What's New?

League of Women Voters^®
of La Plata County

Click here to check out what has been added since the last update August 14, 2010

Upcoming Meetings. Legislative Alerts-News. Colorado Legislature/News 2010. The Economy. Voter Services. Healthcare. Environment, Energy and Sustainability. Youth & Families. Global Outreach. League News. from the webmaster.

Upcoming Meetings

*Fort Lewis College will again host the Common Reading Experience in Fall 2010. Click Enrique Events to view a schedule of this year's CRE events.
Of particular note is the session "Creating a Safer, More Compassionate World III", a panel on immigration. The session is scheduled for October 6, 2010 from 7-9pm in the FLC Ballroom.

What's New: LWV Legislative Alerts-News

* LWVLPC Action on CO state ballot initiatives 60, 61 and 101
LWVLPC Leaguers:
By now many of you have heard of the 3 fiscal measures that will be on the Colorado ballot this November. The League of Women Voters of Colorado has taken a position opposing these ballot issues, as have we in La Plata County. This is a lengthy email, but these are complex issues, so please bear with me if you are interested in what you can do.
Here is a quick synopsis:

Proposition 101: Reduces state income tax, rolls back transportation fees, eliminates telecommunication fees

Amendment 60: Repeals local "debrucing" elections; reduces school property tax rates by 50%, and mandates backfill by the state; requires "enterprises" and authorities to pay property taxes

Amendment 61: Mandates no State debt of any kind for any period; restricts local debt to 10 year max which must be voter approved in November election, and must be < 10 % of assessed property value

The consequences of these proposals are, without exaggeration, devastating for school districts, water, sewer and fire districts and authorities, roads and other infrastructure, healthcare and all social services, and higher education. Construction of the Durango Public Library, the Durango Recreation Center, and the Florida Road improvement project would not be possible. Even if most sectors (the justice system, Medicaid, prisons....) of the state general fund except for K-12 funding were reduced to a small fraction, or eliminated, there would not be enough in the budget to backfill the losses in school districts, leading to a choice by our local school districts among 3 terrible alternatives: large class sizes, school closures and elimination of arts, sports, and after school programs. These proposals restrict local control of our own budgets. They would require "enterprises" and authorities such as the DOW, Durango Fire and Rescue, Durango Public Library to levy fees on users in order to continue to provide services. Further, it is estimated that these measures would lead to the loss of 73,000 jobs state-wide, half of which are in the private sector, with many more jobs lost as a secondary effect.
To learn more click on http://www.lookingforwardcolorado.com and also check http://www.bellpolicy.org

Coloradans for Responsible Reform have launched a petition drive against Amendments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101. If you believe that these measures will jeopardize our community, and that this is not the Colorado you want, please read and sign the petition:

http://www.donthurtcolorado.com/petition-sign-up
Talk to your colleagues, friends, family, neighbors.

Vote No on 101, 60 & 61 in the November General Election.
Ellen Park

LWVLPC Legislative Chair, and member of the La Plata County Fiscal Responsibility Information Committee

Colorado Legislature/News 2010

What's New: The Economy

*7/29/10 New York Times:U.S. Economic Growth Slowed to 2.4% Rate in 2nd QuarterBy CATHERINE RAMPELL
The United States economy expanded at an annual rate of 2.4 percent in the second quarter, after expanding a revised 3.7 percent in the previous three months, the Commerce Department reported on Friday.
Nonresidential fixed investment, which covers items like office buildings and purchases of equipment and software, was a key driver of growth in the second quarter, rocketing up at an annual rate of 17 percent, compared with a 7.8 percent increase in the first. The equipment and software category alone grew at an annual rate of 21.9 percent, the fastest pace in 12 years...

*U.S. Dept of Labor Statistics:U.S.Economy at a Glance

*U.S. Dept of Labor Statistics:Colorado Economy at a Glance

What's New: Voter Services

* 8/10/10 Durago Herald:A look at statewide elections

*8/3/10: The State Commission on Judicial Performance and local judicial district performance commissions have completed their evaluations of 134 justices and judges who are scheduled to stand for retention in the November 2010 election. The commissions are charged with providing voters with fair, responsible, and constructive evaluations of individual judges seeking retention, and providing judges with useful information concerning their performance.
*You my now read the Aug 3 Press Release related to the 2010 Judge evalution by clicking CO Judge evaluation for 2010

2010 primary and general election highlights and dates

click the following link supplied by the La Plata County Clerk and Recorder 2010 November General Election Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about registration, mail-in ballots and where to vote.

