Small Government News
Wednesday, August 8, 2007

The official publication of the Center For Small Government
www.CenterForSmallGovernment.com

Publisher: Carla Howell           Editor: Michael Cloud
            small government is beautiful sm




"Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from that decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."
 
--W. H. Murray, the Scottish Himalayan Expedition



In This Issue


Filed with Massachusetts Attorney General: Our Ballot Initiative to END the Income Tax
Boston Globe Spotlights Our END the Income Tax Ballot Initiative
Want to Volunteer? Volunteer from Afar? Come to an Organizing Party for this Ballot Initiative? Two scheduled: Sunday, August 12th and Tuesday, August 21st


Filed with Massachusetts Attorney General:
Our Ballot Initiative to END the Income Tax

Signed and submitted. On July 31, 2007, we legally filed our Ballot Initiative to END the Massachusetts Income Tax.


This is the first step in the path to putting our initiative on the ballot for the second time.


Next week, we'll send you an exciting, fact-filled briefing on why you and we may be on the verge of Ending the Income Tax in Massachusetts.


Next week, you'll see why small government is possible.



Boston Globe Spotlights Our END the Income Tax Ballot Initiative


The Boston Globe is taking us seriously. Here's the top half of their coverage of our Ballot Initiative to End the Income Tax in Massachusetts:

Activists again propose vote to end income tax
By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff  |  August 2, 2007

A proposal to abolish the state income tax received a surprising amount of support in the 2002 elections. Now, activists are reviving it, hoping to place it on next year's ballot. The activists filed their proposed ballot question yesterday with the attorney general's office.

"I think our surprising and extraordinary vote in 2002 demonstrated that anything is possible, and people are going to take this much more seriously this time around," said Carla Howell, who is leading the campaign to abolish the tax.

The proposal received 45 percent of the vote in 2002, despite critics' warnings that it would plunge state government into chaos.

Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, a business-backed budget watchdog group, said the proposal is "absolutely unreasonable" and would dry up state funding for education and healthcare.

"The voters would rue the day. . . . Essentially, she's trying to repeal the 20th century," Widmer said. Income taxes account for $10 or $11 billion of the state's budget of about $27 billion, he said.



Want to Volunteer? Volunteer from Afar?
Come to an Organizing Party for this Ballot Initiative?
Two scheduled: Sunday, August 12th and Tuesday, August 21st


We need to gear up - fast!

Massachusetts is unusual. Petitioning for statewide ballot initiatives runs from mid-September to mid-November in the fall one year before the election. We must collect over 100,000 raw signatures across the state in just two short months!

We've done it before, and we can do it again. But only with intense energy and crisp organization. We have to be ready to hit the ground running just 5 weeks from now.

We'll need lots of volunteers -- for lots of tasks: web design, data entry, general office work, computer expertise, management, and petitioning. We'll also need people who can help to create a buzz for Ending the income tax on the Internet and in communities across Massachusetts.

Outside the Area: If you're outside the area and want to help remotely with tasks that can be done from your phone or computer, please reply to this email and let us know how you can help.

Full-time staff: If you want to work full-time as a volunteer, paid staff, or partial-paid staff over the next few months, please reply to this email and let us know what you can offer.

Organizing parties in August: If you're in the area, two organizing parties are scheduled this month at the Freedom Store, 6 Goodman Lane, in Wayland, Massachusetts. Come to either - or both - if you want to help or contribute to Ending the income tax:

Sunday, August 12th 1-3pm. Socializing afterwards.
Tuesday, August 21th 7pm-8:30pm. Light snacks available at 6pm.
RSVP for directions and to let us know if you might come.

Sign up to Volunteer: If you think you might be able to lend a hand at any time during the campaign between now and November 2008, let us know so we can keep you apprised of volunteer opportunities. Please send an email now to:

volunteer (at sign) SmallGovernmentAct (dot) org

This is going to be a most interesting election year in Massachusetts. Please join us - and be a part of making history.

Small government is possible.




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2007 Copyright Carla Howell and Michael Cloud
small government is possiblesm, small government is beautifulsm, Small Government Pledgesm and Small Government Newssm are Service Marks (SM) of Carla Howell and Michael Cloud.


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Even if it is voted down nothing will happen.

More then once the voter's votes have been ignored in this state.

too true.
we even voted to roll back the income tax to %5 and they just ignored it.

Quoted: too true. we even voted to roll back the income tax to %5 and they just ignored it.

That's amazing...yet not suprising..

Yes, the despots on Beacon Hill ignore the votes they don't like.

I will vote FOR abolishing the income tax, just as I did last time. Hell, I even voted for Carla for governor when she ran, but these are symbolic gestures...