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LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA TAKES POSITIONS ON NOVEMBER 1998 STATE BALLOT PROPOSITIONS

by Ted Brown

At its August 15 meeting, the Libertarian Party of California's state executive committee voted to take the following positions on the propositions on the November ballot:

PROP. 1 - YES - Allows property owners who are forced from their homes for environmental purposes to keep their property tax base year valuation under Proposition 13.

PROP. 2 - NO - Transportation Funding. This measure permits the loaning of transportation trust funds (like the gas tax) to the general fund. The money has to be paid back, but this allows politicians to use the money, albeit temporarily, for any hairbrained scheme they may have.

PROP. 3 - YES - Amends the "Open Primary" law to allow only registered voters of a party to select the party's presidential convention delegates. The LPC opposed the Open Primary law, and believes that parties should be able to select their own delegates.

PROP. 4 - NO - Initiative that bans the use of certain types of animal traps and poisons. This is just more proposed micromanagement by government officials.

PROP. 5 - YES - Indian Gaming initiative. Since the LPC believes in ending all gambling prohibitions, this is a good first start. It will also help Native Americans reduce their dependency on the federal government.

PROP. 6 - NO - Initiative to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption. People have the right to eat horsemeat if they wish, without government controls.

PROP. 7 - YES - Initiative to grant tax credits as an incentive to clean up air pollution. This is a much better way than imposing costs and penalties for the same purpose, as government does now.

PROP. 8 - NO - Initiative (by Pete Wilson) to "reform" public schools. This would raise taxes and spending when there is no evidence of a connection between dollars spent and the quality of education. The measure offers some common-sense reforms that are opposed by teachers unions, but overall the measure just rearranges the deck chairs on the Titanic in relation to the massive problem with government schooling today.

PROP. 9 - NO POSITION - Initiative to modify electric utility deregulation. While this has some good provisions regarding making companies pay for their own bad business decisions, it's too complicated, plus its support by Ralph Nader makes it suspect.

PROP. 10 - NO - Rob Reiner's initiative to raise the cigarette tax to pay for early childhood development programs. Social engineering at its worst.