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Fall 1983

Winter-Spring 1984

Peter's Principles (Peter Herman)
Transformation? CETA to JTPA (Muriel Roberts)
Reapportionment Update (Peter Herman)
What is the Ed Fund? (Carol Whitesell)
Statehood Project Approved (Anne Lee)
Legislative Workship Success
Presidential Debates
What Does the Future Hold for League? (Carol Whitesell)
Publications Available

Peter's Principles

It is vitally important to keep the League's name before the public. First, we must educate the public about League positions and get them to advocate for the same causes. Second, we need to increase League visibility and attract new members and contributions.

One of our best opportunities to accomplish the above are the "viewpoints" aired at no cost to us on Honolulu radio station KHVH. The State and Honolulu Leagues alternate by taping two viewpoints every two weeks. Each viewpoint runs about 100 seconds and they are aired several times daily. Other groups share viewpoint time with the League so our "editorials" in toto get aired perhaps once daily.

One hundred seconds is a long time to talk on one subject, even for me: I know since I tape the viewpoints for us. You have got to read them in a lively manner or else you will put the listeners into a coma.

How do I write the viewpoints? The easiest way is to get another Leaguer to do it and then I just edit and mouth the words. State Board members Anne Lee and Muriel Roberts have written viewpoints for me or "Celebrating Statehood" and support of "ERA". Another easy way is to edit excellent League materials; I've written viewpoints on H.R. 1036 (the Congressional jobs bill), acid rain, reproductive choices and reapportionment all based upon information already available from League sources.

The most fun I have had is writing one for scratch. I try to make it controversial and provoking. Here is the one I did that aired in September on the "Gender Gap":

This is Peter Herman, President of the League of Women Voters of Hawaii.

In 1960, we had the missile gap. In 1983, we have the gender gap.

In a recent Herblock cartoon in the Washington Post, two men wearing towels around their bulging bellies meet in a gym. One says to the other, quote, Gender Gap: The whole trouble began when they got the vote, unquote.

The League of Women Voters was founded 60 years ago after it helped women get the vote. Women have made much progress 1919, but there's still a long way to go.

For example, look at appointments of judges. Yes, Sandra Day O'Connor was the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court. But there were many qualified women lawyers not appointed by Presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter.

In Hawaii, we have no women judges on the Supreme Court or Intermediate Court of Appeals, although there are a number of qualified women available. Over the next decade as more and more women graduate law school and join and advance in local law firms and public agencies, we can expect more women to be appointed to the bench.

In Honolulu, we have a female Mayor and Chair of the City

Council. Who knows: We may have a female governor one day soon. Surely that may help right the balance in appointments as the pool of qualified women appointees increases.

This is Peter Herman, President of the League of Women Voters of Hawaii, for viewpoint.

Would you like to help the League by writing a viewpoint? If on a national or state League issue, call me at 531-8031. On Honolulu issues, call Arlene Woo.

[Peter Herman]


LEO HANA is a publication produced by the League of Women Voters Hawaii

PETER HERMAN President

CAROL WHITESELL Vice President JOAN DAVENPORT Secretary

JEANNE TREBOR-MacCONNELL Treasurer

CATHY FILSON ANNE LEE

DEE DEE LETTS MURIEL R. ROBERTS MARION SAUNDERS

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