GRP Involvement in 2012 Ballot Question Campaigns

Sponsors: Mike Heichman, Suffolk County and

Contact Info: [email protected]            617-265-8143

Vetting: Adcom, ComCom, Membership & Diversity, & Fundraising Committees and Local Chapters

Background: This year there are a few of our members who are running for municipal office and one of our members who is running for the State House of Representatives. On November 6, 2012, the Green Party’s candidate for President and Vice-President will be on the ballot.

There will be up to 4 statewide ballot initiative petitions that will be on the November ballot. Ballot questions provide us with electoral opportunities to create, build or strengthen ties with allied organizations, and to communicate with our members and the public about important public policy questions that the voters will decide on Election Day.

Proposal:

1. On June 23, the StateCom will …

            a. Endorse our support for the Medical Marijuana Initiative and opposition to the Stand Question.

            b. Give brief feedback to the draft GRP leaflet and authorize a process to approve the final leaflet. That process will be:

               i. ComCom will create a proposed leaflet and send toAdcom.

               ii. Adcom will approve the final leaflet by at least a 2/3 vote.

            c. ComCom and the Membership and Diversity Committee will work together to communicate our position and distribute our leaflet to our membership and to the public.

            d. This will be a bilingual leaflet (English on one side and Spanish on the other).

2. Budget: $2000. The State Party will contribute $500. The Fundraising Committee will raise $1500 from local chapters and GRP members 

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THE GREEN-RAINBOW PARTY (GRP) ENCOURAGES YOU TO CAST AN INFORMED VOTE ON 2 BALLOT QUESTIONS THAT

WILL BE ON OUR STATEWIDE BALLOT ON ELECTION DAY 

2^ND Draft of GRP Leaflet by Mike Heichman

5/28/12 

I.               Initiative Petition for a law for the Humanitarian Medical Use of Marijuana

The Green Party of the US (GPUS) supports the legalization of marijuana. We believe that drug abuse is a serious health problem that infects our communities and more resources should be spent on treatment. The bipartisan  “War on Drugs” is an attack on our communities and our civil rights. Billions of dollars are wasted and our prisons are crowded with people who need medical treatment. Drug use, by itself, should not be a crime. This initiative would license (“register”) the use of marijuana for those having “debilitating medical condition”. If passed, this would change state (but not federal) law for a small number of people with severe medical issues. 

The GRP urges you to vote “YES” in support of a small, but important step in the right direction, towards a healthier Commonwealth.

This initiative will allow people with a terminal illness, who are receiving medical advice that they will die within six months, to choose, under medical supervision, to self-administer a drug that will end their life. This is a totally voluntary program for the patients, their physicians and medical facilities.

The GRP urges you to vote YES because ….  (I NEED SOME HELP-1-3 SENTENCES)

II.             An Act Promoting Excellence in Public Schools

Most people in our state deeply want to care for and educate all of our children. The so-called organization, Stand for Children, with it so-called “An Act Promoting Excellence in Public Schools” should be condemned for its efforts to manipulate public opinion. The people in our Commonwealth want “great schools” and “great teachers”. There is NOTHING in the Stand Initiative that will bring us closer to this objective.

Almost all of the funding for this campaign comes from those who have great wealth (both from inside and outside our state). This initiative is designed to create greater control over our schools and the lives of our children by corporate interests. 

The Green-Rainbow Party believes that all of our children should be educated to become responsible, effective and productive citizens. We believe that our schools must be transformed in order for us to accomplish this objective.

Instead of schools being run to benefit the interests of corporations and the super-rich, the GRP believes that our schools should be run by educators, parents, and students and by people who live in the community. 

Instead of the disinvestment in education and in resources for our youth, the GRP believes that resources for our youth should be our highest priority.

The GRP condemns the current bipartisan policies of privatization, austerity, union busting and the scapegoat of our teachers. 

The GRP urges you to vote “NO” on this initiative.

On the bottom would be brief information about the GRP (who we are, what we believe in, how to contact us, etc.)