Category: Democracy Forum

Democracy Forum, with host Ann Luther, featuring topics in Maine’s participatory democracy, encouraging citizens to take an active role in government and politics.

Democracy Forum 5/19/17

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine    
Engineer: Amy Browne

Issue: Participatory Democracy

Program Topic: Free Trade: Winners and Losers in Maine

Key Discussion Points:

We’ll talk about international trade policy
How does it work?
Who sets the rules?
What does it mean for Maine?

Guest: Kate DeLutio, economist, applied researcher, and trade expert. http://www.45northresearch.com/about/

To learn more about this topic:
a) Did China Eat America’s Jobs, Freakonomics, January 25, 2017 freakonomics.com/podcast/china-eat-americas-jobs/
b) Maine History Online: Trade and Transport, from the Maine Historical Society. www.mainememory.net/sitebuilder/site/885/page/1296/display
c) Maine Trade Assessment Report 2016, Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, prepared for the Maine Citizen Trade Policy Commission. www.maine.gov/legis/opla/CTPC2016TradeAssessmentFinal.pdf
  

The all-volunteer team at the League of Women Voters – Downeast who plan and coordinate this series includes:
Starr Gilmartin
Maggie Harling
Linda Hoskins
Ann Luther
Maryann Ogonowski
Pam Person
Leah Taylor
Linda Washburn

FMI re League of Women Voters of Maine: www.lwvme.org

Democracy Forum 4/21/17

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine    
Engineer: Amy Browne

Issue: Participatory Democracy

Program Topic: Fake News: Who Can You Trust?

Key Discussion Points:
We’ll talk about the proliferation of news sources in the internet age
The role of independent journalism in a liberal democracy
The challenges for citizens in finding real news. b)

Guests:
John Christie, co-founder and senior editor for the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting. pinetreewatchdog.org/about/
Naomi Schalit, co-founder and senior reporter for the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting. pinetreewatchdog.org/about/
Melissa Zimdars, assistant professor of communication at Merrimack College in Massachusetts www.merrimack.edu/live/profiles/586-melissa-mish-zimdars

To learn more about this topic:
Study: Breitbart-led right-wing media ecosystem altered broader media agenda, Columbia Journalism Review, March 3, 2017
The Real Story About Fake News Is Partisanship, The Upshot, New York Times, January 11, 2017
There’s an intriguing sociological reason so many Americans are ignoring facts lately, Business Insider, February 27, 2017

The all-volunteer team at the League of Women Voters – Downeast who plan and coordinate this series includes:
Starr Gilmartin
Maggie Harling
Linda Hoskins
Ann Luther
Maryann Ogonowski
Pam Person
Leah Taylor
Linda Washburn

FMI re League of Women Voters of Maine: www.lwvme.org

Democracy Forum 3/17/17

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine    
Engineer: Amy Browne

Program Topic: Two Maines: Can We Bridge the Divide?

Key Discussion Points:
a) We’ll talk about the cultural, demographic, and economic differences that define the two Maines and how those differences are sharpening political differences. b) Are there only two Maines?
c) Can we bridge the divide?

Guests:
a) Alan Caron, is the owner of Caron Communications and the author of “Maine’s next Economy” and “Reinventing Maine’s Government”
b) Erin Rhoda, Editor of Maine Focus for the Bangor Daiy News http://bangordailynews.com/staff/bdn-maine/content/erin-rhoda/
c) Matt Stone, journalist and writer for the Bangor Daily News

To learn more about this topic:
What So Many People Don’t Get About the U.S. Working Class, Joan C. Williams in the Harvard Business Review, November 30, 2016 hbr.org/2016/11/what-so-many-people-dont-get-about-the-u-s-working-class%20
6 takeaways from an examination of rural Maine’s future, Erin Rhoda, Bangor Daily News, January 29, 2017 bangordailynews.com/2017/01/29/mainefocus/6-takeaways-from-an-examination-of-rural-maines-future/
This remote Maine region has a chance to grow, Matt Stone, Bangor Daily News, December 7, 2106 mainefocus.bangordailynews.com/2016/12/wilderness-and-a-way-forward/#.WLsNjfnyuUk
Maine’s Next Economy: How the State’s Innovators, Entrepreneurs and Doers are Growing a New Prosperity, Alan Caron, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (November 16, 2015)

The all-volunteer team at the League of Women Voters – Downeast who plan and coordinate this series includes:
Starr Gilmartin
Maggie Harling
Linda Hoskins
Ann Luther
Maryann Ogonowski
Pam Person
Leah Taylor
Linda Washburn

FMI re League of Women Voters of Maine: www.lwvme.org

Democracy Forum 2/17/17

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine    
Engineer: John Greenman

Program Topic: Ballot Questions in Maine: Whose Initiatives Are They?

Key Discussion Points:
We’ll discuss what happened in the recent election
What our constitution provides
What role the legislature and the governor are playing now.

