Topic: Election 2008
Importance of State Initiatives on the Ballot Voters will decide more than their presidential pick between Obama, McCain or a third party like Barr. The outcome of hundreds of state initiatives will affect our lives.by Bradley Jansen
(libertarian)
Monday, November 3, 2008
Important State Initiatives on the Ballot
With the presidential and other candidate races getting all of the attention, it is important to note that there are notable state ballot initiatives too.
The National Taxpayers Union is a great resource for fiscal issues. NTU identified 106 ballot questions in 34 states that would affect taxpayers. Measures that could lower taxes or control government include:
Massachusetts' Question 1, which would repeal the state individual income tax by 2010;
North Dakota's Statutory Measure No. 2, which would lower the state corporate income tax by 15 percent and cut the state personal income tax in half;
Arizona's Proposition 105, which would require a majority of electors to pass tax- or spending-hike plans; and
South Dakota's Initiated Measure 10, which would prohibit taxpayer funds from being used for lobbying and create an online state spending database.
Massachusetts: Our friends at the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) and the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy have successfully placed an initiative on the state ballot that would remove criminal penalties for up to one ounce of marijuana. Instead, possession of marijuana will carry a $100 civil fine, similar to a parking ticket. SSDP members around the state are currently engaged in get out the vote efforts on behalf of this initiative, including at Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Clark University, Northeastern University, and UMass Boston. More info
Michigan:MPP and the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care have placed a medical marijuana initiative on the November ballot. If successful, the initiative would protect seriously ill medical marijuana patients in the state from arrest and prosecution for possession of marijuana, making Michigan the thirteenth state to pass a medical marijuana law. SSDP chapters at the University of Michigan and Kalamazoo College have helped collect signatures to get the initiative on the ballot, and are currently encouraging students to turn out to vote. More info
California: The Drug Policy Alliance and the Campaign for new Drug Policies have placed a unique initiative on the ballot that would not only prevent non-violent drug offenders from serving time in jail, but would vastly increase the availability of treatment services in the state, including making $65 million per year available for drug treatment and support programs for at-risk youth. Staffers at SSDP's new West Coast office have been working with students at UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of San Francisco, and other schools to get them involved in the campaign. To read more about the Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation Act (CA Prop 5), visit, http://www.prop5yes.com/
Readers are encouraged to add other initiatives in the comments section.
J. Bradley Jansen was a legislative staffer for U.S. Congressman Ron Paul from 1997-2001. He is director of the Center for Financial Privacy and Human Rights of the Liberty and Privacy Network (but views expressed here are his own), which is part of Bob Barr’s Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances.
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The views expressed in this
article are those of Bradley Jansen only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Bradley Jansen is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
In addition to the Medicinal Marijuana initiative in Michigan, there was going to be another proposal that if passed would have dramatically reduced the size of the State Government.
The proposal was to substantially reduce the salary of the Governor and all other elected public officials of the State of Michigan. It was also going to reduce the size of the State Senate by having only one legislative branch with less senators or representatives. Of those people, all of them will have lower salaries. The proposal will also reduce the number of judges all the way from the Supreme Court to the lower courts and reduce their salaries. etc... The bill was so agressive that a judge took it down and was not put on the ballot on the basis that it was too broad.
Of course, the judge took it down! That was a conflict of interest. If the bill was placed on the ballot and approved by the voters, that judge would have either lost his job or had his salary cut down.
Too bad that proposal did not get to the ballot. I would have loved to vote yes on such proposal that would have limited the state government significantly.
At least we have the Medicinal Marijuana which polls show that it will pass by a wide margin.
The good thing about State initiatives on the ballot is that they affect more directly the people living in that State than the Presdeintial outcome. My wife, for example, have never voted for a Presidential candidate but have always gone to the voting booth to vote only on the state proposals.
The state proposals are what is left over from what was supposed to be the limited Federal Government intrusion into the autonomy and self-governance of the individual states.
The original intention was that the people of each state was responsible for their local government for their own state.
Any kind of social programs, roads, courts, etc... were meant to be implemented at the state level if the state choses to implement them.
So if you want to vote for NON OF THE ABOVE for President, at least vote for Freedom on the state proposals or even municipal proposals.
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