Archive for the ‘Alerts’ Category
Kicking Off 2012 with a Bang! Trust Women Week & Our National Online March !
January 20th, 2012 by catherinefor Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice
January 20-27
Join the March Now!
(Click Here)
Choice Matters—together with over 41 other national and local organizations across the country—is participating in Trust Women Week this January 20-27, organized by the Trust Women /Silver Ribbon Campaign and MoveOn. We will organize one million people in a Virtual March to demand that local, state and federal elected officials trust womento make our own decisions about our bodies and our lives.
The Virtual March’s mission is Choice Matters’ mission: Keep abortion legal and ensure that all women, regardless of age, race, class, status, geography or ability to pay, have full, unimpeded access to reproductive health care.
MoveOn will alert its 6 million members that on the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a million women and men will express their support for the human rights of women that are callously disregarded by anti-woman politicians across the country. Choice Matters will send out an action alert for steps you can take to stand up for women during Trust Women Week – January 20-27.
We will show our numbers on an online map. This will enable us to include the many who can not travel, or are frightened away by the extreme violence of anti-choice extremists.
Together we will build solidarity and momentum in support of women’s rights, equality and autonomy; access to comprehensive health care, including reproductive health care services; and reproductive justice.
Every week should be Trust Women Week but, sadly, we know that is not the case.
Congress and state legislatures across the country have laid siege to women’s rights, launching an all-out-war on women! In 2011, the 50 states combined enacted a record number of abortion restrictions. Legislators introduced over 1,100 reproductive health and rights-related provisions, up from the 950 in 2010; 135 of these were enacted in 36 states, an increase from the 89 enacted in 2010 and 77 in 2009. Of these, 92 restrict access to abortion services. This is a record breaking increase over any previous year. The U.S. House of Representatives jumped in, passing legislation attacking women from every direction—cutting funding to Planned Parenthood; passing H.R. 358 which literally allows hospitals to let women die rather than perform an abortion that would save the woman’s life; eliminating insurance coverage; and more.
Westchester Residents Beware – Astorino’s Version of a Reformer
November 24th, 2011 by catherineDISTRICT #3 has elected a truly ETHICALLY-CHALLENGED representative.
His name, and Astorino’s hand picked candidate who he labeled a reformer, is Michael Smith. (Makes you question what kind of reform Astorino is looking for!!)
It is essential that as we move forward voters keep a very sharp eye on Smith.
Yes, Smith opposes abortion even in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the woman.
In addition, Smith has a very questionable history at best. He seems willing to do anything to win. Nothing is off limits.
To win this election, Smith ran ads about Legislator Nonna that were intentionally misleading–that’s not just our opinion but the findings of the non-partisan Fair Practices Campaign who found him guilty. Smith also apparently ran an equally offensive and untrue recorded phone call to voters on Election Day to scare them into voting for him. And that’s just the beginning.
Smith, as Board President of Valhalla School Board, actively supported and fought for a contract the New York State Controller found to be illegal as did the New York State Supreme Court.
Printed on the Valhalla Voice website, November 2, 2011
“Mike Smith’s record speaks volumes”
“As a taxpayer in the Valhalla school district I am still amused that Mr Smith is running as a tax cutter. He is anything but. In his first 3 years on the Valhalla BOE spending rose 21%. The increase one year before had been 8.8% so where were the cuts?
He is now opposing the $1 a year county lease for the children’s museum, but never opposed Valhalla’s $1 a year Easter Seals lease, the district lost $2.4 million on that deal.
When state auditors shut down the illegal Westhelp scam, Mike Smith voted to sue his own town to restart the illegal payments. He had no problem spending school district money on:
- Matching Grants to the Valhalla Schools Foundation even though it is illegal to fund private foundations with government money.
- Two full time salaries for Kensico School Principal
- Pay his own expense at a private school
- Donations to Easter Seals, another private foundation.
