In The News 
Debunked Idea is Stealth Ally to voucher Vote
A national school funding fad widely derided as a gimmick has been revived to boost passage of a pro-voucher ballot item.
Income Tax Abolition Move Should Be Taken Seriously
An initiative petition with more than 15,000 certified signatures, modeled on a similar measure in 2002, would end the state income tax. The signatures, certified by local city and town officials, were filed with the secretary of state on Wednesday by Carla Howell, erstwhile Libertarian Party candidate for governor.
Surprise Opponents to Renewable Energy Measure
The opposition comes as a surprise to Gonzalez and Peter Sperling, son of John Sperling, the billionaire founder of University of Phoenix and a longtime supporter of liberal causes. But Gonzalez began hearing rumblings that several environmental groups were unhappy with the initiative, which they argued was poorly written and so complicated that it could hurt the cause of renewable energy in the state.
Stem cell proposal likely headed for ballot
An amendment to the Michigan Constitution authorizing the destruction of human embryos in research aimed at curing chronic and debilitating illness appears headed for the November ballot after supporters collected more than a half million petition signatures.
Health Care Measure Certified for Ballot
The secretary of state has certified a ballot initiative that provides government-funded health coverage for as many as 30,000 uninsured children.
Obama Opposes Proposed Ban on Gay Marriage
Gay rights moved to the forefront of the presidential campaign after Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's announcement that he opposes a November ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriage in California.
In South Dakota, a Blow to Abortion Rights
Last Friday, in a week dominated by news of the Supreme Court's historic Second Amendment ruling, the Eighth Circuit Court quietly released an opinion that is unprecedented in scope and unmatched in its intrusion on First Amendment rights.
Measure Asks Arizona Voters to Disenfranchise Themselves
The latest candidate for most deceptively named initiative is "Majority Rules, Let the People Decide," a proposal that would let the minority of voters in an election decide the outcome of many statewide initiatives.
CO Right-to-Work Backers Ask to Collect Backup Signatures
The group backing a right-to-work ballot initiative has asked for permission to begin collecting more signatures in case a court rules in favor of a labor coalition that alleged fraud in the petition process. In a court document filed with Denver District Court late Friday night, attorneys representing the right-to-work proponents made their request to circulate more petitions. The filing denied any problems with the signatures that already have been certified by the Colorado Secretary of State's Office.
Snake Oil Peddlers
To fool voters even more, commissioners added to Amendment 9 a politically appealing, but practically meaningless, provision "Requiring 65 percent of school funding for classroom instruction." The implication is that more school funds will be directly targeted at teachers and classroom activities. But that's a ruse to sell an amendment that is otherwise intended to clear the way for more state spending on private, not public, schools.
