League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
San Mateo, Santa Clara County, CA June 5, 2012 Election
	John H. Webster Answers Questions Candidate for State Senator; District 13

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

2. What types of changes or reforms, if any, do you think are important to make our state government function more effectively?

We must require that before a ballot measure can change the California Constitution that it require a 2/3 vote, not the simple majority that is required now. It has been too easy to change what is supposed to be the basic rules and restrictions for all the State's laws.

Obviously, before this is done, recent changes to that constitution should be undone. The Prop-8 was clearly an example of the Majority denying a government service to a minority and not in keeping with the spirit of a Free Society.

Also with Proposition 14 the Top-Two "Primary" system has destroyed the whole concept of the Primary. It apparently was done to protect incumbents from the likes of the Tea Party.

About ten years ago the League of Woman Voters had done a study of how well various voting system did on selecting the candidate best qualified for serving all voters. In that study the Top-Two System did the WORST. Its only advantage seemed to be that incumbents had the biggest chance of being reelected.

The best Voting System turned out to be the Instant Runoff Voting. In that system you would have the old primaries and then in November you would have Instant Runoff voting. So you could vote for a minor party candidate, but if that candidate didn't get enough votes you could have your second choice be a more popular candidate.

3. Fees for public higher education have gone up dramatically and funding has been cut. Is this a priority concern, and if so, what measures would you propose to address it?

In order to pay the cost of Education using a Free Market approach I would set up a program where the State of California would sell Education Bonds to members of the Public who would be paid back with interest when the bonds mature; the State getting the money to pay those back through repaid student loans, and attached wages of those students who have received assistance and are employed after graduation.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. References to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: May 20, 2012 07:31
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