[Platform] Can the plaform committee consider advisory ballotquestions?

[John Walsh]

Hi Bill,
My concern about this is that we are conceding that we cannot win  
elections - so we will slip back into something else.
And as one who has done so many of these things over the years and  
seen them come to nothing, I am not sure about all this.
jw



On Mar 31, 2008, at 11:48 AM, BillCunningham wrote:

> 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
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> **************
>>>> 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)
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Platform mailing list
>>>> Platform at green-rainbow.org
>>>> http://www.green-rainbow.org/mailman/listinfo/platform
>>>
>>>
>>> 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
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John V. Walsh, MD
Professor of Physiology
University of Massachusetts Medical School
55 Lake Avenue, N.
Worcester, MA, 01655-0127
Phone (work): 508-856-3360
Phone (cell): 508-868-1653
email: john.walsh at umassmed.edu