Guests:
a) John Brautigam, Attorney and election law expert
b) Ron Schmidt, Associate Professor of Political Science at USM. https://usm.maine.edu/pos/ronald-schmidt

To learn more about this topic:
Laws Governing the Initiative Process in Maine
Initiated Bills in Maine 1911 –
Peoples Vetoes in Maine 1909 –
Referenda in Maine 1910 –
As Progressives Turn to Ballot Initiatives, GOP Eyes Restrictions Steve Mistler story for Maine Public, February 2, 2017.

The all-volunteer team at the League of Women Voters – Downeast who plan and coordinate this series includes:
Don Carmichael
Suzanne Carmichael
Starr Gilmartin
Maggie Harling
Linda Hoskins
Ann Luther
Maryann Ogonowski
Pam Person
Leah Taylor
Linda Washburn

FMI re League of Women Voters of Maine: www.lwvme.org

Democracy Forum 1/20/17

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine    
Engineer: John Greenman

Program Topic: The Civic Mission of Public Education

Key Discussion Points:
a) What is the historical role of public education in American democracy and civic life?
b) Do inequities in public education and the failure of public schools to prepare all children for citizenship contribute to political inequality?
c) What can citizens do?

Guests:
a) Meira Levinson, Professor of Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education https://www.gse.harvard.edu/faculty/meira-levinson
b) Bill Richards, Maine educator and former Associate Commissioner of Instruction for Maine.

To learn more about this topic:
a) Education and Equality, by Danielle Allen
b) “If Democracies Need Informed Voters, How Can They Thrive While Expanding Enfranchisement?” by Jennifer Hochschild
c) “Why Did We Stop Teaching Political History?” by Fredrik Logevall and Kenneth Osgood in the New York Times
d) No Citizen Left Behind, by Meira Levinson

The all-volunteer team at the League of Women Voters – Downeast who plan and coordinate this series includes:
Don Carmichael
Suzanne Carmichael
Starr Gilmartin
Maggie Harling
Linda Hoskins
Ann Luther
Maryann Ogonowski
Pam Person
Leah Taylor
Linda Washburn

FMI re League of Women Voters of Maine: www.lwvme.org

Democracy Forum 11/18/16

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine    
Engineer: Amy Browne

Issue: Participatory Democracy

Program Topic: Election Reflections

Key Discussion Points:
What just happened?
Why were we surprised?
What role did voter suppression play in the election?
And what does it mean for the future of democracy?

Guests:
Prof. Mark Brewer, Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine https://umaine.edu/polisci/faculty-and-staff/mark-brewer/
Kathy Colliton-Gonzalez is Senior Counsel at Demos, a national civil rights organization, where she participates in litigation and policy advocacy to ensure an inclusive democracy and equal opportunity for all. FMI: www.demos.org

The all-volunteer team at the League of Women Voters – Downeast who plan and coordinate this series includes:
Linda Hoskins
Ann Luther
Pam Person
Leah Taylor
Linda Washburn
FMI re League of Women Voters of Maine: www.lwvme.org

Democracy Forum 10/21/16

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine    
Engineer: Amy Browne

Program Topic: Ballot Questions in Maine

Key Discussion Points:
a) We’ll discuss the ballot questions in Maine this year, how the process works, what the questions mean, and how citizen initiatives fit into a representative versus a direct democracy.
b) What are the questions on the ballot? What do they mean? What are the arguments for and against the question?
c) Where can voters learn more?

Guests:
Amy Fried, Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine https://umaine.edu/polisci/faculty-and-staff/amy- fried/
Jill Goldthwait, former Maine State Senator and award-winning political columnist for the Ellsworth American and the Mount Desert Islander.
       

The all-volunteer team at the League of Women Voters – Downeast who plan and coordinate this series includes:
John Bradford
Linda Hoskins
Ann Luther
Marge May
Pam Person
Leah Taylor
Linda Washburn

FMI re League of Women Voters of Maine: www.lwvme.org

Democracy Forum 9/16/16

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine    
Engineer: Amy Browne

Program Topic: The Civic Mission of Public Education

(NOTE: This was an abbreviated version of Democracy Forum. Due to technical difficulties the show was 30 minutes rather than the usual 60.)

Key Discussion Points:
a) We discuss whether inequities in public education and the failure of public schools to prepare all children for citizenship contribute to political inequality.
b) Has there been a decline in civic education? Or an evolution in what constitutes civics instruction?
c) What do kids typically learn about how government and democracy work in Maine and in the United States?
d) What do citizens need to learn to be effective in civic life?
e) In what ways do disparities in the quality of education among school systems widen empowerment gaps between rich and poor children?

Guests:
Meira Levinson, Professor of Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education https://www.gse.harvard.edu/faculty/meira-levinson
Bill Richards, Maine educator and former Associate Commissioner of Instruction for Maine.   

The all-volunteer team at the League of Women Voters – Downeast who plan and coordinate this series includes:
John Bradford
Linda Hoskins
Ann Luther
Pam Person
Leah Taylor
Linda Washburn

FMI re League of Women Voters of Maine: www.lwvme.org