A PROMISE TO KEEP: 5%
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A Ballot Committee of
Citizens for Limited Taxation & Government
PO Box 408 * Peabody, MA 01960
Phone:(617) 248-0022 /(508) 538-3900 E-Mail: cltg@cltg.org
Visit our web-page at: http://cltg.org
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*** Promise Update ***
Monday, December 15, 1997

Greetings activists;

As you know, the Massachusetts Teachers Union and the Tax Equity Alliance of Massachusetts are poring over our petitions and hope to get our income tax rollback tossed off the ballot. "Breaking Promises" is their current class lesson "for the children."

We have a plan, a timetable, and an attorney who's declined his retainer until after we can raise the money to pay him!

I don't think it's even possible for you to imagine the incredible scope and extent of what's ahead, the amount of time and the expense it's taking and will keep coming at us, unless you're directly involved in what we're going through . . . or have gone through it before yourself. I never have, and calling it overwhelming is an understatement beyond description.

It makes me wonder if I want to *ever* run another petition drive: Flat-out around-the-clock seven-days-a-week from August to December is more than enough -- but this is almost more than anyone can endure, or endure for much longer.

Since last Tuesday we've been making copies of the thousands of our petitions from every city and town across the state. We've passed the halfway mark and should be done with this phase late tomorrow or early Wednesday.

With the copies of all the petitions in our Boston office, next we must count *all* the signatures -- certified and *not* certified. This will give us a statistical certification rate.

Once we have that rate, we will look for cities and towns that gave us a rate significantly lower than the state average, and target their certification for scrutiny.

Once we have the statistical rate and a number of clearly challengeable "exhibits through the state voter registration database (which I should have tomorrow or Wednesday), our attorney, Steve Epstein, next week will file our challenge in
Suffolk Superior Court.

RIGHT NOW WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO COME INTO OUR BOSTON OFFICE to
help with sorting the thousands of petitions, counting all signatures, then looking for signatures we can present the court for challenge.

IT WE GET THAT DONE IN TIME, the next step will be individually checking specific city and town signature certifications. We've got some folks who've already volunteered to help with this -- but first we've got to get there!

Our thanks go to those "Minutemen" who've already offered to help or are helping already. It's a good start. But we have a *very* long way to go, and an immense task ahead to accomplish in an extremely short period of time.

It can't be done unless many hands get involved -- and get involved *now*.

It's that simple.

And -- just like the signature collection -- we've done and are doing all we humanly can to make this ballot question work and then some more, and now it's all up to you. Again.

If you can or will help, please immediately call me (978- 538-3900) in Peabody, or Loretta and Chip Faulkner (617-248- 0022) at the Boston office.

Thanks much folks,

Chip Ford --


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You can e-mail A Promise to Keep: 5% at --> cltg@cltg.org
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