Wyatt

The down and dirty? My name is S. Wyatt Swafford and I will be running for the office of Mayor of and for the city of Sacramento, California. Basically I got tired of seeing all the sneaky bullshit the local government always tries to pull, so I decided to throw my hat into the ring. Just a statement if you will. More like a pitchfork in the ass to the people who need it the most (Thanks Jello). Be sure to check back often, as this page is under construction and I will soon be posting such things as:
- New pictures
- Link to official campaign web page
- Stories from the road
- Campaign Donation Option
- And MUCH, MUCH more!
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR WYATT FOR MAYOR GEAR!
***MESSAGE WYATT ON ONE OF HIS SCREEN NAMES: AIM - WYATT FOR MAYOR YAHOO - WYATTFORMAYOR
Here is a copy of my OFFICIAL campaign platform:This document is to serve as the OFFICIAL platform document for the campaign (Mayor 2008) of Samuel Wyatt Swafford. The course of this document will reflect the views of S. Wyatt Swafford himself, what the campaign in a whole stands for, as well as its direction and goal. This document will also make clear the personal standpoints on certain ‘hot-button’ issues (Defense spending, abortion, etc.) which S. Wyatt Swafford holds himself.
Domestic Policies:
Defense Spending - The United States spends too many taxpayer dollars on defense. Defense should be a much, much smaller proportion of the national budget. Those monies can be better spent elsewhere. I do not remember voting for a space wars program, a war in Iraq, etc. HOWEVER-National security should not be compromised -- but national security is now more a matter of intelligence than of tank warfare, or even of precision aerial bombing. Most cuts should come from the development of new weapons technologies, vehicles and equipment. NONE of the aforementioned cuts should come from personnel salaries and benefits.
Science/Research – Pluripotent stem cells and the research involving this type of cell(s) hold incredible potential. For starters; studying stem cells will help us to understand how they transform into the dazzling array of specialized cells that make us what we are. Some of the most serious medical conditions, such as cancer and birth defects, are due to problems that occur somewhere in this process. A better understanding of normal cell development will allow us to understand and perhaps correct the errors that cause these medical conditions.
Abortion – I am and have always been PRO-CHOICE. It’s no business of mine to tell a woman-or any person for that matter-what they can or cannot do with their bodies. Who are we to deny a woman who has become a victim of a terrible sex-crime, (such as rape/incest/molestation), the right to choose whether or not to keep the child.
Religion – I myself have never been a religious person in the sense that I regularly attended any specific form of worship nor have I ever clung to any certain theological ideal(s). However what I hold firm is the belief that the separation of church and state is something that I believe we should uphold (See U.S. Constitution). My "political" opinion of ‘religion’ would be that it should be NOWHERE NEAR government or anything that has anything to do with it. My personal opinion however is I think it's a good idea, religion, I just hate to see it twisted and used for personal gain and/or to gain the influence of others. I'm not a religious person but I think the idea of religion as far as doing good, helping others, trying to be understanding, etc is AWESOME! We should ALL live with that mind set. But when you start wording things different and putting opinion into the mix, it's like a gun in the hand of a 4 year old. They don’t know the power they hold in their hand, and they could really do some damage if they misused it.
Same-Sex Marriage – This is an issue I am quite firm about; I believe that marriage should NOT be exclusive to people of the opposite sex. If it was, (and is), is to say that love in its very nature is exclusive to members of the opposite sex. The main belief that I hold which explains why the Federal Government does not want to issue same-sex marriage licenses is simply because they would have to pay out a great deal more in Social Security monies that would instead be left in the pool for other “more deserving” and “morally secure people”. And since “homosexuality has a higher risk rate of AIDS/HIV” this would mean that if there were a dramatically larger number of LEGAL marriages that would mean that there would be a larger number of payout to the widowed spouse when and/or if the other spouses passes away. The way it is right now, even after a same sex couple has been together after 50 years, the families of each member of the relationship can claim ownership to the according estate of the member of that marriage. This means the widow(er) could very well be left with nothing, even if the deceased partner explicitly stated that he/she wanted every bit of their estate left to their partner. This is why I have pledge to offer the issue of marriage licenses for same sex couples if/when I am elected.
Preservation of the Environment – I would propose the following taxations and regulations if elected:
• Impose a carbon-dioxide tax on industry;
• Impose a "virgin materials" tax on industry;
• Modify all government purchase programs to rigidly adhere to sustainable practices, taking full life-cycle costs into account;
• Implement higher mileage requirements for cars, trucks, SUVs (if not ban them from the city limits all together);
• Require significantly higher efficiency standards for manufacturing;
• Implement utility rate reform to encourage conservation and efficiency;
• Implement tree-planting programs;
• Accelerate the global phase-out of ozone-destroying chemicals; and
• Eliminate all government subsidies for the use of pesticides and herbicides and for the practice of monoculture.
