LIBERTARIAN PARTY of
Colorado
"Limited Government - Individual Liberty - Personal
Responsibility"
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 22nd, 2002
CONTACT: Mike Seebeck, Public Information Director
PHONE: (719) 382-9529
EMAIL: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
WEB: http://www.lpcolorado.org/
SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? DENVER - Most members of the Colorado House of
Representatives only get to introduce five bills per session, which makes them
a commodity not to be wasted lightly.
So why has Representative Bill Crane (R-Arvada, HD27) used one of his
bills to try to force minor political parties into the major party
caucus/primary system? "Bills are supposed to solve problems and concerns that
constituents have, at least in theory," said John K. Berntson, Chair of
the Libertarian Party of Colorado.
"This bill would just force most minor party candidates off of the
ballot. So just what problem is it
that Mr. Crane is trying to solve?" Have constituents complained about having too many choices
on the ballot? Libertarians would
love to see the evidence to back that up.
Even people who do not vote for minor parties seem happy to have the
extra choice. Has the Secretary of State’s Elections Department complained
about the modest increase in their workload? When has a bureaucratic agency ever complained about taking
on more work? Indeed, state and
county elections departments always seem to be happy to have minor party
candidates, as it gives them something a little different to do. Have the minor parties complained about not being in the
primaries? This does not seem
likely, as the minor parties all realize that they will drown in the paperwork
requirements that this bill would enforce. So just what is the problem here? "Mr. Crane is sure to invoke the word 'fairness' when
he tries to defend this bill," said Berntson. "After all, why shouldn't minor party candidates have
to leap through the same hurdles as the majors, according to him?" But the major party political machines have access to
millions of dollars and paid staff.
They can work through any kind of requirements they set on themselves. Minor parties, on the other hand, are true grassroots
organizations, getting by on volunteer efforts. They simply cannot afford to organize assemblies in each
county or handle the resultant paperwork.
Crane and other Republicans know this. Should not minor parties be allowed the same opportunities
to set their own requirements, as do the major parties? Is that not what true equal opportunity
is all about? One thing is for sure: Bill Crane misrepresents his own views
by this bill. On his website at http://www.billcrane.org/positions.htm,
he states that he “favors equal opportunity for everyone, opposes
discrimination, especially institutional discrimination.” Yet here he is, proposing using
government to deny minor parties the same equal opportunity that the Democrats
and Republicans reserve for themselves—to set their own rules and
limitations. Rep. Crane’s
hypocritical idea of equal opportunity seems to stop at the party line—for
shallow political convenience—instead of being a true statement of good
character and beliefs. "Mr. Crane, like many Republicans, thinks that we stole
'his' votes in the last election.
He thinks we gave control of the Senate to the Democrats in 2000. That is the only problem he is
trying to solve. "Shame on you, Bill Crane!" concluded Berntson. From the Secretary of State's election website: State Representative District 27 Bill Crane (REP) 12531 50.95% Sara Gagliardi
(DEM) 11428 46.46% -1103 -4.49% Gregg
Miller (LIB)
636 2.59% That’s pretty close. Maybe this is the problem? Or is it just that Rep. Crane is just a
poor winner and barely effective campaigner in his Arvada district? The Libertarian Party of Colorado
opposes HB 1142 and urges the House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs to
kill this ridiculously partisan bill NOW, before freedom of choice is further
stifled in the name of allaying the fears of the out-of-control Republican
status quo. |
Title: LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF COLORADO
