Women's Voices Raised for Social Justice

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Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down Awards

2011

to Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, who signed legislation that will end the death penalty in Illinois.

to Missouri lawmakers, who are trying to eliminate the cost-of-living escalator from the state's minimum wage law

to President Barack Obama, who has decided that the Defense Of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.

to WV members Mary Clemons, Mary Ann Tipton, Susan Hayman, Nancy Cooksey, Rea Kleeman, Bunnie Gronborg, Stacey Sickler and Amy Smoucha, who attended an "Obamacare Hearing" sponsored by senate candidate Ed Martin. Our members spoke in favor of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and were able to address many misconceptions raised by speakers at the meeting.

to the hundreds of thousands of women in Rome and other cities throughout Italy, who took to the streets to protest the prostitution scandal that has engulfed Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi

to members of the selection committee for the St. Louis Citizen of the Year award, who gave the top honor to a man who recently vowed "not to hire anybody in the United States."

to members of the Missouri House of Representatives, who recently passed a bill to require drug testing for applicants and recipients of benefits from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. (An amendment to drug test all elected officials was ruled out of order.)

to continuing efforts in the Missouri legislature to require all voters to present photo IDs. In 2006 Women's Voices filed a friend-of-the-court brief against this effort, which the Missouri Supreme Court subsequently ruled unconstitutional. More than 250,000 Missouri voters might be disenfranchised if photo IDs are required to vote.

to long-time Women's Voices member Lois Bliss, who was honored with an award from the West County Journal for her activities designed to enrich the Kirkwood community. Lois was a member of the first Women's Voices board of directors.

to WV member Deanna Jent, who has been nominated for a Kevin Kline award for her work directing "The Chosen" for the Mustard Seed Theater.

to Cynthia Kramer, one of our earliest speakers and founder of SCOPE (Science and Citizens Organized for Purpose and Exploration), who was profiled in the Community section of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Jan. 23, 2011.

to Midwest BankCentre and First National Bank of St. Louis. Both have announced that, after complaints were filed against them by the St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council, they will open new branches in low-income areas.

to the new YOURS Market in Baden, which is providing fresh produce and other needed grocery items to residents of north St. Louis

to John Carlton, editorial writer at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who has penned hundreds of editorials on health care in the past few years in an effort to inform the public and explain the benefits of the new Affordable Care Act.

to members of the U.S. Senate, who finally voted to abolish the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" act.

to St. Louis Children's Hospital, which is taking steps to become a leader in the prevention of youth street and gun violence.

2010

to the Missouri Gaming Commission, whose members acknowledged incredible pressure from St. Louisans and awarded the state's last gaming license to Cape Girardeau. This action will preserve the Missouri/Mississippi Confluence area just north of downtown St. Louis.

to Women's Voices members Barbara Fraser, Deb Lavender and Jeanne Kirkton! All three ran issues-based campaigns of integrity in their quest for seats in the Missouri Legislature in November 2010.

to Better Life Green Cleaning Products. Officials of this company have donated two dozen bottles of their all-purpose cleaner for the welcome baskets that WV members are making for clients of the Beyond Housing organization.

to the Environmental Protection Agency for recommending withdrawal of the Arch Coal Company's permit for the largest mountaintop removal coal mine in Appalachia ever authorized. Mountaintop removal seriously and adversely affects the people and waterways of the region.

to St. Louis-based Faith Aloud (formerly the Missouri Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights), which maintains the only national toll-free faith-based pro-choice crisis line for women to talk about their religious concerns about abortion.

to economic conditions which have forced the Interfaith Partnership/Faith Beyond Walls organization to cut services and staff members.

to Panera Bread Co., for attempting to find creative solutions to help people in need at the St. Louis Bread Co. Cares in Clayton.

to all the activists who showed up to voice their health and environmental concerns relating to the former Carter Carburetor plant in north St. Louis.

for the seven new provisions of the new health care law, which went into effect on Sept. 23, 2010! Among other things, these provisions will mean that insurers can no longer deny coverage for sick kids, cancel policies when people get sick, or impose lifetime limits on coverage.

