Southeast Initiatives for November

[Emsworth]

'Non-abstaining voter' shall be defined as a voter who abstains...

Hmm, that seems like a typo.

Might I suggest:

"The amendment shall not become law unless approved by two-thirds of those voting (excluding abstentions)."

[Emsworth]

Initiative 95: Second Concealed Carry Initiative

Section One: Concealed Carry
1. All persons shall have the right to conceal and carry firearms in public areas, except as otherwise provided by this law.
2. It shall not be necessary to obtain a license or pay a fee to be able to conceal and carry firearms.
3. The right to conceal and carry firearms shall not extend to anyone under the age of eighteen, to anyone who is insane, or to anyone whose right to bear arms has been suspended as a punishment for the commission of a crime.
4. The Concealed Carry Initiative (Initiative 37) is hereby repealed.

Section Two: Disallowing Concealed Carry
1. Any person may disallow the concealed carrying of firearms on his private property.
2. The government may disallow the concealed carrying of firearms in any government-owned building, including but not limited to courthouses and schools.

Note: This initiative is meant to introduce Vermont-style concealed carry laws to the Southeast.

X Emsworth

[Emsworth]

Section Two includes "individual"s and "government"; does this exclude partnerships and corporations?

Good point; I've changed the term to "person" (which would include both natural persons and artificial persons).

[Emsworth]

I have a question: Initiative 62 requires the appointment of a "Bill of Rights Commission"; has such a commission be appointed, and if not, will one be instituted?

[Emsworth]

Section Two includes "individual"s and "government"; does this exclude partnerships and corporations?

Good point; I've changed the term to "person" (which would include both natural persons and artificial persons).

Actually it wouldn't do that. Initiative #16 which would have codified that interpretation into Southeast law was rejected back in January.

Well, whether codified or not, the legal term "person" has always been accepted to include corporations as artificial persons. This seems to be the most concise way of expressing "individuals, partnerships, and corporations."

[Emsworth]

X Emsworth on 98, 99, 101

Would Initiative 100, with which I disagree strongly, be in violation of Federal law?  The Support for Atlasia's Soldiers Bill repealed the Solomon Amendment last month.

The repeal of the Solomon Amendment only affects federal funding for universities. The Support for Atlasia's Soldiers Bill should not be interpreted as preventing regions from imposing their own rules.

[Emsworth]

What is the status of cocaine criminalization laws in the Southeast?

I don't think that we've even decriminalized marijuana, let alone cocaine (though I may be mistaken).

[Emsworth]

I'm pretty sure pot is legal in the Southeast (with a heavy tax)... but I may be wrong.

Hmm, you seem to be right. (I had looked at the initiatives list for "marijuana," but the initiative referred to "cannabis.")

[Emsworth]

No, we haven't decriminalized (or criminalized) marijuana.  Any state laws on the subject haven't yet been affected, IIRC.

In that case:

Initiative 95: Marijuana Legalization Initiative
1. The possession, sale, and consumption of marijuana, and of the plant Cannabis sativa, shall be lawful for all individuals (except minors).
2. The Southeastern Hemp and Cannabis Initiative is hereby repealed.

I have suggested the repeal of the Southeastern Hemp and Cannabis Initiative because it (in my view) imposes unneeded regulations and "sin taxes."

X Emsworth

[Emsworth]

I see no need to do away with any of the nesecary regulation either.

I would respectfully suggest that regulation of marijuana is necessary. The only exception is the use of marijuana by minors, which for obvious reasons should remain illegal (the exception is a part of the regulation itself). But establishing a regional marijuana commission, licensing marijuana distributors and producers, and so forth, seems like a waste of this region's resources, as well as an unneeded intrusion into private corporations.

Marijuana will not be completely untaxed; it will still be subject to the normal sales tax. No doubt, the legalization of this product will boost state revenues.

[Emsworth]

I'm in favor of legalization, but the main bar to taht (unless the feds have passed some law that I didn't pay attention to) is the national restrictions on its sale.

Fortunately, the Senate has passed a federal Marijuana Legalization and Taxation Act.

[Emsworth]

Initiative 97: Liberty of Contract Initiative
1. It shall be lawful for any private business to deny an individual employment on the basis of membership or non-membership in a union or other labor organization.
2. The Right-to-Work Initiative is hereby repealed.

X Emsworth