What's up with all the ballot initiatives?

[wryter2000]

I just got back from the supermarket, and there were petition-signature gatherers everywhere. I got stopped by two, and the things they were pushing sounded pretty repugnican.

1. Balance the budget. I asked flat out if Ahnuld was behind it, and the guy hemmed and hawed. I finally asked "Is this one of his ideas?" to which the guy said, "Well, balancing budgets is generally a Republican idea, yes." I'm still running what-I-should-have-saids through my mind. Chief among them "I don't know how a Republican today can say that with a straight face." Anyway, when I heard "Republican," I said, "not interested" and walked away.

2. Putting salary caps on education. I heard "salary cap" and "education," and said, "no thanks."

3. Requiring unions to get permission from their members before spending money on political causes. That one got a wide-eyed "no thanks" with a bit of a hoot of derision.

4. Appointing a three judge panel to do redistricting so that politicians can't favor themselves. Now, that idea might at its heart have some merit, but by the tone of 1 - 3, I figured I was looking at a bunch of repug BS. And then, it seemed to me that in this state, the side most likely to be trying to muck with districts would be repugs. (Shades of DeLay and Texas.) Again, "no thanks."

So, was I being knee-jerk? Were some of these good propositions?

Alternatively, were these things that I should have alerted DFA about? None of them appeared to be related to beef-for-brains special election.

[begin_within]

1. Ahnold is trying to run a one-man government, just him and the voters.

[wryter2000]

3. Wow

I didn't know he was pushing so many different initiatives. What a menace the man is!

[SoonerShankle]

9. There are at least one mirror initiative for each special session bill...

The Governor is working overtime with his special interest groups on this one. He's just another politician!!!:puke:

[mitchtv]

2. your instincts are fine

#4 is thwe most dangerous since the judges will most likely be Puke appointed & named by Groper. There is no reason for a liberal or Dem to support redistricting. It must be stopped

[wryter2000]

4. Thanks

I'm glad my radar is working. I just hope other folks catch on.

[Helga Scow Stern]

5. There's a hotline to report these petitioners:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=141x8169

[wryter2000]

10. Thanks

I'm going back there today. If the clones are still there, I'll call.

[wryter2000]

12. Done

I reported them. Now, I'll go give DFC a contribution. I'm not confrontational enough to leaflet. Besides, my bad knees won't allow me to stand for any length of time.

[jfern]

6. Hahahahaha

1. Right, that's why Arnold borrowed $15 billion in bonds, and the feds are currently running $600+ billion a year deficits. It's amazing how people overlook the facts.

2. Probably a bad idea, but a salary cap for adminstrators might be a good idea.

3. Sounds like a typical Arnold proposition. "See I'm going after special interests like Unions". "They are economic girlie-men". "Now give me another $5 million, Enron".

4. Arnold's power grap.

[Liberty Belle]

7. Go to www.californiafordemocracy.org (.com?) and download flyers

you can use to counterleaflet ARnold's petition gatherers. Keep a stack in the car. If you see these creeps, call the hotline at that site, and start leafletting.

The special election would cost $70 million. If we wait 7 months until the June primary, we can have any intiatives on the ballot at no extra cost. Tell people don't be fooled--don't sign any petitions now!

Arnold's petitions themselves are terrible, slashing state worker pensions, taking away teacher tenure, hurting public education, and gerrymandering California's congressional and legislative districts.

Why the rush to hold an election in November? Because our new state law requiring paper trails on voting machines doesn't go into effect until 2006! Why not wait until June, when we can have cleaner elections? (That line really gets people's attention!)

Counterleafletting is very effective. I spent two hours doing it outside a Vons last weekend. During that time, the paid petition guy got only two people to sign; I drove off dozens and dozens.

Send this info to everyone you know and get all of them to help with the counter-petition drive.

FYI, besides ARnold's initiatives, there are about 80 others being circulated in petition form, according to the Secretary of State. Almost all are sponsored by the right-wingers, ie, anti-abortion, anti-sex education, anti-labor measures.

ARnold has until April 19th to get at least one initiative to qualify for the ballot. If we can mobilize and stop him from doing that, he'll have to wait until June 2006--and also wouldn't be able to do the unlimited fundraising he's doing now, since campaign finance restrictions would kick in as he nears his own reelection date.

One more thing: his initiatives and the special election drive are all being funded by special interests--big corporations, many from outside California.

So much for Grey Davis being the special interest Governor. $chwarzenegger's reliance on robber barons makes Grey look like an amateur in that department.

[SoonerShankle]

8. There are only five initiatives that Dems are behind:

All of the rest are part of Governor Schwarzenegger's attacks on public employees such as teachers, firefighters, policemen, and nurses.

The five to sign are (these are the titles on the initiatives):

1. Prescription Drug Discounts. State-Negotiated Rebates. Initiative Statute.

2. Automobile Dealers. Buyers' Right to Cancel Purchase. Seller Disclosures. Initiative Statute.

3. Same Percent Vote Requirement for Ballot Measures. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

4. Electric Service Providers. Regulation. Initiative Statute.

5. Commercial Real Property Taxation. Reassessment, Exemptions, and Revenue Distribution. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

The initiatives to oppose are:

1. School funding. State Spending. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. (This guts prop 98)

2. Public School Teachers. Waiting Period for Permanent Status. Dismissal. Initiative Statute. (this makes teachers permanently probationary employees with no due process rights and eliminates ALL reasons to be dismissed as a teachers except student test scores)

3. School Employment Decisions. Employee Performance. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. (i.e. Merit Pay for Teachers. Even though this was the Governor's idea, he has not endorsed this initiative because it is so flawed)

4. Prohibition of Defined Benefit Public Pensions. Alternative Plans. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute. (This one was pulled by the Governor this weekend, but there may still be some circulators out there.)

5. Reapportionment. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. (i.e. The state won't pay back money it borrows from education.)

6. Public Employee Union Dues. Required Consent for Political Contributions. Initiative Statute. (This one is aimed solely at the teachers unions, which already have consent forms on file. The goal of this initiative is to behead the teachers unions by not allowing them to organize politically.)

7. Prohibition of Government Employee Payroll Deductions for Political Purposes. Initiative Statute. (ditto from #6.)

Please help teachers, firefighters, policemen, and nurses. Avoid the paid signature gatherers.

[Padme Amidala]

11. Arnold is expecting his "popularity" to make people vote vs themselves.

And people with kids go up to sign these things not caring that the 70,000,000 will come out of their kids' education budget and so forth.

[wryter2000]

13. Thing is...

You can't identify these things easily as Ahnuld initiatives. In fact, when I asked directly, the guy tried to avoid answering. He never did give me a straight answer. I'm sure lots of those folks have no idea what they're signing.