to members of the U.S. Senate who voted against repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that would allow gay Americans to serve openly in the armed forces.

to the University of Missouri-St. Louis, which has launched the Opportunity Scholars Program which will enable 10 high school graduates to get full scholarships to study at UMSL. The University has received a $1.65 million gift from Emerson to begin the program.

on all of the policies that have forced the poverty rate in Missouri to nearly double during the past 10 years.

to all the university-sponsored law clinics, attorneys who do pro bono work, and all those who work long hours for low pay to provide legal representation to low-income Missourians. They truly exemplify "justice" for the poor.

to the Missouri Foundation for Health, which continues to provide meaningful grants to improve the lives and health of Missouri residents. In 2007 the organization provided $11 million to underwrite a vaccination program, which immunized 31,000 young women against the most common cause of cervical cancer.

to Missouri Treasurer Clint Zweifil for proposing that $127 million, about 33% of Missouri's housing budget be used for 400 affordable housing units for the poor and mentally ill.

to St. Louis law firm Bryan Cave. The firm is scheduled to receive the ABA's (American Bar Association) prestigious Pro Bono Publico Award for 47,000 hours of free legal services in 2009.

to those non-profit Blue Cross/Blue Shield health insurance plans that have amassed billions of dollars in extra cash in the last decade, even while they hit their individual customers with significant premium increases.

to the new Old North Grocery Co-op in the Old North St. Louis neighborhood. The co-op is the first grocery store in the community in recent memory, and will enable residents to purchase fresh produce and a variety of healthy foods.

to the hundreds of volunteers who are spending one day each month in the city's 21st Ward, where they are rehabbing dozens of homes under the sponsorship of Rebuilding Together St. Louis, Boeing, and Alderman Antonio French.

and congratulations to documentary film maker Sandra Pfeifer, whose film about East St. Louis, "Against All The Odds," received the best documentary feature award at the 9th annual Route 66 International Film Festival.

to ll states that have this year passed additional laws regulating or restricting abortion services. Women who reside in these states are finding it increasingly difficult to make decisions regarding their reproductive health.

to the Environmental Protection Agency, which set a new health standard that coal-fired power plants and other industries will have to meet on sulfur dioxide, a pollutant that triggers asthma attacks and causes other respiratory problems.

to BP.

to the city of Clayton, which is partnering with the Environmental Protection Agency in an effort to become a "Green Power Community." City government, residents and businesses will attempt to purchase renewable power in amounts that meet or exceed the EPA's requirements.

to members of the 2010 Missouri Legislature, who refused to consider any revenue enhancement measures for the state while slashing budget expenditures in the areas of health care, mental health, education and social services.

to voters in St. Louis County who voted in favor of a half-cent sales tax increase to fund bus, metro and call-a-ride services.

to members of the U.S. House of Representatives, who passed the much-needed health care legislation by a three-vote majority on March 21! And a concurrent ...

hearty congratulations and much thanks to so many members of Women's Voices, who worked so long and so hard for this bill.

to State Rep. Cynthia Davis, R-O'Fallon, who has come out in favor of feeding people who don't want to be fed. House Bill 1235, sponsored by Ms. Davis, would require mandatory feeding tubes for terminally ill patients - but only for those patients who have said they don't want them. The feeding tubes would have to remain in place for at least 60 days before they could be withdrawn.

to efforts in the Missouri legislature to eliminate the minimum wage increases approved by voters in 2006.

to more than 90 nursing homes in Missouri that have payday loan operations in their facilities. This arrangement lets lenders deduct the loan, interest and fees directly from the paychecks of nursing home workers. And a concurrent ...

to the state of Missouri's weak laws that regulate payday loans. Missouri allows interest rates of up to 1,980 percent on these transactions.

to proposals under consideration in the Missouri legislature that would replace the state income tax with a wide-ranging and greatly increased state sales tax. If any of these proposals were enacted, sales taxes would have to increase dramatically, which would pose additional hardships on low and middle-income families. In addition, sales taxes would be imposed on practically every purchase, from doctor visits to funerals.

to Rep. Bill Deekin (R-Jefferson City), who has once again proposed the creation of a death penalty study commission. If passed, the legislation would force a two-year moratorium on executions in the state while the study takes place.

to Rep. Michael Frame (D-Eureka), who has pre-filed a bill that, if passed, would enable early voting in Missouri. More than 30 states offer early voting options, making it easier and more convenient for citizens to cast their ballots in general elections.

on an initiative petition that, if passed, would eliminate the St. Louis city earnings tax. While taxes are generally unpopular and it's easy to be against many of them, elimination of this tax would have a disastrous effect on the city's ability to function and to protect its citizens.

