Nov. 7, for real.

Don't know what to vote for this upcoming November 7 in Nebraska? See the message below from Sarah Ann...

My sweet friends,

As you may already know, numerous ballot initiatives are flying around
all over the place. And because I know all of you are very passionate
individuals, I would like to take a moment to focus your attention on
two intiatives, very important to all of us, which have become a priority
in my work the last few months. Because both efforts are quite simply,
grassroots, I figure who better to spread word to than my friends? So, I
am now going to lobby you like my friends and ask you to vote no on 423
and yes on 5. Here's why . . .

When you go to the polls, Amendment 423 will read like it sounds too
good to be true, and indeed it is. In fact, it is one of the most
conservative pieces of lunacy Nebraska has ever faced. It would
create a rigid and impractical spending lid in our state's constitution
that would leave Nebraska financially crippled. Colorado is the only
state to be suckered in by this outrageously poor
policy, and after 13 years under it Coloradoans voted to suspend it in
2005. (Things got so bad at one point that Colorado dropped its
requirement to have children receive full immunizations before
entering school b/c the state couldn't afford the vaccinations. This
was only one tragic effect.) I don't want to see Nebraska
inevitably backpeddle because of this idiocy brought to us by
certifiable multi-millionaires from out-of-state who would like to see
government shrink so small they could "drown it in a bathtub." I am
not kidding, I am quoting. They have already spent well over $1 million
to bring this harmful policy to Nebraska and promote it, and their funds are
seemingly endless. This fight is bad, and it is only going to get worse.
We must all vote no on 423. Please.

And while I'm at it, I would encourage you to vote yes on Amendment 5.
This amendment will simply reallocate money the state already has in
an educational trust fund to provide an endowment for early childhood
education. The beauty of this policy is that if we cleverly set aside $40
million from the interest of this trust, it will be matched with $20
million of private funding. No new taxes here, just a wise use of
money to create the first ever public-private partnership of its kind in the
nation to allow more children from low-income families the opportunity to
access quality early childhood services and education. This is Nebraska
progressiveness at its best, people. (Quality care for children early
in their development is crucial, sweet ones, and I feel like telling
you those same individuals bringing us 423 have come out
publicly against Amendment 5 because apparently they want to make a
career out of being total jerks.)

In brief, no on 423 and yes on 5.

I've attached two one-pagers I use at work in case you want to spread
the news yourself or learn more about these issues. If you would like any
further information or would like to talk about either 423 or 5,
please call or write.

Thank you for your time and thoughtful attention to these efforts.

with so much love,

sarah ann

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Note: There are a couple of PDF's that lay out all this information in detail, as she mentioned. If you would like to receive them, send me an email at dave.kocsis@gmail.com and I will send it to you.

DK