Libertarian Party of Texas takes position on constitutional amendments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Libertarian Party of Texas takes position on constitutional amendments
AUSTIN - October 19, 2007 - The Libertarian Party of Texas (LPT) state executive committee adopted positions on 10 of the 16 Texas constitutional amendment propositions to appear on the November 6 ballot.
For: 7, 10, 11, 14
Against: 2, 4, 5, 12, 15, 16
No position: 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 13Propositions 3, 5, 6, and 9 generated debate among Libertarians. On the one hand, they appear to provide some tax relief. On the other hand, they are targeted toward narrow special-interest groups to buy votes and provide sound bites for re-election campaigns, while the legislature keeps raising spending and shifting the tax burden onto others. Libertarians favor broad-based tax and spending cuts, rather than more complexity and special-interest pandering.
These are the LPT positions, with brief explanations:
1. No position (Angelo State University governance change)
2. AGAINST (Additional $100 million bonds for student loans) Bonds cause future tax increases. Government subsidies to students enable university bureacrats to keep raising tuitions and fees. Student debt upon graduation has skyrocketed in the past ten years, and we shouldn't encourage that trend with more tax dollars.
3. No position (Tweaking appraisal cap rules)
4. AGAINST ($1 billion in bonds for state facilities) Libertarians support less spending on state facilities, not more.
5. AGAINST (Tax incentives for downtown revitalization programs) This would shift the tax burden onto non-downtown property owners. Libertarians oppose giving privileged status to politically popular sectors, although we strongly support reducing taxes across the board.
6. No position (Tax exemptions for personal vehicles used for business)
7. FOR (Eminent domain buy-back rights) This would provide a small amount of protection in some cases. However, the 2007 legislature failed to pass stronger protections against eminent domain, and this is a perfect case where politicians are likely to mislead voters by claiming they support eminent domain reform more than they really do.
8. No position (Home equity loan regulations)
9. No position (Disabled veteran tax exemptions)
10. FOR (Abolish office of inspector of hides and animals) Libertarians support eliminating the obsolete minor office of Inspector of Hides and Animals. We wish this amendment would also eliminate the State Board of Education, which would represent a real cut in government.
11. FOR (Require record votes on bill passage) This would allow voters to actually find out how their representatives voted on final passage of a bill. More accountability is good.
12. AGAINST ($5 billion in bonds for Texas Transportation Commission) The government already does a terrible job of spending transportation tax dollars, and we should not provide new revenue sources.
13. No position (Denial of bail to some offenders)
14. FOR (Permit judges who reach mandatory retirement age to serve out their terms) Let elderly judges work if they want to.
15. AGAINST ($3 billion for a Cancer Research Institute) Medical research is not a legitimate function of government. Funding for medical research should stay in the private sector. There is plenty of profit motive in seeking patents for drugs and medical devices, and if that weren't enough, there is also a great deal of funding provided by voluntary charitable donations.
16. AGAINST ($250 million in bonds for water development to poor unincorporated colonias) Developers build neighborhoods without providing and paying for infrastructure like water, then want other taxpayers to pay for water and wastewater services for their developments. Wrong. Development should pay for itself without outside tax subsidies.
Early voting starts October 22 and ends November 2. Election day is Tuesday, November 6.
Contact:
Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian Party of Texas
512-442-4910
wesliberty@aol.com
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