scheduled for Thursday the 25^th of September.

The attitude and interest of all attendees are positive. Your observer sees continuing progress and is hopeful that in not too many years we will see curbside recycling in residential areas along with more "commercial" recycling in the nearer future.

NMSU Board of Regents Meeting

John Lazaruk, Observer

The next scheduled meeting of the NMSU Board of Regents is Friday, September 26, 2008 at 9:30 am. If you plan to attend please check the time at http://www.nmsu.edu/Administration/regents_meeting.html. This web site also includes the minutes of previous meetings of the Board. This is an important change in the Board providing the public with information on their actions. I will write a report on the September 26 meeting.

ELECTION CALENDAR

Saturday, October 4, 2008 – LWV/GLC Voter Registration at Farmer’s Market from 8:00 a.m. to noon (last of four scheduled times).

Tuesday, October 7, 2008 – Voter Registration closes for General Election at 5:00 p.m. The County Clerk’s office will accept registration forms dated on or before Tuesday 10/7/08 walked-in or mailed before 5:00 p.m. Friday 10/10/08. Voter registration reopens on Monday 11/10/08.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008 – ABSENTEE In-Person Voting Begins at Doña Ana County Government Center, 845 N. Motel Blvd., Las Cruces NM. Voters can cast ballots Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and the Saturday preceding the election, 11/1/2008.

Friday, October 10, 2008 – Voters Guide Distribution in Las Cruces Bulletin. Be sure to pick up your copy.

Tuesday, October 14. 2008 – LWV/GLC Candidates’ Forum at the County Government Center, 845 N. Motel Blvd. 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. The forum will be broadcast on Las Cruces Cable Channel 20 on Friday, October 17 at 6:30 p.m.*

Saturday, October 18. 2008 – EARLY VOTING begins at Alternative voting locations: Tuesday-Friday 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Closed Sundays and Mondays. (Locations: Hatch Community Center, 837 Highway 187, Hatch NM; Sonoma Elementary School, 4201 Northrise, Las Cruces NM; Branigan Memorial Library, 200 E. Picacho Ave., Las Cruces NM; Anthony Community Center, 875 Anthony Dr., Anthony NM; Chaparral Wright Park, 150 W. Lisa Dr., Chaparral NM; and Sunland Park Library, 984 McNutt Rd., Sunland Park NM).

Wednesday, October 22 – LWV/GLC Candidates’ Forum at the County Government Center, 845 N. Motel Blvd. 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. The forum will be broadcast on Las Cruces Cable Channel 20 on Friday, October 24 at 6:30 p.m.*

Friday, October 31, 2008 – Last day absentee ballots will be mailed out.

Saturday, November 1, 2008 – EARLY and ABSENTEE In-Person voting ends at 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008 – GENERAL ELECTION DAY – Polls open 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. On Election Day, the voter may hand-deliver their absentee ballot to the County Clerk or to their precinct by 7:00 p.m. For information about polling locations on Election Day, call the League at 524-VOTE (8683) or the County Bureau of Elections at 647-7428.

* Both Forums are open to the public. The public is advised that, since the building is a polling place, according to law, NO CANDIDATE LITERATURE, BANNERS, OR BUTTONS WILL BE ALLOWED AT THE FORUMS. No one will be allowed inside the doors with candidates’ buttons, pins, pictures, or names on their clothing or in their belongings.

The VOTER

Volume 39, Issue 4– October 2008
Published Monthly

The League of Women Voters of Greater Las Cruces
P.O. Box 8322
Las Cruces, NM 88006-8322
www.zianet.com/lwv
STUDY GROUPS
Behavioral Health Services -Becky Beckett—522-8171
Election Procedures and Voter Turnout
-Marnie Leverett—522-0347
Metropolitan Court -Marjorie Burr—522-2528
Action Committee -Barbara Goedecke—522-0323
Archivist—Barbara Myers
Historian—Judith Scott
Web Master—Jim Leverett
Newsletter Editor
Bonnie Burn—526-0013
burnb@comcast.net

President—Cathy Mathews Vice President—Vicki Simons Secretary—Nancy Phillips Treasurer—Pat Kratz Director, Voter Service -Donna Tate Director, Membership -Bonnie Burn Director, Public Relations >-Marnie Leverett Nominating Committee -Sue Liefeld, LaJune Smith

Community Supporters

With Gratitude

Your sustained generous support of the League enables us to carry out our community service of voter education.

Thank You

1st National Bank Alta Vista Animal Clinic Binns Construction & Realty Joseph P. Camunez, DDS Citizens Bank Dolores Connor Doggy Dude Ranch and Cat Farm East Lohman Veterinary Clinic Edward Jones Investments, Connie Lee, I.R. Horizon Mechanical, Inc. Carole Jarden Lilley Law Offices Francisco Mario Ortiz, Esq. Jake Sims & Co. State National Bank Tate Associates Wells Fargo Bank Clinton F. Welsh, MD Zia Engineering & Environmental Consultants

In Appreciation. . .

Your help makes League work possible and YOU truly care about

good government!

 
Membership Directory
2008-2009
(Almost ready for printing)
Please send any changes to your information in the
Membership Directory
2007-2008 To

Bonnie Burn
Email: burnb@comcast.net
Tel: 526-0013

We once again want to recognize those members made a contribution when renewing their membership. Without this additional help, our local program
could not be carried on effectively.