Insomnia Log

This is what keeps me awake at night???

Who needs sleep? (well you’re never gonna get it)
Who needs sleep? (tell me what’s that for)
Who needs sleep? (be happy with what you’re getting,
There’s a guy who’s been awake since the second world war)

-- words and music by Steven Page & Ed Robertson

Name:
Location: Boulder, Colorado, United States

Everything you need to know about me can be found in my posts

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Summary of Colorado and Boulder 2008 Ballot Issues

I have now read every single issue on this year's ballot from the City of Boulder, Boulder County, and the State of Colorado, and analyzed the pros and cons of each. You may not agree with any particular recommendation, but you can easily see how I came to my recommendation and come to your own decison based on all of the facts. My biggest goal is to ensure that fewer people vote on issues based on either just the ads or just reading the issue title on the ballot.

Remember, when in doubt, vote no! Here's the list. The most important issues are bold. The ones that are crossed out have been withdrawn and the votes will not be counted. Click on any specific issue to see my full analysis.

Colorado Measures
VoteIssue
YESAmendment 46
Colorado Civil Rights Initiative
NOAmendment 47
Right to Work Initiative
NOAmendment 48
Definition of Personhood
NOAmendment 49
Limitation on Public Payroll Deductions Initiative
NOAmendment 50
Limited Gaming Initiative
YESAmendment 51
Sales Tax for Developmentally Disabled Initiative
NOAmendment 52
Severance Tax & Transportation Initiative
NOAmendment 53
Criminal Liability of Executives
NOAmendment 54
Clean Government Initiative
NOAmendment 55
Just Cause
NOAmendment 56
Health Insurance Initiative
NOAmendment 57
Safe Workplace Initiative
YESAmendment 58
Severance Tax Initiative
YESAmendment 59
Savings Account for Education Initiative
NOReferendum L
Candidate Requirements
NOReferendum M
Obsolete Constitutional Provisions
NOReferendum N
Obsolete Constitutional Provisions
YESReferendum O
Initiative Process


Boulder County Measures
VoteIssue
YESIssue 1A
Clean Energy Options
NOIssue 1B
Worthy Cause Tax


City of Boulder Measures
VoteIssue
YESIssue 201
City Retention of Property Tax Funds
YESIssue 202
Sales and Use Tax Extension
NOQuestion 2A
City Council Compensation
NOQuestion 2B
City Council Executive Sessions
YESQuestion 2C
Amendment of Recall Election Procedures
NOQuestion 2D
Permit City Lease up to Forty Years
NOQuestion 2E
Qualifications for Appointment to City Commissions

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1 Comments:

Blogger LOG ME IN said...

Thank you for your opposition to Amendment 48!

You might be interested to read an issue paper published by the Coalition for Secular Government: "Amendment 48 Is Anti-Life: Why It Matters That a Fertilized Egg Is Not a Person" by Ari Armstrong and myself. It's available at:

http://www.seculargovernment.us/docs/a48.pdf

We discuss some of the serious implications of this proposed amendment, such as:

* Amendment 48 would make abortion first-degree murder, except perhaps to save the woman's life. First-degree murder is defined in Colorado law as deliberately causing the death of a "person," a crime punished by life in prison or the death penalty. So women and their doctors would be punished with the severest possible penalty under law for terminating a pregnancy -- even in cases of rape, incest, and fetal deformity.

* Amendment 48 would ban any form of birth control that might sometimes prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus -- including the birth control pill, morning-after pill, and IUD. The result would be many more unintended pregnancies and unwanted children in Colorado.

* Amendment 48 would ban in vitro fertilization because the process usually creates more fertilized eggs than can be safely implanted in the womb. So every year, hundreds of Colorado couples would be denied the joy of a child of their own.

Our paper also develops a strong defense of abortion rights -- not based on vague appeals to "choice" or "privacy" -- but on the fact that neither an embryo nor fetus qualifies as a person with a right to life.

An embryo or fetus is wholly dependent on the woman for its basic life-functions. It goes where she goes, eats what she eats, and breathes what she breathes. It lives as an extension of her body, contained within and dependent on her for its survival. It is only a potential person, not an actual person.

That situation changes radically at birth. The newborn baby exists as a distinct organism, separate from his mother. Although still very needy, he lives his own life. He is a person, and his life must be protected as a matter of right.

So, we argue, when a woman chooses to terminate a pregnancy she does not violate the rights of any person. Instead, she is properly exercising her own rights over her own body in pursuit of her own happiness. Moreover, in most cases, she is acting morally and responsibly by doing so.

Again, the URL for the paper is:

http://www.seculargovernment.us/docs/a48.pdf

The sad fact is that Amendment 48 is based on sectarian religious dogma, not objective science or philosophy. It is a blatant attempt to impose theocracy in America. That's definitely a scary thought.

Thanks again for speaking up about it -- and sorry for this excessively long comment!

Diana Hsieh
Founder, Coalition for Secular Government
http://www.seculargovernment.us

Sun Oct 12, 05:23:00 PM  

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