2009

to the U. S. Senate for passing historic health care reform legislation on Christmas Eve. When reconciled with the bill previously passed by the House, and signed by President Obama, this legislation will bring us closer to making access to quality, affordable health care a reality for all Americans.

to Governor Jay Nixon who campaigned to insure every Missouri child but now has decided not to participate in the new federal program that would provide health care to 27,500 of Missouri's 108,000 uninsured children. The federal law would use programs such as food stamps to identify eligible children. Although the federal government pays the majority of the cost Nixon feels it is an expensive option. Children's advocates say the state would save money by providing children with routine care who now go to emergency rooms where care is expensive.

to Emerson CEO David Farr, who said in a recent speech that "cap and trade, medical reform and labor rules" were hurting his business and vowed "not to shrink and roll over for the U.S. government." Farr reportedly said, "I'm not going to hire anybody in the United States. I'm moving." In addition to a variety of electrical equipment, Emerson manufactures garbage disposals.

to anti-stem cell activists in Missouri, who recently filed their 30th ballot proposal aimed at undermining the lifesaving efforts of doctors and researchers on behalf of Missouri patients

to the Indiana Court of Appeals and the League of Women Voters. The court ruled 3-0 that the Indiana Voter ID law must be declared void because it regulates voters in a way that is not "uniform and impartial." The judges say the ID law treats in-person voters and mail-in voters differently. The League of Women Voters challenged the law on state constitutional grounds after the U.S. Supreme Court had upheld it. The Indiana law required voters to show government-issued photo identification.

to former President Jimmy Carter for his article Losing My Religion for Equality, in which he expands on this statement issued by The Elders, an independent group of eminent global leaders: "The justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable."

to Ameren UE for its planned methane-to-electricity project, which will use gas produced by decomposing garbage to generate enough electricity to power 10,000 homes.

to Washington University for planning to close the Center for the Study of Ethics and Human Values. (Read article) One objective of the Center's interdisciplinary program has been to enable faculty from different schools to work together and focus on understanding complex ethical issues. Dr. Ira Kodner, Director and Founder, has spoken on embryonic stem cell research and the need for quality affordable healthcare at meetings many of our members have attended.

to residents of the north St. Louis area, who have joined together to form the Northside Community Benefits Alliance. The new organization is designed to engage residents in grassroots community planning and development.

to Kaldi's Coffee in Kirkwood for installing recycling bins for customers to deposit paper, plastic, and glass.

to Mike Prosperi of Imo's Pizza for speaking out in favor of a smoking ban for public places, including restaurants, in Kirkwood. Prosperi told the Kirkwood City Council at a recent meeting that his business has not been harmed since his restaurant went nonsmoking.

to the St. Louis Preservation Board, which approved the demolition of the San Luis Apartments (formerly the DeVille Motor Hotel) on Lindell Blvd. in the Central West End to make way for a parking lot. Although opinions on the San Luis were mixed, there are many questions about the wisdom of tearing down a city's heritage in order to build one more parking lot.

to developer Paul J. McKee Jr., chairman/CEO of McEagle Properties, owner of the historic James Clemens House on Cass Ave., who has let the property deterioriate to dangerous conditions. The property, a rare antebellum mansion, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. And a concurrent ...

to the Landmarks Association of St. Louis, which has named hundreds of McKee-owned properties in north city on the list of endangered sites in St. Louis.

to drugstore giant Walgreens, which is offering free clinic visits to the unemployed and uninsured for the rest of 2009.

