[candidate-development] [Platform] BALLOT INITIATIVES UPDATE. Consider putting them to work in your community! Join the ABWG.
John Walsh
john.walsh at umassmed.edu
Mon Mar 31 18:52:31 EDT 2008
I wish to hell that I could agree with this optimistic assessment.
BUT, much as I wish I could, I cannot agree with it.
john walsh
On Mar 31, 2008, at 6:37 PM, Merelice wrote:
> Thanks, Jill, for a wonderful update and thanks, too, to everyone who
> has been involved so far.
>
> It's good to see what devoted people can accomplish and an inspiration
> to all of us to get more and more people involved. What's the saying
> about a journey starting with a step? This effort is several steps on
> the way to making the GRP relevant to people's lives.
>
> Just curious: It was suggested that all regional conventions put the
> ballot idea on their agendas. Wonder how many remembered to do so.
> Would be interested in any feedback from the various organizers. I've
> shared the results of the Suffolk/Norfolk Convention with some folks
> and will send them to the Platform Committee. The current initiatives
> pretty much reflect what was prioritized among the nine possible
> topics we identified.
>
> Merelice
>
>
> On 3/31/08, Jill Stein <jstein at massmed.org> wrote:
>> Dear Platform, CDLC, Locals, GRPers et al,
>>
>> This is to update folks on the status of the local ballot question
>> initiatives, which State Com voted to explore at the last
>> meeting. The
>> proposal suggested considering what ballot questions would have a
>> base
>> of support that would make them successful and enhance our
>> presence in
>> existing issue-oriented networks. Several volunteers, partly
>> based in
>> subcommittees of Platform, have been exploring this and have
>> reported
>> exciting progress on four possible initiatives, some of which is
>> described below. The proposed initiatives thus far (that I'm
>> aware of)
>> are: Secure Green Future (Green Jobs and Fossil Fuel Phase-Out),
>> Health
>> Care, Housing Foreclosures, IRV. (Note, you'll have to scroll to the
>> bottom of the discussion below to get to the health care proposal.)
>>
>> Platform is also asked in the State Com ballot initiative
>> proposal to
>> establish an Advisory Ballot Working Group, (ABWG). We encourage
>> anyone
>> who is, or would like to commit to working on ballot initiatives, to
>> consider volunteering for the ABWG. Members of locals who are
>> interested
>> in using one or more initiatives to do issue-based organizing in
>> their
>> communities are especially encouraged to join. One of ABWG's
>> tasks is to
>> consider how many such initiatives can be supported by the Party,
>> what
>> resources are available to do so, and what districts would be most
>> productive to target.
>>
>> We'll consider where the various initiatives stand at our next full
>> platform phone meeting, (TBA). If you are interested in
>> participating in
>> the ABWG, please let me know and we'll keep you posted on upcoming
>> meetings.
>>
>> Thx.
>> jill
>>
>> UPDATE ON 4 DRAFT INITIATIVES CURRENTLY BEING WORKED ON:
>>
>> I. IRV - Being explored by Dave England and Eli Beckerman.
>> Potential to
>> work jointly/co-sponsor with the World Citizens Party which is also
>> committed to advancing IRV and other likely partners. Here is rough
>> draft language for the IRV question. There is an open question at
>> this
>> point on which offices to include:
>>
>> Shall the Representative from this district be instructed to vote in
>> favor of legislation or a Constitutional amendment establishing a
>> system
>> of ranked choice voting (also know as instant runoff voting) for all
>> general and primary elections to statewide, state district, or
>> federal
>> office (including the United States President, Senate, and House of
>> Representatives, the Governor, Treasurer, Auditor, Attorney
>> General, and
>> Secretary of the Commonwealth, as well as State Senator, State
>> Representative, and Governor's Council).
>>
>>
>> II. HOUSING FORECLOSURES - Spear-headed by Merelice along with
>> members
>> of the Rainbow Caucus and MAAPL (Chuck, Gary, Grace, Eva etc.).
