http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2005_10_13.htmlJohn Kerry Says No on Proposition 75
For Immediate Release
Washington, DC - John Kerry stood with California’s firefighters, teachers and nurses today to announce his opposition to Proposition 75.
“We need to do more to empower Americans’ voices in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. – not silence them,” said Kerry. “Proposition 75 isn’t reform, it's an assault on the right of working people to speak up against corporate interests and powerful lobbyists. This initiative is nothing more than yet another recycled attempt to limit the power of the people who work the hardest to educate our children and keep us safe and secure – our firefighters, our teachers, our nurses and our police officers.”
“To deliver reform, government needs instead to stop giving all the breaks to all the special interests,” Kerry continued. “I urge Californians to vote no on Prop 75. The special interests who stand to benefit from this initiative are counting on a low turnout in the election this November. They wanted to force taxpayers to pay an extra $54 million for a special election in November because they know special elections have lower turnouts. But we aren’t going to let that happen. Californians know how powerful their votes can be and will not be silenced by these cynical tactics.”
Proposition 75 is a deceptive measure put on this fall’s special election ballot designed to silence the voices of firefighters, teachers and nurses and increase the power corporate special interests have over government. It is similar to the so-called Paycheck Protection Bill that failed in California in 1998 but it only targets public sector employees like firefighters, police officers, teachers and nurses.
Kerry has helped to lead the fight against the control of corporate special interests in Washington, calling for more accountability in Washington and fewer special giveaways for the big corporations and special interests. Whether it was fighting alongside John McCain to pass campaign finance reform, joining Paul Wellstone as a champion of “Clean Campaigns, Clean Elections” political reform, or standing up to powerful lobbyists to eliminate wasteful corporate subsidies, Kerry has been an independent voice working to put power in the hands of average Americans. He is also a long time supporter of campaign reform initiatives that truly reform the system. Prop 75 does not.