Vote NYYY on 2014 Ballot Questions

Some of our friends have asked us for information on this year’s ballot questions and where we stand.  We have researched and are recommending votes on all four of them, with our reasoning and background information below.

Massachusetts Secretary of State’s office provides a summary of the ballot questions with arguments for and against.  You probably received it in the mail, but you can also read it here.   The independent web site Ballotpedia also provides a summary and background on all of the questions, as well as a list of the questions that did not make it to the ballot this year. 

Our recommendations are:

#1: NO

#2: YES

#3: YES

#4: YES

Question 1 proposes to repeal the 2013 law that indexes the gas tax to inflation. The revenue from the gas tax, which is dedicated to maintaining transportation infrastructure, will only keep pace with costs if it rises as costs go up.  In Massachusetts our roads and bridges have been neglected for years.  The American Society of Civil Engineers identifies about 53% of our bridges as structurally deficient or obsolete.  Investment in transportation both creates jobs and makes it possible for workers to get to them.  The ballot question was proposed and is supported by hard line anti-tax crusaders who still think there is such a place as “Taxachusetts” and do not recognize the consequences of decreased revenue.  Such mainstream groups as the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, the American Automobile Association, and the Chamber of Commerce are urging a no vote.  Here is the explanation from the Mass. Taxpayers Foundation.  Vote NO on Question 1.

Question 2 proposes to expand the Bottle Bill, to include containers of beverage products that accounted for a much smaller percentage of beverage containers when the original bill was enacted.  Plastic bottles from water, juice, teas, sports drinks, and other on-the-go beverages litter parks, roadways, and streams, creating hazards to wildlife and cleanup costs to towns and cities.  Only 23% of these containers are recycled, while 80% of the containers which do have deposits are returned and recycled.  The measure would also reinstate a dedicated funding stream to aid recycling programs from any unclaimed deposits.  Opponents of the ballot measure – mostly large beverage and retail corporations – have poured millions of dollars into the advertising campaign to defeat it.  Many of their claims are misleading or blatantly false, but they hope to drown out the real story by flooding the airwaves.  Here is a basic fact sheet about what Question 2 would do, and here is an editorial supporting it.  Vote YES on Question 2. 

Question 3 proposes to “Repeal the Deal” that allows casino and slot parlor gambling in Massachusetts.  The original proposal was a hot issue in 2010 when I (Margot) was running for office, as it was working its way through the Legislature at that time.  I felt a responsibility to take a thoughtful and credible position, and researched the issue at that time.  I learned how the gambling industry operates on a business plan that is inherently predatory on its customers.  I came to the conclusion that most of the promises of the casino industry are illusory and that any boom from establishing casino gambling in a community is inevitably followed by a big bust.  Jobs are lost, promised revenues to the states decline, and there is pressure from the industry to relax the conditions that made the siting of the casino acceptable to communities.  We were influenced by this article, penned by one of the legislators who we most respect.  You can watch a former legislative staffer reporting on what he learned at that time about how casinos affect communities.  And here is a recent letter to the editor discussing this year’s ballot question. 

We realize that many of our friends in organized labor are opposing this ballot question and see the casino industry as a provider of much needed jobs.  While we recognize the urgency of job creation and economic recovery, we believe that there are other, more reliable ways to revitalize our economy and that reliance on an industry with such a bad track record for keeping its promises is unwise.  We need to get serious about investing in clean technology and energy efficiency as well as increasing investments in renewable energy.  We urge our friends to vote YES on Question 3. 

Question 4 proposes to allow employees to earn sick leave.  We have joined with a broad coalition of faith-based, labor, and community organizations to pass this measure.  It sets a basic standard that all employers must meet, prohibiting employer retaliation against workers who take time off due to illness. It provides a basic level of dignity for all workers, instead of forcing them to choose between a sick loved one and their job.  At companies with 11 or more employees, workers would earn up to 40 hours of paid sick time.  The proposal is sensitive to the needs of small business:  workers at companies with 10 or fewer employees would earn up to 40 hours of unpaid sick time to recover from illness, visit a doctor, or take care of a sick family member.  Both full-time and part-time workers can earn sick leave based on numbers of hours they work.  Enacting this proposal has benefits to public health as well as to the economy.  When workers go to work sick, or children go to school sick because their parents can’t take time off, they endanger other people around them.  The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center has documented how earned sick leave supports healthy and thriving communities.  Please vote YES on Question 4. 

Remember to vote on Tuesday, November 4th! If you are not sure about your polling place, look it up here. Reminders about your rights as a voter: you do NOT have to show ID unless it is your first time voting in Massachusetts; if your name is on an inactive list, you might have to show proof of residence.  You MAY bring literature into the polling place with you for your reference.  You MAY NOT hand those materials to any other voter within the polling location, because that is considered electioneering in the zone where it is prohibited.  You MAY bring the person of your choice with you to help with voting when there are barriers due to language or disability.  If you will be out of town on Election Day, you can vote absentee on Monday at your city or town hall.  

Many happy returns,

Margot and David