Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 10:20:41 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Denise Ryan Subject: Know the Score MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Did you know you can check up on your Senator's and Congressman's score on the environment? Check out the SPECIAL 2002 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SCORECARD and pass the word on to your friends and family! As avid birders, you should be concerned about the environment. The most powerful way to make real change for the good our feathered friends is the power of your INFORMED vote. Also, for folks living in MARYLAND, you should know that there are scores for BOB EHRLICH, who is running for Governor. HELEN BENTLEY, who is running for congress in the Maryland 2nd District (Baltimore, No. Baltimore and Annapolis areas), has been named a member of the LCV DIRTY DOZEN. She has a terrible voting history for the environment when she ran for Congress - a lifetime score of 17% out of 100%. You can read more about her at http://www.lcv.org/campaigns/dozen/2002/08/21/dozen_28468.asp With just two weeks to go before one of the tightest congressional races in recent history, find out how THEY voted before YOU vote. THE DRILL & GLOW ENERGY PLAN More than half of the votes scored on LCV's 2002 National Environmental Scorecard deal with our nation's energy policy, making it a de facto referendum on the Bush-Cheney energy plan. Included are such vital issues as: ** Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, (In a move rarely taken in our 32 years of rating Members of Congress, LCV scored the Arctic vote twice to signify its literal and symbolic importance!) ** Nuclear safety, ** Renewable energy sources, ** Fuel efficiency standards, ** And energy efficiency. Read the 2002 Scorecard vote descriptions: http://www.capwiz.com/lcv/issues/votes/ How did your Congressperson vote? Find out at: http://www.capwiz.com/lcv/dbq/officials/ THIS GOES ON YOUR PERMANENT RECORD The Scorecard separates pro-environment Members of Congress from those who put the interests of polluters first. Some of the high (and low) lights include more than two dozen members of the House of Representatives who got perfect scores and 57 who got zeroes, meaning they didn't cast a single pro-environment vote on a Scorecard issue! Among those 57 were the two most powerful leaders who vote in the House, Majority Leader Dick Armey and Majority Whip Tom DeLay (the Speaker of the House, by tradition, rarely votes). In the Senate, there were two perfect 100% scores (kudos to LCV Environmental Champion Paul Wellstone of Minnesota and Jack Reed of Rhode Island) - and 13 zeroes. Is your Congressperson one of the 57? Find out! http://www.capwiz.com/lcv/dbq/officials/ STOP, READ & VOTE It's always important to know how our elected representatives vote on environmental issues, but it's even more significant at election time. This edition of the Scorecard comes just two weeks before one of the most important -- and closest -- congressional elections in memory. In a Senate which currently boasts a one-vote (!) pro-environment majority (51 Senators received ratings of 50% or greater - 45 Democrats, 5 Republicans and 1 Independent), there are ten Senate races still too close to call,any one of which could remove the only check on major anti-environment legislation in the next Congress. Almost all politicians now realize that sounding pro-environment is good politics, so it's crucial that voters have access to the real facts on their records. In this climate, Americans need a trustworthy means of separating candidates' "walk" from their "talk" on the environment. Visit the Scorecard Toolkit--let them know you're watching! http://www.lcv.org/scorecard/index.asp How did your Congressperson vote? Visit here to find out! http://www.capwiz.com/lcv/dbq/officials/ WHAT YOU CAN DO Please help us use the Scorecard to ensure that Congress heeds the voice of America's pro-environment majority. First, visit www.lcv.org to see how your Members of Congress voted on this year's important environmental issues. Then, use our 2002 Scorecard Action Toolkit to show your representatives that you're paying attention to their actions, not just accepting their words. If they have a good pro-environment record, send them a pat-on-the-back letter or e-mail. If they voted poorly, let them know how disappointed you are. Third, become a member of LCV and support the Scorecard and other programs working to speak out for America's pro-environment majority. Finally, and most important, use your knowledge to support pro-environment candidates at the polls on November 5th. Visit the Scorecard Toolkit and do your part to shape a pro-environment Congress! http://www.lcv.org/scorecard/index.asp Become a member of LCV and support the Scorecard: https://secure.groupstone.com/lcvlink/forms/support.asp Best wishes and good birding! Denise Ryan Member and Employee of the League of Conservation Voters and the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund Washington, DC (202) 454-4590 Denise_Ryan@lcv.org ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================