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"Buy Back the Government" Telethon(hosted by Critical Resistance)

by chuckE
For just $2.3 million, the people of the state of California can buy back the government from the pro-prison/anti-education lobby. Join us in an informative day of fund raising to "Buy Back the Government", and find out how you too can have Governor Davis in your back pocket.
Please circulate...and JOIN US!

THURSDAY, JUNE 27 @ 11AM
STATE CAPITOL(See carpool info below)

ORGANIZERS TO LAUNCH "BUY BACK THE GOVERNMENT" TELETHON

LEGISLATORS FUND $595 MILLION DELANO PRISON DESPITE
DECLINING PRISON POPULATION, BUDGET CRISIS & PUBLIC OPINION


SACRAMENTO, CA - Setting a goal of $2.3 million - the same amount California's prison guards' contributed to state legislative races -- grassroots organizers will hold a "Buy Back the Government" Telethon in front of the State Capitol on Thursday, June 27 at 11 am.

Organizers will set up a phone bank to accept calls from contributors on the north side of the
State Capitol and will accept on site donations as well. As a premium, each donor to the campaign will receive a laminated picture of the Governor or a legislator so everyone, not just the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA), can have the Governor in his or her pocket. And school children, weathering severe cuts to next year's education budget, will set up a lemonade stand to raise their "Buy Back the Government" donations.

Earlier this month, despite a $23 billion deficit, a declining prison population and a statewide poll
finding that Californians strongly favor a freeze on state prison building, the joint budget conference committee funded the controversial $595 million Delano prison plan.

"Our goal of $2.3 million may seem unrealistic to some, but we've learned what it costs to win in Sacramento," said Dorsey Nunn, M.C. for the Telethon.

"It's telling that in the midst of the worst budget crisis in a decade, the prison guards get a 34%
raise, a $595 million new prison and the Corrections' budget is going up, not down," commented Rose Braz, Director of Critical Resistance, noting that the Governor's May Revision to the Budget provides for a $185.9 million increase to the state's $5 billion prison budget.

"You really do get a lot of bang for your buck in Sacramento when you're the number one contributor to state legislative races," continued Braz, commenting that the guards contributed an additional $251,000 to the Governor only weeks after he granted the guards a pay hike of as much as $1 billion dollars.

The Delano prison will siphon $124 million from the general fund per year to operate and repay the debt for the next 25 years. Every major newspaper across the state, including the Los Angles Times, San Francisco Chronicle and Orange County Register editorialized against construction of the prison.

A statewide poll of likely voters recently found that Californians strongly favor a freeze on state prison construction and cuts to state prisons, over any other state program, to address the budget crisis.

The poll of 600 likely voters also found that 76% of those surveyed supported requiring voter approval of new prison construction. The legislature did not seek voter approval before authorizing the contentious Delano prison. In 1990 and again in 1996 voters turned down proposed prison bonds 2-1. The poll was conducted by Fairbanks, Maslin. Of those surveyed, 71% described themselves as conservative or moderate.

Groundbreaking for the prison was set for February 2001, but has been delayed by the mounting opposition.

Opposition to the Delano prison plan has come from a coalition of over 80 organizations including: the Central Labor Council of Alameda County; the San Francisco Board of Education; Service Employees Union International (SEIU) Local 250; the Delano Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment; American Federation of Teachers (AFT)- University Council; Hotel
Employees & Restaurant Employees, Locals 2 and 2850; California State Employees Association, Civil Service Division Council (SEIU Local 1000); NAACP chapters; and the statewide University of California Students Association.

JOIN US!
CARPOOLS WILL LEAVE FROM MACARTHUR BART AT 8:30 AM.
for more infomration Call: 510-444-0484

Critical Resistance
1212 Broadway, Suite 1400
Oakland, CA 94612
(510)444-0484
fax: (510)444-2177
http://www.criticalresistance.org
rose [at] criticalresistance.or
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chuckE
Fri, Jun 28, 2002 11:34PM
anon
Wed, Jun 26, 2002 9:19PM
anti-state
Wed, Jun 26, 2002 6:01PM
US Govt. Ruling Elite
Wed, Jun 26, 2002 7:42AM
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