An Announcement From A Friend

Marty Lamb has worked tirelessly to repeal the automatic gas tax increase voted in by the Massachusetts legislature last year. He sent out the following email today:

Today I am announcing that I am leaving the Yes on 1 Ballot Question to Repeal Automatic Gas Taxes.

 I still fully support the initiative!

 So why am I leaving????

 You won’t believe this!

 The Office of Campaign and Political Finance says that our ballot initiative cannot tell the public which legislators voted for or against linking the gas tax to inflation. I feel that this a gross infringement on our first amendment rights!

 We could fight them in court…

 But…

 Time is running out for this election cycle.

 So today I am announcing the TankTheGasTax.Net PAC which will educate voters how legislators voted on indexing the gas tax to inflation. We will tell voters if their Representative or Senator voted for Taxation Without Representation. We will tell you who is against indexing before they were for it. We will tell you which members voted to take more money out of your pocket while collecting taxpayer funded per diems.

 If you agree that the public has a right to know, then please click here to make a much needed donation to kick-off this PAC.

 Beacon Hill insiders want to keep us quiet. I am not going to let that happen.

 While I am very sad about leaving the ballot group which I help build, I am hoping that you will show your support for my decision by making a donation today.

 Your financial support will be immediately used to print handouts that will be distributed to voters regarding their votes to automatically tax us.

 Help me hold them accountable!

 Please let me hear from you today!

 Thank you,

Temporarily this automatic tax increase and government transparency on the tax increase is a Massachusetts issue. Don’t count on it remaining only in Massachusetts.

When Did Voter Identification Become Unconstitutional ?

The Attleboro Sun Chronicle reported today that Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has declared unconstitutional a ballot initiative filed by Mansfield Selectman Olivier Kozlowski that would require voters to show government-issued identification at the polls.

These are the same government-issued identification needed to rent a video, buy alcohol or cigarettes, board an airplane, or collect a welfare check. Why is it unconstitutional to have to show that same identification to vote?

The article reports:

Supporters of the measure still need to collect the signatures of 68,911 registered voters by Dec. 7 and, assuming lawmakers do not approve the measure first, then an additional 11,485 signatures by July 2012.

Kozlowski said the SJC has an expedited appeal process for ballot initiatives that will allow him to gather signatures while the measure is under review.

I hope this measure eventually becomes law. I don’t want anyone discriminated against or any hurdles put in front of anyone who wants to vote, but I want to make sure that every legal vote is counted and not cancelled out by an illegal vote. There have been many incidents in the state where people have gone to vote and been told that they have already voted. This law is needed.

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