Blue Mass Group

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Democratic Party Platform Online Forum: Civil Rights & Civil Liberties

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Schedule & Topics for Future Forum:

Economic Growth, Jobs, and Worker’s Rights – 3/3

Economic Justice/Poverty/the Social Safety Net – 3/6

Housing 3/10

Environment 3/13

Public Safety & Criminal Justice 3/18

Misc – What Are We Missing? 3/23

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  1. Governmental use of Automobile V-chips because it is an unnecessary intruision into personal freedom and liberties.

    • I’m not a Democrat, but I have to say you guys look pretty silly talking about civil rights and civil liberties after defending Aloisi and his proposals all over the site.  100% antithetical to any notion of civil rights or civil liberties, those.  Heaven forbid we leave it to the GOP to protect our individual rights . . .

      • Half the heavy hitter liberals here and elsewhere have been against this. So we have a discussion and some people see some rational reason to think about talking about the v-chip thing. Suddenly all liberals are silly defending Aloisi on this issue?

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        p>You’ve been doing some very selective reading, my friend.

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        p>Most of the comments on my blog on this issue, where I have come out skeptical of this part of the proposal at best, have been negative, from liberal and conservative alike. Same on this blog. Go knock your straw man down some place else.

        • Are the only constituency defending Aloisi & the governor on this proposal.  These people come from your side of the aisle; the rest of us dismiss it as a non-starter.  

  2. Whether the issue is mileage-tracking chips for cars, electronic medical records, credit reports, employment and school records, tax returns, or any of the other information government and businesses collect and aggregate about each of us, an important 21st century principle is that the data should be safeguarded carefully and disclosed carefully.  In an information-rich society, individuals should have the right to control the use of personal data, the right to correct inaccurate data, and redress when data is used inappropriately by businesses, governments, and thieves.  

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    p>This hasn’t been a traditional subject for civil rights/civil liberties platforms, but it’s a modern application of the right to a zone of privacy.  It’s also a place where Massachusetts could lead the nation in striking a balance between the needs and wants of users of information and the privacy and autonomy of individuals.  

    • How many times have we seen companies hacked into and countless credit card numbers stolen. Ever wonder why TJX was holding on to so many credit card numbers? So do I. After the transaction is processed and payment is collected, there’s no need to hold on to the information.

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      p>Likewise, the government should only be in the business of collecting the information they need to do their job, and disposing of that data when the job is done. That’s the best security policy.

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      p>The VMT is a particularly egregious example of this. How much information is going to be collected for the sake of a tax that replicates an existing tax? What are other organizations going to do with this data? You bet that this data will be up for federal subpoena in who knows how many cases. Do you want the next Bush-like administration to be able to get their hands on data that the Commonwealth has so thoughtfully collected?

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      p>The Commonwealth shouldn’t be in the business of collecting this data. The VMT is a solution in search of a problem. There are easier ways that the Commonwealth already does. Making the gas tax depend on average vehicular fuel economy would be the easiest solution. A bit more practical would be to have it depend on the federal CAFE or similar Commonwealth standards.

  3. Is there something from previous years to look at as a starting point?  BTW, it’s a bit messy to combine civil rights and civil liberties. They are related but not the same.

  5. and protection under the law for all, regardless of age, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity.

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    p>Basically, what we already have + gender identity.

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    p>It would apply to hate crimes protection, protection at the workplace and in finding housing, among other things.

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    p>Thanks for doing all of this, Jamie.  

  6. How are you going to uphold those equal rights type laws?  If they are violated, how will you hold government or private parties such as employers accountable, without functioning courts and access to justice???

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