[statecom-discuss] [candidate-development] Fwd: Re: [Platform] BALLOT INITIATIVESUPDATE. Consider putting them to work in your community! Jointhe ABWG.

Tue Apr 1 11:22:47 EDT 2008

Gary, 

You kindly volunteered, as a member of CDLC to participate in the
Advisory Ballot Working Group (ABWG), a subcommittee of Platform.
Several other members of CDLC have volunteered as well. The ABWG is only
now being formed, and deciding its co-chairs is certainly something it
will have to do. 

Meanwhile, the CDLC members of the ABWG are asked to help provide
technical and legal advice - like when signatures are due, when the
language must be approved, fact sheets on signature collection etc. Your
help on that would be welcome! You also volunteered to help get the
housing foreclosure legislation into ballot language. Merelice likewise
welcomed your help on that.  

The work thus far has taken place thanks to the efforts of a lot of
people who are already working on the issues. Let's hope they keep
charging ahead, and continue bringing the GRP into the very important
community work they are doing. 

We'll be getting a phone meeting for ABWG hopefully next week. Info to
follow on that.
Up,
jill

-----Original Message-----
From: candidate-development-bounces at green-rainbow.org
[mailto:candidate-development-bounces at green-rainbow.org] On Behalf Of
gary hicks
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 1:23 AM
To: statecomgrp discuss; members ADCOM; candidate development
Subject: [candidate-development] Fwd: Re: [Platform] BALLOT
INITIATIVESUPDATE. Consider putting them to work in your community!
Jointhe ABWG.

gary hicks <gooberthink06 at yahoo.com> wrote: Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008
22:20:59 -0700 (PDT)
From: gary hicks <gooberthink06 at yahoo.com>
To: Jill Stein <jstein at massmed.org>, platform at green-rainbow.org,
 State Com <statecom-discuss-bounces at green-rainbow.org>,
 Cdlc <candidate-development-bounces at green-rainbow.org>
Subject: Re: [Platform] BALLOT INITIATIVES UPDATE. Consider putting them
to
 work in your community! Join the ABWG.

 All:

I am supposed to be co-chairing a sub-committee of the CDLC with Jill,
concerning Ballot Questions. Supposedly Jill has been way too busy to be
addressing any of the stuff below. And now all of a sudden all of this
stuff pops up in time [barely!!!] for the Statecom meeting. And as
co-chair of the sub-committee this is the first I've heard of any of
this, except for the proposal on sub-prime lending.

With all due respect, I am FUCKING PISSED! I want to know why I have
been bypassed, and WHO besides Jill has been NAVIGATING THIS STUFF
AROUND ME------------and  WHY???

With all due respect,

Gary Hicks 

Jill Stein  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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