>> Legislative language is in the process of being adapted to ballot
>> question format.
>>
>> III. SECURE GREEN FUTURE (Green Jobs/Fossil Fuel Phase-Out) -
>> Platform
>> fossil fuel subcommittee (chaired by John Andrews) is coordinating.
>> Getting extensive input on draft language from advocacy groups,
>> especially State Com members fighting the coal plant expansion in
>> Fall
>> River (Nancy Lee Wood, Dave Dion, Joe Carvalho). Latest draft
>> language:
>>
>> DRAFT
>> Secure Green Future
>> 2008 Local Ballot Question
>> Summary
>>
>> Shall the representative from this district be instructed to vote in
>> favor of legislation that:
>>
>> 1) redirects taxpayer subsidies for fossil fuel energy, road and
>> airport
>> construction, and other carbon-intensive development, to an urgent
>> carbon-reducing community-based green-jobs initiative, creating
>> jobs in
>> energy conservation and efficiency, non-nuclear local clean energy
>> generation, recycling, and local sustainable food production; and
>>
>> 2) phases out existing fossil fuel based power generation
>> facilities in
>> Massachusetts, beginning with the closure of coal-fed power
>> plants, with
>> a goal of 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020?
>>
>> ****************************************
>> Long Version
>>
>> Shall the representative from this district be instructed to vote in
>> favor of legislation to create a secure green future for the
>> people of
>> Massachusetts, such legislation to include:
>>
>> 1) An EMERGENCY MOBILIZATION to address the severe triple-threat
>> of job
>> losses, sky-rocketing fossil fuel and food costs, and climate crisis
>> with a green jobs initiative and a green energy transition plan, as
>> described below, with a goal of ensuring full-employment and an 80%
>> reduction in CO2 emissions by as early as 2020;
>>
>> 2) A GREEN JOBS INITIATIVE redirecting taxpayer subsidies for fossil
>> fuel energy production, over-development and corporate welfare
>> (including subsidies for gambling casinos, dog-tracks, high-end
>> housing,
>> weapons manufacturing, road and airport construction and
>> expansion and
>> pharmaceutical companies) to the urgent development of energy-
>> efficient
>> local businesses and cooperatives that provide jobs which protect
>> the
>> environment and create a secure green economy, increasing jobs in
>>
>> --local energy-conserving businesses (including home and business
>> insulation, energy efficiency, and recycling)
>>
>> --local renewable, clean, energy sources, (including wind, solar,
>> geothermal and wave energy, but excluding nuclear, LNG and all other
>> fossil fuel-based technologies), and
>>
>> --local sustainable food production (including CSAs [Community
>> Supported
>> Agriculture], community gardens, food cooperatives, school and
>> workplace
>> gardens), and
>>
>> --green community education to assist citizens of the
>> Commonwealth in
>> actualizing personal, household, neighborhood and community changes
>> toward a sustainable future through public media campaigns,
>> educational
>> extension services and citizen information-sharing networks.
>>
>> 3) A GREEN ENERGY TRANSITION PLAN for phased closure of existing
>> fossil
>> fuel based power generation facilities in the Commonwealth of
>> Massachusetts, beginning with the closure of coal-fed power
>> plants, in
>> order to achieve the 80% CO2 reduction by 2020.
>>
>>
>>
>> IV. HEALTH CARE EMERGENCY BALLOT INITIATIVE - The language and
>> content
>> are still very much in flux. Members of several health care advocacy
>> groups promoting single payer and fighting the mandate, are
>> providing
>> input and strategic advice, including MassCare and the
>> Franklin/Hampshire Health Care Committee and an informal group of
>> mandate opponents. Two prototype proposals being considered follow.
