Grass-Roots Efforts Help Promote Democracy in America

The goal of adopting voting machines with verifiable
paper trails in New York City moved closer to becoming
a reality on March 14, when the City Council unanimously
passed Resolution 131-A, urging the New York State
Board of Elections to promptly certify Precinct Based
Optical Scan (PBOS) voting systems.

PBOS machines require voters to physically mark a
paper ballot, resulting in a receipt. The ballot is then read
by an optical scan device that registers the voter’s choice.
This gives optical scan systems a big advantage versus
competing computerized Direct Recording Electronic
(DRE) systems which usually do not leave tangible
evidence of the voter’s selection.  Optical scan devices
combine the dependability of a paper-based system with
the speed offered by computers.

This resolution, calling for the use of PBOS equipment,
may seem like an obscure, non-binding motion, but to
Teresa Hommel, creator of wheresthpaper.org, it is a
significant victory for her, and other grass-roots activists
who support the use of voting systems that produce
verifiable paper trails.

According to Hommel, the significance of this declaration
lies in the fact that if the commissioners on the Board of
Elections in New York City split their votes when deciding
between PBOS and the strictly computerized DRE
systems, the New York State Board of Elections will be
more likely to honor the City Council’s preference for PBOS
voting systems as stated in Resolution 131-A.

Ms Hommel has used her background as a corporate
trainer and consultant in the use computer technology to
raise public awareness of the problems inherent with
computerized voting machines that do not produce voter-
verified paper trails. She has testified before government
task forces and committees in several states, and has
written articles for the NY Women’s Bar Association and
the Sierra Club New York City Group.

The actions taken by Teresa Hommel to raise awareness
of the need to adopt optical scan voting systems speaks
volumes about her commitment to build a healthier
democracy.  “People cannot just show up at the polls”,
she explained. It is clear to her that democracy requires
the active, constant support of all citizens in order to
ensure that elected officials act with the public good in
mind.

Greg Strid

From the Collection of Andrea Raphael

You can see more of the “Vintage Cheese” paintings at

snowmack.com

The original sketch:

A trip to Financial Wonderland

On a recent, sunny Monday morning, I rose early to
hear the familiar rumblings that have come to
define the AM hours on Jersey City’s Coles St;
the steady drone of vehicular traffic, and random,
booming car stereos- followed by the car alarms that
they inevitably trigger.

I was determined to set up a business bank account.
I settled upon Washington Mutual as my financial
institution of choice after a few rounds of fiscal-related
gossip with my friends. Yes, Washington Mutual seemed
to have the best word—of-mouth reputation of the
three or four banks that dot Newark Avenue. (This is
probably due to the fact that they haven’t been in
business long enough to disappoint their customers.)

I also like their commercial ad campaign, which
ridicules the stodgy bankers of old in attempt to show
just how different and customer-friendly Washington
Mutual is compared to its blue-blooded competition
in the financial services industry.

I felt confident that I had chosen the right bank. Afterall,
if you can’t rely on TV commercials and gossip, how is
one to make such a crucial decision- research, the
Better Business Bureau? I am a product of the information
age, and I don’t have time for due diligence.

And what a bank Washington Mutual turned out to be!
I showed up dressed like I wouldn’t get a second
interview at the local filling station, explained that I was
unemployed; yet I was offered a $75,000 line of credit-
for the paltry annual fee of $150, of course.

I had not provided any assets that could be used for
collateral against this line of credit, and did not even offer a
business plan suitable to fill the back of a cocktail napkin.

I happen to have a good credit rating, and maybe the
bank representative had access to my all-important
credit score. That number, and a full set of teeth may
be all that is required in order to get colossal amounts
of credit these days.

The complete lack of concern expressed by Washington
Mutual for my financial fitness made me a bit nervous.
I have been reading about the implosion of the subprime
loan market (which focuses on lending to those with poor
credit histories), and the growing number of lenders who
are collapsing as a result of bad loans made over the past
few years.

Many in the financial press are explaining this meltdown
as an isolated phenomenon. But, my experience at
Washington Mutual does not put my mind at ease. This
is supposed to be a well respected and responsible lending
institution. Yet all that seems to matter for this bank is the
collection of fees generated by doling out credit to
whoever has a pulse- and lucky me, I have one!

We live in a society that is almost completely dependent
on the access to credit. The generation of loans provides
plump fees to America’s lending institutions, and offers
employment for many- especially in the New York area.
But, easy profits today can turn into nightmares down the
road.

The pursuit of short-term profits at the expense of sound
lending practices jeopardizes the health of America’s
banking sector, and its capital markets. If the subprime
market contagion spreads, larger institutions may eventually
be affected, and this will lead to a reduction in the amount
of money available for future business investment and
individual consumption.

