League of Women Voters of Denton Newsletter: October 2008

Sue Smith, President
Sondra Ferstl, VOTER Editor
P. O. Box 424945 TWU Station
Denton, TX 76204
www.lwvdenton.org

Calendar

Saturday, September 20, Blues Festival
Voter Registration was held from 2 – 10 p.m. Thanks to deputy voter registrars Dorothy Adkins, Peg La Point, Renee Sims , Mark Coomes, & Sue Smith.

Friday, September 26. RSVPs to invitation to the League’s Meet-and-Greet Party are due to Maggie Dodd by this date. Call (940)387-1675 or email Maggiedodddenton@verizon.net.

Friday, September 26, Fiesta on the Square
Deputy voter registrars:
6 – 8 p.m. Sue Smith
8 – 9 p.m. Maggie Dodd
8 – 10 p.m. Renee Sims & Mark Coomes

Saturday, September 27, Emily Fowler Central Library
Deputy voter registrars:
10 a.m. – noon Sarah McIntire & Sondra Ferstl
Noon – 4 p.m. Maggie Dodd
Afternoon – Marilyn Dunham

Saturday, September 27, North Branch Denton Public Library
Deputy voter registrars:
Lois Sorensen

Saturday, September 27, South Branch Denton Public Library
Deputy voter registrars:
9 – 11 a.m. Janice LaPointe-Crump
Afternoon – Patsy Roe

Sunday, September 28, Emily Fowler Central Library
Deputy voter registrars:
1 – 5 p.m. Sue Smith
Afternoon – Linnie McAdams

We may also register voters on Sunday, September 28 at the North Branch and the South Branch of the Denton Public Library. If you can help at either location between 1 and 5 p.m., call Sue Smith (387-1016) asap.

Friday, October 3, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. Meet-and-Greet Party at the home of Teddy and Barbara Coe, 2002 Mistywood, Denton.
All members are invited to attend, but you must RSVP.

PRESIDENT’S PODIUM

September is voter service month. League members, as well as members of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), have the opportunity to register voters at five locations: September 20 at the Blues Festival in Quakertown Park, September 26 at Fiesta on the Square, September 27 and 28 at the three branches of the Denton Public Library. If you can help register voters, contact Sue Smith at lwvdenton@earthlink.net or (940) 387-1016. You must be deputized at the Voter Registration Office in the Carroll Courts Building and receive your materials there before registering voters.

LWV-Denton will publish a Voters Guide for local races. We have contacted 18 candidates in contested races. Thanks to Peg La Point for volunteering to format the guide and take it to the printer. Members who attended our September meeting volunteered to help with distribution. We will mail copies to members, contributors and candidates in mid-October in time for early voting.

We are not “all work and no play.” Our meet-and-greet party will be quite elegant. Barbara and Teddy Coe’s home is a great entertainment center and the refreshments will be fantastic. Now we just need everyone to RSVP by September 26 to Maggie Dodd (maggiedodddenton@verizon.net) . The main purpose of the party is to explain to our guests the purpose and activities of LWV, study, action, and voters service.

We’ve invited all our members and many guests to attend. Plan to car pool so that there will be sufficient parking for everyone on Mistywood. The Coe’s house is just off Nottingham Drive in northeast Denton.

Politics and the November election are on everyone’s mind, but since we are nonpartisan as a group, we can’t display campaign buttons or distribute campaign literature at this party. If you have a League of Women Voters button, by all means wear that one.

Sue Smith, President

EARTH NOTE (from Peg La Point)

Denton Municipal Electric is giving away four compact fluorescent light bulbs to Denton residents. Participants need to go to the City ReUse Store and bring up to four regular, incandescent bulbs to trade in. Bring some form of ID (like a drivers license) to prove residency. The offer is only good while supplies last.

The ReUse Store is located at the Home Chemical Collection facility at 1527 S. Mayhill Road. The Store is open every Wednesday from noon to 7 p.m. and the first and third Saturdays of each month from 7 a.m. to noon.

LEAGUE’S PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL ELECTION VOTERS GUIDE NOW AVAILABLE

Thanks to an ongoing collaboration between members of the Maryland and National Capitol Area Leagues and the LWVUS/Education Fund, the 2008 Presidential Voters Guide for the General Election is now available. All Presidential candidates who met the League’s specific criteria, including John McCain, Ralph Nader and Barack Obama, were invited to participate. All three candidates have responded, which is a testament to the League. The information will be available shortly on VOTE411.org.

SCIENCE DEBATE 2008

Given the many urgent scientific and technological challenges facing America and the rest of the world, the increasing need for accurate scientific information in political decision-making, and the vital role scientific innovation plays in spurring economic growth and competitiveness, there is a need for a public debate in which the U.S. presidential candidates share their views on the issues of The Environment, Health and Medicine, and Science and Technology Policy.

In November, 2007, a small group of six citizens began working to restore science and innovation to America’s political dialogue. They called for a presidential debate on science. The call tapped a wellspring of concern over the state of American science.

Within weeks, more than 38,000 scientists, engineers, and other concerned Americans signed on, including nearly every major American science organization, dozens of Nobel laureates, elected officials and business leaders, and the presidents of over 100 major American universities. Among other things, these signers submitted over 3,400 questions they want the candidates for President to answer about science and the future of America.
From those suggestions, Science Debate 2008 crafted the top 14 questions the candidates should answer. The questions are broad enough to allow for wide variations in response, but specific enough to help guide the discussion toward many of the largest and most important unresolved challenges currently facing the United States.
Although the candidates have not agreed to a debate, their written responses have been posted to the web page and can be viewed at www.sciencedebate2008.com.
(Contributed by Peg La Point)