>>
>> FIRST PROTOTYPE HC EMERGENCY BALLOT INITIATIVE
>>
>> DRAFT 3/17
>>
>> Ballot Initiative: An Emergency Plan For A Healthy Massachusetts
>>
>> Possible Summary for the ballot
>> Shall the representative from this district be instructed to vote in
>> favor of a Healthy Massachusetts Plan consisting of :
>> 1) the URGENT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MASS. HEALTH CARE TRUST
>> (MHCT)
>> - a streamlined Medicare-like "single-payer" insurance system that
>> provides comprehensive affordable health care for all without the
>> costly
>> overhead, bureaucracy, care gaps and inequities of the current
>> system of
>> private insurance - and
>> 2) the simultaneous PHASE-OUT OF THE MASS. HEALTH MANDATE
>> (CHAPTER
>> 58), a health plan with unsustainable sky-rocketing costs and an
>> unjust
>> mandate that forces working and middle-income families to pay
>> unaffordable premiums for stripped-down coverage which does not
>> protect
>> health or financial security.
>>
>> Full Text
>> Shall the representative from this district be instructed to vote in
>> favor of the emergency passage of the Healthy Massachusetts Plan
>> consisting of:
>>
>> --The URGENT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MASS. HEALTH CARE TRUST (MHCT)
>> - a
>> streamlined Medicare-like "single-payer" insurance system that
>> provides
>> comprehensive affordable health care for all without the costly
>> overhead, bureaucracy, care gaps and inequities of the current
>> system of
>> private insurance. The MHCT eliminates wasteful administrative
>> expense
>> and consolidates health care costs into one tax-based charge
>> proportional to income. [accurate?] The plan controls cost
>> inflation,
>> ensures comprehensive coverage, and extends insurance to all without
>> increasing current costs, as demonstrated in the actual
>> performance of
>> such systems in developed countries around the world, and
>> affirmed by
>> analyses of the Congressional Budget Office, the US General
>> Accounting
>> Office, and others.
>>
>> --The simultaneous PHASE-OUT OF THE MASS. HEALTH MANDATE (CHAPTER
>> 58), a
>> health plan with unsustainable sky-rocketing costs, including
>> multimillion dollar CEO pay. It is predicted to bring a $400 million
>> overrun next year alone. Chapter 58 also includes an unjust
>> mandate that
>> forces working and middle-income families to pay unaffordable
>> premiums
>> for stripped-down coverage that fails to provide protection for
>> health
>> or financial security. Under the proposed "Emergency Plan For A
>> Healthy
>> Massachusetts", this complex, costly and inadequate plan will be
>> phased
>> out as comprehensive, universal insurance becomes operational
>> under the
>> Mass. Health Care Trust.
>>
>>
>> SECOND PROTOTYPE BALLOT HC EMERGENCY BALLOT INITIATIVE
>>> From Ben Day, MassCare. An abbreviated version of this
>>> (appropriate for
>> appearing on the ballot) is under development.
>>
>> "WHEREAS access to health care should be a right for all
>> residents of
>> Massachusetts and should be provided as a public good by the
>> Commonwealth Massachusetts; and
>>
>> WHEREAS health care sold as a commodity leads to unaffordable health
>> care costs and high levels of discrimination in access to care
>> based on
>> one's place of residence, income, race, gender, age, and other
>> social
>> identities; and
>>
>> WHEREAS it is unfair to penalize the uninsured for the failings
>> of the
>> current health care system, or to tie the health care crisis to the
>> responsibility of individuals;
>>
>> WE INSTRUCT THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THIS DISTRICT to support the
>> implementation of a single payer health care system for
>> Massachusetts,
>> and to repeal individual mandates for Massachusetts residents."
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>> Platform at green-rainbow.org
>> http://www.green-rainbow.org/mailman/listinfo/platform
>>
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John V. Walsh, MD
Professor of Physiology
University of Massachusetts Medical School
508-856-3360 (Office)
508-868-1653 (Cell)
john.walsh at umassmed.edu
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