california special election

On Tuesday, California will be holding a special election. The following Propositions will be voted on. (see Link for more details)

Prop 73 Voting Yes. Parents should be notified if their children are going to have an abortion, and should be involved. There is an allowance for kids to talk to a judge if they think their parents will beat them, etc. The very idea that a child could get an abortion without parental notification, but the fact that they can't take a field trip without it is ridiculous.

Prop 74 Voting Yes. Good teachers should keep their jobs, bad teachers shouldn't be immune from removal. I highly doubt there's some nefarious group of administrators just waiting to kick all the great teachers out of their positions. If a teacher is bad, they shouldn't be allowed to stay - they shouldn't get extra special treatment in this regard.

Prop 75 Voting Yes. Unions should have to obtain written consent for employees to use their money for political gains. I should not have to contribute to a union that is using my money to political ends I disagree with. If I do agree with the union, then I will have no problem signing a piece of paper and turning it in. The radio commercials in opposition to Prop 75 are laughable, by the way. This will not silence any union, especially any union representing its constituents.

Prop 76 Voting Yes. Since the legislators can't control themselves, they need someone to come in and do something about it. The solution to the education issue is not to throw more money into the bloated bureaucracy but to force them to spend the money wisely. I see Prop 76 as a step in this direction. The current methods are not working. Not even close.

Prop 77 Voting Yes. When just about every newspaper is in support of a Prop you know it has merit. The TV commercial against this Prop, where the evil hand grabs the map of California and crumples it up, is so hilarious. They are hoping to strike fear into Californians. The gerrymandering so prevalent in California needs to be changed. Of all the props, I hope this one passes the most.

Props 78 and 79 Voting No on both. These two are in opposition to one another. 78 looks like it's backed by the big drug companies, and 79 looks like it will create even more bureaucracy. I don't trust either, and will, as I usually do with Propositions, vote No.

Prop 80 Voting No. It seems pretty complex, and it is messing with the energy industry. When in doubt with Props, my rule is to vote no. I would rather not vote something into existence that I am unsure of. Something like this seems like it would be better suited to some sort of legislative branch action, not something put up to the voters who don't even know what they're voting on. This is my view with most Propositions and why I'm not the hugest fan of direct democracy.

So those are my votes, FYI. I hope you'll go out and vote, whatever it is you vote. And I hope you take a little time to educate yourself on the issues. Apathy is too easy, and a copout of your civic responsibility.