to more than two dozen religious leaders in the St. Louis area, who have formed a coalition to protest planned cuts in Missouri's 2010 budget.

to Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, which has received a three year grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health to establish the St. Louis Children's Health Advocacy Project (SCHAP).

to a new on-line publication, Pro Publica, an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. Their work focuses exclusively on truly important stories, stories with “moral force.” They do this by producing journalism that shines a light on exploitation of the weak by the strong and on the failures of those with power to vindicate the trust placed in them.

to Washington University, which is phasing out sales of bottled water on its campus.

to the "Missouri Roundtable," a coalition of anti-choice groups throughout the state, which is attempting to get an initiative petition on the ballot that would prohibit state funding "for abortion services, human cloning, or other prohibited human research." Human cloning was outlawed in Missouri in 2006, when voters approved Amendment 2 and said they wanted stem cell research.

to Judy Arnold, a member of the Health Care Focus Group, and Cathy Blair, a member of the Environment Focus Group. Both had letters to the editor printed in the St. Louis Post Dispatch in January. Judy's letter, titled "In 2009, Let Reason Prevail," addressed the insanity of the Medicare prescription drug plan. Cathy's letter, "Show Them The Faucets," focused on efforts to stop using city money to purchase bottled water.

November, 2008

to election officials in the state of Missouri, who are still trying to determine which presidential candidate carried the state a week after the 2008 election.

to politicans and political campaigns that have launched attacks on community organizers. Community organizers work hard for the benefit of the most disadvantaged in our society. They deserve blessings, not brickbats.

to the St. Louis American newspaper, which has been named runner-up in the Newspaper of the Year competition sponsored by Suburban Newspapers of America! The American was recognized in the category of papers with more than 37,500 circulation. The paper, which has served the African-American community in St. Louis for more than 80 years, contains a wealth of information about the St. Louis metro area that cannot be found in any other publication. Kudos to the staff!

to the Missouri Drug Card plan, which will give state residents discounts of up to 75 percent on hundreds of brand name and generic medications. Cards can be printed out at www.missouridrugcard.com.

July, 2008

to Home Depot for being the first major nation retail outlet to recycle compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Individuals can bring in any expired, unbroken CFLs, and give them to a Home Depot store associate behind the returns desk free-of-charge. This is a national program. See the website, spread the news.

to the City of St. Louis Refuse Department Recycling Division for being ahead of the rest. We first got the CFL recycling news from their website, then in their July newsletter.

to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., which is now offering a three-month supply of certain prescription drugs for $10. In 2006 Wal-Mart launched a program to sell generic drugs for $4.

to Jennifer's Pharmacy in Clayton, which is discontinuing the use of plastic bags throughout the store. Alternate bags, which have no environmental impact, are available for a small fee. Customers who insist on a plastic bag will be charged for each bag they use. Women's Voices commends Jennifer's Pharmacy for its leadership on this issue.

to the smart and compassionate Missouri voters who declined to sign the so-called "Missouri Civil Rights Initiative," which would have put an anti-affirmative action measure on the ballot in November 2008.

May, 2008

to the North St. Louis YouthBuild program, which will receive an award from Focus St. Louis in May in the area of "providing quality educational opportunities." Ironically, this program, which provides educational opportunities as well as job training skills, will likely be discontinued next year because government funding has been withdrawn. For information about this innovative program, go to: www.friedensforever.org.

March, 2008

to both Democrats and Republicans in the Missouri legislature, who killed Phase I of Governor Matt Blunt's Insure Missouri program. While this proposal was not perfect, it would have enabled 54,000 low-income working parents to obtain health care coverage beginning in the middle of March.

January, 2008

To Ward Connerly, chair of the so-called "American Civil Rights Institute," who is backing and bankrolling an effort to get signatures on the Missouri Civil Rights Initiative, a proposed amendment to the Missouri Constitution. The proposal, under the guise of "civil rights," would actually end most affirmative-action programs in the state.

To all those who have exposed Connerly's intent to wage a racist campaign to strike down an important justice-making tool, and to all those who will decline to sign the petitions to get this issue on the 2008 ballot in Missouri.