Colorado Ballot Initiatives 2008
As a resident of Colorado, I have a lot of research to do regarding the various amendments and referendums that will appear on November’s ballot. I’ve found a couple sites that purport to give a “fair and unbiased” suggestion on how to vote, but I don’t really believe there is such thing as an unbiased perspective.
In discussing a couple of the initiatives at work, my colleagues were somewhat impressed by my knowledge of the various initiatives and when I asked if they would appreciate a more thorough rundown, they all agreed it would be helpful. My basic plan is to post one issue each day, with Pros, Cons, My Bias, and My Verdict sections as best as I can present them. I will do my absolute best to make the Pro and Con sections as free from bias (mine or otherwise) as possible.
My General Biases
- Politically, I’m closest to a libertarian. That makes me socially liberal and fiscally conservative.
- Fiscal Conservative - The government should be as small as possible to ensure the common good - i.e. low government spending, and as a result, low taxes. I tend to favor a “free market economy” and oppose governmental regulation of business unless it is necessary to correct a market failure or imbalance.
- Socially Liberal - The government should interfere as little as possible with the private lives of its citizens. So long as something does no direct harm to a citizen, the government has no business sticking their nose in. As such, I’m strongly opposed to most “morality” based legislation which seeks to impose a tyranny of the majority.
- I tend to oppose special interest groups. The benefits allocated to special interests usually result in an increase in taxes and the size of government.
- When in doubt, I prefer the status quo. Unless there is a compelling reason to change the law, I prefer to err on the side of not changing it until such a clear reason becomes available.
- I have no affiliation with any of the groups behind the initiatives.
I’m very interested in hearing any comments anyone might be able to provide - discussion could very well reveal flaws in my logic and might change my opinion.
November 20th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Under the definition that you mention, I would consider you to be a social issues Libertarian. A social Liberal, generally speaking, would seek to mandate what they view as a “moral” stance though it differs in form from a strictly Conservative stance. In spite of the differences we have in many areas and based on what is here, I picture that you are with me in telling the government to stay our of your wallet, back yard, and bedroom.
So, what happened to the issue summaries? In the future, be sure to include the Independence Institute (www.i2i.org) in your inventory of places to look. They have a free market bias and proclaim it openly, and they frequently get people at Cato and other free market think tanks to produce or help with issue statements. As an added bonus, they are based in Colorado and keep a very close eye on the happenings there.
No telling when I’ll stop by the site or in person again, but life is going grand in Texas. TTYL!