No on Proposition 53, Yes on Proposition 54

September 6, 2003

Since Proposition 53 and 54 are on the recall election ballot, they are very important to consider.  The following are the actual propositions and Mr. Gastrich's official statements on them.

Proposition 53:

Should the California Constitution be amended to require specified percentages of General Fund revenues to be committed to pay-as-you-go infrastructure projects for state and local governments?

"No, it shouldn't.  Where is this money going to come from?  If we designate a certain percentage of money to something new, it is either going to come from taxpayers or from other programs."

"The 'pay-as-you-go program' is a misleading title.  Proposition 53 will designate funds for things before they are needed and decided on, by taking away those funds from other, important projects.  If the voters truly want a "pay-as-you-go program," then we need to leave things as they are and designate funds for infrastructure projects as they are needed; not before they are needed, at the detriment of education, health care, and public safety."

"Passing this proposition would be like giving a blank check with no oversight or guidelines.  This could cause some serious problems like more pork barrel spending by the Legislature."

Proposition 54:

Should the California Constitution be amended to restrict state and local governments from “classifying” (collecting and using) information on an individual’s race, ethnicity, color, or national origin?

"Yes, it should.  In America, we should be striving to live in a colorblind society.  We don't need all of the labels and stereotypes."

"Voting yes on Proposition 54 is the right thing to do.  Racial privacy is important."

"There are a couple of exceptions to this privacy proposition, regarding the gathering of information, that will still allow important medical studies to be completed.  For instance, hospitals can still collect and use information related to medical research subjects and patients."

"The California Constitution forbids state and local governments from discriminating against or granting preferential treatment based on race.  Therefore, there is no need to classify people by race, ethnicity, color, or national origin.  We are all Americans."

"Removing these kinds of questions (e.g. the ones where you have to hunt for your ethnicity and fill in a circle) will save the taxpayers time and save the state some money.  The state funded organizations that compile and analyze this information will be able to spend their resources on other, more important things."

"In a day and age where big brother is breathing down our neck, wouldn't it be nice to have some privacy?  We are quickly trading in our freedoms for security, but this freedom doesn't need to be conceded."

Kind regards,

Gastrich for Governor, '03

http://jasongastrich.com