California faces a fiscal and political crisis

In this issue: Green City, Part I: Remedial environmentalism is so 20th Century! California faces a fiscal and political crisis California enfrenta una crisis política y fiscal Dear Dennis Kucinich Prop 54 is racist and dumb Tom Hutchings runs for Assembly Form and Function On the "Progressive Democrat", and their threat to progressives Military Recruiters: Stop marketing war to our children Stay Green! New Way of Thinking Needed Book review: "The Candidate's Handbook" Book review: Once upon a time in the future Recall FAQ Letters to the Editor News Clips

Candidate for Governor calls for a balanced budget, no cutbacks in education or health care, fair taxes and fair elections.

By Peter Miguel Camejo

Peter Camejo stands for:

• Giving our education system resources, not lip service
• Treating drug addiction as a public health problem, not a crime problem
• Protecting Californian's life savings, pensions, and home values
• Driver's licenses for all drivers, regardless of immigration status
• Amending Three-Strikes to apply only to violent crimes, and spending the savings on schools, not prisons
• Universal Health Care
• Renewable energy
• Protection for old-growth forests
• Leadership for the future of California

Income at record levels

California's income over the last six years has been at record levels, unparalleled in our history. During Governor Davis' first years in office our income rose at 12.06% per year, compounded. We should now have a $28 billion surplus, not a $38 billion deficit. I am calling for an independent audit of state expenditures to identify and eliminate corruption and giveaways to large contributors.

Tax the rich, not the poor

The Green Party is different from the Democratic and Republican political parties-we believe the poor should pay a lower tax rate than the rich. According to the California Budget Project, the lowest 20% of non-elderly families pay an average of 11.3% of their income in state and local taxes, while the top 1% pay only 7.2%!

One third of 1% of the people of California-that's 1 in 300- receive between 16 and 21% of our income. If we raised their State income taxes by 5%, given the State tax deduction from Federal taxes and this year's tax cut for the rich promoted by the Republicans, it would not increase the over all taxes paid by the super rich. Yet the additional State income it would generate could allow us to stop the cutbacks in education and health. It would generate close to 10 billion dollars a year and only bring the super rich to a tax rate near what the Democrats charge the poorest people of our state.

The Democratic leadership position is to tell the people of California, "You must always vote for us, even if we are similar to the Republicans, because they will be worse. You have no choice. You have to vote Democrat and accept higher taxes and cutbacks of social programs." The Democrats have put the interests of their party above that of the people. The result: 50% of eligible voters gave up and did not vote in the last election. They are primarily the poor and people of color, who now make up over 50% of our population.

Allow free elections in California

The Democrats control the legislature and all seven statewide offices. But through corruption, incompetence, and undemocratic tax policies, they left the door open for the Republican end-run around the electorate. The recall election process, which could allow a person to be elected Governor with miniscule support is an extreme example of the undemocratic electoral laws the Democratic and Republican Party have imposed on us and together kept in place.

Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) would ensure that everyone's vote counted, and that no candidate would win without a majority. In this computer age, there is no excuse to accept less than full democracy.

The Green Party is anti-war, defends our constitution and Bill of Rights, and represents within the United States what is the overwhelming majority opinion in the world on the issues of war and the rule of law. We stand against the Republican and Democratic Party's policies of imperial rule. It is an insult to the concept of democracy to exclude the Green Party from debates or press coverage.

There is an alternative - the Green Party

As governor I will stop the corrupt practices championed by Gray Davis in which he effectively "sold" appointments to commissions, and "sold" legislation to special interests. I will create an administration that is non-partisan, one that seeks to draw talented and committed civic leaders from all parties to work together to solve the California's financial crisis.

I call on progressives, environmentalists, and anti-war activists within the Democratic Party to break with the pro-corporate policies of their party and support me in this campaign.

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