On Thu, 11 May 1995, Janet Sawin wrote:
> To All Readers ---
> Last week I sent ouit an urgent message with information
> regarding current legislation on Capitol Hill that will weaken or reverse
> environmental laws and regulations, and a letter that can be printed (and
> revised if you wish) and sent to Senators.
> Everyone who has used it, please let me know - and tell me where
> you've sent it (which senators will receive the letter, which
> organizations or universities, etc. have copies of the info.). I'd like
> to keep track.
> Also, please repost it to any appropriate list.
> If you can suggest other places (on InterNet or elsewhere) where
> I should send it for distribution, please let me know of those as well.
> THANKS!!
>
> - Janet Sawin
> Tufts University
>
Janet--
I didn't use your message, but sent several of my own, and I do want to
thank you for the information in the letter and all the work you did on
it. Good show!
Also, I recently posted a message about the Gorton ant-ESA bill, which
was introduced May 10 (sorry, I don't have its number yet), that I sent
to all the senators for whom I have email addresses, which I included in
my post. I don't know how many of you may have used some of those
addresses, but I'm happy to say that I have heard back from many of them
on that and a couple more issues. Most of the responses were automated,
of course, but Bob Kerrey (or, more likely, an aide, but who cares?)
responded in what seemed a very specific and personal way, saying that he
agreed with my views. This could be a very powerful medium for
participatory democracy! My state's two senators apparently haven't
caught on to it yet, but I think it's perfectly appropriate for our
representatives in Congress to hear from the people at large.
BTW, the Clean Water Act Reauthorization is HR 961. ABC news did a good
job tonite exposing what's in it--voluntary self-regulation of pollution
release into streams for industry, exclusion of certain industries,
redefining wetlands to exclude 60-80% of what's now protected. What an
outrage! Let them hear from you. Many members of the House
have email addresses, and they are available from [EMAIL PROTECTED], or
GOPHER .HOUSE.GOV, or WWW.HOUSE.GOV.
Ronnie
>From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thu May 11 18:48:11 MDT 1995
Date: Thu, 11 May 1995 20:50:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: Ronnie Hawkins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Carol Meeds <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [Fwd: FWD: Terror against environnmental activists (fw)]
This is outrageous--threats and attacks against the folks who are trying
to protect our public lands.
I see from an ESA alert that Congressman George Miller of California
[[EMAIL PROTECTED]] has spoken out against it, and has asked House
Resources Chairman Don Young [no known address] to hold hearings on it.
I'm going to thank Miller [right now], and tell my reps to get off their
duff.
Ronnie
>From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thu May 11 23:38:39 MDT 1995
Date: Thu, 11 May 1995 22:40:24 -0700
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (jonesli) (by way of [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Cuddlemonster/Joy
Williams))
Subject: Re: power communication
>
> I have a basic problem with this. It would kind of knock out incentive. IF
> everyone was paid the same amount, then human nature would dictate that no
> one would give a damn. Utopiastically speaking, it's ideal, but I don't
> think it would work. If I got paid $9 an hour after spending $50,000 on
> college to get a degree, and I went through all of that effort to learn a
> career, and the high school drop out made the same amount as I did, I would
> be pretty upset. I would have wasted my money. This would also knock out
> any potential for raises because the new person would be making the same
> amount as a person who had been there for 30 years or so.
>
> Nope, wouldn't work. Certainly there are problems with the way things are
> now, but I don't think that this is a feasible answer. What about
> recognizing someone's hard work and dedication?
>
> I do believe that everyone should make a living wage, but the way our crazy
> economic system works, that wage needs to continually be raised to be able
> to live!
> Joy Williams
well...to the first part of this, thinking that no one would give a damn,
i would only suggest the model of schools that don't give traditional
grades, such as Evergreen State College in Washington (state). the idea
behind this method is that the learning becomes the incentive (the
knowledge) and not the grade...and....surprisingly, it WORKS! (not
for everyone of course...at least not yet....it takes a mind set shift)
but, i do agree with joy and others who have said that paying everyone
the same thing would not work.
but, really, i don't think it is what is implied in the marx quote.
i think the more valuable part of that lesson comes not in looking
at such a direct corollary between work and benefits that only
includes pay. i think that the point is that we could all be paid
differently, but that these differences in economic structure
shouldn't then translate into differences in social structure.
so that the "each according to his (HER) needs" could/should end
up meaning that the over-paid athlete has to pay for her/his health
care while someone struggling by on a minimum wage laborer job would be
provided health care by the state. they both need health care to be sure,
but the athlete may not need the state to pay for it. and i think the
health care given should be equal.
i think, also that "from each according to his (HER) abilities" means that
if someone is motivated and skilled enough to be a doctor that is what
s/he should be...and...looking also at the other end of the quote..if
s/he does not have the economic means to go to school, that shoudln't
stop the doctor-to-be. who becomes a doctor and who doesn't (or any
other profession for that matter, i am just stuck on the hospital
analogy it seems) shouldn't be based on affording a college because you
happen to come from a well off family. (and, yes, i know all about
student loans and struggling for scholarships and such..but there aren't
enough of those to pick up the slack.)
on a slightly different note....can someone please tell me why it is
that when i hit "r" to reply to a message, it wants to reply to the
person who posted to the list? (i suppose this is because their
email appears in the "reply to" line of the heading of the post i
am replying to) i would like, of course, to respond to the list...
join the fray as it were, but i have to type in the ecofem listserv
address each time and then i see a different "from" line when i scan
my email messges than when other people post. i would like to be
able to hit "r" and reply to the list....anyone know how i do this?
(i am on a unix account, using elm)
thanks!!
skal
lisa jones
new york university
environmental conservation education
goddess under construction