I sincerely hope that the Washington Mutual’s lending
practices are the exception, and not the rule. But, given
the prevailing attitudes toward the assumption of debt,
I am not exactly brimming with confidence that my
experience at this bank was an anomaly.

Greg Strid

Salon number 5 ( a new cologne possibly?) , held at my
humble cave last night, went very well . This is not just
my over-inflated ego speaking, I received some extremely
positive feedback as a I mellowed and mingled- cocktail in
hand- after my stellar performance as dictator, oops, I
mean moderator.

The group discussion covered many of today’s most
pressing questions and issues:
1. Do we have too many rights restrictions on teenagers?
2. Can we separate religion and politics in the future?
3. Is America ready for an African American, or a female
president?
4. The reduction in funding for women’s health by the FDA;
who is behind it, and what motivates them?
5. Is truth, as in the need for facts to establish positions and
construct arguments, relevant anymore?
6. Has the insurance industry become institutionalized in
America and around the world?
7. Will enormous piles of money conquer the deep,
murderous personal animosities between Sting, Copeland
and Summers, and allow baby-boomers and their spoiled
children to enjoy a senseless reunion tour?
8. Who are your heroes and why?
9. What do you cherish the most?
AND…
10. Will the host/moderator make it through the night without
someone taking a swing at him?

Several resources were offered by those attending the salon,
and they may prove to be valuable in the continuing quest for
knowledge. They are listed below:

Books:
1. “Lincoln the Unknown”, by Dale Carnegie.
2. “Alexander Hamilton” by Ron Chernow.
3. “Mao: A Life”, by Philip Short.
4. “”Trashing Trees”, an article by Robert Epstein ( Psychology
Today., April 2007).

Women’s Issues:
UN Commission on the Status of Women

Women’s eNews

Women’s Media Center

The night ended with a most excellent acoustic guitar
performance by Matthew Lahm and Tomas Marsh-
I promised that there would be music.

Anna Nicole Smith rose to a position of fame and
fortune after she dropped out of high school. Her sister
said, after Anna’s death, that “she was a woman
determined to get out of her small town in Texas and
make a name for herself.”

This desire has been an essential element of America’s
fascination with Anna Nicole; the drive for a better
life is emblematic of all that is supposed to be great
about this nation. Anyone can win, and a person’s lot
in life is not determined by the rung on the social ladder
that is assigned at birth.

The circumstances of her climb from the depths of rural
poverty also reflect America’s obsession with wealth
and celebrity status. If Ms. Smith were merely a hard-
working entrepreneur who had risen to the level of
material comfort, there would be no story worth telling.
Her life was filled with all of the elements that constitute
an intriguing fictional tale: sex, scandal, courtroom
drama, and in the end, tragedy.

American’s seem to have lost faith in ethics that stress
hard work, honor, and dignity; most are happy to stay
a few steps ahead of their creditors, and under the radar
screens of their demanding bosses. Anna Nicole’s life
and tragic death confirm that the new American dream
is but a shallow construct of a society that has lost its way.
Those who followed her life knew how it would end, but
they could not bear to turn away.

Greg Strid

Attention: Luck Needed Badly

Yes folks, lottery fever is in the air today! The odds are
176 million to 1, but the jackpot has climbed to just over
double that amount ($355M) for the multi-state Mega
Millions drawing. So, plunking a few hard-earned
dollars down may make some sense.

There was an article on page three of the Daily News
today concerning today’s monster pot of cash- just sitting
there, waiting to be won. Several New Yorkers inter-
viewed for the article laid bare their dreams of materialistic
bliss. One man said he would buy his very own island,
another wanted a new house- filled with brand new stuff-
and an indoor swimming pool to make life as heavenly as
possible.

On the following page was a story about an $80 million
supercomputer that New York City is planning to purchase
in order to track each of the city’s 1.1 million students with
Orwellian precision.

The author of the school-related article pointed out that
the amount of money slated for one of these digital
monsters could pay for three brand new elementary
schools, and cover a year’s worth of staffing costs for
them as well.

There is some debate on the merits of making such a
large computer hardware expenditure when so many
schools in the city suffer from overcrowding, or are
collapsing due to years of proper maintenance- some
may suffer from both of these problems.

This is a logical debate, one that should occur in order
for proper spending decisions to be made if the betterment
of the New York City’s education system is the goal. What
should have appeared after this article is a commentary
on what $355M could purchase in the area of education
and public services.

This whopping sum of money could purchase 13 brand
new elementary schools, with enough money left over
for teacher salaries. As far as public services is concerned,
this windfall could improve the lives of thousands of New
Yorkers through the expansion of existing programs, and
could go a long way toward reducing the chronic shortage
of affordable housing.

But, in today’s land of plenty for the lucky few, the very
notion of spending such a large sum of money in a way
that would benefit the many is not even considered to be
a dream anymore.

Greg Strid