*You may now register to vote online directly with the Secretary of State of Colorado. Just click CO Secretary of State registration and click on register online.

*If you need to verify your current registration status, click CO Secretary of State verification and click on verify/update record

What's New: Healthcare

*7/29/10 Kaiser Family Foundation:Health Reform Subsidy Calculator
This tool illustrates premiums and government assistance under the health reform law signed by the President. Beginning in 2014, tax credits will be available for people under age 65 who purchase coverage on their own in a health insurance Exchange and are not covered through their employer, Medicare or Medicaid. The tool allows the user to examine the impact at different income levels, ages, family sizes, and regional costs...

*7/29/10 National Partnership for Women and Families:The Urgent Need for Better Care
Health reform is law, but the hard work of fixing our health care system is just beginning. For those with multiple health problems, our current health care system can be a huge challenge.
Consider this: 78% of Americans age 55 and older are dealing with at least one chronic health condition like diabetes, heart disease or arthritis. And older adults with five or more chronic health conditions have an average of 37 doctor visits, see 14 different doctors, and get 50 separate prescriptions each year.
If we can make our health care system work for them, we can make it work for everyone...

What's New: Environment, Energy and Sustainability

* 8/4/10 Durango Herald:Agency to tackle drilling pollution EPA to rewrite rules for gas and oil fields by Joe Hanel
DENVER - The federal Environmental Protection Agency plans to rewrite its rules for air pollution from gas and oil drilling in response to a lawsuit from the San Juan Citizens Alliance.
EPA officials held a public meeting Tuesday in Denver to solicit input on updated rules. They held a similar meeting Monday in Arlington, Texas.
The effort marks the first major update to several air-quality rules for the industry in 10 to 25 years, in some cases.
The Environmental Protection Agency set up an e-mail address + CCG-ONG@epa.gov + that people can use to submit information about the agency's proposal to rewrite its rules for air pollution from gas and oil drilling.

What's New: Youth & Families

* 8-4-10 Durango Herald; Bill: Feds would aid tuition waiver Salazar wants FLC reimbursed for out-of-state Native American students by Shane Benjamin
U.S. Rep. John Salazar has introduced legislation that would provide funding for Fort Lewis College's Native American tuition-waiver program.
Passage of the bill would help ease Colorado's budget woes and preserve the tuition waiver in the future, proponents said Tuesday.

"After 100 years, it is time to step up and reverse this unfunded mandate and preserve this valuable program for future generations of students," Salazar, D-Manassa, said in a news release...

What's New: Global Outreach

*8/11/10 Durango Herald: Scope of Grams' life comes into focus for friends Dentist killed by Taliban chose good over risk by Dale Rodebaugh
Tom Grams, the former Durango dentist who was slain Thursday on a medical aid mission in Afghanistan, had so many interests that probably no one was familiar with more than a few of them, a friend said Tuesday.
"Tom's existence was an iceberg, and we were exposed to only the tip of it," Ken Freudenberg, a Durango patent attorney said. "The whole picture is only now coming into focus."
Bridget Irish, assistant dean of writing and first-year experience at Fort Lewis College, knew Grams as a dentist, friend and colleague. "He had a presence," Irish said Tuesday. "He was loving, gentle and compassionate, but he was steely in his resolve to help the world." The terrorist attack of Sept. 11 was the impetus for Grams' work in Third World countries, Irish said. Grams' approach wasn't to react to terrorism but to provide education and health care to the poor...

What's New: La Plata League

*Your August LWVLPC VOTER is now ready for on-line viewing. Please don't forget to check out the linked references listed below the August VOTER.

*July 2010: Eleanor Roosevelt: League leader a short video from LWVUS

In the 1920s, Eleanor Roosevelt served as vice president for legislative affairs at the League, monitoring federal legislation and hearings in Congress. Watch this short video about how Eleanor's membership changed the League -- and how the League changed her.

* LWVUS resume of Elisabeth MacNamara, new president of LWVUS
Elisabeth MacNamara is the 18th president of the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) and chair of the League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF). A longtime Dekalb County, Georgia resident, Ms. MacNamara was elected national League president in Atlanta during the League of Women Voters' 49th Biennial Convention and celebration of the organization's 90th anniversary...

*Also remember the LWV-LPC Membership renewal Form for 2009-2010

What's New: From the Webmaster

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: August 15, 2010 11:07 PDT.