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Small Government News*
Monday, July 7, 2008
Publisher: Carla Howell
Editor: Michael Cloud
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IN THIS ISSUE
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— Massachusetts Secretary of State Certifies END the Income Tax
Initiative for Ballot with 16,135 Signatures – Enough to Scare Off
Challenge by Teachers Union
— Help Reach and Persuade 1,600,000 Voters to Vote “Yes” to END the
state Income Tax
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MASSACHUSETTS SECRETARY OF STATE CERTIFIES END THE INCOME TAX
INITIATIVE FOR BALLOT WITH 16,135 SIGNATURES –
ENOUGH TO SCARE OFF CHALLENGE BY TEACHERS UNION
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Last December, just hours after we filed 76,085 validated and
certified signatures for our END the Income Tax Ballot Initiative with
the Secretary of State, the Massachusetts Teachers Union sent a swarm
of representatives to electronically scan these 76,085 into their
computer database.
They quietly set up and ran a Stealth, Boiler Room Telemarketing
Operation that telephoned signers – and asked whether their signatures
might have gotten on the petition through “fraud” or “forgery.” (Their
words.)
The Teachers Union failed to disqualify our Initiative. We moved
forward. (For more details, see the 12-19-08 and 1-03-08 issues of
“Small Government News.”)
This time, we turned in a Kevlar strength, bulletproof, challenge-
proof number: 16,135 Certified Petition Signatures – 5,036 more than
required by law.
On Thursday, July 3rd, the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
officially certified our END the Income Tax Initiative for the
November 4th Ballot.
Although the Teachers Union Headquarters is across the street from the
Massachusetts Elections Division – which has our petitions – the
Teachers Union hasn’t even walked over to check our petitions. They
have until this Wednesday, July 9th to file a challenge. With our
signature margin, the walk looks too daunting.
Massachusetts law requires initiative petitioners for a statewide
ballot to collect signatures both in the fall preceding the election
year and in the spring of election year. They must turn petitions in
to each of 351 cities and towns to certify voter signatures.
Petitioners must then collect the certified signatures from each town
and turn them in to the Elections Division. No more than 25% of
certified voters may reside in any one of the 14 counties in
Massachusetts.
In the fall of 2007, the Elections Division approved 76,085 certified
signatures turned in by the Committee For Small Government – 9,492
more than required by law.
Over 123,000 voters in Massachusetts signed the petition – either in
the fall of 2007 or spring of 2008 – to End the Income Tax.
In a statement to the News Media, Carla Howell said:
“Governor Deval Patrick, the state legislature, and the Massachusetts
Teachers Union no longer control the decision of whether to END the
Income Tax. The voters will decide this November 4th.”
“Our END the Income Tax Ballot Initiative is the first major tax cut
for working class and middle class Massachusetts taxpayers in 28
years. Since Proposition 2 ½.”
Two Polls of likely voters – one in January, another in May – show
that 45% of Massachusetts voters already support this ballot
initiative.
A November 4th “yes” vote to End the State Income Tax will give back
$3,600 each (average) to 3,000,000 Massachusetts workers and
taxpayers. A $3,600 tax refund every year.
A “yes” vote to End the State Income Tax will stop the job exodus from
Massachusetts. It will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs in
Massachusetts in the next 2 years. New jobs for our unemployed and
underemployed workers. New opportunities, new jobs for our high school
and college graduates.
“In the face of $4.50 a gallon gasoline, skyrocketing heating oil
costs, exploding home foreclosures, and 28 straight years of property
tax increases on Massachusetts homes – ENDing the Income Tax will give
desperately needed financial relief to Massachusetts families,” said
Carla Howell, Chair of the Committee For Small Government.
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HELP REACH AND PERSUADE 1,600,000 VOTERS TO VOTE “YES”
TO END THE STATE INCOME TAX
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We’ll probably need at least 1,600,000 “yes” votes this November 4th
to win.
To legally END the state Income Tax.
What’s the best, most cost effective way to win the hearts and minds
and votes of 1,600,000 voters – starting now?
10,000 Yard Signs and Bumper Stickers. In front of supporters homes.
On their cars.
While our opponents may spend millions of advertising dollars urging
and scaring people to vote “no”, paying more than $10 for each “no”
vote — you and we can lock in the FIRST 1,000,000 “Yes” votes for
just 4.4 cents a vote.
Are we serious? Is this really possible?
Yes.
Unfamiliarity is the biggest barrier to new ideas and proposals. Most
people initially reject the unfamiliar.
Immediate rejection. Without examination or consideration. Without
investigation or deliberation.
Reflexive rejection as immediate as pulling your fingers off a hot
stove.
That’s how most people first react to unfamiliar ideas. To the
foreign, the strange, the different.
That’s the first and biggest obstacle we’re up against with our Ballot
Initiative to END the Income Tax. Often, it’s the ONLY obstacle to
accepting and embracing a new and different idea.
Are there ways of getting around this barrier? Are there solutions to
reflexive rejection?
Yes! And one way is simple and easy to use.
It’s called: The Exposure Effect.
The more often that people are exposed to something, the more
comfortable and positive they feel toward it. The less often that
they’re exposed to it, the more uncomfortable and negative they feel
toward it.
