Ballot Initiatives

Phil asked for opinions on whether it is better to grab the bull by
the horns or to use deliberate planning and caution. Here are my two
cents worth: The more one discusses, the less one does. As I
mentioned at the last meeting, my daughter said the LPSF sure talks a
lot, but it is the Greens that are out there in the soup kitchens, at
the street fairs, at the campaign forums, etc. etc. etc. I believe
the exposure the LPSF would receive in an initiative campaign would
be worth our while. How about focusing on lining up behind one of
the initiatives on the list and letting us know your preference loud
and clear! Phil has already done a lot of work on the curb rights
idea (talk about taking the bull by the horns!!), so I am personally
lining up behind that general cause.

Marcy

--- In lpsf-activists@yahoogroups.com, "Dr. Michael R. Edelstein"
<dredelstein@t...> wrote:

Phil,

You wrote:
> The perfect should not be the enemy of the good,

It seems we have conflicting goals in putting forward an

initiative.

Consequently your "good" and "perfect" are different from mine.

Perhaps we should discuss by phone. May I call you? If so, please

give

me the best phone# and times to call. Thank you.

Best, Michael
www.ThreeMinuteTherapy.com
DrEdelstein@T...

From: "ricochetboy" <philzberg@e...>
To: <lpsf-activists@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2005 11:40 PM
Subject: [lpsf-activists] Re: Ballot Initiatives

>
>
> Mike and all,...
>
> Getting the thing written is an intimidating tassk.Does anybody

have

> the curb rights book I can borrow. Tomorrow I will call Reason,
> order
> ASAP and find out how to contact the book's authors.
> I will also call PLF and ask for help and advice..
> Who has helped us in the pst? Can it be amended once we start
> getting
> petitions???
> As for your assertion that it has to be 100 percent government
> free,Mike, I am open to discussion. In my initial proposal I said
> the
> perfect should not be the enemy of the good, and existing
> regulations
> regarding vehicle safety and driver safety wo;uld be largely

adopted

> within reason. We will have to study these regs to avoid having

the

> regulators destroy the whole initiaive. You are correct that the
> market could demand safe drivers and vehicles, if that is what the
> consuming public insisted on. But I think just moving in a giant
> step
> towards opening up this market is valuable, and making a free

market

> arguement as regards public safery in this town is a non starter.
> What
> we ere talking about here is something that is not a bus and not a
> cab, but compliments both and may improve both's business by

getting

> more people out of cars. We will be heavily attacked by the
> entrenched
> Muni Union and Cab cartel. We will need allies and I think we can
> make
> them.
>
>
> OT... got a little busy the last day on getting the place in

order

> for
> my xwifeproomates brief stopover between a snowboard trip

inCanada

> and
> her job in Arkansas. We had fun, took the dog for a long walk and

I

> made a fnatastic shrimp scampi, ;ast cjamce for tiger shrimp

before

> they impose a quota...had a redo of my nuclear heart and stress
> test
> yesterday. Not good. It appears all my efforts of diet and

exercise

> can't overcome the problems from my HIV drugs. She put me on
> nitroglycerin as needed and will tell me more next week.. Is this
> too
> much information.test
>
>
>
>
>
> --- In lpsf-activists@yahoogroups.com, "Dr. Michael R. Edelstein"
> <dredelstein@t...> wrote:
>> Phil,
>>
>> I would endorse either one, assuming each is worded in such a

way

>> as
>> to clearly remove Govt-- lock, stock, and barrel--from each
>> enterprise.
>>
>> Do you have a sample wording of each?
>>
>> Please forgive me if the wording has been posted previously--I
>> simply
>> do not have time to read all lpsf-activist postings. As Vice-

chair,

>> I
>> assume you're in the process of inventing a 36-hour day, at which
>> point I'll stay on top of all lpsf emails!
>>
>> Best, Michael
>>
>> From: "ricochetboy" <philzberg@e...>
>> To: <lpsf-activists@yahoogroups.com>
>> Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2005 6:42 PM
>> Subject: [lpsf-activists] Re: Ballot Initiatives
>>
>>
>> >
>> >
>> > I suggest we narrow the list now to one primary initiative
>> > either...Marijauan
>> > or.......Curb rights
>> >
>> > Then once that is decided, we can talk about adding the Feneva
>> > Convention resolution.
>> >
>> > Any objections...
>> >
>> > Come on folks out there lets here from you. We gotta get

moving.

