A VOTE FOR LIBERTARIAN IDEALS

Thursday, September 19, 2002 - My passion is simple: less government
intervention in the lives of the people of Colorado.

Following are my thoughts on taxes, guns and marijuana.

Taxes: Our governor signed a bill earlier this year, HB 1310, defining a
decade as 19 years so that politicians could spend at least $300 million
more of your money every year. HB 1310 also paved the way to raise RTD
taxes 67 percent. The governor pushed through HB 1310 at 11:30 p.m. - the
last half-hour of the 2002 legislative session - without giving legislators
time to read the final 47-page bill before voting.

I strongly support the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. By pushing HB 1310, the
governor violated TABOR. He violated his oath to uphold the Colorado
constitution's TABOR provisions and his written pledge not to raise taxes.

The author of TABOR, Douglas Bruce, agrees: HB 1310 is an illegal tax increase.

The governor claims to have balanced the budget. He did it by raiding cash
funds created for specific purposes. He violated the legal trust for which
such money is set aside. This scheme also violates TABOR's provisions
against multi-year borrowing without voter approval.

Guns: Our governor has cynically broken many promises to gun owners. He
signed the Amendment 22 petition, which expands gun registration, on the
very first line.

I believe the right of self-defense is a fundamental human right. My
parents' entire families were killed in the Holocaust because they were
left defenseless against a German state that legally disarmed its citizens,
first by registering weapons and then confiscating them.

Marijuana: Our cynical and uncaring governor told physicians, the sick and
the dying that they will be sent to prison if they exercise their Colorado
constitutional right under Amendment 20 (passed in 2000) that allows people
to obtain medical marijuana. His threats make it nearly impossible for
desperately sick people to get access to medical marijuana. I have seen
pain-wracked people, amputees and people in wheelchairs at marijuana
rallies hopelessly seeking any courageous doctor who will prescribe
marijuana for their medical problems.

By pandering to extreme prohibitionists, our governor again ignored his
oath of office to support the Colorado constitution. Besides hurting the
sick, the drug war creates violent black markets and fosters a police state.

As governor, I will pardon all non-violent victims of the drug war and
promote legislation like that proposed in Nevada and South Dakota to
prevent jailing people on marijuana charges. No mugger, rapist or other
violent criminal should avoid jail because a "marijuana criminal" is taking
up that cell.

I have a vision of freedom, prosperity, racial harmony and peace that my
Libertarian philosophy gives me. Colorado will be best served by putting me
in office so I can execute that vision.

Vote Libertarian. Vote for Ralph Shnelvar for governor, so that Colorado
has a governor who respects constitutionally limited government.