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The
Green Party of New Jersey Issues |
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Property Taxes | Higher Education Reform | Full Equal Rights | Ballot Access & Suffrage |
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District 21 Greens George DeCarlo and Ryan Reyes, General Assembly candidates 908-342-1275 (c) Property Taxes - Public Schools: Reforming the structure and financing of the public schools has had various plans by members of the legislature with these not going far enough. One plan we had read some time ago was another piecemeal disjointed tax and education scheme not changing the basic structure allowing for a comprehensive improvement in the public schools.
The District 21 Greens as represented by George DeCarlo and Ryan Reyes running for the General Assembly in the 21st District present our plan below.
* Eliminate all local public school districts with the creation of a unified school district for the State of New Jersey. Administrative districts will be created and adjusted for practical administrative affairs under the Department of Education, the administrator.
* The Commissioner of Education will be eliminated from the Governor’s cabinet with the creation of a State Superintendent of Schools voted for by Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) in the General Election as a partisan race.
* The State School Board at the Department will be voted for by proportional representation in the General Election with 20 seats. This number of seats will allow for at least 5% for any party or Independent candidate to gain at least one seat.
* Property taxes will no longer pay for the public schools with its replacement by a progressive state income tax dedicated to the public schools. This tax and fund will be separate from the general revenues. The accounting of this system will be placed on a website available for tracking by all residents of the state with hard copies of appropriate materials placed in several (~8) public agencies such as libraries for review around the state.
* Serious thought needs to be considered for a merged junior (community) college and a state college/university systems for further financial and education improvements.
* An amendment to the New Jersey Constitution would also be necessary requiring that no funds for education are to be gained through property taxes.
Given the budgets of local districts we would assume that $500,000,000 would be saved in the first year of implementation. Reforming the design and financing of the public colleges/universities by improving the basic structure will address the issues in the three questions asked in your letter.
The District 21 Greens as represented by George DeCarlo and Ryan Reyes running for the General Assembly in the 21st District present our plan below.
* All public colleges/universities as well as community (junior) colleges in the state shall be unified under a statewide university system. All separate trustee structures made by appointment via a patronage system shall be eliminated in favor of elected officials for a statewide system.
Central administration may be handled through the Department of Education with offices for this division located in Newark or Camden as possible sites.
* A State Dean of Higher Education acting as head of this newly created unified system will be voted for by Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) in the General Election as a partisan race in an off-year General Election when the General Assembly also runs for office.
* A Higher Education Board of Trustees will replace the Commission on Higher Education and will be voted for by proportional representation in an off-year General Election with 20 seats. This number of seats will allow for at least 5% for any party or Independent candidate to gain at least one seat.
* Property taxes will no longer supplement Higher Education. The accounting of this system will be placed on a website available for tracking by all residents of the state with hard copies of appropriate materials placed in several (~8) public agencies such as libraries for review around the state. After 4 years once the new Higher Education system commences, an evaluation of the financing structure shall be made with recommendations for possible revenue sources to secure reasonable tuition, fees and room/board for New Jersey residents.
Financing for the state’s share of funding may be made by a similar plan proposed for the public schools K-12. We recognize that funding will come from the state with federal grants and the individual students providing a reasonable payment.
* An amendment to the New Jersey Constitution would also be necessary requiring that no funds for education are to be gained through property taxes.
The current dramatic and continual rise in tuition, fees and room/board for colleges/universities in the state is not sustainable for the residents of the state and educational goals of students. We support Full Equal Rights for Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgender people. The current debate on same-sex civil marriage is one example of the continual disenfranchisement same-sex couples suffer in citizenship rights. The United States continually insists that there is only one class of people in the nation; this is contrary to the facts. Same-sex civil marriage may need to be separated from the sacrament of marriage by registrars of the state performing all civil marriages as takes place in France and Belgium. Full citizenship needs to be extended to all residents regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. ******** As a historical note, Ryan Reyes and George DeCarlo had former Green Party Assemblyman Matt Ahearn introduce a civil union bill in the Assembly in 2003 based upon the Vermont bill. We chose civil union at the time since we did not want to interfere with the lawsuit regarding civil marriage in the state. Our superior bill being a full reflection of civil marriage without the breath and depth of civil marriage was ignored by the party that controlled both houses and the governorship. Ballot Access for voters and Suffrage threatened for developmentally disabled and mentally ill
Ballot Access involves the free speech rights of all citizens in the U.S. regarding political party formation and development. We support full equal rights for all political parties demanding that the State of New Jersey recognize all political parties functioning within the state.
We recognize that the US in good faith signed and pledged in 1990 to support the Copenhagen Declaration of the Helsinki Accords that “political parties ... (are to be) provided ... the necessary legal guarantees to enable them to compete with each other on a basis of equal treatment before the law and by the authorities.”
“(7.5) - respect the right of citizens to seek political or public office, individually or as representatives of political parties or organizations, without discrimination; (7.6) - respect the right of individuals and groups to establish, in full freedom, their own political parties or other political organizations and provide such political parties and organizations with the necessary legal guarantees to enable them to compete with each other on a basis of equal treatment before the law and by the authorities;”
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Suffrage rights in the current proposed state constitutional amendment on the ballot for November to replace odious language regarding voting rights of the mentally ill and developmental disabled with seemingly improved language is as odious when judged against its intent. The United States is signatory to treaties supporting universal suffrage for all adults. These treaties and international agreements do not add qualifications regarding this political right. The odious language needs removal and no replacing verbiage. VOTE NO ON PROPOSED AMENDMENT.
Civil Actions against that State of New Jersey:
First press release: http://www.gpnj.org/Conventions/Convention%202007/3partyPressRelease%2010-27.doc
Filed civil action: http://www.gpnj.org/Conventions/Convention%202007/GP-LP-CP%20lawsuit.pdf
Answer from State of New Jersey: http://www.gpnj.org/Conventions/Convention%202007/Answer.doc
The Final Judgment by Consent: http://www.njappleseed.net/entity_pdfs/182.pdf
Previous decision granting one right: “CAPP” decision from 2001: 2 COUNCIL OF ALTERNATIVE POLITICAL PARTIES et al. v. STATE OF NEW JERSEY, DIVISION OF ELECTIONS
Ballot Access News for full discussion on all aspects:
Universal Declaration of Human RightsArticle 21.(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. (2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country. (3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Document of the Copenhagen Meeting of the Conference on the Human Dimension of the CSCE Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) [U.S. was a signatory]
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Additional information on District 21 Greens:
The Arc of New Jersey - http://www.arcnj.org/Candidates_for_the_New_Jersey_Legislature.pdf
Humane Society Legislative Fund - http://www.fund.org/press-releases/endorsements_nj_2007.html (endorsement of Mike Spector)
ABATE of the Garden State - http://www.gardenstateabate.org/#d21
Out in Jersey - http://www.ryanreyes.com/District21Greens/ExtraExtra/OutinJersey.pdf (endorsement of George DeCarlo & Ryan P. Reyes)
Capitol Advantage - http://www.congress.org/congressorg/e4/cinfo/?state=NJ&id=154014
New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities - http://www.njcollegepromise.com/index_files/surveyresults3.htm
Project Vote Smart - http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=43420
AARP - http://www.aarp.org/issues/state_elections/race_display.html?race_id=7551
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