Wednesday, October 13, 2004
None of the above
Well, it's almost time for all the liars to come out of the closet and put on a pretty face for all the sheep. Sorry, I sound jaded. But why not?! Take for example the following piece of mail I got today... Proposition 1A (which replaces prop 65)
[Actual quotes]
Proposition 1A gives local governments a spending guarantee without any fiscal accountability or oversight.
Contrary to misleading claims made by the opponent of 1A, THIS MEASURE INCREASES FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY.
This NO fiscal accountability Proposition deserves a NO vote!
FOR YEARS, THE STATE HAS HAD A BLANK CHECK to take your local tax dollars. PROP. 1A TEARS UP THAT BLANK CHECK
It’s a blank check for spending and turns a blind eye to waste.
Proposition 1A gives local politicians a blank check without any scrutiny over how the money is spent.
Whew! I'm exhausted from reading the first proposition. Are they all going to be like this? Well, my mind is made up on a few issues..
63. Prop 63 was a bit confusing in its wording. As far as I can tell, they want to tax an additional 1% on people who make more than a million dollars (approx. 80,000 people) in this area for "mental health services". Sure - why not? Doesn't affect me.
64. Lawsuits allowed only if actual loss suffered - well, yeah. Anything to reduce the number of lawsuits in general - I'm for.
69. DNA database for felons and from "others arrested for or charged with specific crimes". Sure, why not?
71. Stem cell research. I'm in favor of stem cell research in principle, but I'm strongly against embryonic stem cell research, and the bill wasn't specific enough to limit the type of research in question (which tells me that it would be included), so I'm voting against it. If it were written in such a way that we would not be breeding people to kill to save other people, I would have voted for it.
And now for the moment you've all been waiting for... President. Will I vote for Bush or Kerry? Or Will I write in Nadar? Or Rocky & Bullwinkle? Well, I can't bring myself to vote for any of them, so I'm leaving that space blank. I feel that I would have something to defend when I got to the Pearly Gates and Peter asked me why I voted the way I did. Kerry's going to win California anyway, so it doesn't much matter anyway (for me).
Sometimes I get so frustrated with voting, I just want to spit. It's my duty and I'm glad that I have the right to vote, but the lies - ugh! I can't stand the lying. Call it misleading. Call it spin. Call it whatever you want. I call it lying. Prop 1A (above) is a perfect example. One person says it will give politicians no accountability. Another says it will. Who is right? So, I read the pages and pages of documentation, because as an American, I have nothing else better to do.
It says that a yes vote means that the state could not reduce local sales tax, move tax money from local goverenments to schools unless the Governor says it's needed and the Legislature approves it with a 2/3 vote, or decrease vehicle license fees without making up the difference to the local government.
Likely outcomes of Prop 65: Higher and more stable local government revenues (fire, police, water, libraries, mass transit, parks), lower and less stable state government revenues (schools, community colleges). So, no wonder the fire departments, police, paramedics, park & library people are all in favor of it. And since its passing will no doubt create a loud sucking sound in neighborhoods that do not generate enough local tax revenue to stay viable, its no wonder why the Chairman of the state board of equalization (read: state board of socialism) is against it.
Please join me in voting. Vote for the things that matter and the things that you've studied well. If you don't know - don't vote.
[Actual quotes]
Whew! I'm exhausted from reading the first proposition. Are they all going to be like this? Well, my mind is made up on a few issues..
63. Prop 63 was a bit confusing in its wording. As far as I can tell, they want to tax an additional 1% on people who make more than a million dollars (approx. 80,000 people) in this area for "mental health services". Sure - why not? Doesn't affect me.
64. Lawsuits allowed only if actual loss suffered - well, yeah. Anything to reduce the number of lawsuits in general - I'm for.
69. DNA database for felons and from "others arrested for or charged with specific crimes". Sure, why not?
71. Stem cell research. I'm in favor of stem cell research in principle, but I'm strongly against embryonic stem cell research, and the bill wasn't specific enough to limit the type of research in question (which tells me that it would be included), so I'm voting against it. If it were written in such a way that we would not be breeding people to kill to save other people, I would have voted for it.
And now for the moment you've all been waiting for... President. Will I vote for Bush or Kerry? Or Will I write in Nadar? Or Rocky & Bullwinkle? Well, I can't bring myself to vote for any of them, so I'm leaving that space blank. I feel that I would have something to defend when I got to the Pearly Gates and Peter asked me why I voted the way I did. Kerry's going to win California anyway, so it doesn't much matter anyway (for me).
Sometimes I get so frustrated with voting, I just want to spit. It's my duty and I'm glad that I have the right to vote, but the lies - ugh! I can't stand the lying. Call it misleading. Call it spin. Call it whatever you want. I call it lying. Prop 1A (above) is a perfect example. One person says it will give politicians no accountability. Another says it will. Who is right? So, I read the pages and pages of documentation, because as an American, I have nothing else better to do.
It says that a yes vote means that the state could not reduce local sales tax, move tax money from local goverenments to schools unless the Governor says it's needed and the Legislature approves it with a 2/3 vote, or decrease vehicle license fees without making up the difference to the local government.
Likely outcomes of Prop 65: Higher and more stable local government revenues (fire, police, water, libraries, mass transit, parks), lower and less stable state government revenues (schools, community colleges). So, no wonder the fire departments, police, paramedics, park & library people are all in favor of it. And since its passing will no doubt create a loud sucking sound in neighborhoods that do not generate enough local tax revenue to stay viable, its no wonder why the Chairman of the state board of equalization (read: state board of socialism) is against it.
Please join me in voting. Vote for the things that matter and the things that you've studied well. If you don't know - don't vote.