Corporate Welfare (In respects to the environment) - California should cease all forms of corporate welfare, with particular attention to government subsidies for the use of pesticides and herbicides and for the practice of monoculture, for non-sustainable forestry practices of any kind, particularly clear-cutting, and for the extraction of minerals and petroleum products for commercial use from public lands.
Localized City Policies:
Local Interaction Proposal – I will spend at least 2 hours of every work day traveling around different parts of Sacramento getting one-on-one personal feedback from my constituents, local shop owners, and city employees. I don't think 'political' or city consultants really know what the people are thinking most of the time, so I think this would be a great idea to really get a feel for the voice of the people. I mean, I’ve never even seen our current mayor in person! How am I expected to trust somebody who won’t even treat me as an equal? It not only serves as an informational outlet but also a boost of morale. I would REALLY enjoy it if I got a knock on my door and it was the mayor wanting to know what I think should be changed! How about you?
The legalization of squatting in vacant buildings - First, let me explain a little about it and then you can have at me. As many of you may or may not know this idea was not originally mine. This proposal first came about in 1979 when Jello Biafra ran for mayor of San Francisco. With his expressed personal permission I have incorporated it into my platform. Ok, now here is the reason I feel it would be the right thing to do. First of all big real estate moguls (the same ones who contribute about 75% of all the local politicians campaign money here in Sacramento, especially our governor.) Get HUGE tax write offs for leaving these buildings vacant; ESPECIALLY if they are run down. Why is that you ask? Because since the building is not being used, but they are still paying the property tax for it the government allows them to write it off as a business expense because they are making no profit from it but still having to pay for it. So, in turn they get more money BACK from the government than the amount they actually spend on the building. In doing this it just makes the city just look like shit for one with all these decrepit run down buildings everywhere, but there are just less and less businesses due the fact that none of these real estate companies want to rent out the space. Less businesses = less economy stimulation = less taxes coming in = less money for things we need! Yet another aspect to reason for this idea is the waste of manpower. Police are constantly harassing homeless people for using these buildings as shelter, when they both know that an hour after the police leave those people are going RIGHT BACK WHERE THEY WERE! So, why waste good police manpower on something as trivial as people trying to find a place to sleep, when it could be used to fight REAL crimes. Some people have also asked me; “Well what happens if somebody gets hurt in the building they’re squatting in? What if they try and sue the owner or try and hold them accountable for what happens?” And my answer to that is as follows: 1.) When is the last time you heard of a person who doesn’t even have enough money to live, hiring a lawyer to sue somebody? 2.) If/when that law is past it will require these businesses to display signs stating that anyone entering the premises can not hold the owner liable for anything that happens. 3.) And I’m pretty damn sure that if one of these buildings happens to burn down because somebody was building a fire inside, or for any other reason, these companies wouldn’t shed a tear because they are insured.
Increase of local fines to help city employees – I propose that we hike local fines (parking, etc.) by at least 10% funnel the new source of income to raise the salaries of the city’s teachers, firemen, and police officers. I’m tired of seeing the people we call heroes being paid like chumps. These are the people who risk their lives to save ours, put themselves in harms way, and help to shape and mold the future of our children; let’s show them we still give a damn!
Special Interest Groups - I WILL NOT be swayed by the money of so called ‘special interest’ groups trying to throw money at me to buy me out. The attempt to bribe me in any small manner or fashion will only infuriate me more and drive me to push my resolutions through harder.
Salary Pledge – I will be the first to offer up 50% of my yearly salary to help pay local teachers, firemen, police officers, as well as after school and drug awareness programs for children. I encourage other city, state, and local citizens to donate ANY portion of their income to the same cause.
*This statement was created and last modified on Wednesday 5 October 2005. This document is subject to any change by its author (Samuel Wyatt Swafford) at anytime present or future. Any duplication, modification or distribution of this document without the consent of the author is strictly prohibited.
HERE ARE SOME LINKS TO SOME GREAT PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS!
Alternative Tentacles is a record label that was started by Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys. Many of you might remember Jello ran for mayor of San Francisco in 1979.
Equality California, including its sister organizations and projects, Equality California Institute, Marriage Equality California, Equality California PAC, and Equality For California Families PAC share a common mission to ensure and promote dignity, safety and equality for all of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Californians. Founded in 1998, Equality California is the nation’s fastest growing statewide LGBT civil rights organization in the nation and has chapters throughout the state and offices in Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Francisco.