[SFGP] Election Day Reminder

[Announcement list for SF Green Party, updated weekly]

Please remember to vote today, if you haven't already done
so.  The SF Green Party's endorsements are below:

(Summary:  YES on 1B, NO on everything else)

The SF Green Party strongly opposes Prop 1A.

Prop 1A is a constitutional amendment to put a spending cap on future
California budgets. Similar legislation passed in Colorado in 1992 has
led to extreme cuts to state health and education programs, and Prop
1A will cause the same to happen here even if the economy
improves. Prop 1A is a Republican blueprint for destroying our social
safety net, which too many conservative Democrats (such as Mayor
Newsom) are willing to collaborate in. The SF Green Party strongly
opposes Prop 1A. As an alternative solution to our state's perennial
budget woes, Greens support prison reform (locking up so many
nonviolent offenders is a major drain on our budget, as well as a
major social injustice), smart long-term fiscal planning (such as an
end to relying on bonds to fund ongoing, everyday services such as
maintenance of infrastructure), reform of Prop 13 to shift more of the
tax burden from homeowners back to large corporations, and a more
progressive income tax. Although most Democratic Party politicians are
unwilling to agree with Greens on these common sense solutions, we
agree with them that the 2/3 supermajority requirement for passing
state budgets is undemocratic and should be ended.

YES vote on 1B, in order to avoid the possibility of 1A passing while
1B fails

Prop 1B would require the state to pay back education funds that were
"borrowed" by the Governor and state legislature from Prop 98 funds in
the last several years to help balance the budget. Prop 1B will only
go into effect if both Prop 1A and 1B pass. SF Greens feel that
borrowing funds without honestly intending to repay them should be
described as "theft," and making their repayment contingent on
enacting a draconian spending cap should be described as "extortion."
1B is a transparent attempt to extort teachers' unions and parents
into supporting 1A. Although we strongly oppose 1A, we recommend a YES
vote on 1B, in order to avoid the possibility of 1A passing while 1B
fails (which would result in a spending cap as well as continued theft
of our public education funding).  

Hide your kid's piggy bank, and vote NO on 1C!

Prop 1C would allow California to help balance current budgets by
borrowing against future lottery revenues. It's a Ponzi scheme that
would make Bernie Madoff proud. Prop 1C would result in borrowing
still more money from Wall Street in the form of bonds, then using
lottery revenue to pay off these bonds rather than funding education
(as the lottery money is currently used for). The same Democratic and
Republican politicians who raided the national Treasury to bail out
huge investment banks now have their eye on California's education
funding. Hide your kid's piggy bank, and vote NO on 1C!

Green Party opposes both 1D and 1E.

Prop 1D and 1E redirect some dedicated funding streams to allow the
money to be used for other purposes. 1D redirects money from the Prop
10 (California Children and Families Act) Trust Fund; 1E redirects
money from Prop 63 (the Mental Health Services Act). In normal budget
times, we might support giving our legislators more flexibility, but
in the current climate, passing 1D or 1E would simply result in more
cuts to essential services rather than cutting spending where it
should be cut (e.g., building prisons). The SF Green Party therefore
opposes both 1D and 1E.

1F is fake reform posing as a real solution, and the SF Green Party
therefore opposes it.

Prop 1F would block increases to the salaries of many top state
officials during years with a budget deficit. It's a feel-good measure
designed to make voters think that state officials are sharing our
pain. However, Prop 1F would have no effect on breaking months-long
budget stalemates like we've seen in recent years, and legislators and
the Governor would still receive their salaries, per-diem expenses,
and other perks during fiscal crises. Prop 1F is fake reform posing as
a real solution, and the SF Green Party therefore opposes it.