>> > -
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > -- In lpsf-activists@yahoogroups.com, Starchild

<sfdreamer@e...>

>> > wrote:
>> >>
>> >> >> Starchild wrote:
>> >> >>> This is a big project. If we don't adopt some kind of

voting

>> >> >>> method
>> >> >>> weighted by contributions, are people going to do the

work?

>> >> >
>> >> > And if we do, are people going to do the work or just say

they

>> >> > will to
>> >> > get their way?
>> >> >
>> >> > -- Steve
>> >>
>> >> I feel like our group is small and honorable enough that we
>> >> could
>> >> trust people to fulfill pledges, but if someone wants to come

up

>> >> with
>> >> some kind of enforcement mechanism rather than relying on the
>> >> honor
>> >> system, that's OK by me.
>> >>
>> >> If it seems like there is adequate interest in gathering
>> >> signatures
>> >> or
>> >> contributing money without any extra incentives, that's even
>> >> better. I
>> >> have mixed feelings myself about introducing any kind of
>> >> weighted
>> >> voting system for making decisions -- I'm just concerned that

we

>> >> set
>> >> goals for ourselves such that we will gather the signatures
>> >> necessary
>> >> to succeed.
>> >>
>> >> Some ballpark figures: We have perhaps about 20 core

activists.

>> >> If
>> >> each of us commit to getting 500 valid signatures (say 750 raw
>> >> signatures, assuming a 66% validity rate, which seems
>> >> reasonable)
>> >> between now and July 11, that would put us in the ballpark of
>> >> the
>> >> 10,486 valid signatures we'll need. In other words, about 125
>> >> signatures per person per month for six months. Going rate

for a

>> >> signature is, I'm guessing, around $3 counting overhead. So

I'd

>> >> suggest
>> >> using that as the contribution equivalent, i.e. the

equivalent

>> >> of
>> >> 500
>> >> valid signatures would be $1500 for those who would rather
>> >> contribute
>> >> cash. Any combination of signatures and cash would be fine

too.

>> >>
>> >> This may sound intimidating, and it probably should. But each

of

>> >> us
>> >> should also be out there trying to network and find other

people

>> >> to
>> >> circulate petitions for us or donate money to the effort,

which

>> >> we
>> >> could use toward our individual goals of 500 valid signatures

or

>> >> the
>> >> cash equivalent each. If you are saying to yourself, "I'm not
>> >> going
>> >> to
>> >> pledge $1500 or the equivalent in work-hours to the LPSF this
>> >> year!"
>> >> that's OK -- as long as you don't have much company! If too

many

>> >> of
>> >> us
>> >> are saying that to ourselves, then the effort is in jeopardy
>> >> unless
>> >> we
>> >> figure out better incentives. Weighted voting was simply one
>> >> idea I
>> >> had
>> >> for an incentive.
>> >>
>> >> Now if we pick an issue like marijuana which already has a
>> >> strong
>> >> constituency, I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that
>> >> non-Libertarians will gather a substantial percentage of the
>> >> signatures
>> >> we need -- maybe more than half. But we shouldn't sit back and
>> >> count on
>> >> that. As the leading organization promoting this measure,

we'll

>> >> need to
>> >> promote it, and coordinate efforts by non-Libertarian

signature

>> >> gatherers as well as our own efforts, in order to make sure

that

>> >> we're
>> >> progressing at an adequate rate toward the signature total

we'll

>> >> have
>> >> to turn in on or before July 11.
>> >>
>> >> Yours in liberty,
>> >> <<< Starchild >>>
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups
>> >
>> >
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>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
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