- Summer trips to the Grand Canyon
- Trips to the opera
- Dinners at trendy NYC restaurants
- Adult Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center
- Ocktoberfest at Bear Mountain
- A moonlight booze cruise on the Hudson
Despite Mr. Smith’s denials to the contrary, the Booze Cruise was on his watch, in August of 2006
Here are quotes from the 2008 NY State audit of Mike’s Smith’s Valhalla school district finances:
“District officials did not maintain complete and accurate accounting records to facilitate the proper and timely monitoring of the WestHELP Grant. As a result, of the approximately $1.7 million expended for the Grant, approximately $456,000 was not expended in accordance with the Grant agreement, proposals or applicable laws”
“The [Valhalla] Board did not provide sufficient oversight over District financial operations”
“The District overpaid for the Business Administrator’s life insurance premiums by $38,500”
“Internal controls over payroll were not adequate”
“The District did not have adequate controls over the payroll process”
‘District officials did not implement an effective system of internal controls to safeguard computerized data’”
Smith has proudly said that he stands by the contract. That illegal support will now cost Valhalla School District residents over a million dollars. Smith’s willingness to stand by a clearly illegal contract should worry Westchester residents.
Meet Westchester’s Own Pro-Choice Male Brigade!
October 24th, 2011 by catherineBedford, Lewisboro, Mt. Kisco, North Salem, Pound Ridge & part of Somers.
North Castle, Pleasantville & Unincorporated Mt. Pleasant & parts of Briarcliff Manor, Sleepy Hollow and Unincorporated Greenburgh.
New Castle & parts of Somers & Yorktown.
–DISTRICT #5
The Village of Scarsdale & part of Harrison & part of White Plains.
Bill Ryan has been an active and vocal advocate for Choice since his early days in the NYS Assembly. In his first campaign for the County Legislature, he pledged to continue fighting for a woman’s right to choose and he has done so without fail. Ryan has “more faith in women making the right decision for themselves than in government making it for them…” and believes, “a woman’s right to choose is absolute and should not be subject to legislation.” Ryan also serves on the Large Urban County Caucus in the National Association of Counties He is one of 35 county officials representing over 140 million people, living in the 100 largest counties in America, on matters before the federal government. Ryan’s opponent, although rated pro-choice, will not commit to supporting the clinic access bill that protects women as they enter and leave reproductive health centers. She says she’s a novice whose ideas are still cooking—but in reality, she has been politically active for years and served on Astorino’s transition team. Choice Matters’ choice is Bill Ryan!
New Pro-Choice Voices for the County Legislature!
–DISTRICT #1
Buchanan & parts of Yorktown, City of Peekskill & Unincorporated Cortlandt.
Michael Kane is a strong voice for reducing the size of county government responsibly. His commitment to women and families makes him particularly aware of the importance of childcare to working mothers, thus, his refusal to cut childcare funding irresponsibly because “every dollar cut from childcare costs Westchester taxpayers $3 more in food stamps, $5 in welfare, and $20 in shelter costs [because irrational childcare subsidy cuts force working women into unemployment.]” Kane’s anti-choice opponent is a rubber stamp for RTL Astorino’s anti-family anti-woman agenda.
–DISTRICT #6
Rye Brook, Port Chester, & part of Harrison.
Daniel Brakewood is committed to women’s reproductive health. As a current Port Chester trustee, Brakewood has proven himself to be an independent voice for his constituents. In contrast, Brakewood’s anti-choice opponent has said, even in his own literature, that he will be a [guaranteed] vote for [RTL] Astorino. That is not independent! Choice Matters endorses Daniel Brakewood.
–DISTRICT #10
Tuckahoe & Unincorporated Eastchester, & part of New Rochelle.
John Fitzpatrick has served the people of Westchester as Mayor of Tuckahoe for two terms, Village Trustee, Planning Commissioner and Police Commissioner. He has made environmentally sustainable initiatives a trademark of his administration. He is pro-choice, fiscally conservative and an advocate for housing. Fitzpatrick’s opponent who is endorsed by the Right to Life Party, is an extremist who opposes abortion even in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the woman. She also supports a constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriage.