The first time a person hears or reads something outside his comfort
zone, outside his familiarity zone, he immediately, reflexively
rejects it. The second time, he quickly rejects it. The third, he
rejects it. The forth, he treats it skeptically. The fifth, he may see
some interesting or valuable points. The sixth, a little more. And so
on, until he’s comfortable examining it — because it’s become
familiar.
Why do Yard Signs and Bumper Stickers Create an Exposure Effect?
Yard Signs Facts: 107 neighbors will drive by and notice the yard sign
an average of 22 times in the last 11 weeks of the campaign. Another
100 to 200 visitors and non-neighbors will see the sign an average of
twice. (Michael Cloud did field research in 2000 and 2002 to get these
numbers.)
10,000 yard signs X 107 neighbors = 1,070,000 voters familiar and
comfortable with open-mindedly considering ENDing the Income Tax. And
remember that UN-familiarity is the ONLY reason that over 1,000,000
Massachusetts voters are not yet ready to vote “Yes.”
Plus the 100 to 200 visitors also exposed to each END the Income Tax
Message on the yard sign. Another 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 people
exposed by the first 10,000 signs.
Bumper Sticker Facts: Less than 2% of Massachusetts cars have bumper
stickers. Only 50% of bumper stickers are political. (Michael Cloud
did this hands-on empirical research in 2000 and 2002.)
There are roughly 3,000,000 cars and trucks in Massachusetts.
2% bumper stickers on 3,000,000 cars and trucks = 60,000 cars with
bumper stickers. 50% of the 60,000 are political.
That’s 30,000 cars and trucks in Massachusetts with political bumper
stickers.
10,000 of our cars and trucks with END the Income Tax Bumper stickers
added to today’s 30,000 means that 25% of ALL political bumper
stickers will be ours.
Each bumper sticker grabs the attention of slightly over 100 drivers a
week. With bumper stickers on our supporters cars for the last 10
weeks of the campaign – that’s 1,000 Massachusetts drivers exposed to
each bumper sticker. That’s 3 exposures EACH to the 3,000,000 drivers
of these cars.
Add the millions of drivers exposed to END the Income Tax bumper
stickers to the 1,000,000 drivers repeatedly exposed to END the Income
Tax yard signs by their neighbors – and we can win over the first
1,000,000 votes with just these campaign materials.
But that’s not all.
These first 1,000,000 “Yes” voters AND the additional 2,000,000
exposed to our message will now be dramatically more receptive and
responsive to our advertising. They will be more open-minded and
willing to embrace our evidence and arguments when they read them on
the internet or in the newspapers, hear them on the radio, or watch
them on TV and YouTube.
Those multiple exposures create a persuasive “Social Proof Effect” –
as documented by Social Scientist Dr. Robert Cialdini.
They create and reinforce a persuasive “Commitment/Consistency Effect”
– empirically verified by social psychologists.
These Multiple source exposures amplify and reinforce each other.
Our first 1,000,000 “Yes” votes locked in for only 4.4 cents a vote –
and the simple and easy support of supporters.
We’ve priced and shopped the quality and cost of Yard Signs and bumper
stickers.
We can buy 10,000 2-color, 2-sided high visibility, weather proof Yard
Signs and frames – production and shipping – for only $36,000.
We can buy and distribute 10,000 2-color, bright, weatherproof END the
Income Tax Bumper stickers – for only $8,100. (The biggest cost is for
mailing them to supporters.)
$44,100 cost for winning over the first 1,000,000 “Yes” voters.
We need to put these 10,000 yard signs up as soon as we can. And get
the 10,000 bumper stickers in the hands of our supporters.
We only need 2 things: first, our official ballot question number from
the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. (They should give it
to us within 14 days.)
Second, we need $44,100 to pay for the signs and bumper stickers. We
must pre-pay for them. Why? Screeners and printers have been burned by
political campaigns. Not any more. They require us to pay in advance.
We get our Yard Signs 21 days AFTER we pay for them. So we need to pay
for them NOW to get them by early August. Further, signs are printed
“first come, first served,” so if it takes us 2 weeks to raise the
money – we’ll have to wait in line behind whoever got there first.
This could delay us to late August – or even September.
Delay in ordering our Yard Signs will cost us hundreds of thousands of
voter exposures – and perhaps hundreds of thousands of votes.
We need to raise $44,100 this week to get the Yard Signs on time.
If you have the financial ability to contribute $10,000 or $5,000 or
$2,500 today, and the burning desire to help make history, will you
please donate now?
Perhaps you’ve been “holding your fire” – until you could really make
an impact. If you can donate $1,500 or $850 or $550 today, will you
please do it now?
Or can you contribute $250 or $150 right now – so we can begin?
Even $5 from you will help. Will you please give your best donation
now?
Please contribute now by credit card by clicking:
https://secure.bluehost.com/%7Esavyonco/ms/sga/sga2.php
Or please write your check today and mail it to:
The Committee For Small Government
6 Goodman Lane
Wayland, Massachusetts
01778
Thank You.
Small government is possible,
Carla Howell & Michael Cloud
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I wrote another check. How about you? You verbally deplore taxes. These folks are striking a blow for all of us against Gooferment!
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