VOTERS GUIDE

There are some interesting choices for Californians on Tuesday. First things first.

Proposition S:
This is a cloudy issue which would changes the current Telephone User Tax to a Communication User Tax. Those in favor say emails and internet usage will not be taxed, but I am suspicious. The two opposing sides tell two completely different stories leading to a single conclusion: someone is lying. Since there is no way for a civilian to divine who is telling the truth, I am voting against.

Propositions 94 – 97
Some people are on the warpath over the Indian gaming initiatives, which isn’t very surprising, considering how much money is at stake. There are two stories here, and given the long and tragic history of American Indians I think you can choose to either believe the happy story or the sad one. The happy story is that the Indians have struck gold in their casinos and are finally going to receive their just rewards. The sad story is that some Indians have struck gold while others have simply struck out, and that isn’t fair. Since I don’t know anything about inter-tribal relations and I strongly suspect Vegas money is behind the opposition, I choose to believe the happy story. I will be voting in favor of the gaming propositions.

Proposition 93
This is the TERM LIMITS proposition, and, like the gaming propositions, arguments on both sides are filled with vitriolic hyperbole. No surprise there.
The basic argument in favor is that altering term limits will result in more experience and expertise for legislators, which translates into better governance. The legislative process is very complicated, they say, and it takes a long time to figure it out. Detractors are supposedly sponsored by out-of-state troublemakers with secret agendas. This is a little hard to verify.
The argument against is that #93 is a not-so-subtle attempt to subvert the will of the people, who voted for term limits in 1990. They claim the initiative is backed by special interests and power hungry politicians. They also claim that a loophole in the proposition would allow some sitting legislators to serve far beyond any suggested term limit. Each side claims the non-partisan support of everyone from NASCAR to the Pope.
Hyperbole aside, I oppose proposition 93, primarily because I prefer the notion of citizen legislators to career politicians, and therefore prefer a more aggressive turnover in Sacramento. If the legislative process is in fact so complicated that it requires years to master, the solution is not to extend term limits but to reform the legislative process. It may be theoretically true that time served = knowledge gained = a better legislation, but in the real world it is more likely that time served = connections made = political corruption. I’ll stick with term limits the way they are.

Democratic Primary
And then there were two. Wow, this is truly an exciting moment in American politics because no matter which Democrat wins, it’s a huge step forward for our development as a nation. That said, I truly believe Barack is right: it isn’t about black vs. white or men vs. women, it’s about yesterday vs. tomorrow.
Hillary, for all her qualifications, and she has many, is old school. She represents power for its own sake, while Barack, though far from perfect, is facing the future with a strong wind at his back. I believe his heart is in the right place, which trumps any lack of experience he may have. He’s smart, articulate, and most important, inspirational. I think he will be swept into office. He will certainly get my vote.

Republican Primary
If I were a Republican I would choose therapy. At the moment their choice is between a war hero who seems to have lost his marbles and a car salesman with a heart of coal. Perhaps they should just stay home on Tuesday.

As they say in politics, vote early and often.

a foot on either side