[Platform] Can the plaform committee consider advisory ballotquestions?

[BillCunningham]

Grace,

The district advisory questions are in the form of "instructions" for the state legislators concerned. Should the binding tax question pass, what could the legislators do about it?

To counteract the income tax abolitionists, we need a tax program of our own. My favorite is abolition of the residential property tax and its REPLACEMENT by a local income tax. (We have talked about this in Cambridge electoral campaigns.)

As the economy shakes down and particularly in housing, people will bve desperate for relief. The libertarians may get more traction for the income tax question under these conditions. We have to insist on the income tax more than ever because of the crisis, renew the argument for making it progressive (the Dems abandoned that after 1994), and go after the property tax instead. I think that will make sense to a lot of people. 

Linking in the property tax makes the connection with our the housing priority, and may help us formulate a tax "instruction" or advisory that legislators could cope with....

-----Original Message-----
>From: Gracegrnrnbw at aol.com
>Sent: Mar 31, 2008 10:49 AM
>To: etwee at earthlink.net, Gracegrnrnbw at aol.com, platform at green-rainbow.org, statecom-discuss at green-rainbow.org
>Subject: Re: [Platform] Can the plaform committee consider advisory ballotquestions?
>
>Bill - I know Merelice was seeking a question through our new coalition on 
>the sub-rpime lending crisis - but I am wondering about a question to address 
>the problems underlying this binding ballot question on a complete repeal of the 
>income tax which will be on the November ballot statewide...
>
>Thanks, Grace
>In a message dated 3/31/08 10:16:20 AM, etwee at earthlink.net writes:
>
>
>> I could work on one, especially if it's about housing issues. There should 
>> be a buck-stops-here party contact for this project?
>> 
>> I'm sure the details have already been discussed, and correct me if I'm 
>> wrong:
>> 
>> 200 valid signatures will place a question in a state rep district, around 
>> three times that for a state senate district. Sigs must be submitted to local 
>> election officials by the first week in July.
>> 
>> After drafting a text it's a good idea to submit it to the AG's office for 
>> vetting. Not required but fends off legal challenges. Two I worked on in 2006 
>> were submitted in early April. Vetting and rewrite might take a week or two.
>> 
>> The State limits advisory questions per district per election. No more than 
>> three can appear and they are placed as they are submitted to the Elections 
>> Division, Secertary of the Commonwealth.
>> 
>> In other words, the sooner, the better.
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> >From: Gracegrnrnbw at aol.com
>> >Sent: Mar 31, 2008 9:44 AM
>> >To: platform at green-rainbow.org, statecom-discuss at green-rainbow.org
>> >Subject: [Platform] Can the plaform committee consider advisory ballot    
>> questions?
>> >
>> >Hi, Jill & John Andrews & whoever else might know about this - It has 
>> become
>> >apparent that some advisory questions are being formulated.
>> >
>> >as was decided at the last statecom meeting and Merelice has reminded us,
>> >advisory ballot questions content was to be created and vetted by the 
>> platform
>> >committee.
>> >
>> >However, no language for questions has been posted or discussed on this 
>> list
>> >serv.
>> >
>> >Can the possible topics please be posted so we can begin this discussion?  
>> >Thanks, Grace
>> >
>> >
>> >**************
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>> 
>> Bill Cunningham
>> 
>> 
>
>
>
>
>**************
>Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL 
>Home.
>      (http://home.aol.com/diy/home-improvement-eric-stromer?video=15&
>ncid=aolhom00030000000001)


Bill Cunningham